Denied, Abused and Rejected

CONSIDER THIS

He was betrayed by one of His own friends, denied by a friend who loved Him, despised by religious leaders, physically abused, and rejected by the very people He came to save. These are a few of the things that happened to Jesus in John 18 alone. It’s crazy to consider *everything* He did — for us. And He did it willingly.

Jewish leaders wanted to move things along and crucify Jesus sooner but did not have the authority to do this. So they bring Him to the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate can find no fault in Jesus and wants to let Him go. Just give me a reason, he thinks, almost aloud, I’ll set you free.

“What should I do with Jesus, the One called the Christ?”

Perhaps you, like Pilate, are curious about this one called Jesus. You may be puzzled by His claims and stirred by His passions. What do you do with a man who claims to be God, yet hates religion? What do you do with a man who knows the place and time of His death, yet goes there anyway? What do you do? You can reject Him. Curse Him. Spit in His face. And walk away.

Or you can accept Him. Listen to His voice. Follow Him.

The choice is yours.

*adapted from Brandon Lohr and Max Lucado