“Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged… When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man.’ The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God.’ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. ‘Where do you come from?’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer…Pilate said, ‘Don’t you realize that I have power either to free you or to crucify you?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.'” (John 19:1, 5, 7-11)
As this drama unfolds, it is our tendency to see Jesus now at the mercy of an unruly crowd, cruel soldiers and corrupted authorities. But when Jesus speaks to Pilate in these verses above we are given a different perspective. Jesus is giving this worldly leader, and us, a reminder about who is in charge in the world around us. Jesus is saying, “Pilate, you may think that you have the power but you are terribly mistaken”. There was no point during the events of this road to the cross that things were out of control. I know that it looked like there were moments when the crowd was directing the events with their pressure…but they were not doing anything that God did not allow. It may seem like Pilate is calling the shots here but he is not. Every detail of the cross and its sufferings was part of the plan that God had made from the beginning. In fact, it had been prophesied for thousands of years before. In God’s eyes, there were no plot twists or surprises that He had to adjust to…and Jesus knew that.
Have you ever felt like your journey in this life has been hijacked by circumstances or other people? In some form or another, suffering has broken into your life and you are now at the mercy of others. If you have been there, then the words of Jesus to Pilate are for you to hold on to. The truth is that God rules over you and your circumstances. He is with you and will bring you strength and comfort in any situation. God is Sovereign. There is nothing on this earth that doesn’t fall under His rule. Nothing that comes into your life surprises Him….even your mistakes.
The hard part of this is that sometimes God allows suffering to come. We see in Scripture that God allows suffering for several reasons. First, He sometimes uses it to get our attention (the proverbial 2×4). Other times it is to build godly character within us. Still other times He allows it in order to shine His light to those around us. In all these cases it is God’s purpose to bring glory to His name. For Jesus, it was to demonstrate His love for us and bring salvation to the world by laying down His life.
Jesus had put His life totally in the Father’s hands. He trusted in God’s power and went in the confidence that comes with that faith. Today, are you so confident in God’s power and His love for you that you can trust Him with your current situation?
God is in control.