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Published: 25 June 2016

There are a few people whose shoes I would never want to be in.  I could give you a list since I like to study the people of the past.  There are great lessons for life from many of those characters—both on what to do and what not to do.  We don’t have to learn everything the hard way!  One of the people that I have some sympathy for is Pontius Pilate.  He was the appointed governor of the region we call Israel today.  His home was at Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea.  Caesarea was a center for Roman trade and culture and the breezes from the Mediterranean Sea are a salty form of air conditioning good for body and soul.  But, Pilate made a trip to Jerusalem at least once a year to give oversight to a strong military presence during the Jewish Passover.  Jerusalem, for a Roman, was no resort.  Pilate was in “middle management.”  He was appointed by a paranoid Emperor whose policy about the Jewish people often changed.  Pilate was hated by the Jews and obviously, he didn’t like them very much either.  Early one Friday morning during Passover Week, Pilate was summoned to the Judgment Hall.  The Jews had brought a man they had accused of blasphemy and wanted to kill but couldn’t due to Roman law.  Pilate exercised all the diplomacy he could muster to get out of the situation but the mob’s craving for blood was starting to get out of hand.  Pilate’s sense of justice was clear in that he knew the man was innocent of the charges.  Sadly, Pilate’s political sense trumped his sense of justice and since reason “had left the building” the day before, Pilate was in an awful spot.  I’m sure Pilate had the position he had because he sacrificed principles for expediency in the past.  This was certainly “like” that but the situation he was in seemed more complicated than any he had faced before.  Even his wife had a dream and sent him a message in the middle of the court session.  I really would not want to be in his shoes.  Of course the reader will recognize that the “man” in question is our Lord Jesus Christ.  Heaven was standing before Pilate and Hell was shouting for an execution.  On Sunday we’ll talk about the outcome of this trial and learn a bit more about Pilate’s awful predicament.  We don’t know what happened to Pilate.  Some scholars say he eventually repented and converted…some say he went insane and committed suicide.  We don’t know.  What we do know is this, Jesus loved him and would have forgiven him if he had only believed.  God has no delight in the death of the wicked…even Roman governors that put political position over principled justice.

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Published: 16 June 2016

I have a problem.  I don’t like most “Christian movies.”  It’s probably an occupational hazard.  After I explain myself some of you won’t like me.  I know there are exceptions but many Christian movies are made for the Christian populace with the obvious goal of not offending the Christian populace.  Therefore, the people in Christian movies are not ugly or overweight and they don’t smoke or cuss.   I can deal with good looking people with healthy life choices but what I can’t deal with is the predictable happy outcomes.  While I agree that the big story of the Christian faith has a happy ending—a lot of stories in the sub-plot don’t.  From my chair, people get divorced, live with depression, die of cancer, drive cars that break down and have kids that appear demon possessed.  Their “war-room” looks more like a war took place than a prayer closet, their “Love Dare” became a love debacle and the giants they faced ran them over!  While I am on this rant I just want to know, do these writers ever read the Psalms?  Do they know about Judas?  The story of Judas does not have a happy ending.  This story stinks.  It makes me sad.  I have cried this week in preparation for Sunday’s exposition.  I don’t want to preach this mess on Father’s Day.  I feel like sending out a notice, “Warning: This Sermon May Blow Up Your Myths.”  How did this happen?  Judas was a follower of Jesus appointed by Him as an apostle.  Judas was anointed with power to heal sickness and cast out demons.  He preached the gospel of the Kingdom.  He spent three years in close proximity to Jesus and saw the Father in Jesus’ eyes.  But Luke tells us that Judas “became a traitor.”  “No!”  I think to myself, “this cannot be.”  Matthew recorded that Judas committed suicide!  There is no happy ending to this story.  Judas had parents and siblings and friends that must have felt unspeakable loss.  Certainly the disciples eventually grieved over the wasted life of their colleague.  Ugh.  But, if we didn’t have the raw realities of the Scriptures before us we would really be discouraged.  In some small way, if we are not comforted we are at least relieved that the lives of our founders were not perfect.  Whether its Peter or Judas or Samson or David the raw humanity seeps out of the pages of the Bible and reminds us that humans are a broken lot in need of grace.  And, as George Bernanos reminds us, “grace is everywhere.”  Too bad Judas didn’t receive it…will you?