"...in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action. Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how little may be given to meet the requirements of God; they do not ask for the lowest standard, but aim at perfect conformity to the will of their Redeemer." {Steps to Christ 45}
Christ before Pilate, the Roman governor
Early in the morning of Friday, Christ was taken to the palace of Pilate, the Roman procurator. The condemnation of Jesus by the Jews couldn’t be implemented without the approval of the Romans. Pilate understood that the Jews were anxious to get rid of someone who was crossing their way. The members of the Sanhedrin were sure that Pilate would endorse their condemnation without preliminary actions or questions, but when the Roman judge saw Jesus, he was very favorably impressed. Even though he wasn’t a righteous judge, Pilate demanded from the Jews grounds for the condemnation of Jesus. This request from a heathen judge was really embarrassing for the Jews. They insisted that, since the most important tribunal from the Jews had already condemned Christ, Pilate should accept their decision as a final and undisputable action. But the purity and nobleness revealed in Christ’s character were clear indexes of His innocence.
Pilate declared that he couldn’t find any guilt in Jesus. This declaration uttered by a Roman authority was a clear rebuke to the evil intentions of the Jews. When they accused Christ of perverting the nation from Judea to Galilee, Pilate found a way to get rid of such a difficult task, and he sent Jesus to Herod. The tetrarch of Galilee was eager to satisfy his curiosity about Jesus; He was the same Herod who had murdered John the Baptist because the prophet had rebuked him regarding his second marriage while the first husband of Herodias was still alive. His conscience was now hardened much more than before he became guilty of the murder of God’s greatest prophet.
At first, Herod treated Jesus very kindly, expecting that Christ would satisfy his requests. But Christ had no word for this wicked and hardened man. The silence of Christ was the best message that He could give to the impenitent king. Herod became angry about Christ’s behavior, and eventually the king started attacking Him physically and opened the way for the rabble to do the same to Him. Now the people behaved like demons as they attacked Christ, and the Saviour would have been killed right there if the Roman soldiers had not intervened. However, the Holy Spirit bore such a powerful influence over this situation that even Herod did not dare to condemn Christ. To Pilate’s disappointment, Jesus was sent back to him. Pilate was in a difficult situation. He was sure that Christ was innocent, but he also had other political interests. Therefore, he was hesitant about what to do. The Roman official vacillated between being faithful to his conscience and satisfying the wicked desires of the people and their leaders.
Pilate was amazed at the calm, holy behavior of Christ when faced with the cruel treatment that He received from His bitter enemies. In the midst of that crowd, Christ was the only one who revealed perfect peace in His mind, and He did so in spite of that desperately antagonistic environment.
The Holy Spirit was working in the heart of Pilate and the governor was moved to ask a very important question to Jesus: “What is truth?” Christ was ready to instruct him in the whole truth, but Pilate had other interests. He was concerned about his own political power and didn’t wait for Christ’s answer.
The Jewish leaders were pressing the multitude to accuse Christ and demand His death. Pilate was trying to appease the Jews while still declaring the innocence of Christ, but they were eager to condemn the Saviour. Pilate tried to use several alternatives to in order to release Jesus, but he was unsuccessful. He decided to chastise Jesus to appease the Jews. Although he had declared Jesus innocent, he acted against his own conscience in ordering the scourging of a just Man. The Jews realized the Roman official’s weakness and pressed more and more for the condemnation of Jesus. Finally, Pilate used a pagan custom of offering two condemned people to the multitude so that the people could choose one of them to be freed and the other to be executed. Pilate reasoned that the people—as they looked on the purity of Christ as revealed in His appearance and behavior—would release the Saviour and condemn another man, Barabbas, to death. To his great surprise, the mob decided to release Barabbas, a notorious criminal, and to crucify Christ. Pilate gave up. He symbolically washed his hands, declaring himself free from the guilt of condemning Christ, but delivered Him to the soldiers to be crucified.
Calvary
Golgotha was a place outside of Jerusalem where criminals were executed. The cross that had been prepared for Barabbas was now put on the shoulders of Christ.
Carrying that cross was difficult for the Saviour. Since Thursday evening, Jesus hadn’t eaten anything. The Redeemer had also passed through tremendous ordeals in Gethsemane and during the farce of a trial in the palace of Annas. He was pushed before Caiaphas, then twice before Pilate, and once before Herod. Jesus had been scourged and beaten and was the victim of the cruelest treatment. His human nature was exhausted and devastated. He did not possess enough strength to take the cross to the place of execution. After searching for someone to lift the cross to Calvary, the Romans selected a man named Simon. Noticing the sympathy of this man from Cyrene, they decided that he should take the cross. Simon was really blessed through that experience. He learned to accept the cross of Christ as his only hope of salvation and to take up his own cross to represent Christ.
At the place of execution, Christ was crucified. Crucifixion was the most terrible form of torture. Now, Christ took our place in spite of being innocent. His mental suffering was much worse than His physical suffering. He was feeling the terrible separation between Him and His father because of the sins of the world—your sins and my sins.
As He was crucified, Jesus became the main target of mockery, humiliation, and rejection. The whole universe was surprised when Jesus uttered His prayer in behalf of His enemies: “Forgive them because they do not know what they are doing!” Not a word of retaliation came from the suffering Saviour’s lips, but only a request for forgiveness toward his murderers.
The most comforting experience to the Saviour, even on the cross, was the prayer of the penitent thief: “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” While His own disciples manifested only disappointment with the capture and condemnation of the Saviour, and while the leaders and practically the whole nation despised Jesus, the repentant thief was one who recognized Christ as His Saviour and Lord. Christ answered promptly: “Today I say to you: You will be with Me in Paradise.” The repentant thief was totally saved in that moment and on that cross. He manifested a perfect peace that comes from the assurance of sins forgiven.
Before dying, Christ saw His mother close to the cross and near His disciple John. He said to her: "Woman, here is your son. And to John: Here is your mother." From that time on, John received Mary in his home as a sacred legacy left by Christ.
Then, Christ uttered in loud voice: “My Father, why have You forsaken Me?” The separation between Christ and His Heavenly Father was due to our sins, the Just dying in the place of sinners. This separation caused Jesus more suffering than any of His physical pain.
At the ninth hour, Christ uttered words of deep meaning for the whole universe: “It is finished!” He died for you and for me. For your family and for my family. For the whole world.
The Bible declares that “the wages of sin is [eternal] death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:23). Because of our sins, we deserve eternal death. But because Christ died in our stead, if we accept Him as our Saviour and Lord, we can have eternal life. Christ became our Substitute and Guarantee. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross in the midst of the basest criminals. Even though He never committed a sin, He accepted to take the sins of the whole world, so that all who would accept Him could have eternal life. “He who knew no sin, God made Him to be sin for us, so that we could be made righteousness in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Because Christ accepted to be sin for us, we can obtain righteousness through Him, if we fully believe in Him, repent of our sins, and, by His wonderful grace, obey His will.
John says about the repentant and obedient believers: “And they overcame . . . by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). See also 2 Corinthians 6:1, 2. Hebrews 2:3; 3:13. Revelation 3:20, 21.
After being victorious on the cross, Christ resurrected and then ascended to the heavenly sanctuary where He is interceding in behalf of His children. When He finishes His work of intercession, He will come again to take His faithful followers to their heavenly home.
May the Lord help us so that we will be among the faithful to live eternally with our dear and loving Saviour! In heaven, the strongest reason for our eternal happiness will be in living with Christ, followed by meeting those to whom we have presented the plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. May this be your experience and my experience today and forever!