Innocent

The whole group rose up and brought Jesus before Pilate, where they began to accuse him: ‘We caught this man misleading our people, telling them not to pay taxes to the Emperor and claiming that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’
Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘So you say,’ answered Jesus.
Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no reason to condemn this man.’ (verses 1-4)

Read Luke 23: 1-12

In the western judicial system a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, beyond any reasonable doubt. Pilate had grave doubts about whether Jesus was guilty. In fact he had decided that Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against him. He declared him free to go. But the people cried out, ‘Crucify him, we don’t want him’. They publicly and personally disowned him. Pilate bowed to their pressure and handed him over to the soldiers.

Whenever we are selfish, greedy, uncaring or unforgiving it is as if we too are crying out, ‘Crucify him’. None of us are innocent; we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. But that is why the innocent one suffered and died: to redeem us, to save us, to reconcile us, to atone for our sins – all of them, for all time.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on me. Amen.

by Greg Graham, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

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