John 18:33-38 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said to him, Are you the King of the Jews?… It was a question perhaps partly of pity, partly of contempt. Soon he was asking another question, half in sadness, half in jest — "What is truth?" To neither question was the Roman to have an answer. Yet — I. THERE WERE SOME WHO COULD HAVE TOLD PILATE "HE HATH DONE ALL THINGS WELL." Had he asked the question in the city streets, there would have come to him a woman, once the despised and insulted of her sex, and she would have told how her life had been one of disgrace and misery, and how He had given her new life, new hope, new aims. If he had asked his question in certain homes, the answer would have been, "Thanks be to God, He gave me my sight; whereas I was blind, now I see." If the question had been put in the home at Bethany, the answer would have been, "There was sadness and the shadow of death over our home; but Jesus came to us and turned our darkness into light, and called our brother back to us." Many a prodigal son would have borne witness that he had wandered from home, and come to want and misery and how Jesus had told him that he might arise, and go to his Father. II. WE MAY ASK THAT QUESTION NOW AFTER NEARLY NINETEEN CENTURIES OF CHRISTIANITY. Christ has conquered the world by the power of His Cross, even as He said, "I, it I be lifted up," &c. 1. Lofty and lowly alike have been drawn to Him. Charles V., the mighty Emperor died saying, "Lord, I come." The poor cottager passes away with the murmured prayer, "Hold Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes." Lately, a poor man, fatally injured on the Thames, said with his last breath, "Put me to sleep," strong in the faith of Him who said, "If he sleep he shall do well." 2. Jesus has made men, and women, and tender children strong by faith to suffer, to bear hardship, and loss, and insult, and death for His name's sake. It was this faith in Jesus which made one of our Arctic explorers — a godly old sailor — say, when asked about the dangers of his voyage, "The ice was strong, but the love of Christ was stronger." III. WHAT HAS JESUS DONE FOR YOU? 1. Grasp the great truth — Jesus has died for me, to redeem me from my sins. How lightly some of us speak those awful words — Christ died for me! We have not felt all that they mean. There was a poor ignorant man who had heard something of the love of Jesus when a child, but as a man had lived without God in the world. The only thing he cared for was his dog, and by and by he was unable to pay the tax, and was told he must pay, or get rid of the dog; so he determined to drown his faithful companion. Arriving at the waterside, the man seized the dog, and in spite of its pleading looks cast it into the river, and held it down, even beating its head with a stone. Suddenly he over-balanced himself, and fell forwards into the deep water. There, as he sank helpless for the last time, he felt himself seized, and dragged towards the shore, and on reaching it he found it was his dog, with bleeding head and sad, loving eyes, which had saved his life. On the sick bed, from which he never rose, that rough, half-heathen man told the story of his rescue, and how the devotion of the dog had brought to his mind for the first time the love of Jesus in saving those who were His murderers. 2. And more than this, Jesus lives to make intercession for us, to grant us forgiveness, &c. IV. WHAT HAST THOU DONE FOR HIM? Have you ever given anything to Jesus, who gives all to you? Have you brought of your gifts like the wise men, love, pure as gold, worship, fragrant as incense, self-sacrifice bitter as myrrh? Or, instead, have you tried to drag Jesus to Calvary? Every time we sin deliberately, we are trying to crucify the Lord Jesus afresh. Rembrandt painted his own portrait among the faces of those who were taking the Saviour down from the cross. (H. J. W. Buxton, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? |
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