“What shall I do, then with the one you call the king of the Jews?”
The words of Pilate that he asked the crowd, received a reply that declared Jesus sentence; He asked them, “What shall I do, then with the one you call the king of the Jews?”
Those words of Pilate are words that we have all asked ourselves or should ask ourselves, “what then should I do, then with the one you call the king of the Jews?”
We only have to hear Jesus words to answer this! He said;
• Follow me (John1:43b)
• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
• But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst, Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:13-14)
These are a few snippets of what he said, these short verses from four chapters of one gospel about Jesus, are words that he spoke about himself. What then will I do with the one called the king of the Jews, what then will you do with the one called the king of the Jews?
Within these verses are a couple of action words / verbs; follow and drink, are we willing to wear out our foot wear as we follow. On an average day how much fluid would you drink, two to three litres, more? It depends on your situation your work load, are you continuing to drink from the water that Jesus gives you?
He says this about himself; “I am the bread of Life” (Jn 6;35), “I am the gate for the sheep” (Jn 10:7), “I am the Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11), “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn11:25), “I am the true vine” (Jn 15:1) and he says this “I am going away and am coming back to you” (Jn 14:28)…he says these and many other things about himself. What do you do with someone who says these things about himself?
We are left with a challenge; relegate him to history, to the realms of myth, to the book case, the DVD rack, to a framed picture of a very blue eyed European looking Middle Eastern Jew. What will you do with the one? Leave all thought of him on the seat, until next week?
Or we can take him at his word we can discover the new birth and new life that he promises, the infilling and in dwelling of his Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of God that hovered over the waters at the creation of the world.
He calls, through his living word - even as it sits on the shelf it lives within the pages, he calls through the witness of his people - his body, he calls through the witness of twenty centuries of believers, he calls speaking to you through his Holy Spirit from the right hand of the Father in heaven, even as believers he calls us, he calls us onto the next step the next opportunity for witness, he calls young and old alike, both genders, comfortable people, poor people, grumpy people, happy people, all people onto life change and growth, into the next mission, away from conformity and comfort to follow him taking up our crosses to leave all, but to gain everything.
What will you do then with the one they call the king of the Jews?
He calls and he says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. What will you do with the one they call the king of the Jews?
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas, that other bloke. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. (John 15:15)
“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses to these things.” (Luke 24:46-48) These are very words Jesus spoke, three days after they buried him.
You are witnesses to these things, so what will you do with the one they call the king of the Jews?
He calls you to follow!
He calls you to drink of the living water that only he can give!
He calls you to live.
What will you do with the one they call the king of the Jews?
