◄ What Does John 19:5 Mean? ►

The terrible verdict of Pilate, the Roman governor who judged the civil case against Christ was: innocent, but condemned; blameless, but convicted; without fault, and yet sentenced to death. And yet before him stood the Son of God in human flesh, without Whom Pilate could not have drawn another breath, and Who had the power to call on ten legions of angels to rescue Him from this ungodly trial.

The combined hatred of the religious court, which was overseen by Caiaphas the high priest of Israel, pronounced Christ guilty of blasphemy, and yet the One that stood before them was Jesus of Nazareth, the promised king of the Jews, the prophesied Messiah of Israel, the Saviour of the world, and Lamb of God. It was the eternal Son, Whom they were mocking and ridiculing, Who came to earth as the Word made flesh so that He could reveal God to man and pay the price for the sin of the whole world.

The Jewish court tried Him illegally, and foolishly rejected the Truth. The Roman governor tried Him dishonestly and asked: "What is Truth?" And yet, standing before them was incarnate Word of God, Truth of God, and Life of God. Despite Pilate's attempt to appease the Jewish leadership, he seriously compromised his high office as Roman governor, and was ill-prepared to defend the truth. Instead, he flouted the righteous demands of the Law in a most cowardly way, by condemning the innocent Son of Man to death and washing his hands of his God-given right to uphold the rule of law.

The God of the universe in human flesh, with only love and pity for humanity in His heart and an immovable resolve to fulfil the perfect will of His heavenly Father, stood silent before His wicked accusers: "As a lamb that was led to the slaughter."

The omnipotent Creator of all things, omniscient Judge of the earth, and eternal King of Israel was despised, humiliated, rejected, and unjustly condemned to death. But this was part of God's plan, instituted before time itself, so that all who believe in the sacrificial offering of Himself might be lifted out of the pit of condemnation in which we are all trapped, and by faith in Him we might become children of God and heirs of His promise.

By taking the punishment for the sin of the world upon His own head, the perfect, innocent, and unique Man Christ Jesus the Lord, stood before this Roman governor, clothed in a mocking robe of purple with a cruel crown of thorns lacerating His holy head. And the Roman governor prophetically declared: "Behold the Man."

As a Roman governor, it is unlikely that Pilate knew the significance of those immortal words: "Behold the Man," but for the wicked Jewish leaders, those words must have burned their consciences to the core, for centuries earlier, the prophet Zechariah had used that self-same phrase to identify the coming Jewish Messiah, the King of Israel, and Saviour of the world: "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the Man whose name is The Branch; and He shall grow up out of His place, and His shall build the temple of the LORD."

Jesus died, was buried, rose from the dead, and is today seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high. But the day is fast approaching when all unfulfilled prophecies in connection with Christ will be finally and fully fulfilled and we too will Behold the Man, Who chose to die a sacrificial death so that by faith in Him, we might live eternally.

Heavenly Father, the more I think about the Cross, the more I begin to understand the immensity of what the Lord Jesus did for me and for the whole world. Thank You that I have come to an understanding of Who Jesus is and what He has done for me, so that by faith in Him I am free from all condemnation, forgiven of my sins, and eternally secure in Him. Father, I am so grieved by those Who mocked Him that day. Oh the glory of the day, yet future, when I see my King wearing many crowns and wearing a robe dipped in blood. May I never ever forget what Jesus has done for me through time and into eternity. To Him be all glory, AMEN.