Good Morning.

We left Jesus standing before the Sanhedrin, with Caiaphas saying, 'we don't need any more witnesses--we heard all we need to hear,' planning to send Jesus to Pilate, governor of Judah~

Because this is no doubt the most famous and the most important trial in history, I would like to supply you with the accounts from all four gospels, as Jesus begins his civil trial.

They bound Him, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate, the governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"

"If He were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed Him over to you." And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king." Pilate said, "Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law."

"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death He was going to die would be fulfilled.

PILATE QUESTIONS JESUS. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

"Is that your own idea, " Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about Me?"

"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against Him. When He was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked Him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor.

PILATE SENDS JESUS TO HEROD. But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by His teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."

On hearing this, Pilate asked if the Man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

With the Passover celebration in full swing, Jerusalem was packed to nearly ten times her normal population, so Pilate was in town to keep watch over things. He was surprised to hear that the Jews were insisting on a meeting with him because they would certainly not enter a Roman building, and then be found ceremonially unclean for Passover. As he went out, he saw them. . . seventy-plus Jewish elders, surrounding a lone shackled prisoner, whose face was swollen and streaked with dried blood.

This is Jesus' fourth trial, effectively; three religious, one civil. Jesus spoke little. And some of what He says confuses me--was He trying to be difficult with his replies, or are they just beyond my understanding? Clearly, in this first exchange with Pilate, TRUTH is on the line. Was Jesus the king of the Jews? Yes, and so much more! Yet His kingdom was not of this world, for if it were, He would not have been arrested or brutalized, or. . . or. . . But in this face-to-face meeting, Pilate was given the opportunity to choose what he believed to be truth--and to follow that way. Inside himself, Pilate wanted to choose for Jesus, though he was conflicted within himself by Roman politics, and from without, by these worked-up Jews demanding he do something with this Man. He could see the Man was not guilty of any crime, nor was He a threat to Rome--yet, what

was he to do? But they kept on insisting, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place." (Luke 23.5) Galilee? Did someone say Galilee? Jesus was from Galilee? Well, then that was Pilate's answer--Herod was the tetrarch of Galilee, and was also in Jerusalem for the Passover. Pilate would pass the buck, and hand Jesus and all the high-powered Jews over to Herod Antipas to handle.

TRUTH. Daily we are faced with the decision to follow the way of the world or God's way, to choose to be self-focused or God and other focused, and most of us would say we would like to do the right thing, just like I think Pilate wanted to on that day so long ago. . . but how do we get to a place where we consistently choose right and good? First, we must be aware~ We feed the hungry parts of our spirit, rather than the overfed. Reminds me of this proverb--- One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

TRUTH. In your life, are you choosing to feed the good wolf or the evil wolf inside of you? This is a great time for a little self-examination--in this Lenten season.

In surrender to TRUTH,

Christine