Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
There seems to be a pretty large contrast between Pilate's actions and the claim "I find not guilt in him. Before I rush to judge, however, I need to keep in mind that I am in effect guilty of the same thing. Remember as Isaiah 53:5 says:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
I say that I believe in Jesus and yet everytime I sin, I am effectively responsible for his suffering. Who is the bigger hypocrite, Pilate who merely finds Jesus "not guilty", or I who claim to believe Jesus is the Son of God?
However, in the same way that I need to remember that I am just as guilty as Pilate, I also need to be reminded that Jesus' love is enough to cover my shortfallings. Recall the words Jesus spoke on the cross (Luke 23:34):
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
Jesus loves enough to forgive Pilate, and he loves enough to forgive me. And it is only by his grace that I can ever be free from sin.
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