When he was questioned by...
Illustration
When he was questioned by Pilate, Jesus never answered one of the Procurator's primary questions: "What have you done?" (John 18:35b). Was Jesus avoiding this question? Did he feel a listing of his activities would make no difference? Would his answer fall on deaf ears? Would telling Pilate all he had done only make matters worse, inciting to further anger those who were already prejudiced against him?
What if Jesus had answered, saying, "I have befriended the friendless; I have eaten with tax collectors and sinners; I have saved a woman from being stoned; I have healed the sick and brought sight to the blind; I have brought hope to the poor and set free those who were held captive"? Such a response might well have caused Pilate to reword his question -- because what Pilate must really have wanted to know was surely, "What have you done that is so terrible that your own people want you dead?" Healing the sick, befriending the friendless -- these were not capital crimes. So, just what had Jesus done?
He had confronted people with the truth about themselves, about their lives. He had looked into their hearts and offered peace and healing, but only at the price of change. He was a nonconformist. He was different. And his message of love and servanthood condemned a world that operated out of self-gain and, if not outright hatred, at least a lack of compassion. He offered power to the powerless, hope to the hopeless. He was dangerous. He threatened the status quo. He had to die.
Not much has changed in 2,000 years. Few of us tolerate the different well. Jesus is still doing what he did then -- and if you listen closely, you can probably hear the not-so-distant shouting, "Crucify! Crucify!" If you listen with your heart, you can probably hear the thuds of hammers pounding, driving in the nails ...
-- Fannin
What if Jesus had answered, saying, "I have befriended the friendless; I have eaten with tax collectors and sinners; I have saved a woman from being stoned; I have healed the sick and brought sight to the blind; I have brought hope to the poor and set free those who were held captive"? Such a response might well have caused Pilate to reword his question -- because what Pilate must really have wanted to know was surely, "What have you done that is so terrible that your own people want you dead?" Healing the sick, befriending the friendless -- these were not capital crimes. So, just what had Jesus done?
He had confronted people with the truth about themselves, about their lives. He had looked into their hearts and offered peace and healing, but only at the price of change. He was a nonconformist. He was different. And his message of love and servanthood condemned a world that operated out of self-gain and, if not outright hatred, at least a lack of compassion. He offered power to the powerless, hope to the hopeless. He was dangerous. He threatened the status quo. He had to die.
Not much has changed in 2,000 years. Few of us tolerate the different well. Jesus is still doing what he did then -- and if you listen closely, you can probably hear the not-so-distant shouting, "Crucify! Crucify!" If you listen with your heart, you can probably hear the thuds of hammers pounding, driving in the nails ...
-- Fannin
