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Tara Leigh Cobble
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Leigh Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. Over the next few days, we're reading about the hinge point of history and the foundation of our faith. Even though they may be familiar to you, try not to rush through these readings or gloss over them. Sit with them if you can. Today's reading has a lot in common with tomorrow's reading, so today we'll recap the first half, then tomorrow we'll tackle the last half as the day breaks. Jesus has been through three religious trials, and the rulers declare him guilty. The next step, if they want to enact the death penalty, is to present him to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, because only the Romans can hand down the death penalty. So he's taken from his religious trials to a civil trial with Pilate. The people accuse Jesus of claiming to be a king, since that would pose a threat to the Roman authorities. In Luke's account, they even say Jesus had forbidden them to pay their taxes to Caesar. But. But we know that's a lie based on his response to them. In Luke 20, Pilate questions him about being a king. And in John's account, Jesus explains that his kingdom is not of this world, otherwise his followers would be fighting and they aren't. He says he's not there to fight, but to speak truth. Then Pilate responds with a question that has always been a popular response to the Gospel. What is truth? In Luke's account, Pilate sends Jesus to King Herod before proceeding with things. It seems like Pilate is trying to find a loophole for having to make a judgment because Jesus is from another jurisdiction, even though his alleged crimes have been committed in Jerusalem. So he sends him off to King Herod, a higher authority. The king and his soldiers try to wound and shame Jesus by putting a purple robe and a crown of thorns on his head, mocking his royalty, and send him back to Pontius Pilate. So now Pilate has to make some kind of judgment call. But before Jesus was ever brought to Pilate for the first time, while he was still being beaten and mocked at the high priest's house overnight, Pilate's wife was asleep in her bed having a nightmare about Jesus. It was so upsetting that she sends word to Pilate to leave Jesus alone. Maybe this dream is from God as a means of heaping further judgment on Pilate when he surrenders Jesus to be crucified. Or maybe this dream is from Satan, who continues to try to thwart the crucifixion because he knows it means his defeat. When Pilate returns to the people, he declares Jesus innocent. But he offers him an option. He says, typically on Passover, we release a prisoner. So should it be Jesus or this guy named Barabbas? Barabbas is a convicted felon who committed multiple crimes, including robbery, insurrection, and even murder. And the people choose to release Barabbas. If you were with us during the Old Testament, you may remember the story of the sacrificial goat and the scapegoat from Leviticus 16. One goat is sacrificed as a sin offering and the other is set free into the wilderness. This is a picture of that story. Actually, that was a picture of this story. And it's also a picture of us. We are Barabbas, set free because Christ was kept as the sin offering. The people demand that Jesus be crucified. Pilate tries to dodge any responsibility by handing Jesus over to the people. But no matter how dismissive he is, and no matter how many times he washes his hands, passivity doesn't equal innocence. As the people respond, they accidentally speak a truth that is anyone's only hope. In Matthew 27:25, they say, his blood be on us and on our children. They didn't realize it, but that is the only hope for any of us, that the blood of his sacrifice would cover our sins. His willing sacrifice paid for the sins of all God's kids. In light of what we know about God's sovereignty, that he's the one who sets rulers in their places of authority, like Jesus says in John 19:11, then we know God is sovereign over every trial Jesus encounters and every ruler who hands down a verdict. And we also know God is sovereign over those verdicts that resulted in Christ's death. Because Revelation 13:8 tells us the cross was the plan even before the world was formed. But knowing God's great attention to detail, it bothered me that there were only six trials. Why not seven? If God loves numbers and symbolism as much as he seems to, why did these trials stop one short of the number that represents perfection and completion, especially at such an important moment? Scripture doesn't tell us, but I have a theory. I'm always hesitant to share my thoughts and opinions with you because I don't want to risk having anyone think they're Scripture. But occasionally I do share them because I think it's important to be curious about the unclear aspects of Scripture while holding our conclusions with an open hand. So let me be clear. This is just a theory and it's not in Scripture. And I very well, could be wrong. I wonder if after the three religious trials declaring him guilty and the three civil trials declaring him innocent, the seventh and final verdict is actually the one handed out by God the Father, affirming and approving of the finished work of Christ on the cross, his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased. The perfect complete verdict handed down by the one righteous Judge. But maybe not. Okay. Now back to Scripture. While all the trials of Jesus are taking place, Judas has realized the magnitude of what he's done in handing over an innocent man. He feels like he can't live with the weight of that guilt, so he takes the silver and throws it back into the temple. The priests take the money and buy a field to serve as a cemetery, and Judas dies by suicide. Matthew tells us Judas changed his mind, but the original text marks this differently than a change of heart. I've heard this described as worldly sorrow. Like in 2 Corinthians 7:10 it says godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to life without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. Worldly sorrow is different from repentance. Worldly sorrow has no hope. And that's where Judas found himself. My God shot today was all over this text. And the humility Jesus displays as he submits to the Father's plans, as he receives the false accusations and the mocking and the rejection of the people he loves so much. The people he wept over not long ago. I ache with him in this moment, knowing I've done this to Him. As much as Judas, just as much as Pilate, just as much as the crowds, and still he covers me with the blood of his sacrifice. Still he brings me the peace and hope that he promised his followers right before this all started happening less than 24 hours ago. And still and always, he's where the joy is. The Bible Recap for kids is finally here. This brand new book follows our 365 day reading plan, but each recap is a bit shorter and geared toward younger readers. For kids about 8 years old and up, we believe God is going to use TBR for kids to help the next generation read, understand and love God's Word the way you do. Plus, this isn't just for kids. I would recommend this to anyone who's new to Bible reading or just anyone who wants to start at the beginner level. Get your copy@thebiblerecap.com store or click the link in the Show Notes.