Today’s Scripture:
“Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’” — John 18:37 (ESV)
Reflection
In today’s passage, Jesus is sent over to Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor. The Jews who led them there did not enter the governor’s quarters, lest they be defiled and forbidden to eat the Passover. Pilate and the Jews talk about the reason for Jesus’s accusation, and the Jews just give Him over to Pilate to be judged, rather than judging Jesus themselves. So Pilate then calls Jesus in and asks Him if He is the King of the Jews, and it is revealed that Pilate really doesn’t care about if Jesus is really the King of the Jews, he just wants to know what Jesus did to get Him in such deep trouble. Jesus doesn’t deny that He is a king, and He says that His kingdom is not of this world. Pilate asks again, and Jesus does not deny Pilate again, saying that for this reason, He came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. I think Pilate’s question at the end, “What is truth?” is really just mocking Jesus because Pilate didn’t believe what Jesus was saying to him. Pilate then went outside and told the Jews that he found no guilt in Jesus, but according to customs, one man could be released. The crowd chooses Barabbas instead of Jesus.
To quickly address the thing about Jesus’s death being foreshadowed, I think it just means that He was killed under the custody of the Romans.
I could talk about a few things, but one thing I picked up from random Instagram reels a while back was that Barabbas really had a symbolic meaning. The name “Barabbas” means “Son of the father” (not God the Father in particular). Also, some manuscripts say that Barabbas’s first name was actually Jesus. The switch between the sinful Barabbas and righteous Jesus is very symbolic to our salvation. Jesus takes the punishment and wrath of God for the sinful man, who becomes the son of the Father. It’s easier to understand if I can explain it in person haha but this is super profoundly symbolic. In this story, Jesus takes the punishment for Barabbas, and Barabbas gets a second chance at life. However, in our lives, Jesus gives us so much more than a second chance. He set our sins to zero, but He also gave us the chance to form a true relationship with God, which is built on truth. Jesus offered Himself up as a holy sacrifice to take our sinful estate upon himself. I can be nothing but thankful and awestruck by this truth, and also because of this crazy symbolism that God meticulously put into His plan.