STUDY FROM THE BOOK OF MATTHEW MATTHEW 27 27:11 - “And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.” We have here an account of what passed in Pilates judgment-hall, when the blessed Jesus was brought many times in the morning. Though it was no court-day, Pilate immediately took his case before him. The trial Christ had before Pilate. Jesus stood before the governor, as the prisoner before the judge. We could not stand before God because of our sins, nor lift up our face in his presence, if Christ had not been thus made sin for us. He was arraigned that we might be discharged. Some think that this bespeaks his courage and boldness; he stood undaunted, unmoved by all their rage. He thus stood in this judgment, that we might stand in Gods judgment. He stood for a spectacle, as Naboth, when he was arraigned, was set on high among the people. “Art thou the king of the Jews?” The Jews were now not only under the government, but under the very jealous inspection, of the Roman powers, which they were themselves to the highest degree disaffected to, and yet now pretended a concern for, to serve this turn; accusing Jesus as an Enemy to Caesar – Luke 23:2, which they could produce no other proof of, than that he himself had newly owned he was the Christ. Now they thought that whoever was the Christ, must be the king of the Jews, and must deliver them from the Roman power, and restore to them a temporal dominion, and enable them to trample upon all their neighbors. According to this chimera of their own, they accused our Lord Jesus, as making himself king of the Jews, in opposition to the Roman yoke; whereas, though he said that he was the Christ, he meant not such a Christ as this. Note, Many oppose Christs holy religion, upon a mistake of the nature of it; they dress it up in false colors, and then fight against it. They assuring the governor that, if he made himself Christ, he made himself king of the Jews, the governor takes it for granted, that he goes about to pervert the nation, and subvert the government. “Art thou a king?” It was plain that he was not so de facto - actually; “But dost thou lay any claim to the government, or pretend a right to rule the Jews?” It has often been the hard fate of Christs holy religion, unjustly to fall under the suspicions of the civil powers, as if it were hurtful to kings and provinces, whereas it tends mightily to the benefit of both. Jesus said unto him, “Thou sayest. It is as thou sayest, though not as thou meanest; I am a king, but not such a king as thou dost suspect me to be.” Thus before Pilate he witnessed a good confession, and was not ashamed to own himself a king, though it looked ridiculous, nor afraid, though at this time it was dangerous.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 14:49:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015