December 18 – Authority Over Mangers and Crowns

Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him slaps in the face. Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him." Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!" So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God." Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar." Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!" So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. John 19:1-16

 

Authority – Power from a higher level. Authority in control. Authority in knowledge. God the Father is all powerful—omnipotent (1Timothy 6:16), everywhere—omnipresent (Psalm 139), all knowing—omniscient (Romans 16:27). God is awesome. No one has power over Him. That includes power over Jesus, too. Only God the Father has power greater, and thus authority, over Jesus. So as Jesus explained to Pilate…"You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." That power of God is the same today—He has not changed.

The Jews wanted Jesus to die—but they didn’t have the power. Pilate thought he had authority—but he didn’t. Jesus submitted Himself to His Father’s plan—and to the Romans who put that crown of thorns on His head. Thorns puncturing the head that had once rested on hay in a manger, that had once glowed with Shekinah glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, that had once bowed in the Garden of Gethsemane while praying to let the cup pass from Him. He humbled Himself taking on our sin and carrying it to the cross. “Crucify Him,” the crowd roared—and they did.

It seems almost ironic to read about the crucifixion of Christ as we are celebrating His birth. Nearly twenty years ago on our Christmas tree I hung a cross made from an Easter palm leaf. Our pastor and his family visited and he commented on the palm cross. My response was, “what is Christmas without Easter?” So I ask you…what is Christmas without Easter? There is no hope without the resurrection of Jesus—so I always hang a cross on my tree. That cross represents the remembrance of my hope in Jesus. The cross—along with the angels and stars on the tree, carols, holiday cookies, concerts, nativity dramas, tasty family meals, snow—that is what Christmas is all about. Gifts? Well—the best gift is Jesus. The same Jesus who wore a crown of thorns for each of us.

Jingle Bells—Jingle Bells. Bless all those who recognize that You, Jesus, are the reason for the season, and that God the Father has the authority over everything.

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).