Judgment of Christ

John 19:13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

The life of our lord and savior Jesus Christ was characterized by multitudes of people who underestimated His power and either ignored him or dealt with him wrongly or actively opposed him. We recollect Joshua (in Josh 5:13) in a similar state. He sees the angel of the lord and asks Him “are you for us or against us” – and he replies, nay I am come as the lord of hosts). Likewise Gideon saw the angel of the lord (Judges 6:22) and quite impertinently puts him on hold till he finishes his work! (A good point to note here, that the Angel of the Lord is a theophany – a presence of the divine) Likewise, Satan when he tempted the lord was quite unaware of the fact that the fullness of Godhead was there. Oh so many are there, who saw Christ up close yet missed him completely.

The man in this passage was one such. Here was Pilate who was about to judge Christ. What a joke! ! !  If he had any idea who this man was, would he have put his seal of judgment and send Christ to the cross ? Here was the divine law giver (yes, indeed the one who wrote the law was Jesus Christ himself) being judged and sent to the cross though he was proven innocent.

 Isa 33:22 For the LORD [is] our judge, the LORD [is] our lawgiver, the LORD [is] our king; he will save us.

We see him trying to pass a judgment on someone who will be seated on the white throne and he shall judge the world of the living and the dead.

Ps 96:13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

2Tim 4:1 I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

How will Pilate stand before Jesus on that day ? Will he be able to excuse his ignorance ? Can he expect to receive mercy without having accepted jesus as lord and savior ? Can you imagine his state of being in a place for eternity (defined as a very very long time!) where the worm doesn’t die and the fire is not quenched ?

And yet, so many people today ignore the message which all true Christians tell them – that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God and heaven and salvation. Till we repent and turn to Jesus, there is no salvation. Till we accept him as our lord and savior, heavens cannot help you. God is constrained by the law that he has put in place – that Man has to accept the personal sacrifice of Christ to be made part of the eternal family of God in heaven. So many people (Hindus, Muslims, atheists, nominal Christians) actively reject the love of God and the provision of God in Christ Jesus. They try to work their way into heavens. They try to pay their way into heavens. But you cannot cheat your way into the presence of God. You have to play by His rules – which is through Christ alone according to his eternal covenant with Man. The bible is God’s rulebook and instruction manual for man.

Listen to His call. If you repent today, if you accept Jesus as lord and savior, if you believe that Jesus died and was risen from the dead on the third day, if you loath your old life of sin and crave for a new life on a new slate, that is exactly what Jesus has in store for you. I welcome you into the family of God.

Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice,

Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: