U-turn (Day 17) Jesus faces Pilate | Pr David Yeow

Hi everyone, Welcome to the daily U Turn Devotion podcast. My name is

David and I'm one of the pastors here in ECTS, London. Today is

the seventeenth day of U Turn and I hope that things have been going well

for everyone. Today. We'll be reading from Matthew chapter twenty seven, verse

eleven to twenty six. That's where we'll be looking at because it's not a

very long scripture reading. Would you allow me to read along with us?

Amen? Jesus faces Pilot. Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the

governor asked him, saying, are you the King of Jews. Jesus said

to him, it is as you say. And while he was being accused

by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then Pilots said to

him, do you not hear how many things they testify against you? By

answer him not one word? That the governor marveled greatly. Now, at

the feast of the governor, it was accustomed to release to the multitude one

prisoner whom they wished, And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called

Barabas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilots said to them whom

do you want me to release to you, Barabas or Jesus, who is

called Christ? For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife said to him,

saying, have nothing to do with that just man, for I have

suffered many things today in a dream because of him. But the chief,

priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that he should ask for Barabas and destroy Jesus

instead. The governor answered and said to them, which of the two do

you want me to release to you? They said Barabas. Pilots said to

them, when then shall I do? Oh? Sorry, what then shall

I do with Jesus, who is called Christ? They all said to him,

let him be crucified. Then the governor said, why, what evil

has he done? But they cried out all the more, saying let him

be crucified. And when Pilots saw that he could not prevail at all,

but rather a crowd a mob was rising up, he took water and washed

his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of

this just person. You see to it. And all the people answered and

said his blood can be on us and on our children. Then he released

Barabas to them. And when he had scourged Jesus, which means that he

whipped him, he delivered him to be crucified. If I were to put

an additional title to today's devotion, I would call it the people versus ponches

pilot. Those of you who study law will be familiar with this kind of

American legal pun. But truly, these are the two groups we want to

look at today, ponchious pilot and the crowd. By the way, I'm

pronouncing it ponchious pilot because most of English readers do, but actually, because

it's a Roman name, the more accurate pronunciation should be bonduced pilade. Anyway,

I think I'll stick with ponchous pilot instead of bond us pilade. Anyway,

what's amazing about the Bible is that, based on today's reading from Matthew,

you know, it looks like on the surface, it was Jesus that

was on trial. And don't get me wrong, he was. But our

Lord Jesus lived such a righteous life on earth the only way for people to

get at him was to make up stuff about him. Wow. May that

be our testimony one day. But ironically, the two groups of people who

were actually being put on trial here were ponscious Pilot, the governor, the

so called judge of the situation, and the people who acted like the jury.

What do I mean by that? Poncious Pilot knew Jesus to be innocent,

but when he put where but when he was put on the hot seat

and he was truly grilled and tested, he crumbled. He showed himself to

be powerful on the outside but weak on the inside, caving into popular opinions

of the day, succumbing to peer pressure and going with the crowd. Friends,

do you find yourself acting like ponscious Pilot sometimes? I know I do.

I mean, we all know Jesus' words to be true, just like

ponscious Pilot. However, we lacked the conviction to stand with him, and

instead of clinging onto Jesus, we end up turning our backs to our Christ,

or worse, metaphorically crucifying him on the cross again through our disobedience.

Out Lord, we repent, Help us, Jesus. The Bible reminds us

that why is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,

and many enter through it. But small is the gate, and narrow the

road that leads to life, and only a few find it. That's in

Matthew chapter seven, verse thirteen to fourteen. And this is the truth.

Sometimes we succumb to peer pressure and we fall. We fall to public opinion,

we fall to what's popular. And may the Lord help us to repent

in this area and help us to grow stronger in standing firm for him.

But sometimes we can also be like the second group. We are like the

people, the mob who shouted for Jesus's crucifixion. The people of God should

be like to this world. We should be the ones showing the better way

to do life according to God's truth. But in recent times I have noticed

that instead of the Church influencing the world, it is the world that is

influencing the Church. The people in Jesus's time wanted freedom on their own terms.

They wanted religion on their own terms. They wanted God, but only

if God could fit their way of life and fit into the social and jeopolitical

climate of that era. But unfortunately for them, Jesus came preaching and upside

down gospel. Upside down in what way. Well, he who wants to

be first must be last. He who wants to lead must serve. Turn

the other cheek, love your enemies, just to name a few. And

let's not forget that Jesus literally turned the temple up side down when he flipped

the tables of the money changers and the religious opportunists. In their anger,

the people turned to the Romans, their oppressors, for a solution. They

cried out for the use of the crucifix, a notorious Roman torture device used

to punish and humiliate the Jews, because being hung on the tree, dying

on the cross was considered a curse in those times. You see many times

we forget. We look at the cross today and it's a religious symbol,

but during Jesus's time it was a heinous torture device. Not only that,

they cried out for Barabas to be released, and Barabas in Hebrew means son

of the Father, bar son of Abbas, father or Abba. They traded

the Son of God, the son of Man, for this counterfeit son of

the Father. Friends, we must be watchful again. Counterfeit wisdom and solutions

from the world that can even sound godly but are actually not from God at

all. Christianity is good news, but it is not easy news. We

must avoid being like the crowd in Jesus's time and start adopting worldly wisdom into

how we raise our children, do business, lead our families, or do

ministry. Even we must resist going with the way that pleases everyone and stay

faithful to God's purpose and promises. But it is not all bad news,

friends. If we repent, God will restore in their rage. The people

cried out for Jesus's blood, boasting even that they were happy to take the

full responsibility of killing Jesus, shouting to pontious pilot, his blood be on

us and on our children. But the beautiful thing about the gospel is this,

instead of the people taking the responsibility of their sins and suffering for Jesus,

Jesus took their sin and our sin instead and suffered on our behalf the

cry his blood be on us and on our children. God turned it around,

and from a cursed and a boast, it is now a symbol of

salvation that washes us clean. How blessed is that today the blood of Jesus

is on us and on our children. I hope. This devotion blesses you.

Would you allow me to close us in prayer and also pray for our

prayer point today, which is the planting of acts Church Germany. Find.

Lord, we thank you that you send their only signed Jesus to die for

us on the cross. Lord, we have sinned, we have rebelled against

you, and even though we know your ways to be true, Lord,

so oftentimes we fall away. God. Forgive us, Lord, and help

us to be strong. Renew us, Lord, remake us, Lord,

shape us like how the partnerships they clay, ship away the parts of us

that are weak and are of no use to you, and remake us in

your image. Lord. We also pray Lord that as your Church and as

your people, may we continue to be a symbol Lord of what is right

and holy to the world, and resist the temptation of the world and to

resist important into the Church the ways of the world, the methods of the

world. May we continue to hold fast strongly to your ways, your truth

and see you as life. God. We also want to pray for ex

Germany. We thank you for dories and God, we thank you for the

willingness. We thank you, Lord, Lord, that you are doing something

in Germany. We thank you Lord for the German people. God, they

need to hear the Gospel, and so many more of them are lost.

Lord, may you, by your grace grant us fruit in the nation of

Germany which you use good and Doris and other people that you will call to

the start of ex Germany for your glory. Lord again, we bless ex

Germany. We prophesy its birth in Lord in Jesus, and we pray Amen.

God bless you Church.