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Posts Tagged ‘Pilate’

Eye On Integrity-The Truth

June 7th, 2018 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on John 14:6.

Jesus said, “I am the truth….”

When Jesus was on trial, He said to the Roman Governor Pilate, “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Jesus invites us to listen to His teaching and live out what He says. If we do, Jesus says we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. But Pilate was not ready to acknowledge Jesus as the source of truth. He was not even ready to acknowledge that there was truth. He asked Jesus, “what is truth?” And then, he walked out to face the crowd. If truth is not established firmly in our heart, it leaves us vulnerable to just go along with the wishes of the crowd. That is what Pilate did.

Faith walks toward God, using the bridge that He has provided to cross over from a world of lies to a place of truth.

Walking in the truth of Jesus is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Q and A-Pilate’s Dilemma

March 21st, 2016 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “What was Pilate’s dilemma?”

Pilate was the governor who questioned Jesus just before He died. After interrogating Jesus, he came to the conclusion that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, and therefore, not worthy of death.

But the religious leaders were determined to put Jesus to death, and applied pressure on Pilate to crucify Jesus.

The turmoil was between what was right and what would please the crowd. Refusing the demands of the religious leaders would threaten peace and order, and perhaps his own reputation with Caesar. So, the decisive moment came in John 19:12 when the crowd said to Pilate, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.” When Pilate heard this, he made the decision to hand Jesus over to be crucified.

Peer pressure puts us in that place of Pilate’s dilemma, whether to do what is right or to do what pleases the crowd. Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd. Jesus wanted to please His Heavenly Father.

We can find the courage to resist peer pressure and do what is right in God’s eyes by following in the footsteps of Jesus in the Year of Exploration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Lesson Of Faith-The Good Confession

March 28th, 2013 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – First Timothy 6:18 talks about Jesus making the good confession before Pontius Pilate.

In accusing Jesus of blasphemy, the religious leaders handed Him over to Pontius Pilate. That is when Pilate questioned Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

This was Jesus’ testimony before Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Pilate said, “You are a king then!”

Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Pilate responded by asking, “What is truth?” And then he walked away from Jesus. The good confession of Jesus reveals Himself as a king who is not of this world and the source of truth to set the captives free from the lies of this world.  In a world of many voices offering freedom, the most important voice to heed is Jesus Christ.

Christ’s good confession before Pilate is a lesson of faith worth remembering.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com