Submission to Human Power

Scripture:

John 19:10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?”
John 19:11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
John 19:12 From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”

Observation:

Pilate had tested the winds and become well aware of what it was that the Jewish religious leaders and the people wanted from him. He had convinced himself that he was in control and that he had power over the situation. He reported this to Jesus. What Jesus was saying to him was that he really did not have any power and whether or not Jesus would speak in his own defense had little to do with the outcome of the upcoming events. The reality was that Pilate didn’t have the power. God knew what the responses of the people would be and he recognized that Pilate was a man who would become complicit in the affairs of the people because he would do everything that he could to maintain his appearance of power. The Jews even used Pilate’s own fear of power from the emperor to manipulate his response. So, while Pilate had said that he had the power to release or to crucify Christ, in reality he only had his own personal submission to human power.

Application:

Wouldn’t we all like to believe that we would not respond in the same way as Pilate? Of course we would like to believe that, but putting ourselves in the same position, would we? This is where the question of submission really becomes important in our lives. As Jesus followers we are to submit to his leading and authority in our lives in all things! The result is that there will be times that those around us will not like us and may stand up against us. What do we do in those kinds of situations and how can we guard against submitting to human power?

First of all I think we need to be realistic about the temptations that we face.  Pilate had allowed himself to believe that he was still in control and was not being manipulated by the people around him. However, while Pilate had declared that he could find nothing wrong with this man, he ended up sending him to be executed. So, how did that happen?  The temptations of Pilate were many for he was an insecure man.

Pilate was a Roman leader in a Jewish land and he wanted to make both the emperor and the people happy. This meant trying to keep the peace and his temptation was to keep the peace at all costs because he was worried about his own career. The temptation was to place his career above doing the right thing. In this way he was always ready to submit to the power of the Empire. But at the same time he faced the temptation of not being liked by the local citizenry. While he didn’t seem to totally understand the religious systems and structures of the Jews he wanted to keep their leadership happy. Now they were asking him to do something that made no sense but he was tempted by their human power of persuasion and their ability to manipulate the masses. Finally he steps out to poll the masses and realizes that they really do want to crucify this man. The people have spoken and they have now manipulated the leader who is afraid to disappoint them. He masks this fear in language of power but the reality is that he has none in this situation and simply capitulates to the power of the crowds.

This is exactly why God was able to use him in this circumstance. Sure, God’s power could have saved Jesus but it was God’s intent that Jesus would die for the sins of the people and Pilate was an instrument in the plan simply because God knew his character. Pilate had fooled himself into believing that he had power and yet God knew that he would succumb to the manipulation of the crowds. God really was in control!

All around there are those rising up against Christianity and telling us what to do. We are being pushed into submitting to human power and control and yet, what is it that God wants from you and from me? How do we keep ourselves from testing the winds of the loud and angry crowds before determining our response?

If we are not “in Christ” we will not understand real power. Real power comes from God above and sometimes looks radically different from anything that you would experience here on this earth. What we must ask ourselves is whether we are willing to trust in the power of God in our lives, even in the midst of temptations.

God, himself, is the source of all power and we are called to put our trust in him. This means that we are not to test the winds of this world in regard to our response but we are to stand firm on the foundation of God’s word and our relationship with him. As the pressures and the temptations increase to conform or submit to human power we must all the more seek the face of God. He is the source of all true strength and may God help us from giving into the temptation of submitting to the false notion of human power.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me stay connected to you and your power every day. Amen.