“Crucify Him”

And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. -Mark 15:12-15

Part of Jesus’ crucifixion involved the failure of the government to do what it was supposed to do. The government should have prevented Jesus’ death instead of hastening it. Pilate had both the knowledge and authority to stop the crucifixion, but he failed to do so for a simple reason – he was too weak.

We still see government fail for this reason. Governments of any type are too weak to wield power or execute justice as they should. But when they do so, our first reaction is to question the power of God over government; as if it were capable of stymieing God’s will. Nothing could be further from the truth. God used government’s weakness to achieve our salvation. The corruption of the world was manifested in the government’s failure of Jesus; but God’s power is such that he was able to use that failure to redeem the world of its corruption.

The simple fact is government had no power over Jesus. John tells us that when Pilate said to Jesus, “Do you not know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you,” Jesus replied, “you would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”

The weakness of government it meant to make us desire the power of God. This does not mean we are not to obey earthly authorities. Indeed, it is all the more reason we should. For in spite of appearances, our faith in God’s sovereign power should enable us to endure what we must from government. And just as is the case when we are discouraged by our personal circumstances, our dissatisfaction with events in the world should not cause us to doubt God is sovereignly bringing his plan to pass, and that that plan it working for both our and the world’s redemption.

The fact of the matter is, the only way any worldly power can hold sway over us it by making us think God is not at work. But when we remember that the most corrupt act ever precipitated on earth resulted in the reversal of all corruption, we can take comfort when we witness corruption today; for we know it is working toward the same end.