The Crowded Courtroom – ‘I am he’

It was early morning. Jesus had been awake all night hustled from one torch-lit room to another. Tied up, bruised, battered and bedraggled. The High Priest had looked for charges in order to get the death sentence passed, but all that had been heard was a confusion of lies. Jesus is then taken to the Roman governor because only he could give permission for a crucifixion. Read or listen to the story:

John 19:1-11 (NSRV)

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ² The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe ³ and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. ⁴ Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” ⁵ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” ⁶ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” ⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” ⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

This was the place of judgment. Here Jesus was condemned. Here they made a pretend king out of the real King. Jesus took all the anger, accusations and curses that the whole human race has ever heaped upon God, and he accepted them. He agreed to be the bridge to God – allowing God to be with us despite the sins, the mistakes and mess of our world.

He takes it all without appealing against the injustice
He takes it all without appealing for an army of angels
He takes it all without appealing for our pity

Prayer

God of the accused and the accusing, who made the mouth, the ear and the heart of all in conflict. May we turn ourselves towards that which must be heard, because there we will hear your voice.