John 18:11. "Then said Jesus unto Peter, 'Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?'"
MY FATHER HAS GIVEN: the cross and the word of God. He stood there in holy dignity, men lying before Him on the ground. Bigotry with its blind bias, unfair prejudice, willful ignorance Brought men to the praying place, control by the power of darkness Treachery, passion and hate all unite to extinguish the Light. Again, the calm words and question of identity - There was no lack of identification, it was positively clear - This was the One, the only One that could bear away the sin of the world. Sin was in the cup the Father gave Him.
Looking ahead in silence as the Lamb is led by frail mortal men He could see the agony the red sweat marks testified to. Not a clueless creature, but omniscient, He could already taste The sharp bitterness of a body hung upon a tree. Physical pain of every wound known to man is anticipated - For sin had wrought its dark deeds on men in every way.
Yet here, in One sinless Person, every physical pain known - Agony was in the cup the Father gave Him.
Led from that garden came the One who knows the focus of man's rejection - They wished upon Him the greatest possible harm. But unknown to men in hatred so blind and intense against good - The rejection of being despised and tormented by man Was only a pale representation of what is involved in breaking God's law. The consequences of that curse could only be dealt with by the sinless One. The curse was in the cup the Father gave Him.
An unlikely key was in the hand of a zealous, failing man; Peter's sword was used to pierce the lock to the righteous cup. A bloody ear; a miracle of healing - though displaying deity Could not turn away His holy lips from the cup the Father gave. The key was sheathed again, the words spoken plainly Pointed to the cross and all that would be accomplished by one act of obedience, The Father gave Him the cup; no man, no demon could do such a thing - The cross was in the cup the Father gave Him.
"O Righteous God, my Father: may You always forbid me from glorying in anything but the cross and the One who there drank the cup You gave Him. May I always find my joy and the subject of my preaching to be in the cross. May I glory in it forever. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
John 18:19-19:16 WHAT ACCUSATION Accusations against Jesus were such that even in a religious trial there was nothing that could be found in Him that was contrary to the Word of God nor the laws of the land. Blessed accusations have been made: "Thou art true," made by the Pharisees; "This just person," made by Pilate; "Innocent blood," made by Judas; and "He saved others," made by the chief priests. Some were spoken in sarcasm and scorn, guilt, and even fear, but all were true concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The only witnesses against Jesus in the religious trial were those who could not agree among themselves because they were false witnesses. When we are called to speak publicly of our Lord, it is important that we support our statements with the words of scripture. Some people have said Jesus could have sinned but He chose not to. Others say He began His Sonship when He was born as a man in Bethlehem instead of being the Eternal Son of God. These opinions of men are wrong. We are responsible to speak rightly of our Lord Jesus Christ when we testify to His Person and His work.
The angry Jewish leadership had been secretly plotting against Jesus all through the years of His public ministry. They knew the deception of their own hearts but justified their treachery because their positions and livelihood were in jeopardy by the truth Jesus taught. Everyone had opportunity to hear what Jesus said because it was taught openly. He taught God's truth in the temple, in the synagogues, in the open air and in homes so everyone would know the truth who had "ears to hear." In contrast, those who now sought a reason to condemn Him had plotted in secret to have Him put to death. They schemed and planned in private because they feared the people who had been blessed by Jesus. When we speak for God, what we say and do must be honest and open to scrutiny as to being the truth, scriptural and having a reasonable purpose behind the teaching. The whole purpose of public preaching and teaching is for "edification, exhortation and comfort." We do not have to fear the condemnation of God when we speak appropriately and in fellowship with Him. Other people may condemn, but speaking under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is that to which God can add His blessing.
The political trial of Jesus began with Pilate asking a reasonable question of the Jews. "What accusation do you bring against Jesus?" By the words they used to answer the question, it was made clear to Pilate the Jews wanted a death sentence passed on Jesus. Accusing Jesus of being the king of the Jews did have political ramifications that Pilate knew he had to address. But the remarkable reply of Jesus stating that His kingdom was the kingdom of truth, brought Pilate up short. He had been cynical and scornful of both the Jews and Jesus, but now became cautious and curious.
An appropriate answer when we are challenged as to our beliefs, our convictions and/or our actions, is not some off-the-cuff response. A thought-provoking, intelligent answer to a question is never out of place. To take time and form a responsible reply to the sometimes, cynical comments people make, can change an argumentative conversation into a meaningful discussion of truth. The answer of Jesus to Pilate stopped the judge from being only a dispassionate referee of a serious charge, to being one who was personally involved in a moral and spiritual decision.
The comments Pilate made after Jesus said, "Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to Me," are now of a serious nature. He knew it was for envy Jesus had been brought to him by the Jews. He knew Jesus was a just person, not a law-breaker. He knew Jesus was an innocent victim of jealousy. But this feeble, weak- willed, self-centered, cowardly judge was also a people-pleaser. Even more contemptuous is that he was more concerned about his position than what was right and just. He was willing to overstep the bounds of the law by having Jesus beaten and publicly humiliated even though he had declared Him innocent. The crown of thorns and purple robe did not pacify the anger and animosity of the Jews. The leaders called for the crucifixion of Jesus.
Far too often the opinions of the unbelieving public around us intimidates us and we find ourselves tempted to compromise what we know is right for the friendship of the world. "The friendship of the world is enmity against God." The god of this world will loudly proclaim the unfairness and narrow-mindedness of those who follow our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not have a positive influence for righteousness and truth by doing what is acceptable with a sin-loving majority.
When Pilate finally heard the Jews say Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, it made him fearful. He had heard the authoritative words of Jesus about the kingdom of truth. He knew Jesus wasn't about to conquer Rome with an army. But he also knew nothing was hidden from Jesus. After Jesus plainly judged the whole matter in one short statement, Pilate could see the consequences of what was happening before him. Pilate himself was judged for murder by proxy. They were all guilty to one degree or another. No wonder Pilate was afraid because the King of truth had just passed a judgment on him that he knew was right. His own acquittal of Jesus was meaningless and he knew it.
To be a crowd-pleaser is not uncommon among all of us. Most people will bow to pressure from peers or from popular opinion and will either remain silent or go along with what they know is wrong. A person's job, friendship with those around, public acceptance often makes a person do the same thing as Pilate. He knew what he was doing was wrong. He knew the decision to release Jesus to be crucified was totally unjust, but he did it anyway. He could "wash his hands" of the whole matter as much as he wanted, but he was still guilty of supporting injustice and of allowing a murder to take place openly and with his permission. He must have lived with a guilty conscience the rest of his days.
We need to commit ourselves to truth and righteousness no matter what others say or do. We need to be willing to do what is right in spite of what other people or even the law may think is okay. Our lives are to be lived for God and according to His will because our King is the King of Truth.