Verses 1-16
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It's curious how Pilate confesses repeatedly that he finds no fault in Jesus, and shows that he wanted to release him. But when it came down to it, he was swayed by the crowd time and time again. Pilate was weak; he wouldn't do what he knew was right, for fear of the Jews and fear of Caesar.
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Your standing with Christ is not judged by what you want to do for Him, but by what you actually do. Although the sin of Judas, the priests, and of the Pharisees was greater than that of Pilate's (verse 11), Pilate is still counted as an enemy of Christ because, in His actions, he acted against Him. His feelings did not matter.
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Examine yourself. Don't think you're okay simply because your intentions for Christ are good. When people around you are against Jesus, do you fear man and go along with the crowd? Or do you speak up and act in support of Jesus? Make your actions right, not merely your wants or intentions.
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Verses 17-24, 31-37
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Even in His death, the world could see that Jesus was a King, because of Pilate's inscription.
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And even while hanging from a cross, the Scriptures about Him were fulfilled. And even after He was dead, Scriptures were fulfilled.
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Jesus could not control whether the soldiers would cast lots for His clothing, pierce His side, or spare His legs from breaking, but they did all these things. All prophecies about Him were fulfilled.
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If you trust the Scriptures, then trust in Jesus! Jesus' own actions as well as the actions of others, whom He could not control, fulfilled the prophecies about Him.
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Jesus did not make Himself the messiah falsely. God declared Jesus to be the Messiah through events predicted by His omniscient power.
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Verses 25-27
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Even in His greatest agony, Jesus was concerned for others, and in this case, His mother. This is love! He took care of her during His life, and now that He was dying, He made sure that she would be taken care of by one of His disciples.
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Always be concerned for others, and know that your own suffering does not excuse you from the responsibility to care for those entrusted to you.
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Verses 28-30
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Down to the finest detail, Jesus made sure that He did everything the Scriptures said He must do. He cried out, “It is finished”, because He was finished bearing our sins, and He was finished suffering the judgment of God that we deserved. God's wrath was then fully satisfied (Romans 3:24-25).
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To save you from condemnation, remember that Jesus did everything for you at the cross. There is nothing left that you can do to save yourself.
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And to follow Jesus example, do not quit anything, no matter how hard, until all is finished. Bring your goals to completion!
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Verses 38-42
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Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus also it seems, were both secretly believers in Jesus. In this moment they took courage to provide what was needed for Jesus' burial. And in so doing their faith was no longer a secret.
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You may be more secretive about your faith in Jesus. Just like Joseph and Nicodemus, you must take action, and make it public.
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If you are ashamed to proclaim your faith in Jesus, He will be ashamed of you when He comes (Luke 9:26).
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