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N Matthew 26 we read of Christ
standing trial before the Jewish high priest on the evening of His arrest. The next morning, He stood trial again, this
time before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. While Jesus was being tried in
Pilate's hall, Judas Iscariot was out hanging himself. In other words, Jesus
and Judas died on the same day - Jesus dying with valiant purpose; Judas with
cowardly purposelessness. Such is the nature of good and evil. That's just one
example of how violently good and evil clashed together on the day that Christ died.
It can't be a good sign when a defendant's judge in his first trial turns up as the prosecutor in his appeal.
This was Christ's situation though (vs. 12). The fix was in. And, Christ didn't
even resist it (vs.
14). The proof that the verdict was predetermined is best seen in the release
of Barabbas. If Caesar or Satan himself had been incarcerated with Jesus, the Jews would have set
either one of them free that day rather than release Jesus. They were
determined that He had to die. Interestingly, Jesus had the same perspective,
just for a very different reason. He was
destined (and willing) to be the target of God’s wrath.
So, Jesus was tried and sentenced
to death. He was mocked and ridiculed. He was treated as a common criminal by
the very people for whom He was perishing. But they were so disinterested in Him,
in His pain or His identity, that His agony was eclipsed that day by a little
competition to see who would get His clothes (vs. 35).
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