For the Glory of God

12.24.11

John 19.11 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.” NIV

In my past, I have been a manager for several different firms. A manager is a caretaker of the operation in the owner’s absence. Managers are appointed by someone with more authority than themselves and they are accountable to the one(s) who appointed them. John 19 is a narrative of two managers.

Pilate was appointed by Caesar to be the governor of Palestine. Although little is known of him, Pilate, just like an obnoxious younger sibling, appears to have been fond of antagonizing the Jews by disregarding their customs. Pilate was a manger for Caesar.

Caiaphas was the high priest during Pilate’s tenure as governor. He too was a shrewd man who knew how to think politically. He knew and understood the implications of Roman rule, but he also understood the freedoms (and power) the priests had as allowed by the Romans. The problem for the priests was Pilate and the problem for Pilate was the priests.

Jesus attempted to tell Pilate that his authority had been given by God. Whatever Pilate thought about life, it appears he had never considered that his appointment was orchestrated by the Almighty. Caiaphas was priest only, according to history, because he married into the high priest’s family. Where Caiaphas went wrong was opting for politics rather than truth. In his mind, Jesus was a threat politically because Jesus advocated the Kingship of God – something Caiaphas knew nothing about. So, in order to get rid of Jesus, Caiaphas had to orchestrate His death and the only way he could do that was to push Pilate’s buttons that Jesus had proclaimed to be a King and thereby a threat to the Roman Emperor’s throne.  

A manager’s actions are accountable to the owner. A manager is selected to do the job but only according to the owner’s wishes and preferences. The trouble with managers is when they have to unsnarl knots (which inevitably come) while trying to do what they think would please the owner. Sometimes it simply boils down to expedience and the lesser of two evils. In this case that appears to be the case – except Pilate had never considered where his power came from and Caiaphas had no relationship with God. Caiaphas was guilty of the greater sin for he refused to accept that his appointment was by God and not just the politics of the high priest’s family.

We must accept who we are and who is in charge of our lives. That is even more so as believers. Nothing in our lives happens in a vacuum and we are accountable to God for all we do, say, and think. How we approach life is all a reflection of how we esteem God. Our blame or blamelessness will reflect our relationship with, and cooperation with, our Heavenly Father. Neither Pilate nor Caiaphas understood that.

So, for us who believe, what Paul said is true: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10.31 NIV) That way our lives will always count!