Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 19:4 ”Pilate came out again and said to them, ‘Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.’”
Had Pilate found Jesus guilty of anything worthy of death, he would not have brought Him out to the Jews. He would have had Him crucified without any hesitation. As it was, after trying Him by scourging, Jesus was spotless. It’s important for us to recognize, Jesus suffered not because He did something wrong, but because we have done many things wrong.
He was the spotless lamb of God, led to the slaughter, where He willingly shed His blood so we might know God’s love and salvation. I remember watching the movie, The Passion. During the scene when Jesus was scourged, I couldn’t take it. I wanted to shout out, “Enough! I can’t take any more!” What struck me was that there probably was no one in the Praetorium crying out those words. It was God who finally said, “That’s enough.” Only then did the soldiers wash off their deadly instruments and hang them up to dry. But God wasn’t finished. His love was deeper and greater. His commitment to glorify His Son to the uttermost required more.
This speaks to my heart when I consider to what extent will I love someone. I’m not talking about those around me that are easy to love. I have my enemies in mind. Jesus didn’t suffer for righteous people. While we were still His enemies, Christ died for us. That love revealed in the scourging, mocking, and shaming lets me know that there should never be a time when I say, “That person is too difficult to love. They require too much sacrifice from me. They are too toxic. Too hurtful. Too demanding.” No, as I consider the first phase of His suffering, I realize living to love with Jesus will cost me my life. It is a privilege to love whoever He puts in my path for His glory just as Jesus loved those soldiers that day.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 19:2-3 “And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him and they began to come up to Him and say, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and to give Him slaps in the face.”
From this verse we see the disposition of the Roman soldiers who carried out the crucifixion. They obviously had no respect for Jesus. They knew the charge. King of the Jews. It was written on the sign to be affixed to the cross. As we read about Jesus’ suffering, we are to learn from His example for in 1 Peter 2:21 -23 we read, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
Undoubtedly, we will not suffer like Jesus suffered nor to the degree that He suffered, but it’s amazing to realize the love of God for us revealed as Jesus kept entrusting Himself to His Father. If we live to love with Jesus, we have this attitude in us. We know, like Jesus did, that all things come from His Father, who loves Him. We also, like Jesus, find our satisfaction in life in the love of our Father. We also know, like Jesus, that every trial we face has the purpose of revealing the life and love of God in that situation for the glory of God. We can entrust ourselves to our Father and to our Lord Jesus Christ regardless of what anyone else says about us or does to us. We know God judges righteously and in the end will glorify Himself through us in our suffering. Today, you may suffer an injustice or perhaps you’ll be slandered or abused. May the Holy Spirit give you the same love and grace that was given to Jesus so you may know how to respond for the glory of God.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 19:1 “Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him.”
As we begin chapter 19 let’s remember what’s happened previously. Jesus gave Himself up to the Jews and Romans. He endured an unlawful arrest and trials by Annas, Caiaphas and the Jewish council, Pilate and Herod. After efforts to wiggle himself out of dealing with Jesus, Pilate succumbed to the pressure of the Jews to crucify Jesus. They were compelled by hate and jealous self-ambition to destroy Jesus and His movement. Pilate caved to the pressure and handed Jesus over to his soldiers to carry out the most excruciating execution imaginable. We read here that Pilate did the deed, but we know he never laid a hand on Jesus. He was guilty of authorizing the scourging and execution in the name of Rome.
As we read about the crucifixion of Jesus, let’s remember He is allowing everything that happened to Him. At any given moment in the chain of events that led to His death, He could have stopped it all with a word if the Father had so willed it. Pilate had Jesus scourged. The Jews by law could not give more than 40 lashes, but there was no limit to a Roman scourging. In an article On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ, in JAMA, March 21, 1986—Vol. 255, No. 11, a Roman scourging was described.
“The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the soldiers and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death. As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim’s back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross. After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim.”
We know from Scripture that the goal was bring the Jesus to the edge of death through loss of blood and pain so that they could be finished before observing the Passover celebration. We also know from Scripture that this was God’s doing because the Son’s innocent blood had to be spilt in payment for our sins. This is love, that He, who knew no sin, laid down His life for us, who are hostile in mind and engaged in evil deeds (Col. 1:21).
Through our oneness with Jesus, we are saved from our sins. He conquered our enemies and reigned as our King of love as He suffered. What Pilate and the Romans meant for evil, God meant it for good. Let’s give thanks to our God. “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we praise You and thank You for enduring the pain and bloodshed that we might be justified, forgiven, and have fellowship with You. It is our privilege to live to love with You today.”

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 18:38-40 “And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, ‘I find no guilt in Him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?’ So they cried out again, saying, ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas.’ Now Barabbas was a robber.”
John left out some significant events at this point. He didn’t event mention Herod. Luke recorded this in Luke 23:4-7. “Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no guilt in this man.’ But they kept on insisting, saying, ‘He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.’ When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.” I hope you’ll go to Luke 22 and read the rest of the story because there’s quite an exchange between Pilate and the Jews after they and Jesus returned from Herod’s interrogation. Jesus didn’t answer any of Herod’s questions, yet Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate saying he could find nothing worthy of death. We don’t see in John’s account how much Pilate had reversed course and tried to do everything he could to release Jesus. He even suggested that he would punish Him before releasing Him.
But it came to Pilate’s mind that he customarily released someone from prison as an act of goodwill toward the Jews. So he made one last appeal. “Don’t you want me to release your king to you—Jesus, the king of the Jews?” Do you find this as unbelievable as I do? Blinded by hatred, the Jewish officials bid Pilate to kill Jesus and release Barabbas, a known thief. Luke wrote that Pilate “wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again.” It’s a this point that the Jews chanted out, “Crucify, crucify Him!” Pilate made a third appeal which was drowned out by the crowd’s insistence that Jesus be killed.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the mount, said that if someone is angry with his brother, he is guilty of murder before the court (5:22). We can certainly see that truth evidenced in the Jews. They hated Jesus and are so blinded by it, that they can’t see what they are doing. Rejecting their king for a thief.
When we think of love’s antithesis, we usually think of hatred. May God free us from even the smallest vestige of hate in our hearts. The way to get free from hatred is to live to love with Jesus. If your goal is to love others in the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no room for hatred. Holy Spirit, please purify our hearts for a sincere love of the brethren so we can love them fervently from the heart as Peter admonishes us in 1 Peter 1:22.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 18:38 “Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’”
What is truth? Jesus told Pilate that He came to testify to the truth, namely, that He is a king of a kingdom that is not of this world. It’s a kingdom that Pilate couldn’t see, but it exists nevertheless. We popular progressive view of truth today is that it is something inside of a person. It’s how they feel or think about themselves and the world around them. It’s not fact related nor does it have to be proven. There’s a truth for you and a truth for me. Your truth, my truth, anyone’s truth. However, for centuries, truth was something outside of our individual selves. It was something to be discovered so we could align ourselves with it.
In light of the Scriptures and the revelation of Christ, I would propose that Truth, with a capital T is whatever God sees, says, and does from and in eternity. If He sees it, then it is the truth. If He says it, it is the truth. If He does it or establishes it, it is the truth. If He didn’t see it, say it, or do it, then it is a lie.
With that in mind, consider this. God is love. Therefore, love is the truth. Everything God sees, says, and does is motivated by His love. The apostle John echoed this reality when he wrote in 3 John 3-4 “For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” If we are of the truth, then we will live to love with Jesus. As we do so, we are testifying to the world that Jesus is our king and we are of His kingdom.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com