Jesus’ Words in Red Power from Above

Jesus’ Words in Red

Power from Above 

"You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”

All of us have been given power from above

Whether we are a leader or a servant in a crowd

Power to give life to Jesus

Or, to Crucify Him

To give Him life is to say Jesus is the King from heaven

It is to say I submit all I have become to His authority

And make Jesus Lord of my life

Or, we can use our power over Jesus and crucify Him

Maybe because we don’t want Him over our lives

Or, maybe it is because we don’t want to risk our friendship with the world

What will you do with the power you have been given from above?  

Power from Above

Pilate says…

"Don't you realize I have power

either to free you or to crucify you?"

Jesus does not deny the power of Pilate.

It is hard to image Jesus saying

Pilate had power over Him.

Image God gave Pilate power,

authority, jurisdiction over Jesus.

Pilate was born into this

world like the rest of us.

Pilate took his God given

abilities and developed them.

Like you and I, we have become

who we are because God created us.

Pilate didn’t just become a Roman leader.

He had to have given himself

to education and discipline.

Doors of opportunity opened for

him and he took advantage of it.

His life is now a life of power and influence.

He is a man with the power to rule. 

To not only make decisions for himself but

decisions that will effect the lives of others.

God has given him the ability to make

his own choices and become who he is.

 

Now he is given a choice…

To free Jesus or crucify Him.

The scriptures are clear Pilate

struggled with the choice.

Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus.

Pilate finds a power he cannot overcome…

The power of the crowd.

The fear of the people had more power

over him than his own conscience.

The fear of the people had more

power over him than his fear of God.

Jesus says to Him…

“Therefore the one who handed me

over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

 

Jesus says Pilate is guilty of sin.

As guilty as Pilate is there are those

born into the world just like Pilate.

Each one of them with God given abilities.

Some developed those abilities more than others. 

They all had doors of opportunities and made

their choices that made them who they have become.

It is this crowed of people, they are

not struggling with what to do with Jesus.

They are using their power to crucify Jesus.

They are according to Jesus

guilty of a greater sin. 

The point is this…

We all are born into this world created

by God with God given abilities.

Some of us work harder than others to develop

those abilities with education and discipline.

Doors of opportunity and

choices are given to all of us.

We all have made decisions

we would say were not the best.

Those decisions missed the

mark and they are called sin.

Some sins are greater than others.

But all sin leads to death. 

“The wages of sin is death.”

Romans 3:23    

But the amazing thing is this.

God gave you power over His Son Jesus.

Power to give Him life or power to crucify Him.

To give Him life is to say

Jesus is the King from heaven.

It is to say I submit all I have become to

His authority and make Jesus Lord of my life.

Or, we can use our power over Jesus and crucify Him.

Maybe because we don’t want Him over our lives.

Or, maybe it is because we don’t want

to risk our friendship with the world.

What will you do with the power

you have been given from above?  

Scripture Reading

John 19:1-11 NIV

19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"

But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

7 The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

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."