Being Watched

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

BEING WATCHED

John 19:16-22

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others — one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

The conversion from being God’s chosen people to complete heathen is complete. This is an absolute denial of Jesus as the Messiah, as their divine King. They did not want that sign indicating he was their king, but they wanted it to say he claimed to be their king, which is entirely a different meaning. But this time Pilate would have nothing to do with their protest. He was crucifying a man he found no fault in and this was his way of retaliation in some sense, putting those Jews in their place. What do we make of this as far as a life application? Perhaps we should understand the many non-believers know more about Jesus than we think they do, as well as they know how we, believers, should behave. Pilate knew what the Jews believed and he saw them behaving not in the manner of a Jew, but rather in the manner of a heathen, demanding a man be murdered, executed for being, what Pilate determined, a Godly man of truth. The world watches us believers and they watch us with some understanding of how we should live our lives. Even if they do not worship God as we do, even if they refuse to allow Jesus into their lives, they know about Christian values and they judge our behaviors. They have no reservations about writing want they have written, or saying what they have said, as Pilate told those Jews. If they see us behaving in a manner that is not consistent with our profession of faith, they will call us on it, they will point it out, loud and clear, and making sure we know about it. It would behoove us to watch our conduct, especially in the presence of non-believers. We might well also be aware of the manner in which we voice our opinions on controversial issues. Surely we have the right, as they do, in having an opinion, and ours should be aligned with the biblical truth, but how we express has a greater impact then what we express. Pilate was aware of the Jews belief, and most non-believers are aware of our belief. God said that he put the knowledge of him into every person, but some suppress that truth with their evil deeds. The Jews had suppressed the truth so much they desired their own lives, their own power and authority more than God. The non-believers of today are not much different than those Jews; they have the truth about God within, but have suppressed it with their evil deeds. This is how they, like Pilate, know how we should behave. They are watching us.