The Praetorium - "Hail, King of the Jews"
The Praetorium, or Pretorium, is the Latin version of the Greek word pronounced prai-tor-ion. The Romans used the term for a general's tent in an army camp, but later it also referred to a military headquarters in a city where the Roman governor or procurator also often resided. The Bible variously refers to the Praetorium as the "common hall," the "governor's house," the "judgment hall," "Pilate's house," and the "palace."It was the hall of torture, physical and mental for our Lord. Let us see this hall through our prophetic eyes. The soldiers could have straightaway taken the Lord to Golgotha after scourging Him. Absolutely there was no need for them to take Him to this hall. This is not only a place of physical torture but also a place of great mental agony as our Lord was mocked by the soldiers. You might have seen this hall in the film of Mel Gipson. It is indeed a stony structure. The walls of this stony structure witnessed the sufferings of the King of Kings. All the disciples of our Lord had forsaken Him and fled when He was arrested by the soldiers. None of them could have witnessed what happened in this hall. The hall made with stones, bricks and mortar stood as a mute witness to the inhuman, illegal punishment meted out to the Savior of this world. All this illegal and inhuman acts took place in the Judgment Hall or the Governor’s house. The Son of Man was condemned to death by crucifixion according to the demand of their law. But he was subjected to mocking and other forms of tortures which could be in no way justified according to the law of jurisprudence.
The Praetorium was represented by Pilate, a governor who knew the truth but acquiesced in the travesty of truth which resulted in the denial of justice. Today we find in our midst a religious structure of Christianity that consists of many Christian leaders who are hobnobbing with the political or state powers of this world, sacrificing the truth and persecuting the universal Body of Christ in every nation. They read the Bible, worship the Lord and conduct crusades and prayer meetings. But they are a mute witness to the persecution and sufferings of the Body of Christ. They do not perceive the suffering and persecuted Body of Christ because they are interested in enlarging and protecting their individual kingdoms. They may have paid lip sympathy to the sufferings of the Body of Christ but do not identify themselves with this suffering Body of Christ. If they are part of this Body, they should feel the pain and agony of the other members of the same body of Christ. They are just a part of this stony Praetorium. They just witness but do not feel the agony. They just worship but do not see the One whom they worship. They just sing hymns in adoration of Him but do not love His Body.
The soldiers hailed our Lord, “Hail, King of the Jews”. Similarly, these Christian leaders who represent this Praetorium pay lip services to the King of Kings on Sundays or during their meetings. So long as they do not become part of the suffering and persecuted body of Christ, they are just mocking the One whom they pretend to worship.
Are you a part of this Praetorium? Examine your life today as we meditate on the Passion of Christ during this season. If you are a member of the body of Christ, surely you cannot be a part of this Praetorium.
- Job Anbalagan