John 18:28-40
Jesus Before Pilate
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
John 11:17-37
Jesus Comforts Lazarus' Sisters
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?
1 Corinthians 15:55
Where is Your Sting of Death
55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
For those who believe in Jesus, I believe one of the reasons we believe in Him -is because of His uniqueness...His uniqueness is spread throughout the four gospels...His own trial I always read and see so much of His uniqueness and one of the reasons I believe in Him...And in this Uniqueness, we see a Personal Touch...
Even as Jesus is at His own trial we read and feel Him being different and unique...Jesus remains so calm, while awaiting to be tried...And He already knows the verdict and the kind of death He will suffer...While the Jewish officials are trying to convince Pilate of Jesus' guilt, Pilate is not buying this...The Jewish leaders are asked by Pilate, “What charges are you bringing against this Man?”...Pilate wants to know what Jesus has done...But their reply does not convince Pilate of any guilt on Jesus...“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.”...So they are wanting Pilate just to go along with there thinking that Jesus is guilty...So Pilate said, “Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law.”...Now if Pilate is talking about Mosaic Law, Jesus cannot be guilty...Jesus is the Bible, and thus He is the Mosaic Law of the Scriptures...But the Jewish leaders say they do not have the right to execute anyone...They are convinced of His guilt, yet they have not told Pilate why He is guilty...
So Pilate goes back inside his palace and summons Jesus and asks Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”...Then Jesus Uniquely asks Pilate,“Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about Me?”...Jesus gets personal with Pilate, and is asking him if that thought or idea came from himself...Jesus makes things personal like this...“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied...“Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me...What is it You have done?”...Jesus says this about the question of being a King, “My kingdom is not of this world...If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jewish leaders...But now My kingdom is from another place.”...So Jesus confirms He has a Kingdom and is a King...“You are a King, then!” said Pilate...Jesus answered, “You say that I AM a King...In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth...Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me.”...Those who want to know the Truth about the world listen to Jesus...Those that want to know about the Truth of God listen to Him...His birth and giving us the Truth, His Truth makes Him surpass all other Kings...So this makes Jesus King of the Truth, and makes Him Truth...“What is truth?” retorted Pilate...With this Pilate went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against Him...But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover...Do you want me to release ‘the King of the Jews’?”...Pilate is calling Jesus King of the Jews now...And Pilate is right in calling Jesus by this title...But Pilate rejects many things right here this day...Pilate rejects the Truth, he rejects His Uniqueness, he rejects that Jesus does come from Another World, he rejects Jesus' Kingdom, and He thus rejects Jesus...And because of this, Pilate has rejected God...
And in this rejection of this Most Unique Man, Jesus will go on the cross to die for us and our sins...
I cannot reject His Uniqueness as I read this story and many, many others about Him being different...The One who wept for His friend Lazarus by his graveside...Jesus is personal...He is there when we are suffering and crying...He is right there on His knees with us and for us...When we are grieving, He is beside us...He wept with the sisters of Lazarus who felt the horrible sting over their brother's death...And then He raised His friend, Lazarus, from a four day old death...Jesus is like no one else...There has never been another person walk the earth like Him...And He told Lazarus' sister, Martha, that He is the resurrection and the life...And He showed the family of Lazarus personally and He shows us by His resurrection and ascension that He does take the sting of death away from us, if you believe in His Uniqueness...