GOD Morning! May 5, Accused and Abused

GOD Morning! May 5

Accused and Abused

Luke 23:1-25

23 Then the whole assembly of them got up and conducted [Jesus] before Pilate.

² And they began to accuse Him, asserting, We found this Man perverting (misleading, corrupting, and turning away) our nation and forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), a King!

The first part is blatant lies. Jesus did nothing of the sort. He promoted loving your enemies.

The second part is truth. A lie plus a true statement equals a half truth. Which in reality is a lie.

³ So Pilate asked Him, Are You the King of the Jews? And He answered him, [It is just as] you say. [I Am.]

⁴ And Pilate said to the chief priests and the throngs, I find no guilt or crime in this Man.

⁵ But they were urgent and emphatic, saying, He stirs up and excites the people, teaching throughout all Judea—from Galilee, where He began, even to this place.

⁶ Upon hearing this, Pilate asked whether the Man was a Galilean.

⁷ And when he found out [certainly] that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him up to Herod [a higher authority], who was also in Jerusalem in those days.

⁸ Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had eagerly desired to see Him for a long time because of what he had heard concerning Him, and he was hoping to witness some sign (some striking evidence or spectacular performance) done by Him.

⁹ So he asked Him many questions, but He made no reply.

¹⁰ Meanwhile, the chief priests and the scribes stood by, continuing vehemently and violently to accuse Him.

What??? This Man from Galilee did nothing to deserve these false accusations. He was a sinless man who went about doing good. That’s all.

¹¹ And Herod, with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and scoffed at and ridiculed Him; then, dressing Him up in bright and gorgeous apparel, he sent Him back to Pilate.

Have you been wrongly accused? Have you been singled out and ridiculed?

¹² And that very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other—[though] they had been at enmity before this.

Don’t be surprised when your enemies (who formerly hated each other) join forces against you. Seriously.  

¹³ Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

¹⁴ And said to them, You brought this Man before me as One Who was perverting and misleading and turning away and corrupting the people; and behold, after examining Him before you, I have not found any offense (crime or guilt) in this Man in regard to your accusations against Him;

¹⁵ No, nor indeed did Herod, for he sent Him back to us; behold, He has done nothing deserving of death.

¹⁶ I will therefore chastise Him and deliver Him amended (reformed, taught His lesson) and release Him.

¹⁷ For it was necessary for him to release to them one prisoner at the Feast.

¹⁸ But they all together raised a deep cry [from the depths of their throats], saying, Away with this Man! Release to us Barabbas!

¹⁹ He was a man who had been thrown into prison for raising a riot in the city, and for murder.

Release a murderer? Really???

²⁰ Once more Pilate called to them, wishing to release Jesus;

²¹ But they kept shouting out, Crucify, crucify Him!

²² A third time he said to them, Why? What wrong has He done? I have found [no offense or crime or guilt] in Him nothing deserving of death; I will therefore chastise Him [in order to teach Him better] and release Him.

²³ But they were insistent and urgent, demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified. And their voices prevailed (accomplished their purpose).

²⁴ And Pilate gave sentence, that what they asked should be done.

²⁵ So he released the man who had been thrown into prison for riot and murder, for whom they continued to ask, but Jesus he delivered up to be done with as they willed.

So the moral of this awful account is this. Don’t be shocked or surprised when you are falsely accused. Don’t be shocked when you are verbally and physically abused for no reason. Just cling to Jesus. He is your example. He’s been there, done that. He will lead you through the fiery trial. He will deliver You if you hold on tightly to His nail scarred hand. And that’s a promise.

“Dear Jesus, someone is being falsely accused. Someone is being abused. Someone has lost all hope that her “hell on earth” life will ever change. Please, I beg You, reach down Your arms and hold her. Comfort her. Let her know that You have been where she is. You know exactly how it feels to be falsely accused, verbally abused, and physically abused. Please, lead her to the Cross where Your blood poured down for her salvation, deliverance, and healing. Thank You Jesus, AMEN.”