We have no king but Caesar. Bad choice.
“We have no king but Caesar.” — John 19:15
Ugh. It’s a stunning statement. Especially considering who said it.
The chief priests wanted Jesus dead so badly that they declared their allegiance to Caesar, the tyranically oppressive ruler they utterly despised. Yet, they chose to appeal to Roman authority than acknowledge Jesus as their King.
It's not like Tiberius Caesar suddenly won their hearts over. They hated his guts.
So, what makes someone choose something they hate rather than Jesus?
Well, we do it all the time. Sometimes we want something so badly that we’re willing to sacrifice what we know is good to get it. We can become blind to our own contradictions when Jesus threatens something we want to keep.
We still do this today.
Many sacrifice their freedom for security. We may hold on to resentment for the sake of justice, or compromise our convictions for approval. We might not even like what our choices are doing to us but we trust these in the moment more than we do Jesus.
But, when we reject Jesus--His wisdom, His leadership, His authority, His love--we don’t become free of being led.
It's not like we are supreme.
Rejecting one king doesn't mean we have no authority over us. Rejecting Christ, we allow something that doesn’t love us like Jesus to rule us. We expect it to give us what we think we need. But nothing else can rescue us, satisfy our hearts, heal our wounds, give us eternal worth, or grant us everlasting life.
Only Jesus can.
Consider who Jesus is.
He is the Son of God, the eternal Word, the Creator of all, who came into our world, and revealed the Father to us in grace and truth. And for this, He was despised and rejected. Yet He allowed it. He gave Himself to it. He willingly endured injustice, humiliation, suffering, and death to rescue us from ourselves and our sin and bring us to God.
This is the High King so many reject when they decide they know better than He does.
Yet, look at who He is. Look at His life. Look at how He died. Peer into the empty tomb.
Jesus gives us every reason to trust Him. He knows best. He knows you best. He knows each of us more deeply than we know ourselves. His wisdom is far greater than ours, His truth sets us free, and His way leads to life.
Where might you be choosing a something else for Jesus?
Freedom is not found in sins that enslave us, or in the things that harm us. No authority is like Jesus'. No one's heart's intentions for your best are as wise and good as His.
Consider this an invitation to trust, right now, the One who gave Himself for you and to learn to live under His good leadership.
He invites you to trust and walk with Him because He is the true Savior and coming King who gave Himself to bring you life.
Ugh. It’s a stunning statement. Especially considering who said it.
The chief priests wanted Jesus dead so badly that they declared their allegiance to Caesar, the tyranically oppressive ruler they utterly despised. Yet, they chose to appeal to Roman authority than acknowledge Jesus as their King.
It's not like Tiberius Caesar suddenly won their hearts over. They hated his guts.
So, what makes someone choose something they hate rather than Jesus?
Well, we do it all the time. Sometimes we want something so badly that we’re willing to sacrifice what we know is good to get it. We can become blind to our own contradictions when Jesus threatens something we want to keep.
We still do this today.
Many sacrifice their freedom for security. We may hold on to resentment for the sake of justice, or compromise our convictions for approval. We might not even like what our choices are doing to us but we trust these in the moment more than we do Jesus.
But, when we reject Jesus--His wisdom, His leadership, His authority, His love--we don’t become free of being led.
It's not like we are supreme.
Rejecting one king doesn't mean we have no authority over us. Rejecting Christ, we allow something that doesn’t love us like Jesus to rule us. We expect it to give us what we think we need. But nothing else can rescue us, satisfy our hearts, heal our wounds, give us eternal worth, or grant us everlasting life.
Only Jesus can.
Consider who Jesus is.
He is the Son of God, the eternal Word, the Creator of all, who came into our world, and revealed the Father to us in grace and truth. And for this, He was despised and rejected. Yet He allowed it. He gave Himself to it. He willingly endured injustice, humiliation, suffering, and death to rescue us from ourselves and our sin and bring us to God.
This is the High King so many reject when they decide they know better than He does.
Yet, look at who He is. Look at His life. Look at how He died. Peer into the empty tomb.
Jesus gives us every reason to trust Him. He knows best. He knows you best. He knows each of us more deeply than we know ourselves. His wisdom is far greater than ours, His truth sets us free, and His way leads to life.
Where might you be choosing a something else for Jesus?
Freedom is not found in sins that enslave us, or in the things that harm us. No authority is like Jesus'. No one's heart's intentions for your best are as wise and good as His.
Consider this an invitation to trust, right now, the One who gave Himself for you and to learn to live under His good leadership.
He invites you to trust and walk with Him because He is the true Savior and coming King who gave Himself to bring you life.
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