June 29, 2015
The Trial before Pilate
A reading from the Gospel of Saint John 18, 28 – 40:
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And the Jews did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?” They answered and said to him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” At this Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” The Jews answered him, “We do not have the right to execute anyone.” In order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered,” My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listen to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
When he said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this one but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
We had a beautiful Sunday with plenty of sun but it clouded over in the evening and we were supposed to have rain during the night. It will also rain today but then it should be sunny for the rest of the week.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Redeemer given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“Come follow Me, My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters, as I go before Pontus Pilate to be condemned by him. He took Me inside the Praetorium and there he questioned Me. He asked Me if I was a King and I said yes but I told him My Kingdom was not of this world. If it was of this world then My people would be here to defend Me. I told him that I came into this world to teach the people the truth. Those who belong to the truth, listen to My voice. Pilate asked me a question saying, “What is truth?” but he did not wait to listen to My answer. Instead he went out to speak to the Jews. He told them that he had not found any guilt in Me. So he told the Jews that they have a custom to release a prisoner at the Passover feast, so he asked them which one should I release the King of the Jews or Barabbas. The Jews answered that they did not want him to release Jesus but Barabbas. In other words, the Jews wanted that I be killed.
My dear friends, “I knew that I would be killed by the Jews for this was My supreme sacrifice for the atonement of all your sins. It shows you how horrible sin is that it caused My death on the cross. I call you all to refrain from sinning but follow the commandments of God. I bless you all.”
Father Melvin