Scripture Reading: John 18:28-32
In this passage in John, the Jewish leaders come to Pilate to involve him in putting Jesus to death. Pilate, throughout the whole ordeal, tries to evade any personal involvement in the affair.
There is a sad irony in the way John describes this scene. When the Jews come to the Praetorium, they refuse to enter because to do so would make them ceremonially unclean and that would prevent them from eating the Passover meal.
This was one of those “straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel” moments Jesus had condemned them for earlier. They were fine with the moral filthiness of falsely charging and executing an innocent man but went to great lengths to avoid any ceremonial uncleanness.
The reason for their caution was they wanted to make sure they could eat the Passover meal. And this is where the story is thick with irony. While they didn’t understand it, the Passover foreshadowed the greater Passover in which the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world. That Passover Lamb was Jesus.
When C.S. Lewis wrote, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased,” in Weight of Glory, he was thinking of fleshly pleasures, but I believe he could have included religious rituals too. These men were making mud pies in a slum when true spiritual food was standing right before them. They were focused on a Passover when The Passover was right there.
Don’t miss the real while focused on the ritual.
Thank you for sharing this great truth, so close to the ONE who could forgive their sin and give them eternal life, and so far away as to be eternally lost! I pray this will reach thousands. Much gratitude for the ministry GOD has given you!