Corona Devo 716

Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor.  His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.  ~John 18:28

These verses detail some of the last moments Christ would spend on earth.  But they also detail how "His accusers" missed-the-mark in recognizing Who was before them.  I think these verses also detail how we "miss" Jesus right before us too.  

His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.  ~John 18:28

"His accusers" were "Jewish leaders" (John 18:31) and if they entered the headquarters of the Roman governor, Jewish law said that they would "become ceremonially unclean" and thus they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.  

(Bible backstory:) Are we familiar with what "Passover" means for the Jewish people?  When Pharaoh would not let the Israelites leave their slavery in Egypt, the Lord brought a series of plagues on Pharoah and the Egyptians, the last of which was the death of firstborn animals and sons.  The Lord told Moses to have the Israelites sacrifice a lamb and smear the blood on the doorframes of their houses so that the angel of death would "Passover" the Israelite (God's children) homes, and they would not lose their firstborn sons.

The Israelites obeyed, and due to the blood of the sacrificed lamb, they were spared.  (Does this bring any crucifixion-parallels to your mind?)  

And since "Passover" was a momentous occasion in their faith, God told the Jews to celebrate it every year.  “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance." (Exodus 12:14).  

And because "His accusers", the "Jewish leaders" were so "bent" on doing just that, they missed that with the onset/birth/coming of Christ, the old "Law" was changed.  The principle remained the same...an unblemished lamb to be sacrificed in the stead of someone else: but Jesus was that spotless lamb, and we (all people) are the someone else that He died for.   

As my kids would say, this is a pretty "big brain" concept, but our salvation literally hangs on our acceptance and understanding of it.  Romans 7:4-6 puts it this way: So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. (5) When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. (6) But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.  ~Romans 7:4-6 

Back to John 18:28: His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. 

Even though the religious elite of the day had studied and memorized scripture about the Messiah their entire lives, they were too busy "keeping their Law" to recognize Him and His purpose when He stood before them.

But Jewish leaders and Passover are so far away and distant to us.  And we wouldn't miss Jesus and His purposes right in front of us, would we?

I did.

A homeless young man approached the group I was with the other day.  People filtered away until I stood alone with him and he asked me for some money.  Like Jesus' accusers, my mind and my heart were in "Law" mode.  I "knew" that if I gave him money, he would buy drugs or alcohol or maybe worse.  I stayed for a moment, but then I broke his gaze, and I slipped away, not wanting to be "defiled" by his situation or reality.  I left.

But his eyes have not "left" me.  Deep blue and sad, they are still staring into me.  

His eyes were like mine and yours.  He was real.  He was in need, and when I read these verses the next morning, I knew exactly what "type" of superficial/missing-the-mark/religion-vs.-relationship "God-followers" the accusers of Jesus were.

Because I had missed the mark too.  I had stuck with my logical/play-it-smart/get-a-job mentality, and I know in my spirit that I should have looked into that man's eyes with my spiritual eyes instead of my know-it-all closed-mind.  

Shame on us when we do not enter a situation/relationship or opportunity because it would defile us, or because we wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate something if we did.

I know I can't give money to every homeless person I encounter, but the Lord convicted my Pharisee heart to remember that I could have given something to that one.  

His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.  ~John 18:28

Lord, prick our hearts to stop being such "pricks".  Help us to let down our logical and Law-tethered guards so that we might go inside the engagements you have made for us, even if they defile the "pristine" (and false) image we keep of ourselves.  Forgive our "blindness" to Who You are, what You came to do for us, and what that means for how we should be living and loving.  Your sacrifice on the cross abolished the "Law" of doing-things-perfectly.  May we live and serve You (and others) in that freedom today.  Amen.

Blessings,

Sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com