‘When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.’ Jn 19:13
What a scenario, an earthly king and religious leaders empowered themselves to sit in a position of judgment (Gabbatha) of Him (Jesus) who would soon judge them eternally!
This veiled threat by the Jewish leaders pressured Pilate into allowing Jesus to be crucified. As Roman governor, Pilate was expected to keep the peace. To do so, Pilate maintained control by crushing rebellions immediately with brute force. Pilate was afraid that reports to Caesar of insurrection in his region would cost Pilate his job and perhaps even his life. The religious Pharisees were equally afraid of losing their religious power to control the Jewish population. Jesus preaching grace and healing eliminated the need of the law over the Jews in exchange for spiritual freedom through Him. But both groups lacked humility and feared losing what they worked hard to establish.
We too must be careful not to place ourselves in positions of judging what’s best for our interest over the Father’s Word. Doing so, we as well place ourselves on the Gabbatha!
There are two kinds of men: The sinner who seeks righteousness and the self-righteous who thinks he’s not a sinner (Lk 18:9-14) … HSAY
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