Him We Proclaim

I count it an immense blessing to live in a country where Good Friday is a national holiday. Yesterday, a parade went by our home. Pontius Pilate led the way with his wife, followed by Caiaphas the high priest, a large group of Roman guards, and finally Jesus carrying the cross. We protestants often don’t think too much about Good Friday. But it was the climax of Jesus’ life on earth up to the resurrection. It is in his arrest, trial, and execution that Jesus is seems to be defeated. And yet it is here that the Gospel writers find him victorious. John records the deep irony of Jesus’ trial with Pilate. There are three main characters: Jesus, Pilate, and “the Jews.” (It is important to understand that “the Jews” is John’s way of talking about the Jewish authorities, not just a random group of Jews.) Jesus had been arrested and brought before a local council of Jewish leaders. There were no credible witnesses against them, but they still wanted him dead. They brought him to...