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Of “Control” at the Cross
Who has not come across this old saying …Rule 1.Your boss is always right. Rule 2.
If you think the boss is wrong refer to rule 1. TAKE HEART THERE IS A BIG BOSS OVER ALL THE BOSSES.
Of several Hebrew names for God, the word ADONAI
(Isaiah 6:1)
used to describe the Almighty on His Sovereign throne has through the ages brought comfort to
the confused, solace to the distraught and reassurance to many with creased foreheads.
The somber setting- King Uzziah, who by and large was a good King offering security and prosperity
had died-to the vision of Prophet Isaiah is good enough reason for the Almighty to remind the
worried Prophet (about the future of the Judean Kingdom) that good Kings may come and go but the
King of Kings shall ALWAYS reign from His throne providing for His needy ones’ at all times.
Not only the King of Kings rules over all, He also at specific times influences’
(even without their knowledge) the Kings and authorities, He has placed in power
in a way they virtually dance to His Divine tune in order that the bigger Divine purposes are achieved.
Take Christ’s birth in Bethlehem as a case in point. Where was the Holy family of Joseph and Virgin
Mary when the time was drawing near for the birth of the Saviour? In Nazareth (Northern part of Israel)
but as per the prophecies
(Micah 5:2)
where would the Messiah be born? In faraway Southern town of Bethlehem!!! So the Heavenly King in whose
hands the heart of an Earthly King is like “a stream of water that He channels toward all
who please him”
(Proverbs 21:1)
made Roman Emperor Augustus pass a decree that Census has to be taken which required
all Jews return to their native towns and villages. Joseph’s forefathers who were descendants of
King David (a native of Bethlehem) had due to so many unknown reasons in the past shifted from Bethlehem
to Nazareth in the intermittent time of 1000 years (David lived around 1000 BC). But now thanks to
the Royal decree…
All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of
King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of
Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there,
the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son….
Luke 2:3-7
So if in God’s plan the birth of “Lamb of God”
( John 1:29)
was foreordained in Bethlehem, then it was also part of
His Redemption plan that God’s Paschal Lamb
(I Cor 5:7-8)
complete the atoning work on the the Cross exactly on Passover day in Jerusalem again
PRECISELY BETWEEN 3 PM AND 5 PM when the Paschal Lamb is slain as per the Law
(Exodus 12:6).
Mind you, by Jesus own words He came to fulfill the Law
(Matt 5:17).
Because He has met all the requirements of the Law, we are saved from its demands
(Acts 15:4-11/
Galatians 5:1).
Here it would not to be out of context to remind ourselves that just as the blood of the Paschal Lamb made
the death angel passover the Jewish homes on the night of their redemption from Egyptian bondage
(Exodus 12:21-23),
the Blood of Jesus (God’s Paschal Lamb)
on us unworthy sinners makes the just wrath of God “Passover” over us
(I Thess 1:10-TLB)
at all times.
Geographical/Epochal matters…
Now coming to Jerusalem as the selected place… why Jerusalem was chosen as the “THE PLACE OF ALL PLACES”
where the Redemption plan prepared before the foundation of the World
(I Peter 1:20/
Rev 13:8)
would be completed? By virtue of its location in the MIDDLE of the World
(Ezekiel 5:5),
it typified Jesus’ mediatory Ministry of bringing about reconciliation between Holy God and sinful mankind
(1 Tim 2:5).
The penalty of the Cross which requires the condemned “hands and legs be fastened by the nails to it” also in
a way portrays the “MIDDLEMAN” role of the Saviour for in the Cross the condemned man’s head neither touches the
sky nor do his legs touch the ground. He is right in the MIDDLE between God above and man below. Amazing, isn’t it!
My Saviour paid the price in order I am liberated from both the clutches of sin and demands of the Law
(I Cor 15:54-57).
At this stage, I intend to increase the intensity of the spotlight on the subject of Adonai God…
it would stun many of us when we observe the sequence of events leading upto
the Cross as to how the Almighty had “everything in His Sovereign control in order everything takes place
at the right place and in the right time”. Now consider this Scripture in the background of Jesus’
arrest “in the night before His crucifixion” and Judgment of the High Priest
(Matt 26:57-66).
Next day morning...
“Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor.
They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to
the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”
So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”
Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea,
from Galilee to Jerusalem!”
“Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because
Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.”
(Luke 23:1-7)
MAP OF ISREAL DURING JESUS TIME
GOD'S PERFECT TIMING
CAESAREA TO JERUSALEM -112 KMS/TIBERIAS TO JERUSALEM-176 KMS/CAESAREA TO TIBERIAS – 90 KMS
Before I go any further, for the uninitiated a picture of the Geo-political “climate”
at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion is essential to understand better the COMPLETE picture of God’s
Sovereign control over the sequence of events.
For smooth governance, the Land of Palestine was divided by Rome into 6 provinces’
with three provinces of
A) Galilee, Samaria and Judea (North to South in the Western side of River Jordan) and
B) Iturea, Decapolis and Perea (North to South in the Eastern side of River Jordan)
While the Rome-appointed Governor for Judea and Samaria was Pontius Pilate with his
headquarters at the Coastal city of CAESAREA (not Jerusalem, obviously commercial reasons influenced
Rome in the matter of choosing Caesarea with a thriving port over Jerusalem), the provinces of Galilee and
Perea were under the Governorship of Herod Antipas, with him stationed at TIBERIAS (we will restrict the
information on the Geo-political climate to this, for this is what matters for better understanding of
the afore-captioned Scripture portion).
Now consider the magnitude of God’s sovereignty over the sequence of events leading upto the Cross.
If Pontius Pilate had NOT been at Jerusalem in the climactic hours before crucifixion,
doubtless the Priests (virtual local rulers over Jews) would have taken Jesus to Caesarea to get the
ruling of Pontius Pilate (did not the scene of action shift from Jerusalem to Caesarea when Apostle
Paul was arrested –
Acts 23:23-33)
which is good 112 Kms away from Jerusalem and there too in the questioning
process Pontius Pilate would have discovered Jesus was from Galilee and would have directed the Jesus’ accusers’
to take him to Herod Antipas in Tiberias in Galilee which is a good 90 kms away from Caesarea.
Undoubtedly Herod Antipas after examining Jesus would have passed “the buck” back again to Pontius Pilate.
In all this ponder for a moment… tick –tock…tick-tock… on the time ticking away. JESUS HAD TO DIE IN JERUSALEM ON
THE PASSOVER DAY ONLY BETWEEN 3 PM -5 PM AT GOD’S APPOINTED TIME. Now lets go on stitching together the
probable sequence of events…
Finally in Caesarea Pontius Pilate under severe pressure from the highly influential Priestly class
“would have washed his hands off “ and the High priests would have crucified Jesus in Caesarea itself well
after Passover time… may be 2 days LATER after the subsequent Sabbath days’
(John 19:31)
were over. Bye, Bye Divine plan of God’s Paschal Lamb dying in Jerusalem at the appointed twilight time???
NO WAY!!! THE ALMIGHTY ADONAI GOD ENSURED THAT THE BOTH THE GOVERNORS (INTRUMENTAL IN DECISION MAKING PROCESS)
WERE IN JERUSALEM AT THE RIGHT TIME BECAUSE EVERYTHING HAD TO OCCUR AS PER THE PRE-DESTINED UNALTERABLE DIVINE PLAN!!!
HALLELUJAH!!!
Earlier in my essay, I had mentioned about how the Adonai God can make the Earthly authorities virtually dance to
His tune without even their own knowledge
(2 Kings 19:20-28).
The Earthly Kings may undertake to do something to achieve their own selfish ends but the Almighty can turn their
actions around in such a way it would all fit His Greater plans. Historically speaking during that Passover
festivities both Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas came to Jerusalem for “selfish reasons” one “announced” and the
other “secret”. Firstly about the former…like in modern times, even 2000 years ago the politicians were all for
PUBLIC PLEASING and it was a custom for Rome appointed Governors to “identify themselves with the Jews during their
most prominent Festival time…the Passover” by being at Jerusalem (the temple city) and come-up with some public-pleasing gimmicks
(Matt 27:15).
In the Indian context, do not our political leaders all with an eye on vote-bank go the “extra-mile”
announcing sops to some communities on the occasion of their festivals and participating in some parties like “Iftar”,
“Christmas” parties (Nothing has changed eh?)? Coming to the “secret” reason (now our Indian political leaders are
innocent on this score), whenever lakhs of Jews are gathered in one place, one jingoistic shout “Freedom from Rome”
would be sufficient to spread the wildfire of “rebellion against Rome”. So presence of large number of heavily-armed
Roman soldiers on ground and Mounted cavalry with gleaming swords under the personal supervision of Rome-appointed
Governors would serve as a deterrent to such nationalistic uprisings besides making crowd-control process that much easier.
SO THERE WERE PONTIUS PILATE AND HEROD ANTIPAS IN JERUSALEM AT THAT TIME RATHER BEING AT CAESAREA AND TIBERIAS,
RESPECTIVELY. AH, THE BOTTOM-LINE IS THAT ALMIGHTY WAS IN COMPLETE CONTROL KEEPING THE AUTHORITIES IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
IN ORDER THE DIVINE REDEMPTION PLAN PREPARED EVEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD WAS LAID WAS CARRIED OUT AT THE
RIGHT PLACE AND AT THE RIGHT TIME. HALLELUJAH!!!
Levitical Matters...
Now let’s continue to meditate on God’s control over other “Levitical” events. As per the Law who alone are entitled
to slay the Paschal Lamb? THE LEVITICAL PRIESTS! WITH PONTIUS PILATE WASHING HIS HANDS OFF AGAIN AS PER DIVINE SOVEREIGN
WILL WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING JESUS ON THE CROSS? THE PRIESTLY CLASS
(John 11:46-53/
John 19:15-16)
EXACTLY AS THE LAW REQUIRED!!! So much so as a consequence of Jesus’ vicarious death on the Cross,
(II cor 5-21/
Philippians 2:5-11) it is said that
GOD WAS GLORIFIED, CHRIST WAS MAGNIFIED, LAW WAS SATISFIED, SIN WAS NULLIFIED AND SINNER WAS JUSTIFIED!!!
Personal Matters...
Simply amazing are the acts of the Adonai God. Hallelujah.
He can weave even “wicked acts” into the tapestry of His Divine plan in order the “final embroidered piece”
(read outcome) is very much in conformity with His will.
Now the point in conclusion is …is this Adonai God
who is seated in the Heavenly throne also seated in the throne of your heart? It is one thing for Him to
have the World in His control, it is quite another to have you in His control, for He would not forcibly
gatecrash into your heart, till you open it in love for Him. And those who have been Christians for a long time,
have we allowed Him access and REIGNSHIP IN EVERY AREA of our lives. For it is said that, He doesn’t come with a
desire to be a mere resident in our lives but to be a PRESIDENT!!! HALLELUJAH!!! WHAT A GREAT ADONAI GOD, WE SERVE!!!
AMEN AND AMEN!!!
Yours in His service,
(Suresh Manoharan)
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