Pilate gets to do something the rest of us can only dream about: He gets to ask Jesus some questions in private. Some of them involve legal guilt or innocence, but some of them come crashing back upon Pilate's own soul.

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It is perhaps a little too convenient for us to blame Pilate for the crucifixion of Jesus. It is even repeated in some of our creeds! What if there are other culprits and we have to spread out the blame a bit?

Most unpalatable, is this: What if the blame extends to ME? For

Jesus had to pay an undeserved penalty under Pilate, so that I could get off without penalty.

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It is a human truth that if you are going to degrade another person, go all the way. If you are going to spit, spit in their face, for it is there that the insult is most effective. Of all the horrors of heading to crucifixion, I'm not sure why this one particularly catches my eye.

As always, we have a choice to spit or not to spit.

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Peter's "come to Jesus" moment involves a rooster. For everyone reading this, you may not have a rooster involved, but you WILL have a similar moment. His was of conviction, betrayal, guilt, and fortunately, repentance.

Listen 7 minutes to hear about the day when the rooster will crow for you.

Annas, the ex-High Priest tries to find a crime worthy of an execution for Jesus. It doesn't go well.

Then, the unlawful strikes begin against Jesus. The first is with a hand. There are many more to follow.

Jesus is violated legally and physically. Come back tomorrow. It involves being violated relationally. It involves a rooster.

Join me for 7 minutes to start a journey of unpleasantness. It is the arrest and binding and betrayal of Jesus.

Nobody likes their liberty interrupted.

Nobody likes their physical freedom to be curtailed.

Nobody likes to be betrayed by a best friend.

Yet, this is a trip that MUST be taken. Your life depends on it. Listen.

Peter tries to prevent the arrest of Jesus. It is heroic and all that, but Jesus MUST BE arrested. It is His mission that started in the Garden of Eden. It is the culmination of the rescue process that has lasted thousands of years.

No arrest=no rescue.

The bad guys come to arrest Jesus. Jesus reveals His name to this very committed arresting party. What happens next cannot be underestimated: everybody FALLS DOWN.

Jesus is packed with power, and for just a moment, everybody there experiences it. Let's all be ready for the day when we too experience it.