Here Is Hope

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered him, “If this Man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered Him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You over to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My Kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in Him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head and arrayed Him in a purple robe. They came up to Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck Him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing Him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law He ought to die because He has made Himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You will not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over Me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered Me over to you has the greater sin.”

From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this Man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered Him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus.

John 18:28-19:16

For as long as I can remember, I have always been terrible at memorizing song lyrics. Ask me to name the song or hum the tune to it, and I have that down. But if you want someone to recite the lyrics, I’m probably not your guy. Believe it or not, there are actually some positives to this besides simply embarrassing myself for others’ enjoyment at some of the most well-known songs. Ever since the Good Friday Concert at PCPC last year, I’ve been absolutely hooked on Rob Gardner’s “Lamb of God.” It is such a beautiful piece of music. It doesn’t matter if it’s Lent, Advent, or July, I’ve probably got that album playing in my car at some point during any given week because of how beautiful it is.

While I love the sweet sound of the production, the real beauty and artistry can be found in the words sung and spoken. Every few weeks, I’ll catch a phrase or a line that I had either forgotten or never fully registered, and I’ll just sit in that truth for a while. This week, that has come in the song “Here is Hope,” describing the picture and meaning of the crucifixion.

He who healed our sorrows
Here was bruised and broken
He, whose love no end knows
Here was forsaken, left all alone
Here despair cries boldly
Claiming this its vict'ry
Sweeter peace enfolds me;
Hope did not die here
But here was given
Here is hope

The pinnacle of God’s eternal covenantal work of redemption is found in these words: “Hope did not die here; But here was given; Here is hope.” You can’t drink those words in enough to grasp the depth of God’s love for us in Christ. The worst thing and best thing in the history of the world converge in this picture. In his children’s book The Greatest Story, Kevin DeYoung describes the crucifixion as the best thing. “We break promises, so God keeps His. We run from God, so He comes to us. We suffer for sin, so the Savior suffers for us.” God took what was the most obscene picture of sinfulness and selfishness and used it according to His good purposes for His own glory and our greatest good.

It is both the most humbling and maddening thing to grasp that while we are in this life, we will do the same as those in 1st century Jerusalem when they shouted for Jesus to be crucified and rejected Him as their king. Because of this, I have to run back to the feet of Jesus and remind myself of the reality of God’s plan for redemption in Christ. Thanks be to God that we aren’t tried by our own blood but by the blood of Christ alone when we place our faith in Him. Jesus’ final words, “It is finished,” remind us daily that the hope embodied in Christ, whom we physically put to death, did not die. Through Christ’s atoning work on the cross, God made a way for us, in His providence, to be with Him forever.” More and more each day, I pray that this truth goes deeper into my heart, knowing that my salvation is not in my own works but in Christ’s finished work. His grace is sufficient for me. Today is a good day. Why? Because the gospel is true.