WHO WAS REALLY THE MASTER?

In the Garden of Gethsemane, when the disciples panicked and tried to resort to arms. Jesus alone was calm and assured (John 18:11).

When on trial before Pilate, Jesus, although evidently the prisoner, was really the one in control. If you had looked casually at the scene, you would not have thought so. Jesus wore a crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe, mocking his Kingship.

Pilate, in contrast, was the Roman governor, with soldiers at his side and the might of Rome at his back. Yet it is Pilate who cannot decide what to do and Jesus who knows exactly what must be done.

When Pilate asked him. ‘Don’t you realise I have power either to free you or to crucify you?’, Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given you from above’ (John 19:10-11).

Who was really the master?

Because of the inner serenity that Jesus experienced, he was always in control of what was happening around him. He is the supreme example of living in the image of God as master over his world.

To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.