T H E O P H I L U S

¹³ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. ¹⁵ Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶ Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” ¹⁸ But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

– Luke 23:13-21 (NIV)

In these challenging times, as we hear about wars and conflicts around the world—like the wars in Ukraine and Russia, between Israel and Hamas, the fears over China and Taiwan, and the rumors of armies getting ready everywhere—it’s easy to feel scared and uncertain about what tomorrow might bring. No one wants the thought of another world war knocking at our door. We find ourselves praying desperately for peace, longing for an end to all the fighting and sorrow. We hope and pray for God’s intervention to clear up the mess we see around us. And when the turmoil seems endless, when we hear about all the unfairness and suffering, it’s too easy to fall into despair, to feel like we’re sinking into a dark pit with no light in sight.

Back in the times of the Roman Empire, life was unimaginably tough. People lived under a harsh rule, and it must have been terrifying to be a minority back then. They fought for their culture and hoped for a leader who could save them politically, while facing harsh judgment from those who saw them as troublemakers. It was a reminder of how hard life was during Jesus’ time.

But Jesus wasn’t the kind of savior people were expecting. He was the kind of Messiah we needed then and the kind we still need now.

Sometimes when we pray, we have our own ideas of how God should fix things, according to what we think is best. But if we really look at how amazing Jesus was, we start to see our own flaws more clearly.

It is not simply because people back then didn’t want to accept Jesus as the Messiah; they just couldn’t. Accepting Him meant having to face the truth about themselves. The priests who thought they were holy would have to admit they were sinners. The leaders who thought they were just would have to face their own corruption. So, they chose to stand by someone who represented their cause, trying to hide their sins.

We do the same thing sometimes. We try to make excuses for our wrongdoings, our harsh words, and the way we treat each other with disdain or even at times plain ignorance. We try to hide the things we’re ashamed of deep inside.

 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21

But here’s the thing—Jesus didn’t come to smother us in shame. He came to save us from our sins. He’s not here to point fingers but to offer forgiveness, once and for all. For a chance at transformation. He’s not here to expose our hurts to the world but to invite us to come to Him with all our secrets, our deepest pains, and our biggest fears. He came because He loves us. He gave His life for us because His love is deeper than we can ever imagine. Not so that we can stay exactly as we were, but so that He could save us. So that his grace would transform our inmost being – and transform the world around us.

So, let’s open our hearts to Jesus today. Let Him be our Savior. Let Him into our lives and let Him heal our hearts.