It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. John 19:14-15
As presented on *The Lutheran Hour® by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, April 11, 1965.
Hatred killed Jesus. We can hate just like the crowd that crucified Him. We cannot understand these events unless we recognize that we could very well have been there. Who of us has not been drawn into that hurricane of hatred where men lose their good sense—doing, saying, and thinking things they know very well to be unworthy of human beings.
People who consider themselves decent and respectable have been responsible in our own time for some of the worst manifestations of hatred that have crept up in the modern scene. When hatred takes over, truth and honesty go by the board. Nothing else matters, except to accomplish the ends of hatred. Hatred has one goal in view: the final solution.
Our Lord searched the crowd in vain for even one look of pity. It looked like hatred overcame that day, but hatred was being overcome. Wherever people keep the cross of Christ in view today, everything is changed.
Christ was crucified for sin, even the sin of hatred. By virtue of the innocent death of Jesus Christ at Calvary, sin has been forgiven. No man can recognize that fact, accepting forgiveness for his own sin, and continue to hate. It just can't be done.
For love, Christ went to His cross. For love, He died. For love, He lives. Hate makes no sense at all, but love makes all the sense in the world. It is God's final solution to the problems of mankind.
Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom to see the hatred in our own hearts. Forgive us for the sake of Jesus and fill us with His love. Amen.
Taken from A Message of Hope: Proclaiming the Cross (selections from messages broadcast on *The Lutheran Hour, celebrating 75 years of proclaiming the promise).
Copyright © 2006 by Lutheran Hour Ministries
*The Lutheran Hour is the longest-running Christian radio broadcast in the world. It is a production of Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more information, visit www.lutheranhour.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 3-4 Luke 2:25-52
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