“ ‘Do you refuse to speak to me?’ Pilate said. ‘Don’t you realize 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 to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin’ ” (John 19:10-11).
Pilate made the same mistake many individuals make. He assumed that He was in charge of the verdict in Jesus’ trial. Jesus clarified Pilate’s limited role. The only power any of us have is the power that is allowed by God. God is ultimately in charge. We are not. That is a comforting thought when our circumstances seem to be out of control. God has never relinquished his Lordship over our world and He never will.
Jesus didn’t die because Pilate was in control of the justice system. Jesus died because He chose to die. Pilate certainly bears responsibility for his conduct, but God used Pilate’s decision to fulfill His purpose. Jesus came to die for us and if He had not been willing Pilate could not have had Him crucified.
The psalmist answered the question as to who is in charge of our world. What the psalmist stated is still the answer. “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2).
