Title: Pilate Killed Jesus!
Contents
Sunday day sermon
Text: Matthew 27:11-26
Title: Pilate who killed Jesus!
Pilate, who had been governor of Judea at the command of the Roman emperor Caesar, did not actually kill Jesus. Nevertheless, we still say that Pilate killed Jesus. Why does this logic exist? The reason is that at that time, Pilate, knowing that Jesus was innocent, released Barabbas, who was a real murder robber for fear of getting people's resentment, and sent Jesus to death instead.
It is recorded that when the Jewish chief priests and elders accused Jesus and brought him before him, Pilate found no sin in Jesus. Even when Pilate interrogated Jesus and found no guilt in him, in front of the chief priests and elders, he said, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see it to yourself." Pilate emphasizes that he is not responsible. Nevertheless, even today, thousands of years later, Pilate is imprinted in the minds of people as the murderer of Jesus.
We think about a lot of things while watching the funeral ceremony of the former president on the 29th. Former President Roh Moo-hyun obviously committed suicide. But many people don't seem to think so. The reason is that he thinks he committed suicide because the prosecution under the direction of the Blue House conducted an unreasonable investigation (disgraceful ceremony). An example that proves this is the hundreds of thousands of people who gathered in front of Seoul City Hall and Gwanghwamun on the 29th, when the funeral was held, representing it. And the words that they cry out from their mouths are unanimous, "It's a confession that we're sorry that we couldn't protect you."
It is said that a special mass by the Catholic priests for the realization of justice was held at Myeongseong Cathedral on the 28th the day before the funeral ceremony of former President Roh on the 29th. An excerpt from the homily that day is “Just as the Jewish leadership put guards on the tomb of Jesus even after he had executed Jesus, over the past few days, a panoramic view of the citizens gathering in front of Daehanmun Gate in Changdeokgung to pay their condolences to President Roh Moo-hyun, who has already passed away. We read the horror that grips you from the absurdity of being surrounded by fields and threatening you, surrounded by police buses to keep you from entering the square in front of City Hall, and turning your eyes over at the sight of a candle.” is being heard in our ears.
Father Mo, who was with us, said, “Just as Pilate killed Jesus and remained as a murderer for thousands of years, the president in charge of the current government also said that he will remain in people’s memory for a very long time as the murderer who killed the former president.” This may be the reason why Catholicism is being praised by many people in Korea, where there are far more Protestants than Catholics.
The prophet Nathan was a man who risked his life to go to King David when David sinned and to speak directly. As a king, David could have killed Nathan who pointed out his faults as much as he could, but King David humbledly accepted Nathan's advice as God's word, as a man of God, repented of his sins and brought out a broken heart before God. I repented to death. And even then, he paid the penalty for the sins he had committed.
There is another problem. Even if someone like Nathan visits the president and points out his wrongdoings, will he really listen and realize like King David? A good-hearted person will listen to God's voice, but a person blinded by greed will not listen to even the president. When the president doesn't listen, the minions below may push him off the cliff again to kill him.
North Korea is now armed with nuclear weapons and is aiming for our home. If God does not repent of our mistakes until the end, North Korea's nuclear weapons will eventually be used as a firearm to awaken us. In order to prevent the use of nuclear weapons through God's hand, the president and believers in this country must first repent. The president should accept the current reality as it is, acknowledge it, and sincerely apologize for oppressing the people so far. And in the future, we will have to conduct politics of communication through sufficient dialogue with the people, rather than pursuing work alone.
Why do the current people grieve over the death of the former president? The people hated Roh Moo-hyun by almost all people because of his outspoken words while he was in the presidency. At that time, many people thought, 'If you were a president, you would have some weight and dignity like a president, but would you pour out such harsh words in every case?' Because of that, even the party he belonged to hated him, and finally is a person who has faced unprecedented impeachment as president.
However, Roh Moo-hyun, who has an honest personality, did not act differently from the outside. That is why people at the time hated President Roh Moo-hyun. This is what people who lived under authoritarianism hated a president who looked sloppy. When I was young, my father, who came to the elementary school with the appearance of flowing soup, hated it that much back then (I hate being embarrassed by my friends). But now that I think about it, no matter how immature I am, I realize once again how foolish I was at that time. Perhaps even the death of the former president, many people are weeping and feeling sorry for this feeling.
Many people now know that after he died, he was a genuinely honest man and that he was a president who truly knew the people's pain, and everyone felt guilty and said, "I am sorry in front of his statue."
It is said that there are now over 10 million Christians in this country. However, those who have the hope of going to heaven when they die like to dress up with things of this world. Just like the Pharisees in Jesus' day. Even though they know that they will not take anything with them when they die, they try to grab hold of everything in this world.
First of all, even if they only look at the church, they must build the church building unconditionally, and then they mistakenly believe that God's authority is alive, so they pay debts and build the church building unconditionally. In addition, the number of saints is also unconditionally high, so that their authority and honor stand out. With words, they come up with a plausible excuse to save souls. As a result, even though they are unbelievers, they are not able to raise people who are honest on the outside and inside like Roh Moo-hyun, and they are only cultivating selfish people who are all flirtatious.
Many people call Roh Moo-hyun an idiot. The reason he was called a fool is because, despite the fact that he also had an easy way to get ahead, he dared to refuse the easy way and choose the difficult one. We watch him closely because this is the image of the spiritual Son of God who will appear before Christians in the future. How many people today are easily on the road to success with machinations and power on their backs? Even Christians who believe in them say that they will carry the cross of Jesus, but when such a thing happens to them, no one wants to go down the hard road.
This is the duality of believers today. We who believe in the Lord must be different. Even if many people take the easy and convenient path, if it is not the right path (the truth), we should never follow it. Many people will persecute and point their fingers at us right now for not following their path, but if the Lord leads the way, God will surely accompany us and guarantee us, so we should never be shaken by any temptations in the world.
Now, many people are taking the easy and convenient way. But we should never take the easy road. Because that way is not the way of life. The Lord is saying this to us even at this very moment. “Enter through the narrow gate! For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and many go in by it, and narrow and stray is the gate that leads to life, and few find it.”
-He who has an ear, let him hear the voice of the Lord-