5. Observing the human dimension of the Living Word

Crowd

19:1-16

Behold the man

[c/f compassion]

the man

19:1-16 Pilate therefore then took Jesus and scourged him. Also the soldiers plated a wreath out of thorns and put this on his head. They threw a purple garment around him and came (up) to him saying "Hail King of the Jews, and they hit him." (After this) Pilate went outside (of the Praetorium) again and says to them. "Behold I bring him out to you so that you may know that I find no crime in him." Jesus therefore (also) came outside wearing the wreath of thorns and the purple garment. He (Pilate) says to them "Behold the man." When the chief priests and the attendants saw him (Jesus) they shouted saying "Crucify (him), crucify (him)." Pilate says to them "You take him and crucify him for I do not find crime in him." The Jews answered him "We have a law and according to the law he ought to die because he made himself out to be the Son of God." When Pilate heard this word he was all the more afraid and going back into the Praetorium again he says to Jesus "Where do you come from?" But Jesus did not answer him. Pilate therefore says to him "Don't you want to speak to

me? Do you realise that I have authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you?" (But) Jesus answered "You would not have any authority over me unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin." From this (time on) Pilate sought to release him but the Jews shouted saying "If you release this man you are not a friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself out to be a king is speaking against Caesar." Therefore when Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside (again) and he sat on a judgment seat in a place called (the) Pavement which in Hebrew means Gabbatha. Now it was (the time) of preparation of the Passover as it was about the sixth hour (midday). He (Pilate) says to the Jews "Behold your king." Therefore they shouted "Take him away. Take him away and crucify him." Pilate says to them "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered "We do not have any king except for Caesar." He (Pilate) therefore then delivered him to them in order that he be crucified.

If one considers the end Sections of the three texts Mark, Acts and John, which all deal with the both structures of a Law-based society and an Order-based society there are some parallels between them. In Mark, Section D deals with the sorts of things in a community of people that the individual has to deal with. In Acts a cross section of people, in Section E, speaking from the authority of their own position and each in their own way, help Paul to continue on in his direction towards Rome and his mission to the wider world. In John's Section E people are again speaking from the authority of their own position. Recall that in the analysis of Reality Search the first two large sections of John (Sections B and C) outline the qualities of "Living Authority" and qualities of the "Living Voice". Here, in John's Section E qualities of 'an Authorised, living Word' are again coming through. These qualities are not necessarily blatantly obvious e.g. Pilate's statement "What is truth?" But as the early church moves into the future, and into the wider world, the discernment of the 'Authorised, Living Voice' is not so easy to perceive at times either. However the presence of an on-going 'Authorised, Living Voice' has an emerging impact. An outline of "the kingdom" of Jesus is emerging as well. John presents an outline of possibilities for civilisation into the future.