John 19:1-7

John 19:1-7
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Can you imagine how miffed Pilate would be if he were reading this story today?  Here he is, all set to make a fool out of Jesus, ready to humiliate him and mock him, and he ends up as the hero of the story.  When history looks at Pilate, they don't remember him for his power and renown -- they remember him as the one Jesus got the better of, even though he never would have guessed this teacher would have been able to do so.  He didn't realize how big the story was.
  Jesus doesn't seem to be in any position to win, but he does, just as he always does, just as he ensures the church always endures.  It is his body, and it will not be defeated.  Society has been ready to write the church off before, persecuting them to the point of feeding them to lions, but the church endures, because it is the body of Christ, and it shall not die.  That's why I don't buy into the anxiety about the church today -- there are certainly things the church needs to do differently, areas we need to reform, but we aren't going anywhere, because we are Christ's body, and we shall triumph in the end!