There is a phrase in the Apostle’s Creed
that pushes Pilate to a prominent role in the death of Jesus Christ. The phrase
reads, “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” Pilate, however, suffered under the
counsel of his wife. In the sea of information given in the Gospels, her head
pops up ever so briefly in the book of Matthew alone. When you stop to think
about it, “Mrs. Pilate’s” appearance serves no purpose in the presentation of
the gospel other than allowing us to know that the governor must have had
doubts about what he was doing.
In two weeks, we shall be looking at
Pilate’s bath, which was a feeble attempt to appear innocent of the crime that
was being committed and undoubtedly was a result of his wife’s dream. Right into
the middle of the crucifixion narrative jumps some marriage modeling. There is
no record of a nagging wife pestering the governor. There is no hint of
repetition on his spouse’s part. She simply lays the potential “I told-you-so”
time bomb at the foot of the judgment seat, runs behind the curtain of
ambiguity and peers out to watch what happens. The governor now sits more alone
than before, pushed into isolation by the simple words of his wife, “Don’t do
it!”
Our task today is to reveal to some, and
to remind others, of the power of submission. Submission is the only power than
can release a person from the ultimate consequences of their actions. Our
salvation begins with submission. We cannot have salvation without submission.
Salvation is submission to Christ. Submission to Christ means obedience. If we
are not willing to let our lives go under His control, then we certainly ought
not to expect Him to save us. There is no evidence in Scripture that God avails
Himself to be used by those unwilling to surrender their lives to Him.
Submission is not an expression of
weakness, but rather an exposure of strength. In Christ, we see the confidence
of One who is able to stand alone in faith. His trust of the Father is
incomparable. For us, it is a practical demonstration of Christ being in
control of our lives and a salient exposure of our confidence in Someone we
cannot see.
The Scriptures reveal “a double-minded
man is unstable in all of his ways” [James 1:8]. On the contrary, those who put
their trust in the Lord will not be moved. Today, we shall look at one of the
greatest misconceptions in human thinking, and that is that greatness demands
prominence. Jesus taught us to be more like kids than kings. The lower we bow,
the greater is the potential life to which He can lift us. Jesus came to be a
servant, and in the process, gained the admiration of all.
One of the great paradoxes in all of
Scripture is the fact that the way up is down. Paul discovered a likeness to
this in II Corinthians 12 when he found that he had his greatest strength when
his human strength came to its edge and found Jesus there.
Matthew 27:19
The Three W’s of Submission
1. W
2. W
3. W
The Three L’s of Responsibility
1. L
2. L
3. L
The Three R’s of Reality
1. R
2. R
3. R
Conclusion