Tapping OutSample

My Will vs. His Will

Have you ever been around royalty?

I haven’t, but I understand that there are strict protocols to follow. The biggest is to bow or curtsy when you meet them. This is the ultimate sign of submission to their authority.

We don’t see much of this in Western culture, but we do see authority in other places—work, school, military, sports, courtrooms, etc.

In John 19, we find a tense situation that circles around the issue of authority and who ultimately has it.

Jesus has been arrested and is in chains. The Pharisees are shouting and stirring the people to call for His crucifixion. And the governor Pilate, who answers to Caesar, needs to make a decision.

That means there are four levels of authority colliding here: God’s, the religious leaders’, the local governor’s, and the emperor’s.

So, Pilate, being “in charge,” looks to Jesus and says:

“Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” (John 19:10, NIV, emphasis added)

And how does Jesus respond?

“You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11, NIV, emphasis added).

It’s an amazing response.

Jesus ignores the Pharisees’ authority and challenges Pilate’s authority, but more than that, He challenges Caesar's authority.

The whole time, Pilate thinks he will answer to Caesar, but Jesus knows something that Pilate and Caesar don’t: that one day, every knee will bow before God Almighty (Isaiah 45:23, NIV).

That means that every king, queen, or lord; every president, prime minister, emperor, or Caesar; every general, captain, or commander; every Pharisee, servant, or disciple; every boss, employee, principal, or student; every lawyer, bailiff, or judge; every coach, player, referee, or GOAT; everyone will bow before God.

The difference is when you do it. By choosing submission to Him now, you can live this life in His grace and forgiveness and live the next life in His paradise.

In other words, this submission is true freedom.

If you have decided to bow before Him now, live in His love for you.

If you haven’t, what’s stopping you? Are you willing to lay down your own authority to accept His so that you can live in His love for you, knowing that one day you, too, will bow before Him, but it’s up to you how that meeting will go?

There’s only one way to find out.

Submit.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You that You are good and that submitting to You is to find freedom and victory in You. Help me to live that out till the day I kneel before You face-to-face. Amen.

Reflection: Have you submitted your life to Jesus? If not, what’s stopping you? If yes, how are you helping others find Him, too?