The officials dug into his past. They interviewed witnesses. They combed through files. And the went public with what they found.
It’s a scenario played out often today. Religious and secular leaders are often under scrutiny. Their lives are picked apart. What’s what’s found goes viral.
And usually the fruit of the fact-finding mission is some scandalous morsel that brings shame on the figure. And with the shame comes pain.
Only in Jesus’ case, there was no fault to find. After thorough inquiry, Pilate releases the findings: “I find no guilt in this man” (Lk 23:4 ESV). And he issues a press release to that effect. Not just once, but three times Pilate reveals, “I find no guilt in this man.”
Guiltless. Spotless. Unblemished. Pilate’s words become one of the truest testimonies of the character of the Christ.
Yet, the one without sin still suffers. The perfect one receives the pain. Despite his character, Jesus gets the cross.
I’d like to think this can’t happen. I’d like to think that if you are a good person, you get a good life. If you’re sin-free, you’re pain-free. I’d like to think that if you do your best, you get health and wealth. But this is not what happened to Jesus. The guiltless one was treated as the guilty one. Though righteous, he suffered.
One of the inescapable truths of the Passion Week (the focus of the third “week” of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises) is that suffering is inevitable. Even if we got all the right laws passed and all the right officials elected, there would still be suffering. You cannot follow a crucified Christ and wish for a cross-free life.
The question is not “Will it hurt to follow Jesus?” The question is “What will I do when the hurt arrives?” Will I stand with the guiltless one? Will I walk with him to the cross, whatever that cross may be?
