Falsely Accused

Luke 23:20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. 21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. 22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. 24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.


FALSELY ACCUSED, A MAN WITHOUT SIN WAS CONDEMNED TO DIE.


Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Jesus spoke these words of compassion while he was hanging on a cross of shame, humiliation and pain. The Son of God had been taunted, mocked and spat upon, yet he chose to forgive.

I have often pondered the seeming contradiction between Jesus’s response to his accusers in death, and the condemning words he spoke to the “religious establishment” in Mathew 23.

Matthew 23:13-33 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.…… 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity………..33 YE SERPENTS, YE GENERATION OF VIPERS, HOW CAN YE ESCAPE THE DAMNATION OF HELL?

I used to struggle with the viciousness of those words. I could not comprehend that my wonderful God of love, my Savior, was so “politically incorrect”. That was before I understood the reality of the war being waged between Satan’s evil spirit kingdom (serpents and vipers), and Christ’s kingdom of love and righteousness. Humanity has been victimized in the conflict. Jesus’s prayer on the cross was for humanity. He understood the deception and evil influences of Satan’s spirit kingdom that are being forced upon mankind.

Christ’s description of the Scribes and Pharisees in Mathew 23 shows that they were given over to evil. There is a difference between evil influence, which all humanity is forced to endure when they are born on earth, and willing submission to evil domination. When evil is a choice, one loses his identity. He becomes possessed by Satan and controlled by evil spirits. Jesus spoke to the serpents and vipers that controlled the Scribes and Pharisees. That is why there were no soft edges on his words.

When someone wounds, offends, or falsely accuses us, it is impossible for us to discern whether his actions are a result of evil by choice, or an inadvertent response to Satan’s deception and evil influence upon his life. We are all victims of spiritual blindness. We “see through a glass darkly” because Satan has been the covering, or ruling spirit over this world. Because of this blindness, our heart response to those who offend us must be “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” It is never the wrong response because it is not our place to judge the motivation of someone's heart.

Satan has deceived men into seeing one another as adversaries, rather than victims of blindness and deception. In truth, it is Satan and Christ who are adversaries. Most men, if given a clear choice, would prefer to walk in love and righteousness rather than hatred and evil. We have become so blinded by deception and evil influence that we find ourselves acting on behalf of evil rather than in opposition to it.

There are men and women who are evil. They have chosen evil over good. They are possessed by Satan and are used as instruments to promote evil. These are enemies of God, and he will bring them to destruction.

If our heart’s desire is to be filled with righteousness and to promote Christ’s Kingdom here on earth, the first step that we must take is to forgive those who trespass against us.

Pr 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.


Copyright by Kristine Buss, January 8, 2009. All Rights Reserved.