Scandalous Guilt

They all condemned him as deserving death.” Mark 14:64

When Jesus was walking on this earth thousands of years ago, a group of people were vehemently determined to find guilt in Him…guilt of anything because they feared His popularity among the region would cause an uprising. They were frightened that He would become king, so they accused and condemned Him for blasphemy after His admission of being the Son of God. They orchestrated the perfect ‘trap’ in which to ensnare this man named Jesus. Little did they understand that the guilty charge against Him was the plan all along. Jesus allowed Himself to be our guilty verdict, so we could walk in blameless freedom.

We only need to trace the calendar to 2018 to see that there are still people who wish to prove the guilt of Jesus. They call Him guilty of claiming to be the only way…they call Him guilty of not being progressive enough…they call Him guilty of looking the other way on injustices…they call Him guilty of withholding good things from His children...they call Him guilty for not being there like He claims.

I too wish to claim this morning that Jesus is guilty alright. He is guilty of losing His life, so we can gain our life. He is guilty of scandalous grace when dealing with each one of us. He is without apology guilty of loving us beyond our understanding and talking about us to God as they plan out our lives. He is guilty of unmatched mercy and unparalleled kindness to us when we don’t deserve it. I can only pray that He deems me guilty over the course of my life.  I want to be guilty of loving others when they have done nothing to deserve it. I want to be guilty of claiming position as a daughter of God. I want to be guilty of scandalous grace to those in need, and unselfish love as extended to me by Jesus.  I am still innocent on many counts, but hopeful that I can be guilty of all these things and more the closer I walk with Jesus.

When I stand before the Judge one day I can only pray I hear those beautiful words, ‘Guilty as charged!’