This is a question for the ages. During this time of pandemic, isolation, uncertainty and fear, the question should be addressed by all people. The title question was uttered originally by Pontius Pilate at the arraignment of our Lord after His arrest:
Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”–Matthew 27:22
Pilate’s question has come to every hearer of the Gospel message ever since. Each one can respond in faith by grace or reject Him as did Pilate and the bloodthirsty crowds.
Underlying this question are several crucial others that bear on the hearer’s answer:
- Who is this Jesus?
- Where did He come from?
- What did He come do do?
- What authority does He have?
- Does He accurately bear witness to the Truth in all He said?
- Where is He now?
- What can He do for me?
- Will He come again?
- What will He do upon His return?
Our confession and catechisms have answers to all of these questions based on what the Bible teaches. They are a rich resource for instructing us in our faith. They also help us to provide concise answers when the unsaved come before us with some or all of the previous questions. All of us, in every true Church of Jesus Christ including our children should grow in our understanding of how to answer these questions, both in word and deed, before a watching world. This suggests a sobering question:
If we embrace Him as anything less than He truly is, are we not saying, “Let him be crucified!”?
To help us with part of this understanding, we are presenting this week another in our classic sermon series. This one is a Holy Communion sermon delivered by Pastor Barron on August 19, 2012, preaching from Hebrews 8 and 1 Samuel 7, focusing on our hearts that must be consecrated to the Lord in Christ by grace through faith.
If you have been following this month’s Tabletalk Daily Devotions, you will recall that the focus is the letter to the Hebrews. This book places the old covenant in its proper context concerning the supremacy of Jesus Christ. The book highlights the superiority of Jesus’ mediation of the new covenant, which is the fulfillment of the entire covenant of redemption from the very beginning.
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