Then delivered he Him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led Him away. John 19:16
The mailman doesn’t usually come to our door; he delivers our mail to the group mailboxes down the street. But one day he drove into the yard and carried a large box to our door. The box was too large to fit into the parcel compartments at the group mailboxes. I opened the door, and the friendly mailman passed me the box with a cheery greeting. With a few comments about the pleasant weather, he was gone, leaving me holding a box that held I knew not what. I placed it on the table, and went about my work. When Judy arrived home, I pointed to the box. ‘Books,’ she declared. ‘Nobody ordered books.’ She opened the box, and discovered that the books were for our daughter, who had ordered them on our account. Most deliveries are like that; somebody has to place an order. Our text speaks of Pilate delivering Jesus. But at whose order?
Pilate thought he gave the order. After all, the Jews didn’t have the authority to deliver Jesus for crucifixion. Herod didn’t have the jurisdiction. Without Pilate’s authorization, there would be no crucifixion. With Rome’s approval, and with Pilate’s execution detail, the mob led Jesus away. None of them were aware that all of this was beyond them. A few weeks later, Peter could remind them, in his Pentecost sermon, that Jesus was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23). Yes, the Jews and Pilate were responsible for crucifying Jesus Christ, but Pilate’s delivery could have no force if God had not so ordered it.
In so great a matter as the crucifixion, all was according to God’s plan and purpose, and not even the Roman empire could change it. Today, in lesser matters, you and I cannot change the purposes of God nor go against what He has determined and ordered. We see things around us that we would like to change, but our best efforts must fail if the purposes of God are not followed. That is why Christians who become involved in politics are so sadly disappointed. They try their best to change things but their efforts are not according to God’s purposes.
You and I can never deliver what God has not ordered. Let us bow to His will. -Jim MacIntosh