On April 26, 2003, during a solo descent of Bluejohn Canyon in southeastern Utah, Aron Ralston dislodged a boulder, pinning his right wrist to the side of the canyon wall. After five days, he knew he could not live much longer without food and water, yet it seemed impossible to free his arm. Since he hadn’t told anyone that he was out hiking and with very limited supplies, he realized there was only one way to save his life. He would have to break both bones in his forearm, and then amputate it with a dull pocketknife. Then he would have to make his way through the rest of the canyon, rappel down a 65-foot drop, and hike 7 miles to safety. Ralston survived the ordeal, and the incident is documented in Ralston’s autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
I doubt that anything this severe has happened to you, but I know for sure that at some time in your life you’ve felt trapped between multiple competing pressures. In moments like these it seems like there is no good option. Whichever scenario you choose, there are costs and you are forced to make difficult decisions.
In John 19 we find someone in a similar situation. For Pilate it seemed like the trial of Jesus was a nightmare that just kept getting worse and worse. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t escape the pressures of the situation, even when he tried to deny the existence of “truth”. Although Jesus didn’t fit the mold of an earthly king, his divine royalty was plain to see for any who sought the truth.
By the way, expect to enter into the world of kings and kingdoms as our VBS “Keepers of the Kingdom” decorations will still be up on Sunday. We’ve had a wonderful week with hundreds of kids and volunteers! See you Sunday!
In Christ,
Kurt