J. D. Watson in his book Word for The Day wrote, ‘Pontius Pilate asked the Lord Jesus,
"Art thou a king?" Our Lord responded, "Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end
was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness
unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." What a powerful
statement! "If you would have truth," He was saying, "you will listen to Me." To
that Pilate spoke three words—probably in at least a cynical if not contemptuous
tone—that have echoed through the millennia: "What is truth?" -
‘Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” -
‘Immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them’ -
The Jewish scribes were unhappy when Jesus said to a paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven!” “Only God can forgive sins!” they whispered. Jesus, in response, said, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? William Barclay comments, ‘Any charlatan could say, "Your sins are forgiven." There was no possibility of ever demonstrating whether his words were effective or not; such a statement was completely uncheckable. But to say, "Get up and walk" was to say something whose effectiveness would either be proved or disproved there and then. So, Jesus said in effect: "You say that I have no right to forgive sins? You hold as a matter of belief that if this man is ill, he is a sinner and he cannot be cured till he is forgiven? Very well, then, watch this!" So Jesus spoke the word and the man was cured.’
‘Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?’ -
This question was put by the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, to the disciples of Jesus
as they feasted in the crowded house of Levi, a despised tax gatherer. It is the
Lord Jesus who answered the question that had been put to the disciples. He said,
“They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” It’s awful to be seriously ill, but
it’s even worse to be seriously ill and not know that you’re seriously ill. This
was the condition of the Pharisees! They, like all men, were sinners but were so
full of their own righteousness, they were blind to their plight. They were self-
This question was asked by the apostle Paul, known before his conversion, as Saul of Tarsus. He had been a zealous young Jew, convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was a charlatan, and his followers were perpetrators of a lie. Such was the zeal of Saul against Christianity, it is recorded, he was ‘breathing out threats and slaughter’ and ‘he made havoc of the church’. What was it that led to Saul’s dramatic conversion? It was while he was travelling to Damascus to carry out further atrocities against the Christians, that the Lord Jesus, in amazing grace, broke into Saul’s life – ‘At midday I saw a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me’. Then came the words that fixed him to the spot; “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” This blinding moment was etched indelibly forever in Saul’s mind, and years later he would write, “Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?”
‘‘Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?’ -
If a title had to be given to Job ch.28, then I suppose, THE MINING CHAPTER wouldn’t
be far from the mark. In order to find the gold, the silver, the iron, the copper,
the sapphires and the other sought-
‘But where shall wisdom be found?’ -
‘Then said the Pharisees unto Him, “Where is He?” -