Our traveler has heard that the Messiah has been taken to Pilot. He has made his way through the crowds, but those time he is pushing and shoving to get to the front. If only he could speak with someone, tell them of the signs and miracles he had witnessed. Tell them of the star and the prophecies. Somehow, maybe he could help end all this. He was no man of small means. He has great influence in his area of the world. Influence he will use if he needs to. If only he can get close! He trips and lands into a Roman guard who immediately, angrily grabs him and drags him I side the building to a room to be questioned. Things were so intense that even a mistaken stumble lead to our traveler being held. A voice sounds from the other room. It’s Pilot! Then another voice… “my King.” Our traveler whispers.

John 18:28, 33-38 ESV
[28]  Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.
[33]  So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” [34] Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” [35] Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” [36] Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” [37] Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” [38] Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.”

Our traveler was so glad to hear Pilot speak those words, though when the Messiah was lead out to the crowd and our traveler caught a glimpse of Him from the room he was in, his heart dropped and he had to hold back tears. The blood trailed behind Him. His wounds were so deep. Why?
“Why do this?” Our traveler asks the guard.
“Why not.” He humphs.
“Don’t you know who He is?”
“Yes. We all know that by now. It’s not our people who want Him killed, it’s yours.”
“But why?”
“You tell me. You can go now. We have no more questions.”
Our traveler walks out. Still with the question, why?

Why? The fact is. If it had not been for our sin Jesus would never have needed to die. There was literally no other reason. He was pure. He did kind things. He taught truth. If the garden had never happened and the apple had never been bitten into, Jesus would never have died. There are times when we ask ourselves why? Why did I get hurt? Why did my dream not take off? Why did I get sick?
Then shortly after asking why? We ask where? Where was God?
In communications class for health care professionals, we learn to never ask questions that start with ‘why?’ Because such questions lead us down a bad road. One why leads to another, which leads to defensiveness and anger. Instead of asking why? We are told to make positive statements about how to fix things. We cannot always do this, there are many times when the problem cannot be fixed. But instead of asking God why? Ask Him, what next? If this has happened then show me your reason and purpose. He might do exactly that. You never know what God will show you, unless you stop asking why? And start asking what? What is it you want me to do? What is it you want me to learn? What is your purpose?
God has a reason, we just have to trust Him.