One of the greatest philosophers to ever live Plato once wrote “It may be that someday a word will come forth from God that will make everything plain and reveal all mysteries.”
This truth that has come from God, in the form of a man is now in this passage put on the most famous trial in human history. This man, on trial for claiming to be the son of God is charged with Blasphemy before the God YHWH and charged with treason towards Ceasar, before Pilate and all of Rome. All of heaven and all of earth may convict Jesus if indeed he is not the one he claims to be., the very truth from above, God in the flesh.
Who is Pilate?
Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary and suffered under Pontius Pilate.
Jewish historian Josephus and Philo of Alexandria
1961- uncovered stone that bears the name of Pilate in Cesarea
- Brutal man
- Governor of Judea from 26 A.D – 37 A.D (Worst Outpost- Israel)
- Brought outrage and revolt (Jews hated Roman rule)
- He took the treasure from the temple to use funds and build and aqueduct – Pilate sent his soldiers into the crowd clubbing them to death.
- Killed worshipers mingling their sacrifice with blood recorded in the gospels
- Political climate was so tense, that Pilate was afraid that one more outburst might have his job and life removed. (If he doesn’t give them the blood of Jesus Jerusalem was outraged and word gets back to Rome.
- Pilate is stone cold, ruthless and immovable yet he tries to let Christ go.
V 28-
Pilate remained in Caesarea but he was in Jerusalem to keep the mob’s quite during Passover.
The Jews here refuse to enter the courts of the Gentiles attempting to remain outwardly pure despite trying to kill a man, but not just any man, their own Messiah, their own God.
The plot is
1. Crucufixion – they are hasty to put a man to death
2. Keep it quite
3. Death of the curse- Duet 22- cursed is any man who is hung on a tree
4. The persecution is not for punishment but unto full death
The pollution of these men was from within, not from entering or not entering into a place. Let us never focus on the minutia when it comes to our faith and neglect that which is most important.
Titus 1:15- to the pure all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciousness are corrupted.
Faithless hearts, maintained all the liturgy, all the motions while they were crucifying God.
Religion without faith is deadly
V 29 - What accusations do you bring against this man? – Blasphemy
Pilate is following the rules – disgust with these people, perhaps toying with them.
Jewish disputes and Jewish theology ( I don’t really care)
v- v 30- If he were not an evil doer we wouldn’t have brought him !
1. The comments are disrespectful and full of disdain toward Pilate
2. They presume a man guilty who is innocent (John 18:38, 19:4, 19:6)
“The best intentions will always be attacked by the worst intentions”
Luke 6:22- Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of man, Rejoice in that day and leap for joy for behold, your reward is great in heaven for so their fathers did the prophets.
3. Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick raised the dead and forgave sins.
4. Psalm 35:11- False witnesses raise up, they charge me with things I do not know?
v. 31- 32- You take him and judge him according to your law
- It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death. (So they want Pilate to kill him)
Jesus predicted his death by crucifixion –
Matthew 20:19- Jesus was to be delivered to the Gentiles for crucifixion
Jesus was to be crucified in the hands of evil men and on the third day to rise.
- Roman law brought him to Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy and Roman law will bring him to the cross.
He fails to rend tribute to Caesar. (Rend to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is Gods.)
V 33-35
Are you the King of the Jews? (theological but political)
V 34- who told you – is it heresay (rumor convictions are not evidence)
What have you done? Why so much smoke, there must be fire, what are you doing?
V 35. Am I a jew ( Do I really care who the Jews see as a King- your nation delivered you).
V 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 of this world.
“Christs kingdom , which is spiritually defended, is founded on the teachings of the spirit.”
- My kingdom Pilate is not promoted by
- War, violence, perversions, secrets, extortion, blood.
My kingdom is not the kind of kingdom that is of this world, my kingdom is not Roman , Babylonian or Persian or Assyrian.
All authority is given to me, his kingdom is over every King. – His domain stretches over everything.
Lets be on the same page – my kingdom will dominate you, if I call my servants Pilate you would be hanging on a cross.
37. Are you a King? – yes Pilate I’m a King
Read verse 37-
- He rules by truth
- I am a king (the king of al truth) exclusive truth
- My subjects are those who know truth – lovers of truth
- There is no other truth or any sweeter truth. Grace and love
NOTICE that PILATE is entertaining the conversation rather than expressing him to be a lunatic.
Lord, Lunatic or Liar –
There is no neutrality when it comes to Jesus – he is either tru or false there is no indifference.
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. – Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.
V 38- What is truth?
Not sincere but arrogantly which is why he walks out.
You say your God, Ceaser says he’s God, the Egyptians say Phaorah is god so whos God, what is truth?
John 14:6- I am the way the truth and the life, no man gets to the father but by me
Acts 4:12- There is no name given among men by which they may be saved but the name Christ Jesus
- Truth is from above
- Truth is a person
YOUR LOOKING AT IT!
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38-39
I find no guilt in him
- Innocent but treated as a curse
- One man must die for the sins fo the people 11:50
v. 39-
The people that cried our Hosanna will surely release him
A choice is given – Jesus or Barabbas (criminal)
Barabbas – breaker of the law, public safety and property issue, Dangerous
Jesus – Keeper of the law, No harm only good and Peaceful
Proverbs 17:15- Acquitting the guilty is an abomination
Chapter 19
V.1 – Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him (beat them half to death)
- the purpose was to possibly appease the bloodlust and to get some sympathy from these people. (The intention was to release him).
Illegal trial, unorganized and rushed
40 lashes , leather cat of 9 tails - Isaiah 53
The stripes of Christ take away the sting of our sin– Matthew Henry
V 2-3 Read
The thorns were 9-12 inches long driven into the temples – sport of the soldiers to mock him, color purple and worship, slapping him.
It is in this costume that Pilate brings him before the crowd.
“Wonderful condescension” – Public shame and disgrace on our behalf- Death of a fool
Ecce Homo- Behold the man – Look at him !!!
There is no way to translate it?
- Look at him what more do you want?
- Look at this fool, let me let him go now (spit of soldiers) (clown)
- Hes not going to do it again believe me
What was standing in this costume of the fool was the incarnation of God and of perfect humanity. This is the second Adam, this is EVERYTHING.
A picture of perfect love
LOADED STATEMENT. – this is indeed the man
v-6 CRUCIFY HIM
we either call out crown him or crucify him- there is no indifference to Jesus
v.7- Son of God?
He calls himself the son of God!
Where are you from – no answer
Nothing to hinder his sufferings
You can feel the hair on Pilate’s neck stand up
- Read 8-14
v.9- Where are you from – are you more than a man (perfect)?
FYI- Pilate boasts of himself and Jesus brings him low (perhaps out of love)
You my friend are merely an instrument in the hand of God
V13- Gabbatha – condemned from a high place
- Gathsemanae
- Judas
- Peter
- His people
- God
Dead heat of the desert- 12 noon, last meal was the night before
Had men not rejected Christ, God would have forever rejected us.
Good Friday- the best thing that has ever happened to us!
Isnt it the most wonderful thing in the world to be a Christian? Yes- because of Christ
Ceaser is ur King- ransacks the temple and drives the people out Diaspora till 1948.
God will make it a scourge and a plague that king in your life you place before Christ.
So he delivered him over to be crucified.
Presidents are forgotten, Kings fall down, empires collapse There is not one minute that someone is not remembering this event
On the night on which he was betrayed our lord took bread and when he blessed it he broke it and said this is my body broken for you, eat all of it, and when they ate in like manner also he took the cup and said this is the cup of the new covenant the cup of my blood shed for the remission of your sins and as often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup you show forth the lords death until he comes.
Commune with him, remember him, to look to him, to look to heavenly feast and he invites all who are his to be nurtured and strengthened and are encouraged to come to this table as a means of his amazing grace remembering how amazing Christ is to us.
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