“A Rush To Judgment, Part 2” Possible Titles: Screen 1 John 19:1-16 “Behold The Man” “Shaking In His Boots” August 6, 2017 “The Greater Sin” Last week, we discussed the beginning of the Roman trial of Jesus our Lord in John 18:28-40, before Pilate at his headquarters or praetorium in Jerusalem. That headquarters was located at either the Antonio Fortress north and next to the Temple or Herod’s palace with its three great towers that served as part of the defense system for the Western/Jaffa Gate. (Map of Jerusalem with locaHons of both of these places.) Screen 2 The Jews were “under the gun” here and had a deadline (pun intended) of sundown and Pilate would have simply wanted to get off work on Mme, hence the “Rush to Judgment” Mtle. Read John 18:28-40. (Ref. on screen) Screen 3 John 18:39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Screen 4 “you have a custom” - Instead of dismissing the case as a good judge interested in integrity based on his statement in verse 38 “I find no guilt in him”, Pilate devises a scheme to help himself poliMcally. Pilate’s scheme involved Barabbas (“son of the Father” possibly the son of a rabbi. Jesus Barabbas in some manuscripts.) Mark 15:7 And among the rebels in prison, who had commiXed murder in the Screen 5 insurrecMon, there was a man called Barabbas. Barabbas is a murderer and an insurrecMonist. He is hardly the kind of person people would want back out on the streets > or, at least that’s what Pilate !1 thought. We do not know when this custom of releasing a prisoner at Passover began, we simply know it was a Jewish custom. John 18:40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Screen 6 Barabbas was a robber. John only menMons Barabbas in this verse. (MaXhew and Mark emphasize Barabbas more, Mathew the most.) John 19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. Screen 7 Luke 23:16 I will therefore punish and release him. Pilate’s intenMon was to release Jesus a_er “flogging” him. This was a vicious and brutal decision to make about an innocent man. There were three types of Screen 8 beaMngs the Romans had: 1. FusMagaMo - a lashing for less serious offenses 2. FlagellaMo - more severe than #1 3. VerberaMo - the most extreme The whips contained spikes, bones or scrapes of metal. Many Mmes the person died while being beaten and was then hung on the cross. (Remember, the cross execuMon was very public. The Romans sought to make a visual example of those they executed this way.) Whether the person lived or died was really irrelevant during the beaMng. (“Passion of the Christ” movie so_ened it - otherwise MA raMng . .) !2 John 19:2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his Screen 9 head and arrayed him in a purple robe. “crown of thorns” - long spikelike thorns from the date palm. It has been suggested these long thorns would give the impression of radiance coming from the crown of the Emperor as portrayed on ancient coins. “purple robe” - the color of royalty p. 246-247 Barclay, The Gospel of John, Vol. 2 John 19:3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck Screen 10 him with their hands. “struck him” - open-handed slap John 19:4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out Screen 11 to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” Jesus evidently was beaten inside Pilate’s headquarters. John 18:40 never says when Pilate released Barabbas so, we are le_ to assume Screen 12 Barabbas is sMll in custody here. John 19:5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Screen 13 Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” “Behold the man” - Pilate’s purpose was “to make the person of Jesus appear to the Jews as ridiculous and harmless, so they would drop their accusaMon” of him. Today, ladies and gentlemen, “Behold the man!” The God-Man, the Second Adam, God’s Son, who dealt with the sin of the world introduced through the first Adam. !3 Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22 (the first man - “Adam” means “man”) Screen 14 John 19:6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, Screen 15 “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” Pilate actually offers Jesus back to them so they >THE JEWS< can crucify him. >VERY INTERESTING< For the third Mme, Pilate states here that “I find no guilt in him” (See John 18:38; John 19:4.) In this verse, Pilate realizes he has lost control of the crowd. (Use three illustrates from last week of how Pilate had done this previously and how it hurt his job with Rome. Screen 9) *Remember, the Jews did not have the legal authority/right to crucify anybody - only the Romans did!* John 19:7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law Screen 16 he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” This verse takes the feasico to a whole new lever ➙ for Pilate. NoMce: the Jews have said nothing about this “Son of God” charge against him unMl now. Mark 14:61-64 61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the Screen 17 high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest tore Screen 18 his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. !4 These verses show us the accusaMon made against Jesus in his trial before the Sanhedrin. When you and I hear “Son of God” it means one thing - the Messiah. To the Jew, it meant blasphemy (See John 10:34-38). But to Pilate it meant even something else. Watch his response. John 19:8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. Screen 19 Pilate was afraid before because he had lost control of the Jewish mob. Now, he is terrified by this phrase “Son of God”. “In pagan mythology the Olympian deiMes frequently consorted with men and women, and their semi-divine offspring, such as Hercules, had appeared on earth and performed miraculous deeds.” (E.B.C. p. 177) Pilate could not have cared less about the Jewish God - but he cared deeply and believed wholeheartedly in the Roman gods. The Jewish high court - Annas, Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin may not have believed such a statement, but Pilate did!!! The word “afraid” here comes from phobos (GK) - lit. “to tremble or terrify” Acts 14:11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they li_ed up Screen 20 their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Also remember Pilate’s wife in: MaWhew 27:19 Besides, while he was sing on the judgment seat, his wife Screen 21 sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” (This baXle-hardened general “shaking” in his boots . .) !5 John 19:9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are Screen 22 you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. “Where are you from?” - Mt. Olympus maybe? Pilate was thinking . Jesus gives no answer because he’s not geng into a philosophical quesMon and answer Mme with Pilate. If he had said John 1:1, 14 Pilate could never have comprehended Screen 23 that. Here, John understands the dramaMc power of silence. See: RevelaHon 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. John 19:10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know Screen 24 that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” In Jesus’ silence, we see his will is much stronger than Pilate’s. This statement from Pilate really shows his weakness. *Personal example here of having to make the statement “I am the pastor” - i.e. “I am the leader and that’s why we/you aught to . .” Whenever the pastor/leader has to make such a statement > guess who’s not really in charge? * [“PosiMonal leadership is the lowest level of leadership”.] John 19:11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all Screen 25 unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” I see, Jesus very calmly making this statement. (Wow, remember Jesus has just been beaten to within an inch of his life . vital organs were exposed) Pilate was not in control of this situaMon - Jesus was the he (“he” singular) proved this by !6 rendering a judgment on Pilate and Annas/Caiaphas. Pilate was supposed to be the judge and jury yet Jesus renders the verdict - “guilty”.