Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 27:11-26 (Click title for audio access)

"What Shall I Do With Jesus?"  •  3.27.11  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- It is sometime around 5 or 6AM in Judea, on the most important Friday in the history of mankind. The crowds are again filling the streets, as the Passover is taking place.

- It is the day when lambs are presented and killed to commemorate the Lord's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian captivity.

- In a quiet Roman corridor, Pontius Pilate is about to begin his day, a day that unbeknownst to him, will make him famous beyond his wildest imagination.

- The story of Pilate's rise to power begins when Herod The Great's died. When he died, the Roman Caesar, Augustus divided Herod's territory among his living sons.

- The Northern East corner of Israe belonged to Herod Philip. The Central portion of Israel was overseen by the tetrarch Herod Antipas. He was the one that beheaded John the Baptist.

- This leaves us to the largest portion of Israel, containing it's capital Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Bethany, Samaria and Caesarea, was initially given to Herod Archelaus.

- We get a little bit of a statement about Archelaus in the early part of Matthew when Joseph returned to Judea after Herod attempted to kill all male children 2 years and under.

- When Joseph returned, Matthew 2:22,23 tells us that Archelaus had already taken a position of authority and that Joseph thought better of sticking around.

- History tells us that Archelaus followed well in his family's violent footsteps. His aggression against the people on a Passover ended his reign and brought Rome in to clean it up.

- The region of Judea was turned into a full third class Roman province, which meant that it was neither an easily governed or profitable province.

- As a result, provincial governance was entrusted to the hands of local authorities, which in this case, would be given into the hands of the Roman appointed High Priest, Caiaphas.

- Enter in Pontius Pilate. He's the newer guy on the block, having come in around A.D 26 to some immediate volatilty.

- Pilate took up residence in the Mediterranean coast city of Caeserea, but when the power changed, so would the large standards that the troops would hold throughout the region.

- Pilate, either in ignorance or with the intention to show that a new Sheriff was in town, ordered his new standards to be flown near the temple mount.

- Because they had images on them, the people were irate! They encircled Pilate's palace in Caesarea Philippi and protested, affirming that they were willing to die over his standards!

- After several days of protest, Pilate had the people surrounded. Instead of retreating, they extended their necks to receive death! Welcome to Judea Mr. Pilate!

- A second incident occurred when Pilate used funds from the Temple treasury to fund his ambitous aqueduct project.

- How he gained this money is a matter of dispute. One claims misappropriation and another claims that he had them stolen from the treasury. They again formed a group in front of him.

- This time, Pilate had plain clothes centurions in the crowd, ordered to beat any potential rioters. That led to a large massacre of Jewish people, just a few years prior to where we are today.

- I tell you all of this to give you a context. Pilate is governing a very volatile area of Israel. He stands between Caesar and Caiaphas, needing to make both happy.

- Caesar is happy when there is quiet. Riots bring him trouble, which makes trouble for Pilate. On the other hand, Caiphas controls crowds that would stir trouble up.

- Pilate has two strikes against him and he has fouled off several balls! He hangs precariously insecure in his job and life security.

- As was his tradition, he has come into Jerusalem for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He is very much in the wrong place at the wrong time!

- Jesus is about to inconvenience and interrupt His life in a major way.

Text

•  Matthew 27:11,12  :  "Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, 'Are You the King of the Jews?' Jesus said to him, 'It is as you say.' And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing."  : Matthew does not give us a comprehensive account of what has transpired. The contents of the religious leaders accusations can be found in Luke 23:2.

•  Luke 23:2  :  "And they began to accuse Him, saying, 'We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.'"

- In our language, this sounds almost civil, as though Pilate politely asked Jesus a simple question. The word "asked" might better be translated, "demanded."

- One Greek text commentator mentions that the word "you" is emphatic, meaning that he demanded like this: "YOU! Are YOU the King of the Jews!"

- Pilate wanted to get right to the charge that mattered to him: Was this man a King? Was this man a threat to Caesar? Did this man presume to rally people to Himself in Pilate's province.

- Jesus replied as He had earlier to this same type of question. "You said it!" When it came to His identity and mission, Jesus was very clear and forthcoming.

- He is the King of the Jews. He is the Son of the living God. He is the Messiah. Jesus did not obscure these fact at all in these final hours.

- On the other hand, while the Chief Priests and Elders sought to "categorize" Him before the Procurator, He remained silent. Their charges were entirely false.

- Pilate was unconcerned. He wondered why he was brought into this. What did he have to do with this man? This made the religious leaders even more determined.

- They claimed that Jesus stirred up sedition in Galilee, which gave Pilate a great idea.

•  Luke 23:6,7  :  "When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time."

- Herod was more amused than concerned, only wishing to make a show of the Lord. Jesus refused to answer Herod, so Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.

- Herod also found nothing worthy of death, which also bolstered Pilate's opinion.

- The examination led nowhere. Jesus was innocent and did not deserve to die.

- Herod and Pilate, not members of the "Good Guys" club, both agreed that Jesus was not guilty of death. Even these heathen dogs agreed to the innocence of Jesus!

- This further underscores the wickedness of these religious leaders who had worked themselves into a frenzy.

- Of course, we understand today that this is precisely the point: Jesus was innocent! He never committed a crime, a sin or even made a mistake!

- They are affirming for us what is most importatnt: Jesus, the sinless Son of God, was treated as a vile criminal. What could Pilate do? Look on...

•  Matthew 27:13,14  :  "Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?' But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly."  :  The religious leaders kept accusing Him. They were throwing it all against the wall. Their accusations were great, in terms of quantity.

- Pilate was amazed at hard they were trying and how desperate they were to condemn Him. "They are burying you! Don't you want to say anything in your defense?"

- He didn't say a word. He wouldn't reply. Pilate had never seen anything like it! He was blown away. Who would allow themselves to be subjected to such injustice?

- From Pilate's point of view, there had never been a man like Jesus in his presence. Most would be begging for their lives, defiantly defending themselves on every charge.

- Nobody wanted to fall into the hands of the Roman machine of justice. Jesus, by His silence, was submitting Himself to it. What could Pilate do?

•  Matthew 27:15-18  :  "Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?' For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy."  : The feast of unleavened bread was one of the feasts that all Jewish males had to attend. It was a time of great celebration.

- With millions in attendance, Pilate had found a way to show how magnanimous he was. He would release a prisoner, one of their own to them.

- The Jewish people hated that one of their own would be imprisoned, so this was a token political action. Pilate figured that this was his way out of this mess: Appeal to the masses!

- Just five days earlier, the crowd had welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem and sung praises! Surely they would choose Jesus. But just in case, he would stack the deck!

- He would offer them someone so vile and so wicked, that they would be forced to choose Jesus. The name Barabbas was a known and notable criminal. We'll address him next week.

- For now, understand that this man was the proverbial Hitler figure that everyone puts themselves up against! He's the guy you'd choose to show your righteousness against!

- Pilate puts these two before the people, sure that anyone with any kind of conscience would choose Jesus the Rabbi over this wicked man.

- Pilate was on the Lord's side because he understood that the religious leaders were envious.

- One could understand that they should be. They were rich. He was poor. They had wonderful houses. Jesus was technically homeless.

- On the surface, you'd be perplexed. Their envy was both of HIs position before God and His position before men. He threatened their very existence and they could not have that.

•  Matthew 27:19  :  "While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, 'Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.'"  :  Pilate has set up the scenario when he gets a call at the office from his wife. According to other sources, her name was Claudia.

- This had been an unusual day for her. This dream had really disturbed her, so much so that she had to tell Pilate to withdraw from judgment.

- We again have a further witness to the innocence of Christ. Matthew has shown Judas, Claudia and Pilate's belief. Via Luke, we have Herod's belief of innocence as well.

- Jesus was truly the silent and perfect lamb of God, undeserving personally to be treated this way, but thoroughly willing to suffer for the glory of His Father and the benefit of His people.

- This little interlude slowed the proceedings and allowed what happens next.

•  Matthew 27:20-23  :  "But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, 'Which of the two do you want me to release to you?' They said, 'Barabbas!' Pilate said to them, 'What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all said to him, 'Let Him be crucified!' Then the governor said, 'Why, what evil has He done?' But they cried out all the more, saying, 'Let Him be crucified!'"  :  While Pilate was momentarily distracted, the religious ones were quietly campaigning for the release of Barabbas and the destruction of Jesus.

- When they screamed for Barabbas, I am fairly certain that Pilate went into some sort of shock! The mob had actually chosen to free this vermin over this innocent man! How could this be!?

- Then comes the question of the ages: What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? Unbeknownst to Pilate, that has been "the question" since the time that he uttered it!

- As a responsible judge, a conscientous man, Pilate should have done what was right! He should have overridden the unjust ruling of the mob. But he would not because of the fear of men.

- He had consigned Jesus to the rule of the mob. He now has no way to turn back.

- It never matters: We must all decide what to do with Jesus! Who is He and what does His life require of us? That decision cannot be left to the crowd in our life, even if that crowd is contrary.

- Jesus stands before the eyes of every man and woman on the face of the planet and they must each individually decide what to do with Him!

- What have you and I done with Him? We have concluded that He is the sinless, unique, everlasting, Son of God, in whom exclusively, one may find the redeemed life that God intended.

- The mob didn't care. They wanted nothing less than crucifixion and no matter what Pilate said, or how he protested, they screamed all the more for what they wanted!

•  Matthew 27:24-26  :  "When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.' And all the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and on our children.' Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified."  :  Reasoning was useless. They were stirring up to a riot, the one thing that he was vehemently trying to avoid.

- Pilate washed his hands, a Jewish tradition from Deuteronomy 21. He would not be party to this, but was party to it by ommitting justice!

- He claims innocence, but giving Jesus over to the people was giving Him over to be crucified! Making no decision was making a decision and it was the wrong decision.

- I'm not sure what you will take home and into your workplace this week, but being wrong about Jesus is the worst thing to be wrong about! Be wrong about anything else, but not Him!

- There is not one person in history who can claim ignorance or be excused from the question. Neutrality is a decision against Christ! We are either for or against Him.

- The mob would take responsibility: Let His blood be on us and our children! What a frightful thing to say! And even if one does not say something like this, this is a reality!

- When a parent chooses not to follow Christ, it radically effects their children! When children are not shown the love of Christ and introduced to Him as their Savior, the consequences are dire!

- The worst thing that happens takes place in this final verse: The judge gives the people what they want! They are given Barabbas.

- Ultimately, God will not force Himself upon anyone. He will honor a man's desire to be left alone. He will respect men's choice. But that is judgment all it's own.

- What would Barabbas contribute to their world? Absolutely nothing.

- For Pilate, although he had claimed innocence, he still had Jesus scourged and he still delivered Him to be crucified! We'll pick that up next week.

Conclusion

- Notice as we complete our study today, that Pilate had been given a unique platform in history, but a common experience, as it pertains to Jesus.

- He has listened to testimony about Jesus. He has come to a conscience conclusion about His nature as a man. He has made a decision about what to do with Him. That's what everyone does!

- But what is not realized by Pilate or by men, is that our belief about Him does nothing for Christ; It simply determines our destiny!

- The real person on trial every day, is the person who has not decided what to do with Jesus. What will be decided about them?