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"The Light
Shines On Pilate" • 3.15.20 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- When the original Passover was instituted,
God decreed that a lamb be chosen and kept apart from the flock a full 4 days
prior to it was to be sacrificed.
- The purpose for that four day period was to
discover via examination whether or not the lamb had any "spot or
blemish," any birth or inherited defect. (Exodus 12:5)
- Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb arrived in
Jerusalem 4 days ago and has been thoroughly examined by the Jews in two
trials. They could find no charge against Him.
- That didn't stop them from manufacturing a
charge and bringing Jesus before the local Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate.
- By his examination and then by Herod, the
Gentile world ascribed innocence to Christ, and yet, here He is in Roman
custody about to be served with Roman justice.
- The people have called for Barabbas and Jesus
has been marked for crucifixion, but Pilate still hopes to be able to find a
way out of this. Let's pick it up in verse 1.
Text
• John 19:1 : "So then Pilate took
Jesus and scourged Him." : A Roman scourge or flogging is
Pilate's middle ground.
- The tales of a Roman scourge are legendary,
the details are equally gruesome.
- Imagine a long, multi-pronged leather whip. Each
leather prong was weighted with a lead ball on the end, and was imbedded with
glass, metal and stone.
- A professional Roman centurion, skilled at
human torture, held the whip on the other end.
- Imagine yourself, walking out to a stone
pavement, clothing removed, arms tied via chain to a large stone in the cold
early morning air.
- The Romans see a criminal and they believe
their actions are about to serve as a just response to non-Roman complicity. In
this case, their actions are meant to satisfy bloodlust.
- Generally, a man was scourged until he
confessed to his crime. The longer a person remained silent, the more blows and
the more severe the whipping would be.
- Before the first blow, Jesus was more than
likely offered the chance to confess. Having nothing to confess meant that the
soldier could commence.
- The Jewish nation was given a limit in their
law of thirty-nine penal stripes. The Romans observed no such limits.
- If you have ever been around men who are
determined to accomplish something in front of other men, you'll know that
these soldiers took pride in extracting confessions.
- Consider how they treated Jesus when there
wasn't anything to confess!
- The words of the prophet Isaiah shed light on what took place during this time.
• Isaiah 53:7 : "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He
opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." :
John doesn't report to us the physical details. There is no doubt that Jesus
was flayed open. It's almost unimaginable.
˚ "the iron balls would cause deep contusions... the
leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous
muscles, and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh." William
Edwards
˚ "(They were) torn by scourges down to deep seated veins and
arteries, so that the hidden contents of the recesses of their bodies, their
entrails and organs, were exposed.” Eusebius
- The Romans were looking at a man that
withstood the full brunt of a Roman scourging and said nothing. This further
inflamed the centurions, who turned to greater cruelty. Verse 2.
• John 19:2,3 : "And the soldiers
twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple
robe. Then
they said, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' And they struck Him with their hands." :
The "twisting" in verse 2
refers to the construction of the crown of thorns, not necessarily the
application of it, though that doesn't make it much better.
- They twisted their thorny crown and pressed
it down upon His head, adding cruelty to their inhumanity! They completed His
dressing by putting a purple robe upon Him.
- This is what they think of Israel's King! In
their twisted minds, this is the consequence to any power that would stand
before Rome and a parting shot at the impotence of Israel.
- As Jesus stood there before them, bloodied
and undoubtedly barely conscious because of blood loss, the men further
insulted Jesus by adding their disengenuous catcall.
- They mocked Him in their salute and then they
began to slap Jesus in the face. Colossians
1:17 tells us that Jesus holds all things in the universe together.
- Jesus was holding the fists of the men that
accosted Him together as they vented their full fury upon Him! The Son of God,
like Isaac in Genesis 22, went along
willingly.
- The hands that were made to express creative
acts and lift worship to the Creator, are instead turned into expressions of
cruelty and abuse! What indignity!
- It's hard to imagine men acting this way,
bullying a man that is already half dead! Where is their nobility? Where is
their sense of measure?
- The entire wrath of God is being poured out
through these men's lack of restraint. Consider this: Men's wickedness is
restrained by God's Spirit every single day.
- On this day however, God is allowing their
wickedness to be thoroughly unleashed upon Christ for what our sin deserves!
- He is allowing them to be the instruments of
His perfectly measured wrath against our sin and Jesus is the target, even
wearing the very emblem of our curse upon His righteous head!
- By this time, Pilate believes that this will
be satisfying to the Jews! The Romans usually didn't scourge a man AND then
crucify him! Usually, either practice was efficient in dealing the death blow.
- Jesus survived and now Pilate brings Him out
for the world to see. Verse 4.
• John 19:4-6 : "Pilate then went out again, and
said to them, 'Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I
find no fault in Him.' Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple
robe. And Pilate said to them, 'Behold the Man!' Therefore, when the chief priests
and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, 'Crucify Him, crucify Him!' Pilate
said to them, 'You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.'" : Pilate has come out to the religious leaders, reminding them
that he is unwilling to charge Jesus.
-
He wants them to know that there is not a single reason to pursue the course
that they are asking for. This is the second time of three times that he will
says this.
-
This is their first chance to see Jesus, post flogging. It had to be a shocking
sight.
-
Even the most hardened among them must have averted their eyes as Jesus
emerged. Who can possibly tell how disfigured He was? John spares us the
details.
-
They might have even been spared a bit thanks to the robe that covered His
marred body. Pilate's voice was filled with the hope that he had done enough to
dissuade them. "Behold the Man!"
-
Look at Him. Consider how low Rome has brought Him. Understand that this
punishement is enough, in fact far too much, for a faultless man to endure!
-
As they examined Him quietly, perhaps even clinically, Pilate must have thought
it was over. They can't possibly want to allow Rome to add further insult to
injury.
-
At this point, the people are silent. The crowd that called for Jesus over
Barabbas is stunned. The chief priests and the officers are not!
-
They raised their eyes and their voices and called out with as much conviction
as before: "Crucify!" Note again the italics. They just kept
screaming for crucifixion!
-
Pilate is beside himself and utters what cannot be logically sustained. He
challenges them to take Him and crucify Him! He knows that they can't. That
right had been stripped of them!
-
His issue again is that he can't justify crucifying a man that he finds no
fault in. Verse 7.
•
John 19:7,8 : "The Jews answered him, 'We have a
law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son
of God.' Therefore,
when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid," : This is the most revealing moment of truth. The religious
leaders have not been forthcoming about their charges.
-
Until this moment, Pilate understood that he potentially had a political
prisoner who was practicing sedition and rebellion against the Roman regime.
This is something quite different!
-
"He made Himself the Son of God!" If anyone else tells you that Jesus
never claimed to be God, read them this verse! His enemies are on record,
bearing witness to His claim of Divinity!
-
Pilate's response issued in a swelling growth of fear. I'd suggest that things
are beginning to add up. First, these religious leaders had very little concern
for political criminals against Rome.
-
If it wasn't for their own privileged positions, the religious leaders might
have been insurrectionists themselves! Then, they showed up on one of their
most holy days. "Why the rush?"
-
Add to that, the incredible blood lust that drove their desire for this fellow
Jew to be crucified at his hand, while letting the equally repulsive Barabbas
go free! None of this made any sense!
-
Pilate had come to realize that the chief priests handed Jesus over to him
because of envy. (Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10) He's beginning to
understand that there was far more involved.
-
Add to all of this, the Lord's demeanor and the words that He shared with
Pilate. "His Kingdom is not of this world." "For this reason, I
came into this world."
-
It is possible that Pilate subscribed to the superstitious beliefs that were
prevalent at that time regarding the gods visiting men. You can find an example
of this in Paul's life, in Acts 14:8-18.
-
There is an eerie feeling that is overwhelming Pilate at this moment. It's
coming at him from all angles, including from his own wife, who sent a note to
him just a few minutes earlier.
•
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.'" :
Everything is angling inward. Pilate cannot ignore the confluence of events.
This drives him back to Jesus! Verse 9.
•
John 19:9-11 : "and (Pilate) went again into the
Praetorium, and said to Jesus, 'Where are You from?' But Jesus gave him no
answer. Then
Pilate said to Him, 'Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have
power to crucify You, and power to release You?' Jesus answered, 'You could have no
power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you
has the greater sin.'" : Can you see the worry on
Pilate's face and the hurried gate of his walk as he marches back into the
Praetorium?
-
Think about how he "owns" this place and walks with great confidence
every other day. Think about how untouchable he is because of his position.
Think of his usual confidence.
-
He has none of that this day! He comes desperately needing to hear some answers
from this bloodied victim. With great gravity, Pilate asks Jesus where He was really
from!
-
Jesus didn't reply and Pilate tries to explain the situation, but reveals just
how little he knows!
-
Pilate believed that he was there to help Jesus. He thought that he had the
power of life and death in his very hands. That got the Lord's attention. Jesus
couldn't let him be deceived.
-
I can see Jesus sitting with a vacant look in His eye, absorbing what must have
been shearing agony. When Pilate said this, His eyes suddenly focused and
turned to meet Pilate's eyes.
-
Jesus knows power and authority and He knows that Pilate doesn't have an ounce
of it! Pilate has been a pawn since the religious leaders walked up to his
front door!
-
The only power that he has is borrowed from God! God was using Pilate to
accomplish His own will! What a profound moment!
-
Truly, it would be great for you to pray that the Lord, in His mercy, would
give your unbelieving loved one a day like this!
-
"Lord, help them to feel a sense of unease and a recognition that Divinity
is calling upon them to give an account!" Pray that they begin to
recognize divine set-ups, as God hunts them down!
-
Perhaps the Lord will even let them know just how powerless they really are in
this life apart from the good grace that God is kind enough to give!
-
How many unbelievers really believe that they are in control of their world?
How many credit their own intellect or power for "making their luck?"
-
How quickly does that turn when a diagnosis returns that makes the Doctor shake
their head? How fast does that confidence erode away when an unanticipated
virus hits them?
-
These are the days that make Christians out of heathens! These are the days
when heaven's prayer circuits are overloaded! Not everyone has the gift of such
an epiphany!
-
Pilate was getting a double dose right there in his own "house!" It's
too bad that he will ultimately waste the opportunity!
-
It's even worse that our unbelieving friends might join him in making the same
fatal mistake!
-
Pilate will die, some have insinuated by suicide, in his ignorance, but the
people who should have known better will be counted as having committed a
greater sin! Two points are
notable here.
-
First, there is "one" who has a greater sin than Pilate. Pilate's sin
is that he is subverting justice and he know it. Jesus is innocent and he has
been responsible for punishing Him!
-
But, aside from that sin, he is ignorant of who Jesus is. The one who handed
Him over was not unware of who Jesus was!
-
Jesus could be referring to Judas or to the High Priest, either man is
responsible for delivering Jesus.
-
Technically, the High Priest of Rome, Caiaphas is the one that delivered Jesus
to Pilate specifically, though I'd wouldn't trade positions with Judas either!
-
Second, Pilate, in spite of being a pawn both of the religious leaders and God
in this unfolding redemptive drama, still bears responsibility for the sin of
ommission, failing to act!
-
Sovereignty and God's ordering of events does not grant immunity from sin and
there are some sins that are deserving of greater punishment than others.
-
Jesus has mentioned this concept a few times and it's important that we
understand it. You and I believe that a "one size fits all" hell is
bad enough. It is bad, but it's worse than that!
-
There are a handful of individuals who will have it worse than others. For
example, Tyre, Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off on judgment day
than Capernaum!
-
Matthew 11:21-24 records the Lord's
words regarding their accountability to the miraculous signs that they as a
community had seen.
-
The Lord explains to His disciples that it would be better to have a millstone
tied to your neck and dropped in the ocean than to offend or scandalize a
little one. (Luke 17:1,2)
-
Do you think that Judas will be better off than others in the judgment? Jesus
says of him that it would have been better had he not been born! (Mark 14:21)
-
All of these have a common denominator that causes judgment to be far more
severe.
-
There is special light given to each one. Capernaum saw signs. An older person
knows they are manipulating a younger person. Judas could not have asked for a
better view of the Divine!
-
The religious leaders, the supposed Bible scholars of their day, were the best
equipped people to understand and receive the Messiah when He came because of
their biblical scholarship.
-
Instead, they refused to believe every evidence given to them that could only
be reconciled by the scriptures which they held so precious! This was the
greater sin!
-
Don't think that you are immune! Imagine someone who has sat among us, listened
to Bible teaching over and over again and still decided to choose a life of
sin!? Let us be wary!
-
Aside from these realities taught through these verses, all Pilate has heard
from the one who made Himself to be the Son of God, is that sin will be
accounted to Him!
-
He still has the power to change this and he will do his best to prove it!
Verse 12.
•
John 9:12-16 : "From then on Pilate sought to
release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, 'If you let this Man go, you are
not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.' When Pilate therefore heard that
saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that
is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of
the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, 'Behold your
King!' But they
cried out, 'Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!' Pilate said to them, 'Shall I
crucify your King?' The chief priests answered,
'We have no king but Caesar!' Then he
delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away." : Pilate tried everything that he could think of to release
Jesus! The tense of the word indicates repeated action. He kept looking for
ways to get Jesus off the hook.
-
I kept thinking of Darius, the Persian King that the Persian leaders tricked
into throwing Daniel into the lion's den.
-
Daniel 6:14 tells us that Darius set
his heart to deliver him and labored until the sun went down. All that work and
Daniel spent the night in the lion's den anyway!
-
Pilate is caught in the same futile exercise, fighting against what had already
been determined by the religious leaders and ultimately by God Himself!
-
The religious leaders continued their verbal assault, not ever permitting him
to consider letting Jesus go!
-
Pilate wasn't displaying loyalty to Caesar as one might treat a friend and
Jesus was a threat to that Kingdom he swore to protect. Pilate couldn't take
another mark against His record!
-
Pilate is all but defeated when he brings Jesus out to the Pavement or
Gabbatha, which speaks of an elevated place whose floor was paved with these
smooth, squared stones.
-
Archeological authorities have found these same kind of structures all over the
Roman empire. The one that we visited in Jerusalem still had blood on it, as
well as markings of a game.
-
They mark out the type of torturous procession that the Centurions used to put
their prisoners through. We were told it was called the "Game of
Kings!"
-
They are sitting there and they are running out of time! It's a special day,
the Preparation day of the Passover, meaning that it's Friday and people will
be working to finish their work by sundown.
-
John is using the Roman way of considering time. Romans began, as we do, to
count the hours of the day from midnight, meaning that it's about 6AM.
-
Pilate is insistent that Jesus is their King, but all he hears back from them
is "crucify!"
-
"Why won't they listen to reason!?" "You can't want me to
crucify your King can you!?"
-
This is when he heard the words that represented what he could never have
believed he would have heard. The religious leaders swore allegiance to Caesar!
-
They were willing to say something that they never would have otherwise thought
to say, just to get Jesus crucified!
-
Pilate is beaten. Instead of standing up for what he had come to know as truth,
he bends to the pressure of the moment and hands Jesus over to his guards to
crucify Him!
Conclusion
- Despite all of Pilate's power, the Lamb of
God was delivered to crucifixion, just as the Bible predicted it would happen.
- The spotless, blameless, Lamb of God is
taking on the punishment that the sins of a fallen world, the sins that we have
committed, have deserved.
- As we continue to look on with a greater
knowledge, let us be aware of our greater responsibilty to honor and love the
Son with our lives!
- Pilate was guilty of looking at Christ as an "innocent
victim," but not having much more knowledge than that. We have no such
luxury! We know Him to be the Christ, the Messiah!
- May Pilate's failure not be repeated among
our ranks! May our knowledge of Him lead us to greater love and greater
repulsion of the sin that crucified our Lord!
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