Tawa Baptist

Palm Sunday – by Sam Barris

Scriptures: John 12:12-19, Hebrews 10:22-25, Matthew 27:15-26, 1 Peter 3:15-16

Palm Sunday – by Sam Barris:

Good morning everyone, have you ever been swept in the energy or the excitement or the momentum of a crowd?

Maybe you’ve been at a sports game, jumping up and down out of your seat cheering when your team has scored.

Maybe you see on TV that everyone is panic buying toilet paper and suddenly you’ve bought enough rolls to last you far too long?

Maybe you’ve been ordering at a restaurant, the waiter is going around the table, you know exactly what you’re going to get, it’s obvious – the beef burger with fries and a coke zero. Although, you’re hearing some of the other orders around the table and you’re starting to doubt whether you really want your go to burger and coke. Your last 3 friends around the table have just ordered the fish and chips and oh boy, you haven’t had fish and chips in how long? The waiter comes to you and in that fleeting moment, that last second – you change your mind. You go with the fish and chips. The food comes out and the regret starts to build up. Why did you get the fish and chips? Who orders fish and chips at a restaurant? This is going to cost you $34 when you could have gone to one of the countless fish and chip shops in Tawa and paid a quarter of that price for a tastier meal!

As you can probably tell by the length of that example, that one was a personal one and one I have learnt and grown from.

Whether it’s a crowd the size of a stadium or a few of you at a restaurant, a work meeting or just at the dinner table – we’ve all been influenced by the actions of the group or the collective mood.

Today is Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, days before his crucifixion on Good Friday. This is Jesus fulfilling prophecy from Zechariah and therefore Him publicly letting the people know He is the Messiah. He comes as the prince of peace, riding in on a donkey.

What I want to focus on today is what the crowd were thinking and feeling at this time, how they responded to Jesus in this triumphant entrance contrasted with the crowd’s response at Jesus’ trial, and also how we respond to Jesus – what influences us in those moments?

Let’s begin by turning in our Bibles to John chapter 12 verses 12 to 19. I’m reading from the New Living Translation version which you can follow along on the screen.

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,

“Praise God!

Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hail to the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:

“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.

Look, your King is coming,

    riding on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.

Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”

Growing up hearing this story, I would never quite understand the magnitude of this event. I felt like all the depictions of Jesus riding into Jerusalem that I saw made me believe that there was Jesus riding in on a donkey and maybe 10 people welcoming Him in.

While there’s not a direct statistic given to us about the number of people witnessing this, there are some clues that it was quite a large crowd.

Firstly, there was a large crowd that had followed Jesus and His disciples since they left Jericho where He had just healed two blind men sitting on the road (Matthew 20:29) so even before His entrance into Jerusalem, the crowd was already building.

Secondly, as we read in verses 12-13, there was a large crowd of Passover visitors who heard that Jesus was on the way into Jerusalem.

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him.

Thousands of people would travel to Jerusalem for Passover. While I don’t know for sure, there are estimations that the regular population of Jerusalem at this time was around 20 to 30 thousand whereas at Passover time, this would jump up to hundreds of thousands. Those who would travel in for the festival would often be camping outside the city as there was no room within for them so Jerusalem was full!

Finally, as we read in verse 19, the Pharisees look on this crowd with defeat. There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after Him!. This also leads me to believe it was quite a large crowd as they probably wouldn’t have been too worried if there was a measly few welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem.

Again, while we don’t know exact numbers, there’s enough here for us to believe, this was a very decent crowd. A lot of people laying down palm branches, praising God, hailing Jesus as the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

On the face of it, this sounds great and it would have been a very exciting thing to witness. We know how this story continues on though, Good Friday is just around the corner.

Let’s now look at how the crowd are responding to Jesus, what has led them to be here and are they seeing Jesus for who He truly is?

In January this year, American fried chicken chain Popeyes opened a restaurant in Lower Hutt. Here’s an article from the opening day:

Lower Hutt’s Popeyes chicken is proving to be so popular amongst the community that it has had to bring in traffic management to prevent long queues from spilling onto the road.

The restaurant is so popular that when it opened its Lower Hutt outlet earlier this month, customers were queueing from as early as 3am, and the queues did not stop there.

“We’re big fried chicken fans, so we’re happy we found a new spot to go,”

“We tried once but it was too busy so we’re trying a second time,”

“Maybe KFC level, maybe a little better because they’re new, you know, they like to put out the best,”

Let’s take a moment to pause and remember, my focus right now is on the crowd of people. In no way am I even starting to compare the wonder of Jesus with fried chicken from Lower Hutt.

As we know already, Jesus was building up a crowd wherever He went. There were people who were swept up in the hype as they had all heard the rumours that this man had raised Lazarus from the dead. Many were simply there to lay eyes on this man who could perform miracles. As we read in verse 17 & 18, many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. These people were spectators, interested in whatever was causing this hype and rush – the hot topic of the week. These are the people who would queue at Popeyes at 3am.

In saying that, this in itself is not bad intention. People come to church out of curiosity, wanting to spectate, see what’s going on – maybe church is hosting an exciting outreach event and they’ve heard all about the friendly people there and want to head along. That’s great and I’m sure there were many people in this crowd who started off caught up in the hype and the rush of this miracle man who raised someone from the dead and then grew to truly understand why He was here and what He was here to do. I’m sure there were also people who were also attracted by the sensationalism of Jesus but that’s all it was for them – some who saw Jesus as a sensation on this day were later shouting for His death.

Another quote from the Popeyes article:

“Look at this line. Nothing’s worth this line. I didn’t even want to come but she (I assume his wife) goes ‘yes let’s go’ and then I got stuck in the line,”

There were people in the queue for Popeyes who thought it wasn’t all it was cracked out to be, it didn’t meet their own expectations. There were also people there who had the wrong end of the stick of who Jesus was and who He was going to be. A lot of the crowd saw Jesus as a new national leader, a military leader who was going to lead them to overthrow the Romans and restore their nation to its former glory. That is what they felt like they needed and they ignored the words of prophets and were blind to Jesus’ real mission. When they later realised that Jesus was not going to fulfill their misguided hopes and dreams, many of these people also turned against Him.

 We also see the disciples get caught up in this way of thinking momentarily – they also were caught up in the hype of the crowd. Later on, they realised what Jesus was doing. As we saw in our verses, His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him. His previous words and actions, at the time of His resurrection, took on new meaning and made more sense to them. In retrospect, the disciples saw how Jesus had led them into a deeper and better understanding of His truth.

Does any of this echo with you in how you respond to Jesus in your own life?

Are we welcoming Him in, laying things down in front of Him, shouting His praises?

Or are we here following what others are doing? We’ve heard about Jesus but really, we love the energy, singing together, people to talk to, something to do on a Sunday morning. Remember – this isn’t a bad way to start but it’s not all there is.

What about when life doesn’t go our way or we put our faith in Jesus and it doesn’t give us what we think we need? We’ve believed and trusted in Jesus, put our faith in Him and are trying to live a life that would please Him but actually, why isn’t life getting easier? Do we turn away from Him and try to find something else to make our problems go away or do we remain strong and determined in our faith?

Or maybe we’re like the disciples. We’re caught up in the rush and excitement, we’re going along with the flow, life is busy and we’re just getting on with it. Stop now and think – think about the events in your life leading up to where you are now. How has God led you to this point? As we grow in our faith, let’s continue to look back and see God’s hand in our lives, guiding us through. It’s harder to see in the moment.

Why are you here? What is your foundation? Our foundation needs to be in Jesus. We need to work hard to understand God’s word, pray for continued growth of our own understanding and we need to be ready to discern. Am I here because I want to praise God in community and grow in my faith or am I here because I like the people who are here, I like singing songs, I enjoy having a cup of tea and a chat – all of those are good things but by themselves, are they going to be enough when life gets tough? Are we leaning on Jesus and putting our faith in Him regardless of what is going on? With that, are we noticing and thanking Him for working through us and guiding us in our walk with Him?

Hebrews 10 verses 22 – 25 tells us … let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.

Start with that firm foundation. Go right into God’s presence, accept that Jesus has made us clean by dying for us and hold tightly to hope. What does accepting Jesus look like? It is believing who He says He is, that He is the son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins and rose again.

With that, community is so important. Coming to church is so important. We are here to build each other up, motivate each other to do good works and show love. We gather together to share our faith and to strengthen one another in the Lord. Just like those in Jerusalem who chose to welcome Jesus, let’s continue to create an environment where He is at the center, where we can shout praises to Him as that’s happening less and less all around us.

Now, let’s look at a different crowd and how they responded to Jesus. Let’s fast forward to Friday, the day where Jesus was crucified. 5 days after he arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey with crowds praising and welcoming Him. Jesus has now been arrested and is standing before Pilate on trial.

Please join with me in reading Matthew chapter 27 verses 15 to 26:

Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

This crowd has substituted Praise Him for Crucify Him. There is a similar hype, excitement, building off each other’s energy from what we saw from the last crowd but this is negative. There may be people here who would have happily welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem a few days before but with persuasion from the leading priests and elders and the mentality of the crowd shifting, they no longer see Jesus as an interesting novelty but a dangerous heretic. This mob won’t listen to reason or questions such as, ‘What crime has he committed?’, they want Jesus dead and gone. They are even willing to take responsibility for this, even having responsibility placed on their children. They’re not kidding about it.

Here we can really see the pressure of the crowd wearing Pilate down. He doesn’t see why Jesus should be crucified. He hesitates and questions why Jesus deserves this. He believes Jesus is innocent and under Roman law, there’s no reason why He should be put to death. His wife even encouraging him to let Jesus go due to a nightmare she had. There was a lot in favour of Jesus being let go here, but clearly not enough.

Pilate was scared. He was scared of the mob – he didn’t want a riot to break out. He was also selfish, he didn’t want this impacting his political opportunities and was worried if he didn’t do what was asked of him here, he would be worse off. He tried to claim innocence by washing his hands but his inaction caused Jesus to be crucified. 

How do we respond to Jesus when those around us aren’t also praising Him? Maybe they are indifferent or even against Jesus. You don’t have to look far to see that – I’m sure a lot of us see it very regularly – whether that’s at work, in what we see on the news and in politics, there’s a continuing shift away.

It is harder and harder to find places where Jesus is loved or even believed in. I’m sure we’ve all been in environments or seen situations like that, maybe not quite at a mob level of anger and shouting but we’ve all been in spaces where Jesus isn’t loved by all and that’s being made very clear.

How do we react? I believe the best response comes with balance because it can be too easy to go one of two ways.

We could be like Pilate and fold. We go along with the crowd for our own benefit, maybe we’re in a situation where it would just be easier to not be honest and open about your faith. We know what we truly believe but whatever situation we’re in, it would make it awkward to speak up.

It’s not easy to avoid that option either, right? We saw that from Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, just before His trial before Pilate. He went from defending Jesus, cutting off someone’s ear to protect Him from arrest to denying he even knew Jesus three times – probably because he felt the pressure of the crowd.

We should also be careful of going too far the other way, moving away from Peter’s denial and more towards the ear chopping territory. We could be courageously standing up against the crowd in Jesus’ name and laying down all the biblical truths but if we’re approaching it in a way that is seeking to win an argument, show off, or act high and mighty over those who aren’t Christians – we’re not representing who Jesus is well.

We need to balance both of these by being steadfast in our beliefs and also allowing people to question us and providing responses with humility and kindness.

1st Peter 3v15 & 16 tell us And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Just like Jesus, we need to ride into these conversations on our donkey, bringing courage and peace.

In all of this today, we’ve seen that people are uncertain. We fluctuate, we can struggle to respond in the right ways depending on changing environments, differing opinions, and challenging ideas. One thing remains constant though.

Try to picture how Jesus felt riding through Jerusalem. He knew the thoughts and feelings of the crowd – some not understanding that he wasn’t there to conquer with military force, he is the prince of peace. He was surrounded by people praising Him, knowing that 5 days later they would fight angrily for His death.

What does He do? He does exactly what He came here to do. He rides a donkey through Jerusalem to fulfill prophecy and show them the King he has come to be. He sits through his trial calmly and allows everything to happen as He knows it is supposed to.

The mood of the crowd doesn’t turn Him away from His purpose. On the cross, He asks God to forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing, he dies in our place and offers us eternal life. He did that for those praising His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, He did that for the angry mob calling for his crucifixion, He did that for the religious leaders plotting His death and inciting the crowd, and He did that for you and me as well.

After Jesus died on the cross, there was an earthquake. In Matthew 27 v 54 we read, The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Where do you place your faith? Is it in the ever changing mood of those around you? Is it in yourself and what you think is best? Or do you look to Jesus and say this, that he is truly the Son of God?

Let’s pray

Father God, thank you that you sent your Son down to die for us.

Thank you that he came as the prince of peace, riding in on a donkey.

We pray today that we can see Jesus for who He truly is and what He has done for us. May we carry that with us everyday and let it be our leading influence as we seek to honour You.

In Jesus name

Amen

Tawa Baptist

Irony

Scripture: John 19:1-16

Video Link: https://youtu.be/aSyEdB_BGD0

 Good morning everyone.

A fire station burns down, a police station gets robbed, a pilot who is afraid of heights. What word would we use to describe these three situations? [Wait] That’s right, irony.

Situational irony is when an event or situation is the opposite of what is expected. No one expects a fire station to burn down.

In the same vein, verbal irony is the use of words to mean the opposite of what is said. The name of one of Robin Hood’s merry men, Little John, is ironic because he is actually big in stature and big in heart.

This morning we continue our series for Lent looking at Jesus’ last week before his crucifixion and death. Today’s reading, which focuses on Jesus’ trial before the Roman governor Pilate, is full of irony. We don’t have time to read the whole account of Jesus’ trial, so let’s pick up the story from John 19, verse 1…

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Let me give you a window on this passage. Imagine four panes of glass…

On the bottom left we have Pilate, the Roman governor, who (ironically) is acting out of fear and ignorance. That’s ironic because Pilate has the authority and power of the Roman empire behind him, yet he doesn’t know who Jesus is, nor does he have the courage to see that justice is done in this situation.

On the bottom right we have the Jewish priests who, like Pilate, are ignorant but, unlike Pilate, they are fearless. Again, it is ironic that Israel’s theologians are ignorant of who their own Messiah is.

On the top left we have the disciples who are informed as to who Jesus is but are fearful for their lives. We don’t read about the disciples in today’s passage because they are in hiding.

And then, on the top right we have Jesus who is both informed and fearless. Jesus knows who he is and he knows God’s purpose. Jesus is not afraid. He faces his trial with courage and calmness. Nevertheless, Jesus is not immune from the irony of the situation.

As we work our way through these verses, keep this window in mind.

Dramatic irony is when the audience can see the irony of the situation but the characters inside the story can’t. So dramatic irony is like a secret only the audience know. We are the audience and that puts us in a good position to see the irony of Jesus’ situation.

In John 18, Jesus stands trial before the Jewish high priests, Caiaphas and Annas. They struggle to find two witnesses to agree that Jesus has done anything wrong. Eventually, they trump up some charges of blasphemy which, under Jewish law, is a capital offense worthy of the death penalty by stoning.

But Israel is subject to Roman law, which means the chief priests can’t kill Jesus without getting permission from the Roman governor and so they hand Jesus over to Pilate asking him to execute Jesus.

Pilate interviews Jesus and finds no basis for a charge against him. It is clear to Pilate that Jesus is innocent. But when Pilate tries to release Jesus, the chief priests won’t let him. We see the dramatic irony of the tail wagging the dog.    

In the opening verses of John 19 we read that Pilate had Jesus flogged. The soldiers heard that Jesus was accused of being the King of the Jews, and so they used sarcastic irony to mock Jesus.

They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head. Then they clothed him in a purple robe (purple being the colour of royalty) and said ‘Hail, king of the Jews’, striking him in the face. By mocking Israel’s king, the soldiers are mocking the nation of Israel as a whole.

Ironically, the Roman soldiers are like the Jewish priests, in that they are ignorant of who they are really dealing with. The dramatic irony, that we the audience can see, is that Jesus actually is a King, the King of heaven and earth. 

You may be wondering, if Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent, then why did he have Jesus flogged?

Verses 4-5 indicate that Pilate had Jesus whipped as a strategy to get him released. Bringing Jesus out before the people, beaten, bruised, covered in blood and wearing a crown of thorns, demonstrates clearly to everyone that Jesus poses no real threat to the Roman empire. He can hardly be accused of treason.

Pilate presents Jesus saying, ‘Here is the man’. There is a deeper meaning to Pilate’s words here that the governor is not aware of. The Hebrew word for ‘man’ is Adam. Jesus is the new Adam. The new paradigm or model of what it means to be human.

The first Adam (back in Genesis) was created by God to be a king over the earth and all the creatures in it. Sadly, the first Adam sinned and failed to fulfill God’s original intention for him. [1]

But, in Christ, God’s intention for humanity is fulfilled. Jesus, the Son of Man, shows us what the image of God looks like. Jesus shows us how human beings are to rule over creation; by caring for it with love and wisdom.

Jesus is representative of humankind in another sense here too. The first Adam (and his descendants) committed treason against God Almighty. Now Jesus, the second Adam, (who is faithful and innocent) faces the accusation of treason. Jesus stands before the judgement seat in our place, to face the charges we are guilty of. [2]

You would think people would feel sorry for Jesus, seeing him in such a pitiful state. Ironically, the chief priests have no pity and shout ‘Crucify! Crucify!’ A priest with no pity is like a pub with no beer or a bakery with no bread.

Pilate repeats what he has been saying all along, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

Clearly, Pilate can see Jesus is innocent but, at the same time, he doesn’t want to deal with this. A governing official who won’t make a decision is like a car with no steering wheel or a boat with no rudder.

When (in verse 7) the chief priests say that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, Pilate becomes even more afraid. Pilate has been hamstrung by his fear all along but now his fear goes into overdrive. It is extremely difficult to make good decisions when you are afraid.

Ignorance only fuels fear. Knowledge of the facts helps to calm our fear. So Pilate asks Jesus where he comes from. ‘Son of God’ was a title the Emperors used for themselves. Maybe Pilate was afraid Jesus was somehow related to the Emperor.

Then again, as a pagan, Pilate may have simply been superstitious. People at that time believed the gods sometimes walked among them. If Jesus was supernatural, then Pilate may well have feared a reprisal from the gods. 

In contrast to Pilate, who is panicking right at that minute, Jesus is completely calm and says nothing. This is not what Pilate might have expected. Normally the accused would be trembling in the dock and chaffing at the bit to defend themselves, but not Jesus.

Jesus’ courage comes from being informed. Jesus knows he is innocent and he knows God’s purpose is being worked out through these proceedings. Jesus, the King, submits to God’s will for him.

In frustration, Pilate says to Jesus…

10 “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

There’s some dramatic irony right there. Pilate is kidding himself if he thinks he can free Jesus. Clearly he wants to, but he hasn’t been able to.  

Jesus’ answer is full of grace and truth, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 

Power is given and taken away by God. Pilate only has power because God has given it to him. There’s a humbling thought. Power comes in many forms. Knowledge, money, social influence, official positions of authority at work or in government. Whatever power we might hold is a gift from God. It is not ours as of right. It is only ours by the grace of God and for a limited time. How are we using the power entrusted to us?

Jesus goes on to explain that Caiaphas, the high priest, is responsible for handing him over and so Caiaphas is guilty of a greater sin. This doesn’t mean Pilate is off the hook altogether. He is still guilty of a lesser sin. But the grace and truth of Jesus’ words touch something in Pilate.

In a way that Pilate isn’t really expecting, Jesus, who has just been flogged and abused by Pilate’s soldiers, shows understanding of the difficult situation the governor finds himself in. Jesus turns the other cheek and loves his enemy. Pilate seems to appreciate the understanding Jesus has extended to him.  

Despite Pilate’s efforts to set Jesus free, the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar…”   

To be a friend of Caesar was like a formal title bestowed by the Emperor. Roman historical sources tell us that Pilate had become ‘a friend of Caesar’ through the good graces of an imperial official called Sejanus.

The emperor Tiberias was notoriously suspicious and killed his officials from to time to time. Sejanus had recently been killed in one such purge of the palace. This meant Pilate no longer had friends in high places to protect him. [3]

A word in the right ear in Rome and Pilate was a dead man. The Jewish leaders were essentially threatening Pilate with a bad report, one that could get him killed.

Pilate didn’t have a great track record as it was, so he found himself in the unenviable position of having to choose between political expediency and justice. Between saving his own skin and doing right by Jesus. Pilate chose to save his own skin.

It is significant that Pilate does not declare Jesus guilty. He simply says to the Jews, “Here is your king” and when the cry rings out, “Crucify him”, Pilate responds not with a  judgement but with a question, “Shall I crucify your king?”

Pilate reflects the priests’ words back to them and avoids condemning Jesus, for he knows Jesus is innocent. It’s like Pilate is saying to the Jews, ‘these are your words, not mine’.    

The condemnation of Jesus comes from the chief priests who answer by saying, “We have no king but Caesar”. This is incredibly ironic, especially when we consider it is not the crowd who are saying this. It is the chief priests themselves.

When Israel entered into a sacred covenant with God at Sinai, and the Lord gave them the ten commandments, the Israelites were basically saying, ‘Yahweh, from now on you are our King, we have no other’. So when the chief priests of Israel said, “We have no king but Caesar”, they were breaking Israel’s covenant with God. They were breaking faith with Yahweh.

The priests were supposed to encourage the people to remain faithful to the covenant. Caiaphas an co. did the opposite. They renounced God.

Some, through the past twenty centuries, have misused John 19 (and parallel passages from the other gospels) to stir up hate and aggression toward the Jewish race. This is utterly wrong, not to mention ironic.

Whether we agree with Israel’s politics or not, we should respect Jewish people because they are our brothers & sisters and because Jesus was Jewish. It is not fair or reasonable to condemn a whole race of people based on the bad behaviour of a few individuals 2000 years ago.

The high priests, in John 19, were religious fanatics. A religious fanatic is both fearless and ignorant (a dangerous combination). We need to steer well clear of fanaticism of any kind.

That means avoiding extremes. It means not becoming entrenched in an either / or, them verses us, mindset. It means cultivating the curiosity to find a new way of thinking about things. Getting some balance in your life. Spending time with Christians and non-Christians. Becoming comfortable with not having all the answers. Slowing down and listening. Getting your information from reliable sources.

Jesus is the man. Jesus is our King. He is our model, our pattern. We take our lead from him. Jesus did not seek to get even or take revenge on Caiaphas. Jesus was fearless in the face of condemnation and death, knowing God’s purpose would prevail. Jesus did not act out of ignorance but rather out of informed integrity.

We might not have the same clarity or courage or integrity as Jesus did. We are more often like the disciples who ran and hid. That’s okay. God’s grace is sufficient for us.

We are not likely to be crucified. But we are called to be living sacrifices, serving Christ day by day. That is our spiritual worship. 

Let me finish with a poem titled ‘Irony’ by Eileen Duggan…

Not hawk, not leopard is ironic.

Believe me it needs mind

To see the moral wit of

Using kind on kind.

Some poor fellow for a pittance

Made the cross-bar sure

To hold another carpenter

On it for the poor.

Grace and peace to you this holy week.

The musicians will lead us in sung worship now as we prepare for communion.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is irony? Can you think of a situation of irony in your own life (either past or present)? What irony do we observe in John 19:1-16?
  • Why does Pilate think Jesus is innocent? Why does Pilate have Jesus flogged? Why is Pilate so fearful?
  • What feelings (or memories) are you in touch with as you read of Jesus’ abuse at the hands of the soldiers and the miscarriage of justice at the hands of Pilate?
  • Discuss / reflect on the deeper meaning of Pilate’s words, “Here is the man”, in verse 5.
  • What power has God given you? How are you using that power? Does anything need to change?
  • How might we avoid religious fanaticism? How might we cultivate informed integrity in our own lives?  

[1] Richardson quoted in Leon Morris’ NICNT ‘John’, page 702

[2] Bruce Milne, BST ‘John’, page 276

[3] Bruce Milne, BST ‘John’, page 272

Tawa Baptist

Jesus’ Trial – Good Friday

Readings & Reflections on Jesus’ Trial from Luke 22:66-23:25

Good Friday is about the suffering & death of Jesus

–         It is the day Jesus’ suffering comes to a head

–         Jesus’ suffering was undeserved and yet he accepted it with humility & grace

 

Following Jesus’ agony and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane he was taken away for a series of trials

–         After a night in the courtyard of the high priest, where he was mocked & beaten by the temple guards, Jesus was brought before the Jewish elders

–         We pick up the story from Luke chapter 22, verse 66

 

66 When day came, the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law met together, and Jesus was brought before the Council. 67 “Tell us,” they said, “are you the Messiah?”

He answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me; 68 and if I ask you a question, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of Almighty God.”

70 They all said, “Are you, then, the Son of God?”

He answered them, “You say that I am.”

71 And they said, “We don’t need any witnesses! We ourselves have heard what he said!”

 

Luke’s account places an emphasis on Jesus’ innocence

–         Despite all the miracles Jesus has performed and despite all the reasoning Jesus has provided, the Jewish Council refuse to believe that Jesus is God’s Messiah, their King

–         They have already made up their mind to kill Jesus and are simply gathering ammunition to use against him

 

Jesus knows this but he doesn’t deny his true identity to save himself

–         To the contrary he takes it a few steps further and essentially says he is a lot closer to the Almighty in heaven than they realise – at God’s right side no less

–         Jesus has intentionally played into their hands – he is embracing the suffering of the cross in obedience to God the Father

 

The Jewish Council can’t believe their luck, they think they have all the ammunition they need for a conviction of blasphemy

–         Blasphemy is when someone says or does something which shows contempt or disrespect for God – it was a really big deal to ancient Jews

–         Of course it’s only blasphemy if it’s not true & Jesus has spoken the truth

–         The irony is, the Jewish Council are the ones who are guilty of blasphemy – they have insulted God by rejecting His Son

 

The Jewish Council don’t have freedom to kill Jesus on their own terms, they have to get permission from Pilate, the Roman governor

–         Blasphemy is not a crime under Roman law but sedition is

–         If they can convince Pilate that Jesus is a rival king stirring up trouble then Pilate might agree to execute Jesus

–         But Pilate isn’t buying it – after questioning Jesus he concludes…

–         “I find no reason to condemn this man”

–         In Pilate’s estimation Jesus is innocent – but the Jewish Council insisted even more strongly so, to avoid responsibility, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod.

8 Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle. 9 So Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus made no answer.

10 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus. 11 Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and treated him with contempt; then they put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

 

Herod wanted to be entertained by Jesus

  • – He wanted Jesus to perform some miracle, like a party trick, but Jesus does not respond – in fact Jesus remains completely silent
  • – In the end Herod makes his own fun by dressing Jesus up in royal robes and mocking him
  • – Clearly Herod does not believe Jesus is a threat
  • – As far as Herod is concerned the Jewish Council’s charges of sedition are a joke and Jesus is innocent

 

Pilate is different to Herod – Pilate is more professional, more respectful. Pilate has a conscience. From verse 13 read…

13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me and said that he was misleading the people. Now, I have examined him here in your presence, and I have not found him guilty of any of the crimes you accuse him of. 15 Nor did Herod find him guilty, for he sent him back to us. There is nothing this man has done to deserve death. 16 So I will have him whipped and let him go.”

18 The whole crowd cried out, “Kill him! Set Barabbas free for us!” (19 Barabbas had been put in prison for a riot that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)

20 Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, so he appealed to the crowd again. 21 But they shouted back, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

22 Pilate said to them the third time, “But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free.”

23 But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and finally their shouting succeeded. 24 So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.

 

Clearly Jesus was innocent – consequently Pilate did his best to see justice was done by releasing Jesus, but he failed (despite multiple attempts)

  • – Although Jesus could have defended himself he didn’t – Jesus chose instead to embrace the cross in obedience to God

The Jewish Council treated Jesus with open hostility

  • – Herod didn’t take Jesus seriously
  • – And Pilate tried to save Jesus
  • – But Jesus accepted his suffering with humility & grace

 

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, when taken away you did not resist

When mocked and falsely accused you remained silent

When questioned as to your identity you responded with truth

When condemned you did not justify yourself

When we face injustice grant us wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent

And when we collude with injustice grant us the conscience to repent

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on us. Amen.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What does Luke emphasise in his account of Jesus’ trial?

–         How does Luke do this?

3.)    What temptations do you think Jesus may have faced during his trial(s) on Good Friday?

4.)    Jesus did not deny his true identity to save himself. Why do you think Jesus gave the Jewish Council the ammunition they needed to condemn him?

5.)    What is blasphemy?

–         How did the Jewish Council (and Herod) unwittingly commit blasphemy?

–         What are some of the ways that blasphemy might express itself today?

6.)    Why do you think Jesus had nothing to say to Herod?

–         When is it right for us to speak up and when is it right to remain silent?

7.)    Jesus embraced the suffering of the cross because it was God’s will for him. How might we know when suffering is God’s will for us and when it isn’t?

8.)   The Jewish Council treated Jesus with open hostility, Herod didn’t take Jesus seriously and Pilate tried to save Jesus. None of these are ideal responses to Jesus. Can you think of some other better responses?