John 18-19:12 (Trial and
Crucifixion)
Intro:You cannot read
Chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel of John, which cover the trial,
crucifixion and burial of the Lord Jesus, without noting that these are very carefully
selected events which John records.
A)John’s
focus in this gospel has always been to reveal the Deity of Christ.
1)He does so very clearly here in these final Chapters.
B)He focuses on the events that highlight the deity of Christ and the
reaction of certain individuals to him – specifically Pilate
C)He leaves out many of the incidents the other gospels include, while
supplying details they leave out.
1)He is obviously aiming at creating a certain impression, this is what we
want to focus upon tonight
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples
over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden,
which He and His disciples entered.
Mt.
Of Olives
The
disciples have now entered the
A)Named
after the practice of taking the olives and pressing them to make Oil.
B) There is a
pressing that is going to happen here on this night - Oil – for healing will be the result
1)
Jesus is going to pray – Take this cup / sweat drops of blood.
C)
But Jesus would also say: Not my will but yours be done!
D)
Listen we all face our
Place
of Pressing – We want the cup to pass
E) We
need to learn to say: Not my will but yours be done
1)
not my comfort but your GLORY
Now
John skips all the anguish of the Garden scene and moves straight to the
arrest. RD V.2-4
2 And Judas, who
betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His
disciples. 3 Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers
from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and
weapons.
A)So
Judas shows up with the Soldiers “a detachment of
troops” was one-tenth of a legion, or six thousand soldiers. So it is
possible Judas shows up with 600 men..
4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went
forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?"
B)
Notice Jesus steps up to the plate – no shrinking back here: Who are you seeking. – not hiding in the
shadows
C)You
see, Jesus is not caught off guard, surprised by what is happening.
No,
He’s in complete control of the entire situation.
D)Remember John’s focus is
the Deity of Christ – we see that very clearly here in this response
5 They answered Him,"Jesus of
Nazareth."
Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed
Him, also stood with them. 6 Now when He said to them, "I am He,"
they drew back and fell to the ground.
E)
The "He" isn't present in the Greek, So Jesus is actually saying, “I AM,” “Ego Eimi”
1)a
declaration of deity. Result they are overcome by Power – fall to the ground.
7 Then He asked
them again, "Whom are you seeking?"
And they said,
"Jesus of Nazareth."
8 Jesus
answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let
these go their way," 9 that the
saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I
have lost none."
Here
we see Jesus to the very end taking care of his own – watching out for His
Sheep. Let these others go!
10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high
priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
11 So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath.
Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"
Peter
is interesting to see here – He is going to try and live up to his promise –
“though all the rest forsake you not I – I will die for you.”
A)Lousy
fisherman and a lousy swordsmen – ear
B)
Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus picked up the ear – Healed Malchus
1)
last miracle was to cover the mistake of one of his disciples
C)
But notice the words of Jesus to Peter - Shall I not
drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"
This
cup was from His Father –
A)This
cup would result in His Father being glorified
B)
Jesus receiving Glory before the Father
C)
Man being Saved.
Has God given you
a cup to drink ?
A)Cup of suffering? Illness
? Ruined Marriage? Some heavy trial ?
B) God desires to be
glorified in your weakness
1)
You receiving glory from Him
C)
People around you being blessed and saved.
Listen
we can get perplexed by what we don’t understand
I
read in Psalm 131 today in my quiet time
V.1
LORD, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great
matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
David
declares he is going to come to the Lord in humility and it not going to get
worked up about things he doesn’t understand
He then paints an
interesting picture.
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
He
uses the picture of a weaned Child – calm and quiet!
What
makes this an interesting picture is that a Child that is not weaned is
anything but calm/ quiet
A)The
only way that Child has of notifying it’s parent that it is hunger is to cry
and carry on.
B)But
the Child who has been weaned is also one who has learned to trust - - My
parents are going to take care of me.
C)They
are going to see that I get what I need. – So the Child who has been weaned
usually is a little mature – and they are a picture of rest
D)
David is painting a picture of the believer who is resting in God –
E)The believer who knows no matter what is going on
– I know that my heavenly father is going to take care of me { He is going to meet
my needs
F) So I can take the cup and
rest – knowing – It is from Him – He has allowed it!
V.12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the
officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who
was high priest that year. 14 Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it
was expedient that one man should die for the people.
This
was a Prophetic statement by Caiaphas – though he didn’t know it.
A)He
meant it would be better for us to kill one man – than for all the people to
die at the hands of the Romans – because they think this is an insurrection –
B)People
claiming Jesus as the Messiah the King of the Jews – He is trying to justify
what they are about to do. 1) In reality it was expedient for one man to die
for the People.
C) Thru one man Adam – sin
entered the world and death with it
1)
Thru one man Jesus came life and
peace.
D)At
this point the focus shifts for a minute back to Peter – V.15
And
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple
A)Now
I have heard a lot of sermons – getting on Peter – Mark says He followed at a
distance./ Many have faulted Peter for following at a distance. –
B)But
no one ever commends Peter for following at all. 1) All the other Disciples
Scattered accept for Peter and another Disciple – we know to be John.
V.15b Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went
with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.
C) I don’t think Peter’s
mistake was following even from a distance: His mistake was not standing.
16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple,
who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door,
and brought Peter in.
17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter,
"You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"
He said, "I am not." This is the first of Peter’s denials { No
threat here!
18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals
stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with
them and warmed himself.
D)
Now John leaves Peter here for a minute and the scene shifts with Jesus being
dragged before the religious crowd – { other gospels trumped up Charges of
blasphemy
Note
that Jesus handles himself here with great Dignity – calmness – He is in
Complete Control.
V.19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His
doctrine.
20 Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I
always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and
in secret I have said nothing. 21 Why do
you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know
what I said."
22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who
stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer
the high priest like that?"
23 Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness
of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?"
24 Then Annas sent Him bound to
Caiaphas the high priest.
Annas doesn’t know what to do with Jesus – doesn’t know how to respond here
– so he sends Jesus away.
Scene
shifts back to Peter.
V.25 Now Simon
Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not
also one of His disciples, are you?"
He denied it and
said, "I am not!" #2
26 One of the servants
of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did
I not see you in the garden with Him?" 27 Peter then denied again; and
immediately a rooster crowed.
Third
time – but listen this is not the unpardonable sin! How does God respond
when we fail?
A)1st
He’s never surprised when we do fail! – 2nd He responds with eyes of
compassion, eyes of mercy!
B)I
believe “this look” reached out & rescued Peter,
1)
just as Jesus’ hand lifted him from the rough waters of
C)
Look of comfort
Listen
we all make mistakes
A
magazine read: “Just in case you find any mistakes in
this magazine, please remember they were put there for a purpose. We try to
offer something for everyone. Some people are always looking for mistakes &
we didn’t want to disappoint you!”
We all fail, but
the key is how do we respond when we fail?
Proverbs.24:16 “For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise
again,”
Psalm37:24
“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.”
Failure is a part of life. – - You fell down
the first time you tried to walk.
A)Heavy
hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot.
B)Babe
Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.
1)R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in
2)
English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips
before he published 564 books. -
Question
can God use broken things?
It
takes Broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain
to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box
that gives forth perfume. {Vance Havner}
C)It is Peter, broken &
weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.
One of the biggest architectural “blow its” of all time was the
infamous free standing
The
architect only planned for 10’ of foundation for this “8 story round tower,
standing 180’ tall”.
The
tilt wasn’t planned. The soil was too soft & now leans 18’ from
perpendicular (leaning another inch every 25 years).
Imagine
this guys resume? – Well I built the Leaning
Yet even this became one of the 7 wonders of the Middle ages.
And, The Italian physicist Galileo conducted his famous experiments
w/gravity, & the relative speed of falling objects, from the top of the
tower!
Why
did God have Gideon & his men break their empty clay pots?
A)
So the light of their torches inside would shine forth!
B)Here
is Peter’s Clay Pot being broken, so God might be able to use him in the future
to shine gloriously for Himself!
“Defeat should never be a source of discouragement, but rather a
fresh stimulus!”
C) Maybe you have
been a Peter – Take comfort – His Grace rise go forward
Scene
shifts Caiaphas leading Jesus to Pilate
V.28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium,
and it was early morning.
This
was the place where the Roman garrison was kept (likely
Now, the Holy Spirit indicates that "it
was early" in order to remind us that this was a hurry-up operation.
A)
The Jews wanted to get Jesus into the hands of the Romans for execution before
the people could find out what was going on because many of the people were
enamored with Jesus Christ.
B)So
the whole mob arrives at the hall of judgment just as the dawn is breaking, and
they are ready to hand Jesus over for a judgment on execution.
V.28b But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium,
lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.
C)
The Jews were hypocrites. Here they were not willing to enter this Gentile hall
so they would not be defiled, yet at the same time they were ready to execute
the Messiah.
They had their priorities
backwards.
29
Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring
against this Man?"
A)Here we meet Pilate --a
very interesting character.
B)He was convinced of the
innocence of Christ -- completely and totally.
C) Several times he will say
– I find no fault in this man
Background on Pilate
1)When
Herod the Great died, his three sons became Tetrarchs, ruling over
Herod
Archelaus his youngest son 18 was So lousy a ruler, that the Jews appealed to
A)
B)The
first time he came to
C)
As they approached the temple area with what the Jews considered to be idols, a
riot broke out, and blood was shed.
D)Thinking
he could appease the people by building them an aqueduct, Pilate diverted funds
from the temple treasury to finance the project.
E)The
Jews were infuriated.
F)
So Pilate, already on the political hot seat, goes out to survey the situation
30 They answered
and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered
Him up to you."
31 Then Pilate
said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."
He
really doesn’t want to get involved in this!
In
the year A.D. 30—two years prior to these events—the
Romans took away the Jewish right of capital punishment.
A)In
response, the rabbis ripped their clothes, donned sackcloth, threw dirt on
their heads, and said, “God has failed us.
B).
Why did they cry, “God has failed us”? Because in the Book of Genesis, the
promise was given that the scepter would not depart from
C)But
the basic foundation of government was the ability to deal with lawbreakers, so
the scepter had, indeed, departed—with Messiah seemingly nowhere in sight.
D)But Messiah was there—right
in their midst. They just didn’t recognize Him.
33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again,
called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
34 Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or
did others tell you this concerning Me?"
35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief
priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"
Pilate's Illegal Question
As
Jesus stands there, Pilate says, "What have You done?" In the Jewish
court and the Roman court, the judge had no right to ask that question.
Under
no circumstances was a man to be condemned at the word of his own testimony. It
is similar to the Fifth Amendment.
Jesus
could not be incriminated by His own testimony. Pilate is asking an illegal
question. And notice that Jesus does not answer it. Why?
One It was an illegal question.
Two
he had done nothing wrong to begin with.
Instead
Jesus discusses the subject of what really matters – His Kingdom
36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is
not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight,
so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from
here."
We
are told 2 important things in these verses
1) Jesus is a King
2) His Kingdom is not of this world –
37 Pilate therefore said to Him,
"Are You a king then?"
Jesus answered, "You say rightly
that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come
into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the
truth hears My voice."
38 Pilate said to Him, "What is
truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said
to them,"I find no fault in Him at all. #1
Pilate is moved here – No fault in this man
Politicians want to be liked by everyone – too often – they are men
pleasers
Pilate is going to try and appease the
people – by being crafty – his plan however is going to back fire.
V.39
"But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the
Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the
Jews?"
40 Then they
all cried again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas
was a robber.
A)Now
the other gospels tells us he offered them a choice – Jesus – good guy –
Barabbas - murdered insurrectionist –
Mob guy – low life
B)They wanted Barabbas
released. You can imagine the double take on Pilate's part. What happened?
1) It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way..
C)
Barabbas is a very important individual in this situation because he
exemplifies to us the depravity of man. Man at his worst.
D)Here
is the best in the universe (God incarnate), and the worst in humanity, and
whom do men choose?
1)
The worst. This is so typical.
Needless to say, Pilate was dumbfounded at this
point. In
A)That
is a profound question. And it wasn't just a question on Pilate's lips; it was
a question that came out of his aching heart: "What do I do with
Jesus?"
B)He
had to release Barabbas, and he is still stuck with Jesus. His proposal had
failed. When he said, "What do I do with Jesus?" they screamed in
frenzy, "Crucify! Crucify! Crucify!" (Mt. 27:22b).
Plan #2
Pilate tries to take the Politicians easy
way out – I will give him a good beating and hopefully everyone will be
satisfied
So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns
and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said,
"Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands.
An
accurate Greek translation of verse 3 is, "And
they kept saying, Hail, King of the Jews, and they kept giving Him blows with
their hands."
The
Romans used to play a game with the prisoners who were waiting to be crucified.
Philo, in his work On Flaccus, tells us of a
game that a mob in
They would catch them and dress them up like
kings. Then they would sit them down & mock worship them.
They found great entertainment in making fools
out of idiots. The Roman soldiers liked to play this game, too. They would take
one of their prisoners and make a mock king out of him.
The great crowning event would be when they
nailed him to the cross, and dropped the cross in its hole. Mockery
So
the soldiers played this game with Jesus because He claimed to be a King.
A)They
crammed the thorns of the mock crown into His head. Then they threw an old,
faded robe on Him and told Him that He was king.
B)Then
they stuck a phony scepter in His hand and sat Him up.
C)
They made a caricature of Jesus as a king. The irony of it is that they didn't
know that He indeed was a King -- the King of kings and Lord of lords.
4 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." #2 5 Then Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold
the Man!"
Another An Attempt at Satisfaction
A)In
other words, "This is no king. Look at Him." Pilate doesn't say,
"Behold your king," he says, "Behold the man.
B)This
is a man -- He's no threat to you, or to me, or to anybody."
1)There
Jesus stands, covered with gashes, blood streaking down His face from the crown
of thorns on His head.
C)
Isaiah said he is disfigured beyond recognition
D)
And Pilate says, "Look at Him. That is the man, nothing more, just
helpless, powerless, and feeble."
1)This
is Pilate's effort to get off the hook.
He
figures, "Seeing Him in this condition will be enough. These people aren't
bloodthirsty."
A)Pilate,
in effect, is saying to the people, "Does He look like a king? Does He
look dangerous?
B)Look
at Him. Isn't it enough for an innocent man to be beaten like this? This should
satisfy you."
1)So
Pilate thinks by showing Jesus as a pathetic, beaten, bloody piece of flesh,
they will ask for no more punishment.
C)
Doesn’t work . Pilate is reluctant to take a stand !
No
decision was a decision made by Pilate.
D)The point I want to emphasize to you is
this: Pilate repeatedly attempted to get rid of Jesus, but couldn't do it,
because no man can.
E)
If you think you can wiggle out of a commitment and a final decision about
Christ, you are wrong. Not for me you are against me
6 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." #3
It
may have been at this point that Pilate called for the basin of water and
washed his hands.
A)The water would clean his
hands but could not cleanse the guilt of his heart.
B)The oldest creed of the
church states that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate –
1)
According to many historical records Pilate committed suicide not long after
this.
7 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."
8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more
afraid,
C)I
think at this point Pilate realizes he isn’t dealing with an ordinary man or a
normal situation here.
D)
Plus in
1)Pilate
is in a quandary here.
E)He
has Choices what is he going to do – if he stood his ground the Jews would have
no doubt found another way appealed to a
hire authority
F)
Is Pilate going to do what is right or what is politically correct? Watch how
this wrestling unfolds
9 and went again into the Praetorium,
and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no
answer.
10 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?"
11 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."
12 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."
This
is the trump card – They knew what button to push – Pilate is going to choose
Power / safety over conviction and compromise
Know
this that is always a mistake – always a poor choice
13 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. 14 Now it was the Preparation
Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews,
"Behold your King!" 15 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!"
Throughout
history, the nation of
A)In
B)Here in
1)Finally,
in
C)Rejecting
the Father in the Old Testament, refusing the Son in the Gospels, and resisting
the Spirit in the 1)Book of Acts caused the collapse of the people of
D)But
God is faithful. The message of