Matthew 27:15-26 Pilate's Dilemma
I. THE PERSON THAT CONFRONTED PILATE v.22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. (a) HIS MISSION: Expressed in the word JESUS: What does that name Jesus mean ? It means Saviour." Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." ( 1:21 ) " What shall I do then with the Saviour ? (b) HIS COMMISSION: Expressed in the word CHRIST: Christ in the Greek, Messiah in the Hebrew and it means Anointed. Christ is the " Anointed One." The One set apart by God to be the Saviour. " What shall I do then with the One who is Anointed and Appointed by God to be the Saviour ?" Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 2. THE PROOF THAT CONVINCED PILATE v. 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. A. The voice of (conscience)... convinced Pilate. (Pilate) "I find no fault in this man" Luke 23:4 B. The voice of (reason)... convinced Pilate. He knew that it was for envy they had delivered him Matthew 27:18 C. The voice of a (loved one)... convinced Pilate. (Pilate's wife) "Have thou nothing to do with this just man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him" Matthew 27:19 D. The voice of... (God) himself convinced Pilate. John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 3. THE PRESSURES THAT CONFORMED PILATE Mark 15:15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him to be crucified A. There was the pressure of Popularity... Pilate said unto them, "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" They all say unto him. "Let him be crucified" Matthew 27:22
B. There was the pressure of Position...But the Jews cried out saying, "If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend John 19:12 C. There was a pressure of Pride...(Pilate) "Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?" John 19:10 4. THE PROBLEM THAT CONFOUNDED PILATE Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, "Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" Matthew 27:17
A. He tried to (ignore)... Jesus.
(Pilate) "Take ye him and judge him according to your law." John 18:31
B. He tried to (avoid)... Jesus (moving decision)... to somebody else.
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. Luke 23:6-7
C. He tried to (admire)... Jesus.
(Pilate) "I find no fault in him" John 19:6
D. He tried to (deny)... Jesus.
He took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it" Matthew 27:24
WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS?
1. It is a personal question. No one else can answer it for you.
2. It is a present question. You must decide today.
3. It is a pertinent question. It deals with life and death, heaven or hell.
" What will you do with Jesus, Neutral you cannot be
Some day your soul will be asking, What will HE do with me ?"
We Can :- CRUCIFY HIM
You could choose to totally reject him, yea even to the point of crucifying him in your thoughts, words and actions. Millions do this - quite blatantly. Matthew 27: 22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
23: And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
24: When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25: Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
BETRAY HIM
Matthew 26: 14: Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15: And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16: And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. Matthew 27: 3: Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4: Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5: And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
DENY HIM
They believe in him, but they are ashamed to openly confess him.
John 18: 17: Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not. 18: And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself…
25: And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. 26: One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
27: Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.
OR FOLLOW HIM
What does the Saviour advise us to do? Matthew 16: 24: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26: For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Sunday night, October 8, 1871, D. L. Moody preached in Chicago. "I wish you would take this text home with you and turn it over in your minds during the week, and next Sabbath we will come to Calvary and the Cross and we will decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Then Sankey began to sing the hymn: Today the Saviour calls; For refuge fly; The storm of justice falls, And death is nigh. Chicago Fire "I have never since dared," he said, "to give an audience a week to think of their salvation. If they were lost, they might rise up in judgment against me. I have never seen that congregation since." "I will never meet those people until I meet them in another world. But I want to tell you of one lesson that I learned that night, which I have never forgotten, and that is--when I preach, to press Christ upon the people then and there, and try to bring them to a decision on the spot. I would rather have that right hand cut off than to give an audience a week now to decide what to do with Jesus." --
