Will You Dismiss Him? Series

Will You Dismiss Him?

John 18:28-40

Introduction

We are asking the question, What Will You Do With Jesus? We are focused on the last hours of Jesus’ life as he goes to the cross.

It was part of the eternal plan of God that Jesus would go to the cross as the perfect sacrifice and die for the sins of mankind. The Jews did not know that, in spite of the prophecies. The Disciples didn’t know it, even though Jesus told them. Certainly the Roman Government didn’t know.

John 12:32-33 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this to indicate how he was going to die.

Jesus has been bound and beaten, led through the night in various illegal trials. To get through before Passover, they rushed him toward execution. Now he is before the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate was “Governor of Judea” at time of trial / death of Jesus. He normally lived in Caesarea, about 70 miles away, a city that was built by Herod the Great to resemble Rome. He was in Jerusalem for Passover because large crowds would give opportunity for uprisings against Rome. A large number of Roman soldiers would be there. Pilate He was known as a brutal leader. Historians Philo and Josephus describe his violence, his thefts, his assaults, his abusive behavior, his frequent executions of untried prisoners, and his endless savage ferocity.

N. T. Wright observes: “He was a career politician, perhaps, or a soldier who had risen to be a provincial governor, though a junior one. He probably hoped that an effective tour of duty in Judaea would lead to better things: senior postings, better pay and if possible an easier local situation to deal with. It was not to be. He was eventually removed from office … he vanishes from history in about ad 37.”

Read Text John 18:28-38

John 18:28-40

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.

29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”

31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”

32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”

35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

Today we want to identify and avoid four mistakes of Pilate.

1. The Four Mistakes of Pilate

First: He Caved In to the Pressure (29-32). Pilate had pressure in every direction. The Roman government wasn’t high on Pilate, and any dust ups that created problems would be amplified. The Jewish rulers could definitely create issues for him. (JN 19:17 "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.…”) He wants them to take care of this matter themselves. He doesn’t believe Jesus is guilty, but appeases the Jews.

Second: Pilate Ignored the truth in front of him (33-35). Pilate seemed disinterested in the truth. Think of how Jesus looked. “Are you the king of the Jews?” Some suggest the emphasis should be on the “you” … Wright: "He sees before him a poor man from the wrong part of the country. He has a small band of followers and they’ve all run away. Of course he’s not the king." Jesus didn’t appear to be king of anything. Pilate couldn’t find anything wrong with Jesus, but he thought he had to have done something! (35)