Love On The Cross Series

Love on the Cross

Text: John 19:1-16

Before we dig in to our message today, let me just remind you of what’s happened so far.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was taken before Annas and Caiaphas, the Jewish religious leaders and charged with blasphemy. When you read the other Gospel accounts you actually see that there was kind of an impromptu, illegal, sham of a trial, and they decided that Jesus should be put to death. But they didn’t want to be the ones to do it. Jesus is regarded by many people as a prophet, or holy man, and by many as a political “Messiah” or political type of “Savior” who’s going to break the yoke of Roman bondage and usher in a new “Golden Age of Israel.” So, to avoid angering the mobs, these religious leaders take Jesus to Pontius Pilate, who is the Roman appointed governor of the region, and tell him that Jesus should be executed.

Pilate wants to know what the charges are, and initially they were just like, “Well He’s a bad guy, and you need to kill Him.” But then they came up with some charges… they said, “Jesus was misleading the nation – saying false things, and making false claims that will result in turmoil and possible revolt against Rome… He’s telling people to not pay taxes – which is undermining the authority of Rome… and He’s claiming to be a King!”

POLITICAL CHARGES!

Pilate brought Jesus in and questioned Him. He wanted to know what was really going on and what Jesus did to make the Jewish leaders so angry with Him… Jesus explained to Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world, nor was it from this world. And that He had come to bear witness to the truth!

Pilate replied with the infamous relativist slogan “What is truth?” But then went back outside and told the Jewish leaders, “I find no guilt in Him.” Meaning, I have nothing to charge Him with.

He then tried to make a deal with them, and offered to release either Jesus or Barabbas, who John says was a robber, but Mark gives us even more detail explaining that Barabbas was an actual insurrectionist and a murderer. And the Jewish leaders demand that Barabbas be released, and Jesus be crucified.

We’re in John chapter 19 this morning, so if you will, please take your Bibles and open them up to that chapter, and follow along as I read our text – John 19:1-16 (READ).

Now first of all, I want us to try to get into the sandals of Pontius Pilate.

Some people have said that Pilate was a “Post Turtle”… What’s a “post turtle”? Well if you’re driving along one of our dirt roads and you see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, you know that it didn’t get up there by itself. Now I don’t know that we can accurately say that about Pilate. He had some military background, and exploits… but he also married very well. So it might be both. We know he had to have been in the military based on the Cursus Honorum which had been established by Julius Caesar and was the process of how Roman nobility gained such positions and rank.

Many years ago, I actually had a US senator say to me, that accolades can only get you so far in politics. They might get your foot in the door. But if you want to go far in politics, get someone in your debt. Whether it’s money, or secrets, or backroom deals, or whatever.

Regardless; and for whatever reasons – Pilate was the governor of Judea. And he’s met with Jesus, and he realizes that the charges the Jews have brought are bogus, and every Gospel account tells us that Pilate wanted to set Jesus free. And in Matthew’s Gospel account, we even learn that Pilate’s wife warns him based on a dream she had.

So here’s what Pilate knows… Jesus has said that His kingdom is not of this world, or from this world. Pilate’s wife has had a supernatural dream, and she tells her husband to “have nothing to do with that righteous Man for I have suffered much because of Him today in a dream.” (See Matt. 27:19), and so, Pilate is actually working towards the release of Jesus. He offers Barabbas instead, and the Jews reject that offer.

Now… what is it in a person, who obviously has political power, who’s educated, and wealthy, and who is in a position to do the right thing… what is it in him that makes him do the wrong thing?

SIN!

That’s the big, blanket, obvious answer – Sin does that!

Now last Sunday, we talked about how Pilate was a relativist, and that plays a role as well… but he’s a relativist because of sin. Sin darkens the mind.