Jesus, the God-man: Gospel of John
“Cowardly Concessions”
John 19:1-16
Introduction: On September 30, 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to England and proudly held up a document he had signed with Adolph Hitler which he declared to promise “peace in our time”. Hitler had invaded Czechoslovakia and under the agreement he would be allowed to stay there but go no further.
This policy of appeasement they hoped would keep the enemy at bay and forestall a war. One year later, however, England declared war on Germany because as Chamberlain and the rest of the world had discovered you cannot make deals with the devil because he is a liar.
Several centuries before this took place another man also discovered the dangers of making deals with the devil and those that choose to follow him. Pilate stands at a crossroad even as we all do and had to decide what to do with Jesus and His claims of being Lord. Pilate learned a difficult lesson that hopefully we can each avoid as he made “cowardly concessions”.
We make deals with the devil when we…
1. Attempt to appease the world. (vv. 1-6)
Pilate just said, “I find no fault” in Jesus and the people have said give us Barabbas and crucify Jesus.
Pilate has Jesus scourged. They used what a flagellum. The flagellum was made of many leather thongs. To the thongs they tied lead balls for weight and sharp pieces of bone and metal to grab and tear the prisoner's flesh. It would literally rip the skin off the body.
v. 2 – Following that the Roman soldiers weaved a crown of thorns with thorns several inches long and forced it down on Jesus head piercing his scalp and face.
Remember in Genesis 3:17-18 God said that the curse on man’s sin would be the ground would now produce thorns. Jesus literally has this symbol of sin placed on His body.
Then they draped a purple robe around his shoulders and began to repeatedly punch Him in the face and mockingly chant, “Hail King of the Jews!”
I want you to remember this picture in your mind so that you never forget FALLEN MAN HATES GOD!! You cannot make deals with these kinds of people. Paul said of the lost,
“Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; Romans 3:13-16
Pilate thought that if I just illegally have Jesus roughed up then they will be happy.
You and I do the same thing when we try and appease the world. “Okay, I won’t talk about Jesus or I will just mock Him along with you. I will just act like the rest of you and please you and it won’t be so bad.” That temptation is always present when you are around lost people.
Scripture warns us that appeasement is a trap that if we try and negotiate with the devil we will get in trouble.
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25
We need not fear what man can do.
Peter and John had the same thing happen to them but they had a different response.
They called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20
vv. 4-5 – Pilate finishes torturing Jesus and brings Him back out to the people and once again reminds them that he personally thinks Jesus is innocent.
If that’s true, why did he beat the stuffing out of Him?
“Behold the Man!” – This was Pilate’s way of saying look at Him. He’s no threat to you. Perhaps he thought maybe if I appease them a little then they will finally like me. “See how poorly I’ve treated Him? Let Him go!”
He discovers you cannot negotiate with the evil ones.
“NO! Crucify! Crucify!” They cry out for His blood!
Pilate tells them, “No, He is innocent. You crucify Him.” knowing full well that they cannot legally do it.
2. Boast of our position. (vv. 7-11)
“Jews” – John’s word for religious leaders.
They tell him that according to Jewish law He must die since He claimed to be the Son of God.
v. 8 – This makes Pilate extremely nervous not because He is a believer but because as a pagan he believed in multiple gods and that sometimes the gods would come down and have babies with humans like in mythology thus creating demigods (part god-part man).
His wife has already told him according to Matthew 27 that Pilate should have nothing to do with Jesus because she had a bad dream about it.
So confronted with Jesus’ potential power and feeling his own slipping away, Pilate return to talk to Jesus.
v. 9 – “Where are you from?” Not what country or city, but rather are you even from earth?
Jesus gives no answer. One, this fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy that He would not open His mouth to His accusers. Two, Pilate is not sincerely seeking answers from Him. He has already sneered and asked “what is truth?” and left without waiting for an answer. He does not deserve to be answered. Jesus will not cast pearls before swine.
Jesus does not need to negotiate with the devil. It is too late for information to be shared with Pilate.
v. 10 – Pilate asserts his power. “Don’t you know who I am? I have the power of death and life.”
This is very much like the first lie in the garden that Satan gave to Eve.
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5
You will be like God. You will have power and thus Pilate plays that card on Jesus.
When we start to believe our own press clippings and think we have power and position we will do anything to keep it.
v. 11 – Jesus does not let that lie stand. He reminds Pilate and anyone else that will negotiate with the devil for power and position where it originates. “You do not have anything unless God gives it!”
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1
The other thing that is overlooked in all of this is that this was all part of God’s plan for the Son to suffer and die.
Pilate cannot do anything to Jesus that he wants; he can only
do to Jesus what God wants. Pilate is not free to harm our Lord unless this is God’s will. --Bob Deffinbaugh, pastor, Community Bible Chapel, Richardson, TX
Don’t ever forget that! You will make a deal with the devil to keep power if you think it comes from him. NO! It comes from God and Jesus reminds Pilate that those that have delivered Jesus to Pilate have the greater sin (namely the religious leaders).
3. Fear people more than God. (vv. 12-16)
Pilate then tries to do the right thing and release Jesus because He has reminded him of his source of power.
The devil and the Jewish religious leaders strike back at what they know will hurt the most. If you release Him then you are not Caesar’s friend. You are starting to think too highly of yourself, Pilate and we will tell Rome on you!”
There is the eternal struggle in one sentence: Do you do what’s right and follow God thus bringing displeasure to the world or do you please the world and displease God?
Here is the right answer demonstrated by Peter:
Saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:28-29
“When Pilate heard that…” He decides to try one more time to reason with the devil and his followers.
v. 13 - He brings Jesus to the elevated judgment seat outside the house. This illustrates the collusion between Jews and Romans.
Those who are offering the Passover lamb are the Jewish authorities in conjunction with the Gentile prefect, so that Jew and Gentile unite in offering the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
–S. Lewis Johnson (1915-2004), pastor, Believers Chapel of Dallas, TX
v. 14 – “Preparation Day” – The day before the Passover Sabbath.
“sixth hour” – 6 AM. John uses Roman time rather than Jewish time because His audience is Gentiles.
“Behold your King!” Again hoping they will spare Him.
v. 15 – Same response. “Away with Him. Crucify! Crucify!”
“You want me to kill your king?”
“We have no king but Caesar!” WOW! They have just turned their back on God. The very forces of Rome they have hated they now embrace. They wanted a political messiah to rescue them from Rome and now they pledge allegiance to Rome just to get rid of Jesus and break Pilate’s will.
v. 16 – It works! Pilate finally shakes hands with the devil and the negotiations are complete. He keeps his power, appeases the people, and turns his back on God. The other gospels tell us he asked for a bowl of water to wash his hands and deflect blame from himself for Jesus’ death.
“delivered Him” – But it was for us that God delivered Jesus.
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32
“led away” – as Isaiah promised like a lamb to slaughter.
Conclusion: Pilate made a choice. Rather than ask for God's grace, he asked for a bowl. Rather than invite Jesus to stay, he sent him away. Rather than hear Christ's voice, he heard the voice of the people. –Max Lucado, And the Angels were Silent
Today each of us also has a choice. We can choose to follow Jesus or the crowd. We must choose to stand and not appease. We must rely on God for power. We must choose to fear God and not people. Beware lest you begin to make “cowardly concessions”.
