“Three Things Jesus Was Guilty Of”
“Then Pilate gave Jesus to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away. Carrying the cross by himself, Jesus went to the place called Skull Hill (in Hebrew, Golgotha).” John 19:16-17
Intro: Just outside of Jerusalem, on the road leading into the Holy City, is a place called Skull Hill. The Romans used this highly visible place, to make an example to the people by many executions. The condemned man was forced to carry his cross along the main street to the execution site as a warning to other people. Crucifixion was an ugly, painful and slow death by suffocation because the weight of the body caused blood and water to surround the heart and fill the lungs until the person could no longer breathe and they drowned in their own fluids.
Today we are going to go back to the things leading up to Jesus arrest and trial and crucifixion of Jesus. There were several things the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, people at the temple and religious teachers, the temple guards, the priest accused Jesus of breaking the law. They and their witnesses could not agree on any of them and they could not prove Jesus had broken any of the laws.
But Jesus did confess that he was guilty of three things. Jesus confessed that he was guilty of:
I. Healing on the Sabbath
“Jesus replied, “I worked on the Sabbath by healing a man, and you were offended.” John 7:21
On the Sabbath Jesus is in the synagogue teaching. The enemies of Jesus watched him closely. They were fault finders looking for ways to judge and criticize Jesus and even condemn him to death. Jesus noticed a man with a misshaped withered hand. Since it was the Sabbath, everyone was watching to see if Jesus would heal in the Synagogue on this Holy Day. Jesus commanded the deformed man to come and stand in front of everyone.
Jesus turned to his critics and asked, is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, is it a day to save life or destroy it? But they would not answer him.
It’s interesting that Mark describes Jesus as getting “angry” here with the Pharisees. Jesus knew their hard hearts and could see their uncaring attitudes. Anger itself is not wrong. It depends upon what you do with your anger that makes it right or wrong. You can get angry at someone and talk about them and criticize them and express that anger in selfish and destructive and harmful ways. Or you can take your anger and use that energy to correct a problem and be part of a constructive solution rather than tear people down. So if you are guilty of the wrong kind of anger then you need to be on this altar and ask God to forgive you of the gossip and slurs and saying bad things about people. Ask God to give you the words and actions and strength to say good and do good and to heal. In Matthew 12 “Jesus said, anyone would had one sheep and it fell into a well on the Sabbath wouldn’t you get to work and pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep!” In Luke 6: Jesus looks at them “one by one.”
So, Jesus reaches out his hand. Jesus reaches out to the deformed. Jesus reaches out to the withered. Jesus reaches out to me and you. And he heals and makes normal again the broken, the shattered, the damaged, the ruined, the destroyed, the defeated, the lost, the abandoned, the crushed, the dispirited, and the withered and not working lives.
The Pharisees and Jews were adamant about their church and religious traditions. Keeping the Old Testament laws was more important than changing lives and helping people.
But many believers expected the messiah to do miracles and signs. So they began to follow Jesus. “When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were murmuring such things, they and the leading priest, sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.” John 7:32 (Though they did not arrest him then because it was not yet his time.)
But later when Jesus did stand trial though they accused him of many things that were unlawful they could not prove any crime or find any fault in him. One thing Jesus was guilty of was healing on the Sabbath. Today Jesus wants to heal you. Will you let him?
Jesus confessed that he was guilty of:
II. Being a friend of sinners
“As Jesus was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.” John 8:3
Another Sabbath day Jesus is in the synagogue teaching. The crowd soon gathered and sat down as he taught them. Again the enemies of Jesus were trying to trap him into saying or doing something they could use against him. They brought before Jesus a situation that by law the mandatory penalty for this crime required this person be stoned. They put her in front of the crowd. The accusers of this woman quoted the bible. They read the Law of Moses. They kept insisting that Jesus condemn this sinner. They demanded a response and answer from Jesus, “What do you say?”
Think about all the whispers, and looks and secret talking behind the back and all the judging and finger pointing. Think about how much negative energy must have been at that church service. Jesus once said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Matthew 7
It is still that way today there are a lot of “plank-eyed” Christians who spend way too much time and energy on putting other people down instead of lifting other people up. We need to be about saving the sinner not judging the sinner. After all who are you to talk about anybody or judge anyone else? Your sins are just a dirty and smell just as bad to God as anyone else's sin.
Christ teaches us to be friends with the sinner. You can’t be a friend of the sinner and witness the love of Jesus and the saving grace of the cross if you are full of negative energy. If you have a condemning attitude. If you have a judging spirit about you. So when you are guilty of pointing a finger at somebody else just remember there are three more fingers pointing right back at you. So if you are guilty of the negative energy or of talking bad about someone, or of pointing fingers are other people or of thinking you are perfect, or of taking pleasure in the sins of others. Then you need to bring that kind of attitude to the altar and ask God to forgive you of negative thinking, negative words, tearing people down, hurting people, judging others, taking pleasure in the sins of others. Ask God to remind you of where you have come from. To remind you of the sins you are guilty of. To show you the Grace God has shown unto you so that you can use your testimony to witness to the lost. To tell others you have been there and empathize with their struggles. To tell others that you know how difficult it can be to crawl out of a pit, to climb out of a hole, to walk out of a dessert. But thanks to the friend you have in Jesus you have been set free. You have been delivered. You have been rescued. You have joy of salvation. You don’t have the spirit of condemnation but the Holy Spirit of salvation!
So Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground in the dust with his finger. And said, “Let the one without sin, cast the first stone.” By doing so Jesus could not be accused of being against the law. But by saying that only a sinless person could throw the first stone Jesus gave the example of compassion and forgiveness. When the accusers heard this they slipped away one by one. From the oldest, to the youngest. Every person in the room was able to understand the message of Jesus.
Finally, Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. And Jesus said to his new friend. “Neither do, I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” John 8
The Pharisees and temple prefects accused Jesus of making many false claims. When Jesus stood on trial though they accused him of being unlawful they could not prove any crime or find any fault in him.
Another thing Jesus was guilty of was being a friend of sinners. Today Jesus wants to be your friend.
Will you accept his deliverance? Will you believe in his friendship? Will you become a friend of Jesus?
That day they tried to have Jesus arrested. “But Jesus was not arrested because his time had not yet come.” John 8:20 (Though they did not arrest him then because it was not yet his time.)
Jesus confessed that he was guilty of:
III. Claiming to be Son of God
“Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them.” John 10:39
Once again on the Sabbath Jesus is in the synagogue teaching. The religious leaders surround Jesus at the Temple. Only this time Jesus is the one at the center of the crowd. The Jewish leaders pick up stones to kill Jesus. The charge is ‘making himself a god.’
Franklin Graham said that being born the son of Billy Graham did not make him a Christian. Just like being raised in a church, the prayers of your parent or grandparents, nor memorizing Scripture, nor doing good deeds do not make you a Christian. But it takes complete and total surrender of your life to Jesus. Confessing and repenting of your sins, asking God to forgive you and finally trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Only then will you become a Christian. Only then are you born again through the life-giving work of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 7 Jesus says, “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. On the Day of Judgment many will say, Lord, Lord, we have prophesied in your name and cast our demons in your name and performed miracles in your name. But Jesus will reply, “I am sorry, I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of iniquity.”
Jesus exposed those people who surrounded him with religion. And said, you have to have a personal relationship with him, Jesus.
Friends we are all on trial. Judgment day is coming. We will either be judged for our sins or rewarded for our faith. The reward is eternal life in heaven with God. Last week you may have heard that Emmanuel Church baptized 70 plus people. What you may not have heard is that about half of those people were church folk. People who had been in church for years and years but they had never really accepted Jesus into their life and turned that life over to be controlled of the Holy Spirit. You can come to church Sunday after Sunday and sit in the pew week after week. But if you have never been born again, you are going to die lost.
I can’t think of anything worse than to have gone through the motions but never really had a change of heart.
To not have any fire in the soul. To not have any happiness in the spirit. To die lost inside the church.
If you haven’t noticed the world is dying lost. When the world is going to hell in a hand basket
The church needs to be offering them heaven.
That means that you and I have to become part of the Gospel story. We can no longer afford to sit by and do nothing. You can’t make the excuse, “Let somebody else do it.” You can’t say evangelism is somebody else’s job.
Jesus commands us in the Great Commission to “Go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:18 There is no such thing as staying the same in the church.
Jesus does give us the example of being radical. He healed on the Sabbath. He was a friend to sinners.
He claimed to be the Son of God.
“Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them.” John 10:39 (Though they did not arrest him then because it was not yet his time.)
But when Jesus did stand before Pilot on trial, He proved that he was who he said he was. Jesus was not guilty of breaking any laws or committing any acts of sin. But He was guilty of Healing on the Sabbath. He was guilty of being a Friend of Sinners. He was guilty of being the Son of God.
He offered proof on the cross when he transferred the sins of the world, my sins and your sins and onto himself on the cross.
Closing: Let me tell you what Jesus can do for you. He can heal. He can be your friend. He can be your savior and your God. Are you willing to be healed delivered? Do you have an ongoing relationship with Jesus?
Are you a friend of Jesus? Does your life proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God to others? Jesus proved who he said he was. Can you prove who you say you are? Jesus said He came for the hurting, the poor, the brokenhearted, and the sinners.
