Jesus stands before Roman’s highest and most powerful representative in Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. Pontus Pilate looks at Him with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. He absolutely hates being involved in these petty local squabbles. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asks. Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked Him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:34-38).
“If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews” (John 18:36). There is a profound irony in Jesus’ statement. It sounds hopeless, doesn’t it? “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews” (John 18:36). It sounds hopeless because no one is fighting for Him, is there? He has not only been handed over to the Jews but handed over to Pilate, who is the most powerful political and military authority in the region. And yet, Jesus is far from helpless or hopeless. “But as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). Jesus’ power and authority doesn’t come from Caesar or from Rome. “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3) … and who knows that better than Son of God Himself.
At the moment, Pilate believes that he is the most powerful man in the room … and in the eyes of world, he is right. As a Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate had the power of Rome, with all its wealth and military strength, backing him up. His duties as Prefect included such mundane tasks as setting and collecting taxes and managing construction projects … but his most crucial responsibility was that of maintaining law and order … and he was willing to do whatever he had to do in order to maintain his power and his control. What he couldn’t negotiate he would accomplish with brute force. His word was law and when he spoke, he spoke with the authority of Rome.
Standing before him was a “man” who didn’t seem like much of a threat. A carpenter from Nazareth. A wandering “prophet” with a few followers. As Jesus Himself admitted, no army to fight for Him, no one to defend Him. And yet, this innocuous carpenter, this prophet, who preached about the love of their Jewish god, this plain man performed acts of power beyond anything that Pilate or Caesar could possibly imagine. How many people had Pilate cured of leprosy? Or blindness? How many lame now walked the streets of Jerusalem or plowed their fields or plied their trades because Pillate had healed them? How many people had Pilate put to death, and how many had this plain-looking carpenter from Nazareth brought back to life? Pilate had the power of life and death over the body, but Jesus had the power of life and death over the soul.
“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3). The Jewish historian Philo described Pilate as a man and a politician who was “naturally inflexible … a blend of self-will and relentlessness” … a petty and unpredictable tyrant who was “vindictive and quick tempered.” He was cruel, corrupt, and inhuman … a mid-level politician with Jewish and Samaritan blood on his hands.
After interrogating Jesus, Pilate went back out to Jesus’ accusers and told them: “I find no case against Him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit … with Roman blood on his hands (John 18:38b-40).
Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they dressed Him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking Him in the face.
Pilate goes out for a third time and said to them: “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no case against Him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” (John 19:1-5). “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3).
When the chief priests and the police saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourself and crucify Him; I find no case against Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God” (John 19:6-7).
Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to Him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you know that I have the power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given to you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” (John 19:8-12).
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your king!” They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” Then he handed Him over to them to be crucified (John 19:13-16). “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3).
So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross by Himself, He went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them” (John 19:16b-18).
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, He said …, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to His mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, He said, “It is finished.” Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3).
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out (John 19:34-37).
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body (John 19:38).
Now there was a garden in the place where He was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there (John 19:41-42).
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and he believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that He must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes (John 20:1-10).
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher) (John 20:11-16).
[Read Psalm 146.]
“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish” (Psalm 146:3-4). The idea being expressed by the psalmist is not that princes or king or government leaders are unimportant and therefore not to be honored. Kings and princes, presidents and prime ministers are raised up by God and play a vital role in the civil kingdom where they exercise legitimate rule and authority. While Pilate believed that his power came from Rome, Jesus pointed out that Pilate would have no power over Him unless it had been given to him from above (John 19:11). Since kings and queens and presidents are raised up by God and play a vital role in the civil kingdom, the Apostle Paul proposed that “… supplications, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This,” says Paul, “is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved” … even rulers and politicians … “and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1st Timothy 2:1-3). Jesus said something along these same lines to Pilate … “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).
As Christians, we are commanded to honor our leaders … to pray for them … to obey them … except when they command us to do something that conflicts with the Word of God. We are to pray for our leaders … we are to honor our leaders and obey them … but Psalm 146 cautions us not to put our trust in them or praise them in the same manner in which we trust and praise God. As Christians, we can serve the king, we can serve the queen, the prince, the president, the prime minister, the governors, the mayors but not leaders like Caesar who claim to be divine themselves or dictators like Hitler or Stalin or Mao who claim power for themselves and try to maintain that power by any means possible.
You see, as the Apostle Paul points out in Romans 3:23 … “there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” ALL. Whether king or queen or prince or princess … whether president or prime minister … whether governor or mayor … ALL have fallen short of the glory of God … and ALL will one day have to stand shoulder to shoulder with us … the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker … before God on the Day of Judgment, amen? Many of the Caesars claimed to be gods … all of the Caesars are dead. Hitler … dead. Stalin … dead. Mao Zedong … dead. Napoleon … dead. King David … dead. King Solomon … dead. All the evil kings and leaders throughout history … dead. All the great kings and leaders throughout history … dead. All the evil and incompetent leaders alive today will one day be what? That’s right … dead. All the great and competent leaders alive today will one day be what? You got it … dead … which is why the psalmist warns us to take refuge in the Lord and not put our confidence in mortals … to take refuge in the Lord and not put our confidence in kings and queens, princes and princess who are mortal and will one day pass away and all their plans with them. We should not put our trust, our hope, our faith in those whom God has made but in the One … with a capital “O” … who created them, amen?
Guess what? This may surprise you. This may even shock you … but kings and queens, princes and princess, presidents and prime ministers, and political and military leaders at every level are [pause] sinners. That’s right. And like every sinner they are subject to the same curse that we are … death. They too will die and return to the same ground from which God formed them. Sin and death are no respecters of person because all of us are the fallen children of Adam and Eve. The greatest among us will die and be buried just like the least among us. On that day, says God through His prophet Isaiah, “No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected” (Isaiah 32:5).
Kings and princes, queens and princesses, presidents and prime ministers, political and military leaders at every level can do things to make life better for us … but when they die, the psalmist reminds us that their plans die with them. No matter how great … no matter how intelligent … no matter how wealthy … no matter how powerful they are … there is one thing that none of them can do … except One. Know what it is? Save us from our sin. Because ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God … everyone needs a Savior. King and queens and presidents cannot save us from our sins … they can’t even save themselves, amen? Not one of us … not one of us who have ever been … not one of us in existence now … not one of us who is to come … can save themselves or anyone else from their sin and the fate that results from our sin. Salvation from sin can only come as an invaluable, gracious gift from God … period! No king can decree it. No queen can acquire it. No president can legislate it. No court can demand it. No billionaire can buy it. No company can manufacture it. No bank can keep it on deposit in their safe.
But! … we are not hopeless. There is One who can decree it. There is One who has purchased it. “Happy are those,” says the palmist, “whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith” how long? “Forever!” (Psalm 146:5-6).
“Happy are those … whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Psalm 146:5-6). Humm … that sure sounds familiar, doesn’t? Humm … where have we heard this before? The Book of Genesis, maybe? In the beginning there was God, Elohim, and nothing else. And then Elohim created the heavens and the earth, everything that we see around us. Out of a handful of dirt He created us … and that which creates is always greater than that which it created. In other words, if God created us then there is no way in heaven or on earth that we can be greater than God who created us. Some would say that we created God out of our fear and our imagination … which would mean that we are the creator of God and that would make us greater than God … since God is not real and only the figment of our imagination. If that’s so, then who controls the orbit of the planets? Who determines how long a star will last? President Trump? President Trudeau? Prime minister Boris Johnson? Queen Elizabeth? Putin? Kim Jong-Un? Xi Jinping? Some of them might think that they control the universe but God, who created the heavens and the earth, who made the sea and the earth and filled it with life, He alone has ALL the power and ALL the control. He directs all things to fulfill the purpose for which He created them, amen? God is the maker and master and sustainer of everything … from the tiniest atom or particle of matter to the biggest, brightest, most powerful star in the universe. He holds the universe in the palm of His hand.
Whew! I don’t know about you but that takes my breath away and if I were to get honest, as much as I would like to think so … there really is no way that I can wrap my poor, little, limited brain around such a massive concept … which is why the author of Psalm 146 gives us some specific examples of God’s love for us, His creation, His craftsmanship, His handiwork. The God of Jacob, says the psalmist, gives food to the hungry … sets the prisoners free …. opens the eyes of the blind …lifts up those who are bowed down … watches over the strangers … upholds the orphan and the widow … executes justice for the oppressed (Psalm146:7-9).
Hummm … familiar words. Who pointed out these same qualities of God before? Oh yeah … the prophet Isaiah. “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lords’ favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit” (Isaiah 61:1-3a).
Okay, now … follow me on this. The author of Psalm 146 warns us not to put our trust in mortals in whom there is no help (v. 3) … when their breath departs, they return to the earth (v. 4). Where is Isaiah now? The words that he spoke, the words that I just read, they were not Isaiah’s words … they were the words of God speaking about Himself. And God Incarnate would speak those same words about Himself again.
In Luke 4, Jesus begins His public ministry by preaching in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth. He was asked to read from the scroll of Isaiah. “He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ And then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” (Luke 4:17b-21).
Isaiah could not fulfill these words, could he? The author of Psalm 146 couldn’t fulfill these words, could he? The Apostle Luke could not fulfill these words, could he? Why? Because they were mortal. Jesus, the Son of God, was able to declare that this scripture was fulfilled because He has the power to make these promises come true, amen? It is Emmanuel who executes justice for the oppressed. It is Emmanuel who feeds the hungry with manna from heaven or with a little boy’s lunch. It is the Son of God who has the power to set us free from the power of sin and death. It is Jesus who has the power to restore the sight of those living in physical and spiritual darkness. It is Jesus who will judge the righteous and the wicked and give them their just reward. It is Jesus who lifts up those who are bowed down during this crazy time … who continues to comfort the orphans and widows of this global pandemic … who will ultimately guide us through this mess and give us a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning … who will give us the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit so that we can carry on despite where the world and it’s leaders are trying to take us, amen?
Can you or I fulfill these promises? Of course not. We are also flesh and blood. We too are mortal and our plans will perish with us when we die. But Jesus is eternal … and so are His words, amen? He speaks to us through the Bible. His Spirit moves through the scriptures and opens our hearts and our minds to their meaning. The Bible is the bread of life. The Gospels have the power to set people free from their guilt and their sin. It is the Word and the teaching of Jesus that lifts up whose who are bowed down. It is Jesus who watches over the stranger and leads the pilgrim to the heavenly city of God. It is Jesus who makes us acceptable before our heavenly Father. It is Jesus who makes it possible for us to be a part of God’s family. It is Jesus who makes His righteousness freely available to all who seek it through faith.
It was Jesus … His mission, His ministry, His sacrifice on the cross … that secured and makes every one of the covenant blessings and curses in Isaiah 61 and Psalm 146 available to us all. He is the God of Jacob … He is the Lord who made Heaven and earth and all who live and reign on it … He is the great King … the King of kings … the Lord of lords … who lives and reigns with His Father in Heaven … for how long? “The Lord will reign forever … for all generations” (Psalm 146:10). Unlike princes and mortals whose breath departs … unlike presidents and prime ministers, who will return to the earth … unlike generals and governors and mayors, whose plans perish along with them … the Lord God reigns forever … for all generations. He became mortal … He died and returned to the earth … but that was not the end of Him or His reign, His power, His purposes, His plans … praise God, amen? Jesus is to be worshipped all our lives … until we breathe our last breath and return to the earth … and then we will worship Him for all eternity thanks to His sacrifice on the cross and His victory over the grave … over our sin … over death. Praise God!
Praise the Lord! What is the first verse of Psalm 146? Yep … you got it … “Praise the Lord!” What is the last verse of Psalm 146? Right again … “Praise the Lord!” Humm … the psalm begins with the command to praise the Lord and it ends with the command to praise the Lord. Do you think that was an accident? If it’s not an accident, then why would the author of Psalm 146 do that? To make a very significant point. “I will praise the Lord as long as I live” says the author, “I will sing praises to my God all my life long” (Psalm 146:2). And, since the Lord reigns forever, for all generations, we are able to praise the Lord for how long? That’s right … forever.
Like Psalm 146, which starts and ends by commanding us to “Praise the Lord,” we start our day with praise and we end our day with praise. We start praising Him and we never stop praising Him for the heavens and earth that He created … we start praising Him and we never stop praising Him for creating the life that fills the sea and covers the earth … we never stop praising Him for His justice … for the food He gives us … for the freedom … for giving us sight … for lifting us up … for watching over us … for taking care of those in need. We praise Him when He answers our prayers ... which should start out, like Psalm 146, with praising Him. We should praise Him for who His. We should praise Him for what’s He done … and what He continues to do.
Here’s what happens when we praise the Lord. We enter into what I call a “praise hermeneutical.” A hermeneutical is a circle that reinforces and validates itself. When it comes to praising the Lord, it looks like this. Why do I praise the Lord? I praise the Lord for who He is … the God of Jacob … creator of the heavens and earth and the sea and everything that lives and breathes on the face of the earth … and in praising Him for being the creator of the universe, I remind myself that He is, indeed, the creator of the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything that lives and breathes on the face of the earth … including me … which causes me to want to what? Praise the Lord! I praise the Lord for answering my prayers, which reminds me of all the prayers that God has answered which makes me want to what? Praise the Lord! By praising God for all the prayers that He’s answered, I have hope that He will continue to answer my prayers in the future just as He has answered all my prayers in the past … which gives me hope … and makes me want to what? Ahhh … you’re getting the hang of this. It makes me want to praise the Lord! You see where the psalmist is going here? You praise God for taking care of you … you praise the Lord for answering your prayers … you praise God for delivering you from your problems in the past … and the evidence of God’s work in your life increases your faith in Him and that faith gives you hope that He will continue to do the same in the future … which causes you to praise Him. You pray … He answers your prayer … you praise Him. You pray … He answers your prayer … you praise Him … and you end up like the psalmist praising God your whole life long … and, thanks to Jesus, even after that. That, my brothers and sisters, is what I call the “Hermeneutical of Praise.”
Now, I want to make one final observation before we wrap this all up. In the Hebrew, Psalm 146 starts out with one word and ends with one word. Psalm 147 starts with the same word and ends with the same word. Psalm 148 starts with the same word and ends with the same word. Psalm 149 starts and ends with same word. Psalm 150 starts and ends with the same word … and the entire Book of Psalms ends with this one word … “Hallelujah!”
Wait a minute now, Pastor, I see three words … “praise the Lord” … how does “hallelujah” … one word … become a sentence? Well, that’s the interesting thing about Hebrew. They sometimes combine words and parts of words to make up one word that is packed with meaning. The first part of the word “hallelujah” contains the word “hallel” … which means “praise.” The end of the word, “jah” is an abbreviation of the word “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” The “u” is there to hold it all together. “You” praise Jehovah. Actually, I made up the “u” representing “y-o-u” part … I couldn’t resist, sorry. The rest of it’s true.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord as long as you live.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord who will reign forever.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord for He is gracious.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord for His word to Jacob.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord all the earth … praise Him all the heavens.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord for His glory is above earth and heaven.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord in the assembly of the faithful.
Hallelujah … praise the Lord in His sanctuary.
Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord … hallelujah … amen?
Are you breathing right now? Well, then … let’s hear it!
Hallelujah … praise the Lord!
Hallelujah … hallelujah … hallelujah!
