We come to the fateful moment of decision for the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man, in his earthly sojourn—that moment when the judges among men are about to finally decide the fate of the One who will ultimately be their Judge for eternity. And we know, of course, it is going to be a fatal verdict in so many respects. It is going to the greatest mistake in human history, the greatest injustice ever done, the greatest crime ever committed, the greatest proof of mankind’s innate wicked nature and demonstration of the need for divine judgment upon the human race.
And at the same time, ironically, in the same moment and by the same action, only because of God’s sovereign grace and mercy, this horrific decision will be turned into the most stupendous and hopeful, life-giving series of events in the history of the cosmos. For it all happened as the Apostle Peter would later claim that Jesus Christ would be delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God to be nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men to be put to death. A death that at the same time it was a horrendous crime also became the salvation of all who would come to faith in Christ as their savior, a death which would result in Christ’s resurrection from the dead and will yet result in the resurrection from the dead of all who believe.
And this morning we’re going to focus on the actions of one man, a mere man, upon whom the Judgment of the Ages fell, one Pontius Pilate who in his own right entered into a very bizarre and unexpected set of circumstances. He was an ambitious and corrupt Roman political and social climber who had been given an assignment as governor of a seemingly insignificant, distant province of Rome which went by the name of Judea,—a province infamous for its zealous followers of a strange monotheistic religion who had repeatedly bucked authority and been the site of frequent insurrections against Roman authority. For it was this man, Pontius Pilate, who in the midst of his governorship over Judea would now encounter Someone he would never forget; someone who had come from another world, another time, another place, whose very existence was a matter of legendary speculation, whose responsibility it was for Pilate to judge. And at this point, in a sense, Pilate entered his own personal twilight zone of confusion, fear, vacillation and a fatal and fateful verdict.
What we learn from this morning is how not to decide about Jesus, how not to respond when faced with critical spiritual decisions which will affect our future as well as those of many others.
So this morning, I want you to consider the serious decisions you face in your life, or maybe some you have already made which need to be revisited. In light of the principles about to be revealed through the mistake of Pontius Pilate, in the course of his vacillations, perhaps God will reveal a new direction for you, in which you consider not the typical ways of evil men, or of the world, but of righteousness and truth as it is found in Jesus Christ.
For what we’re talking about this morning is what to do, and what not to do, when the buck, the spiritual buck stops with you.
Now last week we left off at the end of John 18. Pilate has already interviewed Jesus very early in the morning, somewhere between 3 and 6 a.m., at the behest of the Chief Priests of the Jews who have already condemned Jesus to death for his blasphemy of claiming to be the Son of God. But they have abandoned that charge for other trumped-up charges that would be a violation of Roman Law. Pilate has concluded that he can find no guilt in Jesus and seeks to release him as part of a traditional favor of releasing a condemned Jewish Prisoner for the Jews at the Passover. But the Jewish crowd outside his palace would have none of it; they cry out for Jesus’ crucifixion and choose to receive a robber, murderer and insurrectionist, Barabbas, instead of Jesus.
Having listened to the crowd’s rejection of Jesus, and knowing that Jesus is not guilty, he now embarks upon another strategy to placate the Jews and still release Jesus. It’s found in John 19:1: Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him.” What this means is that Pilate sent him to be punished, by flogging or whipping. He was hoping by inflicting some kind of punishment upon Jesus, even a severe judgment, the Jews would be satisfied, and he could avoid crucifying an innocent man.
Now, as many of you know, scourging or flogging a man, was a very serious punishment. The whip consisted of many cords to which glass, lead and bone fragments were attached with the intent of creating severe lacerations or stripes on the victim’s body with every lashing. And this is what Isaiah’s prophetic phrase, “by his stripes we are healed” refers to. By Christ’s suffering for our sins, we are healed of our sins. Jewish law limited such floggings to 39 lashes; Roman law did not set a limit upon the number of lashings—they could go on as long as the soldier responsible for the flogging did not grow tired. Each lash could remove much skin and flesh, cause great bleeding, and at times the bones and the visceral parts of victims were exposed in the process, and victims often died as a result of the scourging itself. However Jesus survived it, only then to be mocked, punched and brutalized by a group of Roman soldiers, who, while probably bored with their assignment in a foreign land had nothing better to do than to entertain themselves by mutilating and verbally abusing Jesus, as they had no doubt done to other prisoners.
And all this was happening to an innocent man, a man who was not merely innocent of the charges leveled against him, and known to be innocent, but a man who was innocent of any and every sin. What an incredible injustice all by itself, not to mention what was coming.
So how did this incredible injustice come about; how was it that a man already judged as not guilty should be subjected to such incredibly brutal treatment? It was a crime in itself already and the ultimate punishment was yet to come. How did it come to pass? It all came to pass because Pilate listened to the crowd. Pilate listened to the world. He listened to the wicked and sinful and merciless voices of the world, and he did their bidding rather than what he knew to be right.
And that’s gives us our first point this morning. When it comes to deciding about Jesus, or making any significant spiritual decision, and most big and many small decisions are just that—significant spiritual decisions, don’t listen to the crowd. Don’t listen to the world. You know why? Because you’ve got to consider the source of such counsel. You’ve got consider that mankind, apart from the fear of God, is wicked, is corrupt through and through, that mankind, and especially the world, is not concerned generally with what is right, but is fueled by the lust of they eyes, the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life. And when it comes to what is right and just, men do not want to be confused with the facts, or the commandments, because they already know how they want to live—sinfully, wickedly, for themselves, no matter what it means to others. Don’t ever allow yourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security that the world in general, the crowd--especially a crowd with a mob mentality--knows best, or speaks on behalf of God and justice, for God has already made a declaration with regard to the true nature of mankind and the world: Romans 3:10-12: “There is none righteous, not even one, There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is no one who does good, there is not even one.” Following the crowd, doing the norm, when it comes to major spiritual decisions, and even minor ones, is a huge mistake. If ever there was testimony to this truth, it was the actions of the chief priests and the Jews against Jesus on this fateful morning. And there were also the actions of degenerate, demonic, perverted Roman soldiers. And ultimately there would be the verdict of Pilate Himself. O, if only Pilate could tell his story from the perspective of eternity and Whom He knows is His judge this morning, what could we learn about the folly of listening to the crowd, and following the world?
So Pilate brings the battered, bloodied, bruised and abused Jesus out in his mock robes and with his crown of thorns in verses 4 and 5 and again announces to the Jewish chief priests and their officers that he finds no guilt in him. He’s hoping that there will be some sense of pity, some sense of mercy, that perhaps even one voice among them will now cry out for mercy and allow him to dismiss this poor innocent man. And He says, “Behold, the Man.” And that voice and those words echo out into eternity. They echo into the halls of even Risen King Community Church this morning. Behold, the man who was God, behold how he suffered for our sins, yours and mine. No, He died not for his own sins. Even a foreign, corrupt procurator could discern that. But now eternity echoes that truth, that this Man, the Son of God, suffered and died for the sins you and I and the world of mankind committed against Him and against one another, and against righteousness in a world ruled ultimately by a righteous and just God.
But is there even one voice of reason, even one voice concerned about justice, or mercy, or compassion upon the innocent at that critical point? No, not one, not even one to cause any hesitation about the brutal injustice being done to the one who had fully demonstrated He was indeed the Son of God. There is none righteous, no, not even one. None who are good. All have together turned aside and become useless. What a testimony these men were of the truth of those eternal words. All the voices in verse six cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” And Pilate in frustration said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him,” knowing full well that Roman Law would not allow the Jews such a luxury.
And then the Jews, aware that their trumped-up charges of crimes Jesus had committed against Rome had failed, revert to the real charge upon which they had convicted Jesus of--blasphemy. Verse 7: “The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and by that law He ought to die, because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.’” In other words, never mind that the principles of Roman Law were not violated. Never mind that we lied in the first place about why we delivered Jesus up to for crucifixion. Blow off all those principles of jurisprudence and righteousness. Look, we have our reasons, and we want Him crucified no matter what you think, or what the law actually requires. And verse 8 tells us at this point Pilate was even more afraid when he heard these words.
Now here we have another lesson: the importance of judging by principle, not popularity. Prefer Principle over Popularity. Prefer to make decisions by principles, rather than who you know better, or like more. Don’t practice partiality. Practice justice and righteousness. Here is another example of where we can go wrong in our judgments, in our decision-making, and deciding about those critical spiritual issues which come before us every day, and sometimes come before us in boatloads even as they did upon Pontius Pilate on this day. You’ve got to go by righteous principles, justice and truth, not by personal preference and popularity. As I mentioned last week, you’ve got to live your life by the questions “What is the truth?” and What is righteousness?” Otherwise you will surely be led astray by the wicked whims of personal preference and affection wrongly placed. Pilate here sees that these Jews who are calling for Christ’s crucifixion care nothing about the principles of truth and righteousness. They have lied about the charges they have brought against Jesus and now reveal the truth about their charges. Pilate is so distracted by their vehement calls for Christ’s execution and his own personal fears and concerns, that justice and righteousness and the rule of Roman law are forgotten. Rather mob rule, his fear of the influence of the Jews and a sudden realization that he might well be dealing with a personality who was truly greater than anyone He might have imagined now begins to tear at Him. He finds himself in a double-bind with no good option before him. For if the Jews are that vehement and determined in their opposition to his release of this strange man, what kind of trouble might they cause him—would they riot if he did not bow to their desires. On the other hand, he had just received a note from his wife telling him, according to Matthew 27:19 that she had suffered much in a dream because of this man, and that he should have nothing to do with this righteous man. And now the Jews in their desperation have come forth with an even more startling revelation—this Jesus whom they wanted crucified, had claimed to be not merely a king, but the Son of God.
Now while Pilate was not for a moment inclined to follow Jesus, he had made that clear, he was superstitious. He had heard legends of Roman gods who had become men—sons of gods who dwelt among men. And this Jesus, as strange as He seemed, was somehow majestic in his bearing, never out-of-character even in the worst of circumstances, beaten, brutalized, abused in every way, on trial for his life, but never lacking composure, never breaking character, somehow even seeming in control of His circumstances, even above them, even as they wildly oscillated out of control for Pilate. Who was this man? Where was He from? What kind of consequences could Pilate possibly be bringing upon himself if he judged this case wrongly, if he had anything to do with the crucifixion of Jesus, even as his wife had been warned? Suddenly, the stakes were higher for him and his future than he had ever imagined.
Would popular opinion rule with regard to his verdict, or would just and righteous principles prevail?
And so often this is the choice for us when under pressure, when facing the opinions of our peers, and their injustice, versus the principles and precepts of Scripture. What will you choose when you’re under pressure—when maintaining the approval of your peers weighs heavily, almost unbearably so against following the principles and precepts of Truth and Righteousness and the Word of God?
The Book of James speaks on this matter in chapter 2, first in verse one: “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.” And then again in verse nine: “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
You may not know it, but even Christians, even otherwise dedicated Christians in Biblical churches most often make critical spiritual choices when push comes to shove in church disputes based, not on the principles of God’s Word, but on personal favoritism, on the choices and encouragements of their friends, rather than what is right. Even among believers in Biblical churches, the mob mentality can rule to the point of destruction of well-meaning spiritual leaders. Yours truly can testify to that; it’s happened more than once.
And, so, under tremendous pressure, Pilate, if only temporarily, make a right move. He decides to talk to Jesus, to listen to what He has to say; to seek wisdom from wisdom personified, He who is wisdom Himself. He enters the Praetorium once again with Jesus and according to verse 9, asks Him, “Where are you from?” This, after all, is turning into a critical factor in the decision that Pilate will make. Oh no, he’s not interested in following Jesus, but he is concerned about crossing Him, if there is any truth at all to Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God, if there is any reason at all to heed his wife’s nightmarish warning.
But Jesus refused to answer. Why? I think it’s because he has already answered the question, and Pilate was not open to receiving the answer. It had happened back in verses 37 and 38 when Jesus had revealed that his kingdom was not of this world. In other words, Pilate should already know that Jesus is not from this world, that he is from another world, and another kingdom—He is indeed from the realm of Almighty God. And that’s the way it is for any of us who seek wisdom but with a double-minded heart. We accept from God only what we find acceptable rather than submitting to his wisdom in recognition that He is God and therefore our Lord. And when we refuse to accept, believe and follow God’s wisdom, God stops cooperating as well. Seek His wisdom if you will, but He will not provide it again, knowing that you would not receive it even if He did.
And Jesus unresponsiveness so frustrates and insults the now desperate Pilate that he asserts His authority over Jesus’ destiny in order to motivate Jesus to answer: Verse 10: “So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’” And then and only then Jesus responds in such a way that only reinforces Pilate’s superstitious concern that condemning Jesus could be a very bad move in the long run: Verse 11: “ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above, for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greatest sin.’”
And here we have the greatest consideration with regard to any significant decision or choice we make in life, especially with regard to whether we believe and follow Jesus or not. And that is, what does Jesus think about it? What would Jesus do? And what would constitute sin against Him?
And here, as an aside, we encounter another issue—that there are indeed degrees of sin, some sins are greater than others, and some sins will incur a greater judgment than others. And the sin of Caiaphas the Jewish high priest, in this matter of the crucifixion of the Son of God, was greater than that of Pilate, because, Caiaphas, as a Jew, knowing the Scriptures, knew better and thus was much more culpable for his sin, than a Gentile, Pilate, even though he now knew enough. More than that, He knew Jesus to be the author of life, having acknowledged in John 11 that Jesus had indeed raised Lazarus from the dead.
And so our third point this morning. When it comes to those critical spiritual decisions you must make, especially those which affect your spiritual destiny and others—Make Jesus and sins against Him your main concern. Because this one, who was about to be judged unjustly, will ultimately be your judge, and determine your destiny.
And Pilate for a moment takes heed to Jesus’ words. He seeks all the more to release Him, and the text doesn’t tell us all the extremes he goes to in an effort not to be guilty of the execution of this potential Son of God. But He still has the Jews to deal with, and even though He despises them, his immediate welfare depends on placating them.
The Jews oppose Him, and in verse 12 they deliver the telling blow. They effectively threaten to accuse him of rebellion and sedition against Caesar if he does not comply with their wishes. And the Caesar on the throne at that time was none other than one of the most paranoid of all Caesars, Caesar Tiberius, who could not only depose Pilate, but even order the death penalty for him if it could be proven he was sympathetic to treason.
Verse 12: As a result of this, Pilate made efforts to release Jesus, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” Therefore, when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out before the Jews once again, introduced him sarcastically as the King of the Jews, and after hearing once more their insistent cries to crucify Jesus, finally, in verse 16, He handed Jesus over to be crucified.
And finally, Pilate demonstrates what is often the fatal flaw in our human decision-making process--we fear men more than God. Ultimately, Pilate feared the consequences of possibly displeasing Caesar Tiberius more than he feared the consequences of murdering the Son of God. It is indeed as the Scriptures tells in Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.”
But Jesus had told the truth earlier in His ministry, a truth we are all wise to heed as we are faced with choices about Jesus and life: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
And so our final point this morning, when the pressure’s on, and critical, life-changing spiritual decision must be made. Fear God, not men. Fear Him who cannot merely kill the body but can destroy body and soul in hell.
O Pilate did his best to shift the blame to the Jews, to deny any personal responsibility or guilt for Jesus’ fate. He even went to the trouble of bowing to a Jewish tradition to deny responsibility for his judgment, his decision. He took a basin of water and washed his hand of the matter in front of the crowd, saying in Matthew 27:24, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood, see to that yourselves”
But in his heart of hearts he knew the truth: The buck had stopped with Him, and he had made a fatal judgment against the Son of God, who would one day stand in judgment of him.
And that’s precisely the situation for each of us this morning, in whatever spiritual choices which have come our way. For we are responsible, we cannot escape responsibility, no matter how hard we try. For not to decide is to decide.
And for some of you this morning, Jesus stands before you as the Son of God and Your Savior, and the question has come; What will you do with Jesus? Will you reject Him, for all the wrong reason as Pilate did, or will you receive Him as the one who died for your sins and rose again to prove He is your Savior and Lord.
Yes, the buck has stopped with you. You can’t pass it on.
Let’s pray.
