Introduction: Probably most of the adults here have at one time or another been called up for jury duty, and many here have probably served on a jury once or several times. I found it quite interesting yet very sobering the one time so far that I served on a jury. When you listen to testimony you trust that you are being given truthful statements about the case. You also know that the courtroom situation is a sober one, with dignity and decorum reigning. Of course, this is not always what happens but it is every judge’s responsibility and desire to see such taking place in his/her courtroom.
We have been studying probably the most famous trial in all the world and for all time - the trial of Jesus Christ. It is the type of trial that I’m certain that most judges would not have liked to much. It is a trial where the people want to “railroad” the person they want judged and executed through the system and get it over with. It is a trial where the truth does not seem to matter too much. It is a trial where the principle people, other than the convicted, are butting heads all the way through. It is a trial where one side wants to do the right thing up to a point, while the other side doesn’t care if the law is followed or not.
The convicted, Jesus, has seen Caiphas, Annas, Pilate, Herod, and now back to Pilate. Pilate has been trying to determine if there is any truth to the accusation that has been leveled against the man before him - that he claims to be the king of the Jews. He has come to the conclusion that this accusation “holds no water”, and attempts to get this man’s accusers to reconsider when given the option of having this man released for a thief and killer released. They chose the thief and killer. Pilate then resorted to scourging the man and humiliating the man so that his accusers will lose interest and agree that he has been punished enough. As we studied last week, Pilate brought Jesus out in this humbled and pitiful state and told the people “Behold the man.” This is where we will pick up the trial this AM.
I. The Infuriated Religious--19:6a
Illustration: We have probably all seen programs on TV about sharks. One of the traits of sharks is to pack up when they sense blood in the water. It leads to a feeding frenzy and can be a dangerous time to get into the water, though some brave souls do so. The fresh blood in the water attracts them, and excites them. They are not looking to show comfort for their intended victims.
This characteristic of sharks reminds me of the way the chief priests and officers responded to Pilate’s request to “Behold the man.” I see their response in two ways:
A. No humbleness
1. As I stated just a little while ago, Pilate, I believe, hoped that these people would turn from their illegal request once they saw Jesus as having been tortured and humbled by the Roman soldiers. He hoped that this action on the part of the Romans against one of their own would satisfy them and this would all blow over. Of course it didn’t.
2. Like sharks, as soon as they saw Jesus in his blooded state they turn against Him once again.
3. They appear to be “past feeling” in their ability to show any humbleness or compassion at this point. They want blood and they mean to get blood.
4. The apostle Paul uses these two words, “past feeling” in Eph. 4:17-19 in speaking of those who are outside of Jesus Christ. Listen to what it says, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
5. When a person is past feeling they have come to the place where they have consciously closed their heart and mind to show any concern or care for another or even for their own life of sin. They have hardened their heart to such a place that nothing affects them any longer.
6. This is certainly a sad condition to be in, but it takes place as a result of the conscious decisions of the person in such a state. They have time after time reject that which could have spared them falling into this state but they didn’t care.
7. This world is full of folks who are “past feeling” in regard to their sinful condition before God. They may be religious people but their religion has not brought them peace and joy because they have hardened their heart to the truth.
B. Only Hate
1. These infuriated religious people give vent to their hatred of Jesus Christ by demanding that Pilate crucify Jesus.
2. These people wanted Jesus to not only die, they wanted Him to suffer for a long time on a cross and then die. I did some reading from a man’s work on the web where he discussed the process of death on a cross. His supposition is that death came slowly, up to 36 hours, on a cross. He quoted records to people who hung on a cross that long and longer before finally dying.
3. These religious people must have really hated Jesus to want Him to die in this manner, but remember, they are “past feeling” in all this.
4. Also, take note of the two words, “cried out” It means a boisterous shout, usually by a crowd of people. This isn’t the only time we find these two words being used during this trial of Jesus. Notice John 19:12,15. It is also the same words used of the way the religious leaders responded to Stephen’s message before them just before they took him out and stoned him to death in Acts 7:57. These same two words are used in Acts 19:28 when the people of Ephesus rioted in support of their false god, Diana.
5. There is a mob mentality at work here at this trial of Jesus. It happens every time you get a large group of people together and have a few ringleaders about who incite this crowd into a frenzy over one issue or another. Once they are all worked up they will begin to shout the same phrase over and over again. They will become louder and louder as they become more and more inflamed by the whole situation.
6. It certainly is sad to see those who should have known the truth leading the fight against the truth. Their hatred and animosity for Jesus clouded their minds to all that the OT scriptures said about their Messiah. What is also sad is that down through the centuries of the Church Age, it has been so-called religious leaders, especially of the Roman Catholic Church, who have stepped front and center to remove those who have stood for the truth found in the scriptures. It was the Catholic church leaders who invoked and inflamed the fires of the Inquisition in Europe. It is often still the RCC leaders in various countries where the RCC church rules among the people that help turn their people against believers and have even been behind the death and murder of many Christians. Why? Well, I’m sure that in many cases they truly believe they are doing good, but in many cases it is simply a fact that they do not want anyone encroaching on their territory and their power structure, just as the religious leaders of Jesus day felt threatened by Him.
Application: Before we go on to the second point of this message, it needs to be said that before we came to Christ we too would have lent our support and voice to the cries going up to heaven that day of “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” It was our sins that put Him on the cross, so too, it would have been our voices that cried out for His death.
II. The Indignant Roman -- 19:6b “Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.”
At first glance this appears to be a rather strange thing for this man to say. It appears that Pilate has sunk to some new lows. I comes across as if Pilate is saying, “Go ahead and kill him, even though I don’t really believe he has done anything that deserves death.” But like many things, the first impression is not always the right one. The same is true here, I believe. Pilate’s statement is full of sarcasm. He is saying, “Go ahead and take him and crucify him, if you dare!” Pilate knew that they had no legal grounds to kill Jesus themselves, and that they wouldn’t do it by crucifixion - that was a Roman means of executing criminals. Pilate also knew their laws and had heard what they said in John 18:31 READ. Pilate mocks their powerlessness to really take Jesus and kill him unless he, Pilate, gives the go ahead. If your still wondering if this is the proper way to understand this statement of Pilate’s then try to understand why the Jews say what they do in verse 7. If he really meant for them to take Jesus and kill him, they would have done it - that is what they wanted to do with Jesus.
So what is Pilate indignant about here? Well, to be quite frank, probably the same things you would be indignant about if you were in his shoes.
1. The lawless clamoring that is taking place with this crowd.
2. The fact that they have been challenging his decisions every step of the way.
3. Their insistence that he commit judicial murder for them.
Before we move on to the third point of this message, I would like to comment on Pilate’s continuing statement, “I find no fault in him.” We know what Pilate meant - this man has not done anything that deserves Rome to kill him. But as in the statement we examined last week - “Behold the man” - Pilate said things that he did not fully understand or that can be seen in another light from the rest of God’s Word. Pilate did not realize that when he said this man was without fault he was telling the truth but in a way not even Pilate could have comprehended then. This man, Jesus, because he was also God in flesh, as we will see in a moment, was in fact, sinless. Listen to these verses from the N.T. that vouch for that statement.
1. John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
2. 1 Peter 2:21,22 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
3. 1 John 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
The One who had no fault, no sin, died for each of us here who have many faults, who are born sinners. Have you placed your faith and trust in Jesus who died for your sins?
III. The Insincere Righteous--19:7
The Jews picked up on Pilate’s sarcasm concerning their impotence in doing anything about killing Jesus. It is clear that they understood the biting irony of what Pilate told them, for if he had not meant it they would have simply taken Jesus and killed him themselves and reveled in this bonus that had dropped into their laps. But since this is not what Pilate meant they unleash another one of their weapons on Pilate with the hopes that they will get their way. They are not about to back down at this point. Since you dared us to break one of your Roman laws, we now dare you to break one of our Jewish laws. You are suppose to keep the peace in the land where you are the governor and that includes taking into account the laws of the peoples you are over. I know I have added all this but it is implied in all that is taking place here.
There are two points that stand out in this verse about these insincere self-righteous people.
A. They are insincere legally--19:7a
1. As we saw in earlier messages, these Jewish religious leaders had abandoned the normal legal steps when bringing charging and trying a person. Now all of a sudden their laws are very important to them when they feel threatened by Pilate in their underhanded scheme to rid themselves of Jesus. The emphasis in their statement is found in the first part of their statement to Pilate - “We have a law...” What law were they referring to? It is found in Leviticus 24:16 “And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.”
2. “Pilate, he broke our law and our law requires that he die. You need to take into account our law here, Pilate.” But did you notice something odd here when I was reading Lev. 24:16? Their law demanded that the person who blasphemed God should be stoned to death, and yet just a minute or so before they were screaming at Pilate to crucify Jesus. Stoning to death and being crucified to death are two different ways to put somebody to death. Yes, the end result is the same, but if you are going to be consistent in following your laws and demanding that others follow your laws, then you should follow your own laws.
Application: I realize that I cannot make an exact application to us here, but I believe I can make an application in the area of being consistent and sincere in our actions and words. I wonder how often we have told somebody how they ought to live for the Lord, and then turned around and did not do what we told them to do? Maybe we didn’t tell them but we thought it, and judged them in our heart, and yet we ourselves did not conform in our own lives to what we expected the other person to be doing. That is hypocrisy, folks. God hates hypocrisy.
B. They are incompetent doctrinally--19:7b
A check of all the gospel accounts of Jesus’ arrest and trial shows that these religious leaders brought seven indictments against Him. Here they are:
1. Threatened to destroy the Temple--Matt.26:61
I think we can understand this. If somebody said that they were going to blow up the Capital building in Washington, D.C. we should take them seriously and report them to the authorities so that it could be looked into. In the case of Jesus, He had already explained what He meant by destroying the temple - He was not talking about the literal stone building Temple; rather, He was referring to His flesh and blood body temple.
2. Being a malefactor--John 18:30
3. Perverting the nation--Lk. 23:2
4. Forbidding to give tribute to Caesar--Lk. 23:2
5. Stirring up the people--Lk. 23:5
6. Being a king--Lk. 23:2
And now the seventh accusation is leveled unjustly against Jesus:
7. Making Himself to be the Son of God--Jn. 19:7
It is this last accusation which they bring that shows these religious leaders to be doctrinally incompetent. What do I mean by making this harsh statement? I mean that these religious leaders had refused to accept the facts Jesus had presented to them over and over again that He was the fulfillment of the OT prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. One of the most amazing is the one we looked at last week from Isa. 7:14 where Isaiah speaks of Messiah being virgin born. In Micah 5:2 there is the prophecy of Messiah being born in Bethlehem, and of course Jesus was born there. It also says that the mothers of Bethlehem will wail because of the lose of their children and this is associated with the time when Messiah is born or thereafter. This was common knowledge at the time of Christ’s birth for the wise men were directed by the scribes to head for Bethlehem for that is what their scriptures said. Jesus, in Luke 4:18,19 reading from Isa. 61:1,2 says that that particular passage in Isaiah was being fulfilled that day by Him. The miracles that Jesus did should have taught them that one greater than a mere mortal man was in their midst. No, they chose to reject all that and tell Pilate that this man had made himself out to be the Son of God and he deserved to die because he did that.
It certainly is sad when people choose to reject truth that is clear and plain, but they do it all the time. I can say with all assurance that if these religious people persisted to their dying day believing that Jesus was not the Son of God, they are in Hell right now. How can I be so sure of that statement? Look at John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
Is that your conviction, as well, my friend? If it isn’t I pray that you will look into the Word of God much more and allow the Holy Spirit of God to teach you this truth.
Nine times in the book of John the title “Son of God” is used of Jesus. In John 1:49 we have a wonderful exclamation of belief by Nathaniel which shows the faith of his heart, but when his exclamation of faith is stood up next to that of these religious leaders before Pilate, it shows the stark difference between them. Here is what Nathaniel said, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” In one breath, Nathaniel shows his acceptance of Jesus as his God and as his King.
Conclusion: Who do you believe Jesus was? Was He an imposter that got what He deserved from the people of His day? Or, was He exactly Who He said He was? Based on the Word of God, your position on who Jesus really was and is will determine your eternal destiny. What will you do with Jesus? You can either cry out, as they did, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” or you can proclaim with Nathaniel “Thou are the Son of God; thou are the King of Israel.”
