Note: this is a bulletin insert I put in our bulletins to supplement the sermon; it contains much helpful information, so I have included it here before the sermon.
Ed
Pilate: A Friend to Caesar or Not?
The year was 33 AD. Jesus had been arrested and illegally tried. From a human perspective, His life was hanging in the balance before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who desired to release Christ. To complicate matters, the governor¡¦s wife had experienced a troubling dream and encouraged him to treat Jesus well. Yet when the incited mob bellowed out, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar," Pilate submitted to the whim of the mob. Why? Merely the fear of a riot alone?
Was Pilate enslaved by the opinion polls of the day? No, far from being gullible, Pilate had a track record of disregarding those under his authority. He had even gone so far as to mingle the blood of Galilean Jews with the animal sacrifices they offered at the Temple (Luke 17:1). Pilate had provoked riots and enjoyed agitating hostility among the Jews. He was cruel, oppressive, and clearly in control. That is, up until 33 AD. What changed him? To grasp the answer, consider the Roman political situation of the day.
The Roman Emperor was called "Caesar" as a title (that¡¦s where the Russian word "Czar" originated). The "Caesar" was Tiberius, who decided to take life easy and vacation for years on end on the beautiful island of Capri. In charge of all his responsibilities was his trusted friend, Sejanus. Sejanus was so trusted, that when the Emperor¡¦s son and heir was poisoned in 23 AD, treachery by Sejanus was not even considered!
Sejanus hated the Jews. He had previously incited Tiberius against them, and in 26 AD, he appointed Pilate to govern Judea. Pilate was only too eager to please Sejanus and institute anti-Semitic policies. But Sejanus was not content with being second in command. He plotted to overthrow Tiberius; the emperor got wind of it and had Sejanus killed in late 32 AD.
Without Sejanus around to poison his disposition toward the Jews, Tiberius reversed the anti-Jewish policies of Sejanus and sent orders throughout the Empire to treat the Jews kindly. Tiberius also evaluated anyone appointed to office by Sejanus. He was naturally suspicious of their loyalty, and Pilate was no exception. His loyalty to the Emperor was suspect, to say the least. Tiberius must have asked, ¡§If it came to a showdown between myself and Sejanus, who would Pilate have supported?¡¨ Was he truly loyal to "Caesar?"
When the crowd roared, "If you let this man go, you are no friend to Caesar," one can imagine what went through Pilate¡¦s mind. He may have thought, "If I let Jesus go, the crowd will report me and I¡¦ll get in trouble with Tiberius. Since He claims to be a King, they will twist His words and claim I allowed the leader of a rebellion against Rome to go free." Thus Pilate had a choice, to do right or maintain his political position. When they added, "We have no king but Caesar," the crowd, was, in essence, questioning Pilate¡¦s loyalty to Tiberius. They were loyal--was he? Pilate¡¦s position was precarious.
Pilate made his choice. So we too must choose between pleasing the crowd, or taking our stand with Jesus, even if it means loss of prestige, position, or career. Which choice will you make?
(Much of the documentation for this material, as well as a good case for the 33 AD date, can be found in the book, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, by Harold W. Hoehner, Zondervan, 1977. Many Bible scholars favor an AD 30 date instead; I side with Hoehner because of Pilate¡¦s behavior).
********SERMON PROPER**********
A Forcing of Sides
(Matt. 27:3-31; Mark 15:2-20; Luke 23:2-25; John 18:28-19:16)
1. I have almost only a little interest in Civil War history.
2. One interesting character of this war is Robert E. Lee. Lee was caught in a dilemma: he hated slavery, but loved the South. Lincoln asked him to lead the Union Army. Instead, he lead the Confederacy.
3. When we are stressed, our greatest loyalties surface.
4. Today we are going to look at a man who tried to be fair and even positive toward Jesus; but, when the pressure came, He showed His true colors.
5. We see the same thing today: Gene Rodenberry---Star Trek (original)¡XSon of God¡KKirk says, ¡§So He has been here too¡¨; Rodenberry later signed the anti-Christian Humanist Manifesto¡K.Ted Turner¡Knumerous politicians I won¡¦t mention because I do not want to get into politics¡K.
6. Talk is cheap; but when there is a price to pay, then a person¡¦s commitment¡Xor lack thereof¡Xbecomes clear¡K
MAIN IDEA: The average person today does with Jesus, in principle, what Pilate did with Him.
TS---------„³ Let¡¦s examine Pilate¡¦s responses to Jesus and compare them to responses we see in our day among our friends, family members, community, media, and society at large.
I. Avoiding the Issue
1. Judas Iscariot commits suicide (Matt. 27:3-10)
----Acts adds details
2. Jesus is brought before Pilate
(1) Pilate came out to them (day of preparation = Friday)
(2) Asked for charges, Jesus¡¦ enemies said: told not to pay taxes, claims to be a king¡K
(3) ¡§Are you the king of the Jews?¡¨ Yes. Charges from Jews, would say nothing, Pilate surprised¡K
3. Read John 18:31-38
4. Herod found out Jesus was from Galilee¡KGalilee¡¦s ruler, Herod, was in Jerusalem for the Passover¡K.Pilate passed the buck to Herod¡K(Luke 23:8-12)
(1) Herod had wanted to meet Jesus¡Khear about miracles, etc.
(2) But Jesus would answer none of his questions¡K.guards ridiculed and dressed Him in a purple robe¡K
(3) From that day on, Herod and Pilate became friends¡Kan evil unity
(4) Herod sends Him back to Pilate (returning the honor)
Application: This is the response of most people today; they are not anti-Christian, they just want to avoid the claims of Christ upon their lives¡K They do not want to make a deicision, but just watch from a distance or put off thinking about the meaning of life, their relationship to God, and the guilt of their sin¡Kpersonal peace and affluence is their goal: knowing God is not something they really want to pursue¡K
II. Trying to Remain Neutral
1. Pilate could not escape the situation; it would not go away (Luke 23:13-25; Matt. 27:13-24)
2. Pilate calls the chief priests and rulers: I have examined him and found no basis for your charge¡Kneither has Herod¡K.I will punish Him and release Him
punishing Jesus was a half-way measure to humiliate Him and appease the leaders¡K.Pilate really did not want to see Him die (which would have been unusual for this evil man)
(1) meaniwhile, his wife sends him a message¡K.
3. Pilate thought he could get out of the hot seat through mass opinion¡K.
(1) an evil man, Barabbas, was due to be executed¡K.he would give the crowd a choice of release for the holiday season: either Barabbas or Jesus¡Kthat should settle matters
(2) but the crowd there was made up of supporters of the high priest¡Kpeople aroused early and planted¡Kthey asked for Barabbas¡K
(3) do with your king? Crucify Him!!!
Application: Again, few people in our society want to take a public stand against Jesus, although their number is growing significantly. Despite the evidence that we are sinners, that if there is a law there must be a lawgiver, and despite the evidence that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah, most people respect Jesus but do not go further. Like Pilate, they do not find fault with Him, but it ends there.
III. Refusing to Commit But Recognizing Jesus is Special (Matt. 27:24-30; John 19:2-16)
1. Pilate takes water¡KI am innocent of this man¡¦s blood¡K¡¨
2. The crowd yells, ¡§Let his blood be upon us and our descendents¡K¡¨
(1) some anti-semitic people use these verses wrongly
(2) a mob cannot speak for a people, nor can we speak for our posterity
(3) and we all are responsible for His death¡KJesus had to die for us¡K
(4) regarding this unique sin, Jesus prayed, ¡§Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do¡K¡¨
3. Pilate releases Barabbas¡K
4. Soldiers: stripped, scarlet robe, crown of thorns, staff, Hail king¡Khist with staff, spit¡Kstruck¡K
5. Pilate was probably hoping that this humiliation/suffering would appeas the crowd¡K.
6. I find no basis for a charge against him¡K.you take Him and crucifiy Him
7. Not wanting to give official sanction¡K
8. Jewish leaders¡KHe claimed to be Son of God
9. Pilate is more afraid¡K.
10. Questions Jesus to look for another loophole, something, anything¡K
----no power except what has been granted¡K.the one who handed me over is guitly of a greater sin¡K.
11. Read John 19:12-16a
12. So Pilate rejects Jesus by default¡K.letting it happen¡K
13. Think about all those lost actors that have played Jesus in movies, stage plays, passion plays¡K.they know the facts, and most of them do what Pilate did¡Kthink of the politicians that have used Jesus to get elected, then show their true colors when in office¡Kthink about that friend, neighbor, co-worker¡Kand yourself¡K.
What do we learn? NOT CHOOSING FOR JESUS IS CHOOSING AGAINST HIM. FAIL TO MAKE A CHOICE AND YOU HAVE MADE YOURSELF HIS ENEMY.
CONCLUSION
1. Perhaps some of you respect Jesus; you are certainly not against Him, but neither are you completely for Him¡Kyou won¡¦t jump in with two feet¡K
2. Listen, the Jesus you may have been brought up with or learned of from other might not be the Jesus of the Bible¡K.He is the Son of God, He loves you, and He will not make demands on you that He will not help you to keep¡K
3. You are free from man-made religion, slavery to sin, and purposelessness when you are right with God¡K.
4. Don¡¦t do what Pilate did¡K.don¡¦t lean slightly toward Jesus, don¡¦t dabble with Him, but make Him your Lord and Savior righ
