The Greatest Question Of Life

Matthew 27:22 KJV Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

I. INTRODUCTION—QUESTIONS

A. From the Bible

-All throughout the Bible there are many questions that were asked by men and women. Some of the questions were asked by God. Some of the questions are rhetorical in nature and are designed to make men think.

• Where art thou? (God to Adam and Eve)

• Am I my brother’s keeper? (Cain)

• Wilt thou go with this man? (Rebekah’s family)

• Who is on the Lord’s side? (Moses)

• If a man die, shall he live again? (Job)

• What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of Man, that thou visitest him? (David)

• Is the young man safe? (David concerning Absalom)

• What doest thou here? (God to Elijah)

• Can a leopard change his spots? (Jeremiah)

• How wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan? (Jeremiah)

• Will a man rob God? (Malachi)

• Lord, is it I? (The disciples to Jesus)

• What must I do to be saved? (Philippian Jailer)

• How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Writer of Hebrews)

• For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand? (John in Revelation)

-These are just a few questions that come from the Bible.

B. About Jesus

-There are questions that our generation is asking about Jesus Christ. Most of them are being asked in such a way as to destroy our faith.

• Was Jesus born of a virgin?

• Did Jesus really fulfill prophecy?

• Did Jesus work authentic miracles?

• Was Jesus really the Son of God?

• Did Jesus die for our sins?

• Did Jesus rise from the dead?

• Did Jesus ascend into Heaven?

• Will the Lord come back again?

• Is Jesus the only way for men to be saved?

• Why be so dogmatic about the Gospel?

-In reading through all of these questions that came from the Bible and then those that come from the world about Jesus, it appears that all of these questions have their birth in places of crisis.

C. Crisis Points

-Thankfully most of the moments of real crisis only come to us on a limited basis throughout our lives. But when they do present themselves, there is little warning that precedes them.

-Some forewarning of crisis points would be nice to know. It would be great if we could track the great tension points of life as the hurricanes that blow in on us from the gulf. But this is not the way that life is lived out.

• We have no way to know that we might face a dangerous temptation tomorrow.

• We have no way to know if we are going to face a great sorrow next week.

• We have no way to know if we will have to endure a great debilitating blow to our health next month.

• We have no way to know what temptation or trial lurks around the corner.

-These things break in on our souls unannounced and suddenly. There was no way that Pilate knew that when he lay down to sleep on that Thursday night that the next day would present to him the very crisis of his life.

-When he got up the next morning there was still no warning that he would have to deal with an angry mob and a corrupt group of religious leaders.

Years ago, I read the book The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings to the boys. It is some of the best fiction that I have ever read because of the plots and the characters that Rawlings wrote about. The story centers around a young boy named Jody who found an abandoned fawn that he named Flag. Flag followed Jody around like a pet. While I wouldn’t want to spoil the story for any who would like to read it, I will say that a vast part of the story revolves around how they react to a hurricane that rolled in off of the Gulf that they had no way to prepare for until just hours before it hit.

-That is what happened to Pilate on that fateful day. Matthew records the great question that Pilate asked the crowd on that day. . . What shall I do with Jesus? While the question was addressed to the crowd, I have a feeling that Pilate was really asking the question to himself.

II. PILATE’S RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION

-Pilate had no reason at all to be intimidated by this Jesus of Nazareth. There is a good reason to believe the when Pilate first looked on the face of Jesus that it was a look of contempt. Pilate was a strong man, he had soldiers under his command, and he had spilled blood with his sword long before he had been sent to this Judean outpost by the Caesar.