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Easter - Are You the King of the Jews?

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX

A. The time that we have spent together during these past few weeks has been so full as we commemorated some of the most momentous events in the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We recalled His triumphal entry into Jerusalem; participated in a "Living Last Supper;" sorrowed at His crucifixion; & rejoiced in song over the resurrection of the victorious "Lamb of Glory."

But before going on to some other facet of our Christian faith, I want us to go back & look again at some other events of that terrible day when Jesus was condemned to death & led away to be crucified on Calvary’s hill.

The events that I particularly want to call to your attention are recorded by all 4 of the Gospel writers - Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. Each of them tells about the leaders of the Jewish Sanhedrin bringing Jesus to Pilate, the Roman Governor, & demanding that Pilate sentence Jesus to die.

Well, it’s a familiar story, & that’s a problem, because I think a danger we face in reading such a familiar story is that it will be easy to throw our minds into neutral, & just let it go in one ear & out the other without giving any real thought to it.

I hope that won’t happen this morning. I pray the Holy Spirit will use this story to help us realize again just how much God loves us.

B. Now in a few moments we’re going to be looking in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 27, beginning with vs. 11. And as we do, I want us to seek the answer to 4 questions:

First of all, "Why did Pilate react with amazement to the silence of Jesus?" Secondly, "Why did the crowd choose Barabbas & reject Jesus?" Then, "Why did Pilate have Jesus flogged before His crucifixion?" Finally, "Why did the soldiers treat Him with such hatred & cruelty before they crucified Him?"

PROP. And as we search for the answers to those 4 questions, I believe we’ll be able to see the love of God at work for you & for me.

I. "WHY DID PILATE REACT WITH AMAZEMENT TO THE SILENCE OF JESUS?"

A. Again, "Why did Pilate react with amazement to the silence of Jesus?" Listen as I read Matthew 27:11-14.

"Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, & the governor asked Him, `Are you the king of the Jews?’ `Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. When He was accused by the chief priests & the elders, He gave no answer. Then Pilate asked Him, `Don’t you hear how many things they are accusing you of?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge - to the great amazement of the governor."

As you remember, Jesus was arrested late at night in the Garden of Gethsemane & taken immediately to be put on trial before the high priests & the Sanhedrin. But Jewish law said that any trial at night was illegal.

So the Sanhedrin met again at dawn to make formal charges against Jesus. They had accused Him of blasphemy against God, but this charge would not stand up in a Roman court. The Romans believed in many Gods, & the charge of blasphemy against God would not be considered a crime in a Roman court.

So the Sanhedrin had to come up with more substantial charges against Jesus. The Gospel of Luke tells us they came up with 3 more. They decided to charge Him with subversion against Rome, of teaching that they should not pay taxes to Rome, & of conspiring against Rome, claiming to be Christ, a king.

B. It was this last accusation that caused Pilate to ask, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answers that question, but not in a strong, forceful manner, taking charge of the proceedings as He was quite capable of doing.

In fact, we’re almost disappointed in Jesus. Why didn’t He speak as no other had ever spoken? Why didn’t He use His powers of persuasion to convince Pilate that indeed He is king not only of the Jews, but of all people?

But Jesus didn’t do that. He simply said, "Yes, it is as you say." Why did He answer that way? As we consider what the other gospel writers write about His answer, we begin to realize that Jesus was trying to set Pilate at ease, to convince him that his Roman power was not in danger.

In fact, John says that Jesus told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight. . ." What Jesus is saying is, "Pilate, I don’t want your authority. I don’t want your throne." I think Pilate understood that, & at that point he decided to set Jesus free.

C. Frustrated, the chief priests became very aggressive in their accusations. They begin to heap one charge on top of another until finally Pilate says, "Aren’t you going to answer?" [Mark 15:4] "Don’t you hear how many things they are accusing you of?" "But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge..." & Pilate is amazed.

Why was he amazed? I think Pilate was waiting for one word from Jesus that would give him an excuse, a basis upon which he might release Jesus.

When you read a bit further on you find the chief priests & scribes at the cross saying, "He saved others, but He cannot save Himself."

But that is not true! Jesus could have saved Himself. We have often noted that He could have called down legions of angels, & of course He could have. But all that Jesus really had to do right then was to speak up in his own defense before Pilate & I think Pilate would have turned Him loose.

Pilate knew that Jesus had done nothing worthy of crucifixion, & in the next few verses we’ll discover that even Pilate’s wife knew it. But Jesus offered no defense. Pilate was amazed, "Why doesn’t He defend Himself? Why doesn’t He plead for His life?" It made no sense at all to Pilate.

But we know why. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world. . ." We know the reason, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." We know that "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

II. "WHY DID THE CROWD CHOOSE BARABBAS INSTEAD OF JESUS?"

A. Now the second question is, "Why did the crowd choose Barabbas instead of Jesus?" Listen as Matthew tells about that in vs’s 15-26:

"Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, `Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

"While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: `Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him.’

"But the chief priests & the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas & to have Jesus executed.

"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor. `Barabbas,’ they answered. `What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, `Crucify Him!’

"`Why? What crime has He committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, `Crucify Him!’

"When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water & washed his hands in front of the crowd. `I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. `It is your responsibility!’ All the people answered, `Let His blood be on us & on our children!’

"Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, & handed Him over to be crucified."

Barabbas is an interesting character. He is mentioned in all four Gospel accounts. His name means "son of the father." History tells us that his given name was Jesus. So his name was Jesus Barabbas - "Jesus, son of the father." He is an insurrectionist & a murderer, who uses force & violence to control people.

And beside him stands Jesus,the "Son of the Heavenly Father," who uses love & mercy to change people.

The decision was clear, as clear as it could be. Will the people choose violence or will they choose love? Will they choose hatred or mercy? And the crowd voted overwhelmingly for Jesus Barabbas.

Why did they vote that way? This is much the same crowd that had earlier waved palm branches & shouted, "Hosanna!" They had wanted to crown Him King. They were ready then to serve Him & defy Rome.

But now, instead of "Hosanna," they are crying, "Crucify Him." Why? I think because they were disappointed. They thought that the Messiah would be a man of obvious power & strength. But Jesus made no defense before Pilate - a picture, they thought, not of strength but of weakness.

B. Have you ever been disappointed in God? Now think a minute before you answer. Have you ever been disappointed in God? I have.

There have been times when God didn’t do what I wanted Him to do. There have been times when He didn’t answer prayers the way I prayed for them to be answered. There have been times when He didn’t solve my problems just the way I thought He should. There have been times when God has disappointed me, & I am sure that you have felt that way too.

But Scripture teaches that God’s ways aren’t our ways, & God’s thoughts aren’t our thoughts. His ways & thoughts are greater than ours. In fact, the Bible teaches that our greatest & wisest thoughts are as foolishness when compared to God’s.

ILL. A friend of mine stated that he had the truth of that driven home in a way he didn’t expect. When his daughter was 12 years old, it was discovered that she had scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. He took her to 3 doctors & they each said that her case was not severe enough to warrant any treatment other than corrective shoes & certain exercises. He was told that she would simply have to live with that the rest of her life.

My friend says that he prayed to God frequently that she might be healed of her scoliosis. But his prayers were not answered. The curvature of the spine grew worse, not better.

The daughter grew up & got married, but shortly after her marriage she & her husband were in a head﷓on collision & were both seriously injured. X﷓rays revealed that the 6th vertebrae of her neck was cracked & that particles of bone were deeply embedded in the muscles around her spine.

The doctor explained that this was an injury that would eventually heal itself but it would take a long time. Then the doctor said something that my friend hadn’t expected. He said that her scoliosis probably saved her life.

If her spine had been straight then probably her neck would have been broken & she would have been left paralyzed or dead. But she was hit in such a way that the curvature of the spine cushioned & absorbed the blow & only a cracked vertebrae was the result.

Do you see what I am saying? If his prayers had been answered the way he wanted, he might not have a daughter today. God’s ways are wiser than ours.

SUM. These people were disappointed because Jesus did not do what they thought He should do. So because of that they shouted for Barabbas.

APPL. How about us? Do we want a God that we can manipulate? Do we want a God who always does what we want Him to do? Or do we want a God whose ways are higher than our ways? Who always does what is best for us whether we realize it or not?

III. "WHY DID PILATE HAVE JESUS FLOGGED BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION?"

Thirdly, we ask, "Why did Pilate have Jesus flogged before His crucifixion?" After all this had taken place Jesus is brought before Pilate once again & Pilate sends Him away for flogging. He is stripped to the waist. His hands are tied over His head & the cat-o’-nine-tails embedded with bits of jagged metal is used to cut His back to ribbons.

Why would Pilate do that? Isn’t crucifixion enough? A few minutes before Pilate was wanting to release Jesus. Why would he be so cruel as to have Jesus beaten with this cat-o’-nine-tails & then bring Him before the crowd in that terrible condition?

I think the answer is that Pilate was hoping that when Jesus was brought before them, & the crowd saw this pitiful sight, that they would have mercy on Him. They would say, "That’s enough. There is no need for Him to go to the cross. Let Him go."

So here stands Jesus. His clothing is soaked with His own blood, & His head is bowed before them. And Pilate said, "Behold the Man." But the crowd shouted with greater intensity, "Crucify Him!"

APPL. Satan has power, doesn’t he? Once we allow him to get his hooks into us we sink lower & lower into sin. Here is a crowd that once cried "Hosanna!" But now Satan has a hold, & all of his ugliness & sin & filth is demonstrated in this crowd that cries, "Crucify Him."

IV. "WHY DID THE SOLDIERS TREAT JESUS WITH SUCH HATRED & CRUELTY?"

And then the last question, "Why did the soldiers treat Jesus with such obvious hatred & cruelty before they crucified Him?" Listen as I read vs’s 27-31.

"Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium & gathered the whole company of soldiers around Him. They stripped Him & put a scarlet robe on Him, & then wove a crown of thorns & set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand & knelt in front of Him, & took the staff & struck Him on the head again & again.

"After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe & put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him."

Did you notice what Matthew said? They "gathered the whole company of soldiers." Some were off duty, but everybody came where Jesus was & they began to mock Him. They put a scarlet robe on His shoulders & a crown of thorns on His brow. They put a staff in His hand & knelt before Him. They spat in His face. They mocked Him. They took the staff & struck Him repeatedly on the head. Why?

Why did the Roman soldiers react so violently & so cruelly to Jesus? Most of them probably didn’t even know Him. Most of them probably had never seen Him before. Why did they react that way?

Listen to what they were saying. They were saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" I think they were taking out all of their hatred for the Jews on Jesus. I think they were mad at a stubborn & stiff﷓necked people who had caused them so many problems. Jesus was in their hands, so they took out all their hatred on Him.

CONCL: How about us? As we look at the cross we need to realize that our hatreds, our prejudice, our sins drove the nails into the hands & feet of Jesus just as surely as the Roman hammers.

So as we look at the cross, we have mixed emotions. I don’t want to look at it because it shows me myself & I don’t like what I see. But at the same time I realize that the one who suffered there suffered there for me. And because of His suffering & His pain & His death I can stand before God today, forgiven & cleansed & justified.

So to you this morning we offer the crucified & risen Christ. We offer the one who went to the cross to take away the burden of your sin. We offer the one who can forgive you. Will you come as we stand & as we sing?