ALL POWER SUBMITTED ITSELF TO NO POWER FOR ME
John 18:28-40
THE LAMB WENT AND WE ARE CLEAN
V:28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, \”What charges are you bringing against this man?\”
- The first point in verse 28 is ritual cleanliness versus spiritual cleanliness.
- Background
By the time of Christ, ceremonial cleanliness by water had become institutionalized into a purity ritual involving full immersion in a mikveh (or miqveh), a “collection of water.”
Mikveh purification was required of all Jews before they could enter the Temple or participate in major festivals. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converged on Jerusalem for Passover and other major feasts. One hundred mikvehs, attesting to the need for water purification before entering into Temple rites, have been found by Hebrew University’s Benjamin Mazar around the wall adjacent to Herod’s Temple.
- Can you imagine being clean on the outside and dirty on the inside.
- When you focused on how you look to others, you will never see your faults.
- The Jews were concerned about defiling themselves by not going into the palace,
While breaking all of God’s law by killing an innocence man.
- The Jews accused the Father of righteousness of being righteous.
- They put the Father of cleanliness on trial for being clean.
- They did not understand that the food that went into the body did not make them clean.
- It is the Word of God that is in the heart that makes you clean.
NO CHARGE, MY BLOOD IS FREE
V:29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, \”What charges are you bringing against this man?\”
30 \”If he were not a criminal,\” they replied, \”we would not have handed him over to you.\”
- From their mouths the Jews condemned themselves.
- In their minds they made Jesus be a criminal without justification, thus lying to the
Pilate.
- They could not answer the question of charges because there was no truth in them.
- They made a claim without evidence. Basically, trust us.
- The rich and powerful use their position and money to condemn the poor.
- They had nothing to justify their charge against Jesus but their agenda to control.
- The ‘we’ included the entire Sanhedrin court.
- People will collaborated together to destroy you.
- Evil needs evil to backup evil.
- The company you keep defines who you are.
JUDGE BY THE LAW, DIE BY THE LAW
V:31 Pilate said, \”Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.\”
\”But we have no right to execute anyone,\” the Jews objected. 32 This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
- Notice Jesus was in charge of the proceeding.
- Everything was going as He planned it hundreds of years before.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, 23 you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God\’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
- Because of the repeated disobedience of the Jewish nation, they were under enemy control.
- They were not able to execute God’s commands as He required.
- The Jews had the law. They were teachers of the Law.
- Their disobedience presented them from using the law.
- Perhaps the real reason for not killing Jesus was to keep their conscience clean
Of the blood of Jesus.
- They had no problem stoning Stephen.
- They had no problem stoning the lady caught in adultery.
- They could easily say the Roman’s killed the Messiah.
YES, JESUS IS KING OF THE JEWS AND ME
V:33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, \”Are you the king of the Jews?\”
34 \”Is that your own idea,\” Jesus asked, \”or did others talk to you about me?\”
35 \”Am I a Jew?\” Pilate replied. \”It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?\”
- When you know the truth you can see the ignorance of others.
- Pilate didn’t know why Jesus was brought to him.
- So Jesus asked is what you know me, what you have determined by your investigation or
What you were told by the Jew.
- Jesus question may have made Pilate realize that he had no justification to condemn Him.
- If you accuse someone, you need to be sure you have the facts.
- Pilate knew he and no information, therefore he put the reason for the trial back on the Chief
Priest and his group.
- Pilate sought a confession from Jesus for the reason of the trial.
- Jesus did not give an answer for He wanted Pilate to come a conclusion he could live with.
WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD
V:36 Jesus said, \”My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.\”
37 \”You are a king, then!\” said Pilate.
- Jesus led Pilate to the reason He was on trial. He claimed to be a king.
- The answer Jesus gave probably seem foolish to Pilate.
- My kingdom is not of this world and my accusers are not my people.
- Jesus people would fight for Him to keep Him from coming to trial.
- Jesus kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom that only a select people is His subjects.
- Jesus is King of Kings
- The world will not accept His kingdom
- His own people who brought Him to trial rejected Him.
BE RIGHT, PROCLAIM JESUS AS KING
V:37b Jesus answered, \”You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.\”
- Jesus gave Pilate His mission.
- He is the way the truth and the life.
- He stepped out of heaven and became man so that truth could be
Could be demonstrated to man.
- There are two sides
- There is the Spiritual side
- There is the world’s side.
- The people of the world will not accept the spiritual side.
- The spiritual side contains the truth.
- The truth is we are all spiritual beings
- Every one of us has a body, a soul, and a spirit.
- The Human spirit that remains unchanged by the Gospel is
Is evil and controlled by Satan.
- The Human spirit that is changed by the Gospel is good and
Controlled by the Holy Spirit.
KNOW THE TRUTH AND SET YOURSELF FREE
V:38 \”What is truth?\” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, \”I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release \’the king of the Jews\’?\”
- Pilate saw the truth of the situation.
- Pilate heard the truth.
- Pilate witness the truth in action.
- Was he changed? I don’t know.
- The truth fell on rocky ground, was Pilate changed, I don’t know,
- The truth may have affected Pilate’s response to the Jewish accusation.
- I find no basis to charge Jesus.
- The truth affected Pilate’s wife.
Matthew 27:19
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.\”
- This tells three things:
- Pilate listen to his wife.
- Pilate valued her advice.
- Jesus affects the decision of people for your advantage.
- When the truth falls on you, it affects your family.
- I suggest that at this point Pilate remained unchanged because he passed the
Decision back to the Jews.
Matthew 27:20-21
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
21 \”Which of the two do you want me to release to you?\” asked the governor.
NIV
FOOLS RUSH IN WHEN WISE MEN FAIL TO GO.
V:40 They shouted back, \”No, not him! Give us Barabbas!\” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.
- Pilate lack the courage to do what he knew was right.
Matthew 27:24-25
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. \”I am innocent of this man\’s blood,\” he said. \”It is your responsibility!\”
25 All the people answered, \”Let his blood be on us and on our children!\”
- We have to be careful what we do in the heat of a protest.
- We can curse ourselves when we act in ignorance
- The same people who said “Hosanna, glory to God in the highest” now said
Crucify Jesus.
- In the heat of a protest, normal people can become totally irrational.
- Not only did the people in the crowd curse themselves, but they cursed their
Children.
- Crucify an innocence man. But release a murderer.
- Long after the protest ends, we suffer the sins of our actions.
- Compare this to the 2020 riots on the US capital.
- Many normal people now face jail time.
- Some of the chief instigators went free, while their children suffer.
- The chief priest and the Sanhedrin court instigated the crucifixion of
An innocent Jesus, Lord of Lords, King of Kings to maintain their
Authority and prestige over the community.
- In 70 AD the Roman emperor Titus burned the temple in Jerusalem to the
Ground and destroyed the city.
- We must understand that the truth never fails.
Mark 13:1-2
As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, \”Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!\”
2 \”Do you see all these great buildings?\” replied Jesus. \”Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.\”
- Pilate asked Jesus what is truth?
- Here you have it in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the 66 Books of the Bible
The record of truth.
- In 2022, we are in some terrible times, but the truth still stands in all God’s power.
THANK GOD WE HAVE A JESUS THAT WAS WILLING TO DIE ON THE CROSS FOR OUR IGNORANCE
Rev. M. Mitchell
NIV
