God-Given Authority

Today we will begin a three part mini series that will take us right into Easter Sunday. This three week series will give us a chance to look at what I believe to be the three most significant parts to the Easter story.

First, the moment where Jesus stands with Pilate before a large crowd and the crowd demands to have Barabbas, who is a thug, convicted thief, and a murderer, and they want to release him. And in releasing Barabbas, they subsequently are choosing to crucify an innocent man named Jesus.

Second, and next week, we will consider the death of Christ. Which deserves our attention because we must remember that we do not have the joy of celebrating the resurrection of Christ if we do not first have the gruesome & horrific execution of Christ.

And thirdly, in two weeks from today, we will celebrate the resurrection of Christ. One thing you’ll hear me say today and again as we approach Easter is that we have to first experience Good Friday before we can celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

I hope these next few weeks will be beneficial to your soul as we reflect on the events that lead to the most significant event in human history - that being the resurrection of Christ. But this morning, I’d like for us to ponder the element of authority and how it played a key role in the death and resurrection of Christ.

So, if you have a Bible, I invite you to open to John 19 where we will pick up at verse one. I’m going to use our time to focus on verses 8-11, but I want to read vs. 1-12 to get the big picture.

Now, I don’t want to claim to be the first man ever to examine the theme of authority … but I do feel it is a theme that is often overlooked because the significance of the resurrection usually trumps it. BUT, I hope you’ll notice that the dialogue between Pilate and Jesus is quite remarkable. In fact, it struck me a few weeks ago in one of my daily devotionals. (READ)

Authority is a complex thing. It means one thing in particular, but it consists of or connects to many different parts of life. For example … kids in the room … don’t you just love the authority your parents have over you? You just love submitting to your parents authority don’t you?

And to the adults in the room, you would agree with me when I say it is a whole lot easier submitting to a boss or a superior who you know leads well and has your best interest in mind? But if that changes, submitting to that authority becomes a little more difficult, doesn’t it?

Let me take it one step further. Adults, aren’t you so thankful for our current president? (DON’T ANSWER THAT!) Whether we like it or not, we have been given an authority that sets its own rules, guidelines, laws, and liberties. And whether we like it or not, the Bible does call us to submit to civil governments & authorities…. under the right circumstances. We should not submit to rules and laws that cause us to sin. Nor do we have to like or submit to things that go against God’s law and design for authority & life. But more importantly, the Bible calls us to pray for those who are in positions of authority & leadership.

Now the unfortunate thing about our current system of authority is it is increasingly getting more demonic and godless. And we shouldn’t be too surprised! The problem that sinful creatures have with authority is not only that we have hard time submitting to it, but also that we abuse its power when it is given to us.

This week as I was studying, I came across a story about a man named Christian Herter. He was the governor of Massachusetts some time ago and at some point he was up for reelection. One day he was out working trying to chase down new votes. He had worked so hard that morning that he skipped lunch. The afternoon came and this governor was starving! So he pulled into a church that was hosting a barbecue and hopped in line hoping to fix himself a full plate. He gets down to the end of the line where there is a woman serving chicken.

She kindly put a piece of chicken on his plate and turned to the next person. Christian, being as hungry as he was said “Excuse me, ma’m, do you mind if I have another piece of chicken? She responded politely “Sorry, I’m only supposed to give one piece of chicken per person.” He said, "but I’m reeeaaalllly hungry.” And she responded “Well, I’m reeeaaalllly sorry. Only one per customer.”

Now, to this point, Christian Herter had always been a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he was going to throw his weight around and see if it would help. So he said “Do you know who I am? - I am the governor of this state!”

She didn’t even flinch - she replied with “Well do you know who I am? I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. So move it along, mister!” (Definitely a time where asserting authority didn’t help)

Some of you may have heard the name Julian Assange. He founded Wikileaks in 2006. Wikileaks is a website that published classified documents that were received from other sources and outlets. You could say these documents could get some people in trouble … if they were released to the public.

And for a long time, Assange has been a wanted man in the United States. He is wanted for leaking top secret government documents. But, arresting him has proven to be difficult. For the last several years, he has lived inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Because of the international laws that are in place, the United States of America is quite literally unable to just walk in and arrest this man. And as of today, he is being held in the HM Prison Belmarsh in London … and the United States is still trying to get him extradited so they can use their laws & authority to put him away.

Why do I share Julian’s story with you? Well, as powerful as the United States is, their authority is limited in other countries. You see, power & authority are great things, but they only reach their fullest power or greatest affect within certain boundaries and limits. Which leads me to ask you this question this morning: Aren’t you glad that the power and authority of Jesus is not limited to only one place and only a select group of people?

Now, there are three things I’d like to note that come directly from our passage this morning and if you’d like, you can follow along with me in your notes as we work through these. First, notice what I want to call ….

I. The Power of Fear (vs. 8)

In this moment where Jesus stands before the religious leaders, the civil governing officials, and a large crowd of upset people, Pilate recognizes the weight of this situation and he feels afraid. Verse eight simply tells us that he is afraid, but it doesn’t necessarily tell us why he is afraid. And so we’re lead to speculate, as many scholar & theologians in the past have done … as they asked “why was Pilate afraid?

Well, there are a couple of possibilities, but there are also a couple of realities. Let me suggest some realities this morning….

First, consider the large group of people that Pilate is standing before. When a mob of people form and actively start voicing their wants and threats … one would probably start feel anxiety or fear if the situation doesn’t remain under control.

But for a mob, there is no logic over why they choose who is right or who is wrong. There is no real explanation as to who they choose as the hero and the villain. And in this case, the mob has chosen to set a thug and a thief free. And in setting him free, they’ve chosen to crucify and punish an innocent man. So Pilate definitely wants to keep the peace, but his struggle is that he finds no reason to crucify Jesus.

You may recall that before Jesus was brought to Pilate, he first was brought before Herod. And Herod found no worthy reason to put Jesus on a cross. But Pilate isn’t the only one feeling fear here. When you read through the gospel accounts of this particular part of the easter story, you would find the most of the people had no issues with Jesus. Just a few days ago, most of the Jews were celebrating Jesus during his triumphant entry crying Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Most of them were hopeful that Jesus would usher in the new kingdom and overthrow the current governments.

But the fact that they are now standing and calling for his crucifixion is somewhat puzzling. Turn over to the gospel of Matthew for just a moment. Matthew 27:19-20 give us some helpful context clues as to why fear seems to be a theme in this particular situation. (READ)

Verse 19 gives us a picture of why Pilate may have been affected by fear. His wife had a dream just a night or two ago that caused her a great deal of grief. And now Pilate is in the moment standing with Jesus probably even a little perplexed himself that His wife had warned him about this man they call Jesus.

And then verse 20 lets us know that the people were being pressured and persuaded to choose Jesus over Barabbas by the chief priests & elders. So as we take a big picture look at this event in the timeline of the death & resurrection of Christ, we’ll hopefully see that Pilate is not the only affected by fear here.

But I would submit to you that for Jesus … His fear was quite different. He knew what was happening and where He was going and He didn’t fear that. And while he may have feared what He was going to have to endure as a human … and we’re lead to believe that because of the account of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. But, He certainly did not fear the mob, the spiritual leaders, nor did He fear Pilate. Which leads us to the second thing I’d like call your attention to. Notice with me ….

II. The Power of Silence (vs. 9)

Pilate takes Jesus aside one more time to question him. And for Pilate, we see that this quickly turns from fear to some level of annoyance. Because as Pilate questions Jesus … Jesus responds with silence. Nothing, no words! This is definitely one of those moments where the statement “The Silence was Deafening” was 100% true.

Those of you who are are either married, or if you’ve been in a serious relationship with someone else … and maybe this is true even for family members. But when you ask that special someone a question and they deliberately chose to respond in silence … it’s crippling. In more cases than not, the silence speaks louder than words. Husbands in the room, can I get an amen?

For Jesus … this is not a smart aleck move. He isn’t trying to annoy Pilate… even as some of us do when we blatantly chose to remain silent. Instead, Jesus exercises his authority 1) as the author of life 2) the creator of all things (including authority), and 3) the one who delegates authority on heaven & earth. And we will talk more about that delegation in a few weeks when we get to Matthew 28 after Easter Sunday.

Another reason Jesus remains silent here is because He had already answered Pilates question. Earlier in the story (John 18:33-38), Pilate asked “Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus responds by asking if he said it on his own or if other people had told him that He was the King of the Jews? And after yet ANOTHER question from Pilate, Jesus gives the mic drop statement - “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.”

Now if that wasn’t enough for us this morning, the Bible takes us one step further. In truth, Jesus’ idleness or His lack of words show not only His authority but His complete trust in the Father’s plan and will for His life. Jesus is going to the cross whether He likes it or not.

This brief little moment in the life of Jesus and this specific point in history is actually a fulfillment of a prophecy given in the book of Isaiah. If you’d like to reference (jot down) Isaiah 53:7, I pray that it will only confirm your faith and trust more in this man we call Jesus and deepen your awe and wonder of God. Isaiah says “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

And as amazing are the words of the prophet Isaiah, the NT addresses this very same demeanor towards those who persecute or exercise evil authority over you. Turn over to 1 Peter 2:18-23 for a moment. Peter says: “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?

But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

We’ve seen that there elements of fear and there are loud sounds of silence. And they both have shaped this moment in the life of Jesus… but let show you the third and final thing this morning.

III. The Power of Authority (vs. 10-11)

There are different examples and varying levels of authority explained all through out the Bible. The Bible clearly states that God has given some individuals types of authority here on earth. Just to list a few real briefly, Hebrews 13:17 calls Christians to submit to joyfully submit to leaders as those who watch over us. This is perhaps both in the context of the workplace, but also in the context of spiritual leadership with a local church. Those leaders will have to give an account for how they handled that authority, but God calls us to submit to those so that their work of leading will be joyful and not a burden.

Another level of authority that God delegates to His creation is within the home. This is seen in Ephesians 5:22-24 and reiterated again in 1 Corinthians 11:3. Husbands and fathers are given the authority to lead their families and teach them in the truth. Wives are called to submit to their husbands because the husband is the head of wife, just as Christ is the head of the church. So the ladder of authority goes children to their parents, wives to their husbands, husbands to Christ (Don’t miss that one) and Christ to the Father.

And finally, a third level of authority that is derived from God and delegated to men is the authority of civil governments. Romans 13:1-6 states that “the powers that be are ordained by God.” Whether or not these civil leaders are believers does not change the fact that they have been given a level of authority to not only lead in a civil sense, by they should be leading spiritually. But it seems our nation over time has gotten further and further away from that principle. Now I mention those in a effort to give us a quick understanding of authority, but also that God is serious about His authority and who it is delegated to. There are thousands of uses in the Bible of different words that either clearly say authority, or words such as kings, leaders, or rulers which imply those who have authority. And here in John 19, Pilate uses a particular tactic to try and get Jesus to respond.

And Jesus’ response to Pilate is profound. And I fear, as even I myself have done before many times, that most people read vs. 11 and maybe even understand it at surface level. But if we would just stop and let the Spirit of God reveal the deeper meaning of Jesus’ response. Because it is amazing. When Jesus says “You wouldn’t have authority unless it was given to you from above” … He really means it. And he knows that it is real authority and it is indeed authoritative. It’s not less authoritative because it was coming from Pilate, but actually more because it was coming from God.

And so, in this moment Jesus finds comfort in the power & authority that He has over Pilate, and Herod, and the soldiers who arrested him, and even the people in the crowd who were on the verge of rioting. BUT - all of that authority falls under the watchful eye of a sovereign God who is working all things out for His purposes and His will. I like the way John Piper explains this authority. He said

“Jesus gets his comfort at this moment not because Pilate’s will is powerless, but because Pilate’s will is guided. Not because Jesus isn’t in the hands of Pilate’s fear, but because Pilate is in the hands of Jesus’s Father.”

Jesus was not intimidated by Pilate. He knew Pilate had the authority to free him or to send him to the cross. But He didn’t care… because He knew! He knew that if He was going to be raised from the dead He first had to be dead… which meant that an incredible amount of shame, suffering, pain and aguish were lurking just around the corner. But the beautiful and reassuring thing that Jesus was able to do from the time He began his public ministry, was He was able to have the end in mind. Everything Jesus did would ultimately find it’s peak in his death and resurrection.

And when Jesus was raised from the dead, he was given power, and authority, over everything in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28). And brothers & sisters, this means there is nowhere on earth we can go that falls outside of the authority of Jesus. And there is no situation we could ever find ourselves in that is not subject to the authority of Jesus.

His perfect life, His atoning death, and His resurrection from the grave have given him authority over it all. So my exhortation and challenge to you this morning as we close is this: Examine yourselves. Dig deep and search your hearts to determine who or what is the ultimate authority in your own life? Is it Jesus? Or is it you?

I pray that for the next few moments as we respond to the Word of God that we might ask ourselves a couple of questions: 1) Who is the ultimate authority in my life? 2) Do I have a problem submitting to the authority God has put over me? Or do I have a problem submitting to God’s authority in my life? And if your honest with yourself … would you turn to the gospel? Don’t turn to men for help! Turn to Jesus! Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and find your hope, comfort and assurance in Him.

And my prayer for us as we journey through this series over the next couple of weeks is that you might wrestle with this reality and then find your answers in the One who resurrected from the grave & conquered death.