I Find No Fault In Him

Luke 23:1-5

Theme: The Death of Jesus

Key verse: v.7

56 verses; 1,117 words

Grade level: 3.6

Outline:

I. Jesus is Condemned by the Judge. Vs. 1-25

II. Jesus is Crucified by the Jews. Vs. 26-49

III. Jesus is Claimed by Joseph. Vs. 50-56

When hated rivals start getting together there is always a common bond.

When the recent hearing on President Trump’s first assassination attempt we saw Republicans and Democrats united, speaking the same language, all the while questioning the secret service director Kim Cheetle.

When Pontius Pilate meets with the Sanhedrin we find the same dynamic.

The worldly crowds unite under a worldly slogan: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Dear Christian, please do not follow that advice. It is neither sound nor Scriptural.

Here we observe the PARTS in this pivotal pairing:

I. The Multitude That Found Fault. vs.1-2

They brought Christ to Pilate v.1

1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.

When they get there, they won’t go in to Pilate’s judgment hall because they don’t want to be defiled so they can eat the Passover (John 18:28).

They’re worried about being around a Gentile while they’re lying about a righteous man in order to have him murdered.

You mean lying and murder aren’t enough to defile you?!

They accused Christ to Pilate v.2

2 And they began to accuse him,

Now the priests and scribes know that a blasphemy charge will get nowhere with Pilate.

Oh, they eventually bring it up, and it shakes Pilate up pretty badly (John 18:7–8).

But when it came to religious matters, the Romans, at that time, didn’t care how or what their conquered subjects worshipped (see Acts 18:12–15).

So the accusation against Jesus is changed to tax evasion and sedition.

saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

Notice that the charge brought against Christ has changed in verse 2. Back up in 22:71, it was blasphemy, but they had to switch the charge to get it by Pilate.

When they first bring Jesus to Pilate, they try to get the Governor to pass a summary judgment without any clear charge.

They wanted the Romans to kill Jesus so it wouldn’t look like they were guilty of His death (see Acts 5:28).

While the Pharisees and Sadducees are busy carrying out their schemes against Christ, God is using them to fulfill Scripture. The penalty for blasphemy was stoning (Lev. 24:16), but the Scriptures had prophesied that not a bone of Christ would be broken (Psa. 34:20 cf. Exod. 12:46).

As Jesus Himself prophesied, He would have to suffer a Gentile form of execution (18:32–33) in order to be “made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13).

II. The Man That Found No Fault. vs.3-4

His question to Christ. v.3

3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it.

In the parallel passage in

John 18:36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

Jesus is not interested in being the king of this world, He is the King of another.

Revelation 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

His assessment of Christ. v.4

4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.

Christ wasn’t there to be a King over the political kingdom of Israel and overthrow Rome.

He told Pilate, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, THAT I SHOULD BEAR WITNESS UNTO THE TRUTH” (John 18:37).

Pilate wasn’t concerned with the truth (John 18:38), so he went out to the Jews and told them: “I find in him no fault at all” (John 18:38).

Jesus had broken no Roman law; He should have been set free.

III. The Messiah That Furthered The Faith. v.5

The doctrine they reported. v.5a

Notice what sound Bible teaching does to people:

It angers the lost. v.5a

5 And they were the more fierce, saying,

It stirs the saved. v.5b

He stirreth up the people,

It gets to all. v.5c

teaching throughout all Jewry,

The direction they reported. v.5d

beginning from Galilee to this place.

They reported where they thought it started.

They resisted it the whole way.

Conclusion:

Do you find fault in Him?