The Importance of Making a Decision
Notes
Transcript
Then the whole council rose and led Jesus away to Pilate.
And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”
So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
And learning that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself was in Jerusalem at that time.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see Him perform a miracle.
Herod questioned Jesus at great length, but He gave no answer.
Meanwhile, the chief priests and scribes stood there, vehemently accusing Him.
And even Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him. Dressing Him in a fine robe, they sent Him back to Pilate.
That day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this time they had been enemies.
Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,
and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him here in your presence and found Him not guilty of your charges against Him.
Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. As you can see, He has done nothing deserving of death.
Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”
But they all cried out in unison: “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
(Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them again,
but they kept shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
A third time he said to them, “What evil has this man done? I have found in Him no offense worthy of death. So after I punish Him, I will release Him.”
But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified. And their clamor prevailed.
So Pilate sentenced that their demand be met.
As they had requested, he released the one imprisoned for insurrection and murder, and handed Jesus over to their will.
Jesus had just emerged at dawn from his religious trial before the Sanhedrin in which his admission that he was the Son of God had enraged the members to call for his death.
But they lacked the power to carry out this sentence and therefore had to present him to the Roman authorities and ask that the sentence be carried out.
The Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus on theological grounds – blasphemy (that he had dared to call himself the son of God) – but because this charge would be thrown out of a Roman court, they had to come up with a political reason for executing Jesus. Their strategy was to present him as a rebel who told the people not to pay their taxes and who claimed to be a king and thus was a threat to Caesar.
This was all lies of course, but then charges don’t have to be true.
In verse one of Chapter twenty-three we read, Luke 23:1-3
Then the whole council rose and led Jesus away to Pilate.
And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”
So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
This question is included in all four of the gospel accounts and in all four the word “you” is emphatic.
Luke as is his custom abbreviates the story.
According to John (18:33-38) Jesus explained to Pilate in what sense he was indeed a king, not a political sense but in a real spiritual sense, he was and is king over all those who claim Him as the shepherd of their souls.
Acceptance or rejection of Jesus as your king is still the real dividing line even today.
You can walk into virtually any room in America and ask, “Do you believe in God?” and expect to get an answer in the affirmative.
But if you push it a bit and go on to ask, “And do believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Only means of going to heaven?” then you will quickly sense an altogether different atmosphere.
But the religious leaders would not let it go and they responded in verse four, Luke 23:4-5
Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
Tonight I want to examine this account of the decision that Pilate made concerning Jesus to see what it may be saying to us about decision making.
First,
Passing off a problem for some one else to handle is not handling a problem.
(vv. 6-7)
When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
And learning that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself was in Jerusalem at that time.
Then acting as we often do, Pilate attempted to avoid making a decision.
When he heard that Jesus was a Galilean that was all he needed to hear, he said in effect, “Oh! So He is a Galilean?”
That made Jesus Herod’s responsibility, so let him hear the case. So Jesus is sent to Herod’s palace.
One can almost see Pilate congratulating himself for getting rid of this thorny problem so easily.
Not only had he managed to pawn the problem off on someone else, in this case Herod, it was someone he did not particularly like anyway.
How fortunate it was that Herod was also in Jerusalem at this season, so let Herod handle the worries about what to do with this Jesus fellow.
Passing off a problem for some one else to handle is not handling a problem and …
Secondly,
Invariably the problem we refuse to deal will come back to haunt us.
In verses 8-10 we find an account of Jesus’ time before Herod.
It seems that Herod has had all the chance he is ever going to have to hear the truth.
Jesus had nothing to say in answer to Herod’s questions nor does he perform any miracles to amuse him. So we are told in verse eleven, Luke 23:11
And even Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him. Dressing Him in a fine robe, they sent Him back to Pilate.
It would seem from reading verse thirteen as well as the parallel accounts that when Jesus is returned to Pilate, that Pilate took Jesus aside to determine his guilt or innocence. Luke 23:13-19
Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,
and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him here in your presence and found Him not guilty of your charges against Him.
Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. As you can see, He has done nothing deserving of death.
Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”
But they all cried out in unison: “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
(Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
When he came out from that meeting Pilate called the chief priests and rulers of the people and told them that as far as he was concerned he could not see that Jesus was guilty of any of the charges that they had brought against Him.
Pilate offers as a compromise to have Jesus beaten and released.
From the record of the parallel accounts I believe that Pilate offered them a second proposal. In Mark 15:8-11 we read,
So the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to keep his custom.
“Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked.
For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
Based on the tradition of releasing one prisoner to the people as a recognition of the Passover, Pilate offers to them Barabbas.
I believe that the offer of Barabbas was meant to be a offer that no sensible Israelite could accept; the offer of Jesus’ was one that no sensible Israelite could turn down. Boy was Pilate wrong.
The crowds incited by the chief priest and scribes, called for Jesus’ death and the release of Barabbas.
And even though Pilate pronounces Jesus innocent of any crime the Jewish religious leaders respond by even more vigorously declaring his guilt and demanding nothing less than the death penalty.
Their demands for the death of Jesus fail even the simple test of logic.
Their accusation against Jesus was the he was instigating a rebellion, yet they chose a man for release who had done those very things. Their actions followed no logic whatsoever.
Again in verse twenty we are told, Luke 23:20
Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them again,
I really believe that Pilate wanted to release Jesus but he lacked the courage to follow his convictions.
Matthew recorded that even Pilate’s wife had experienced a dream about Jesus and had urged Pilate to let Jesus go (Matthew 27:19).
While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
Invariably the problem we refuse to deal will come back to haunt us and …
Third,
When you have a difficult decision to make, do not discount the effects of outside pressure.
(vv. 21-22)
You need to realize before hand that making the right decision could have unpleasant consequences; rejection by your peers, career derailment, even public ridicule.
Now in verse twenty one we read, Luke 23:21-23
but they kept shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
A third time he said to them, “What evil has this man done? I have found in Him no offense worthy of death. So after I punish Him, I will release Him.”
But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified. And their clamor prevailed.
According to John’s gospel, “during Pilate’s first encounter with Jesus, he had responded to Christ’s assertion of truth by saying, ”What is truth?” (John 18:38)
“What is truth?” Pilate asked. And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against Him.
What is truth?
Unwittingly anticipating the words of modern skeptics who say in effect, “What is truth?” when they insist that truth is a matter of subjective opinion. Postmodernist say “What is Truth?” because he or she does not believe that truth exists.”
Our society has a difficult time deciding what is truth, but the reason is that we have cast aside the only means of knowing the truth, God’s word.
When you have a difficult decision to make, do not discount the effects of outside pressure And …
Fourth,
Sometimes we know the right thing to do but we do the wrong thing because we are unwilling to pay the cost of doing the right thing.
So what does Pilate do?
Pilate has already decided that Jesus was not guilty, so what does he do?
(v. 24)Luke 23:24
So Pilate sentenced that their demand be met.
This may seem to be a particularly odd statement in a democratic country but “truth is seldom determined by popular opinion.”
Three times during the trial, Pilate clearly affirmed the innocence of Jesus (vv. 4, 14, 22).
He had carefully questioned Jesus and even trembled at the answers, but the truth of the Word made no difference in his decisions.
That sounds oddly modern.
Sometimes we know the right thing to do but we do the wrong thing because we are unwilling to pay the cost of doing the right thing and…
Fifth & Finally,
Personal responsibility cannot be avoided for the decisions that we make.
Matthew’s Gospel explains that at this point Pilate took water and washed his hands in the front of the crowd to symbolize his innocence in condemning Jesus (Matthew 27:24).
When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
Oh, but don’t we wish that it was that easy to avoid our personal responsibility?
Had he been a man of real courage he would have done what was right, and taken the consequences, but his past made him a coward.
Pilate had already made two grave mistakes in his governing of Judea.
First, he had brought the people to the point of rebellion by carrying standards bearing the image Caesar through the city of Jerusalem in defiance of Old Testament law forbidding any graven image.
The end result was that the people threw themselves before him willing to be killed rather than allow this affront to God’s authority to continue.
Pilate finally backed down.
Pilate soon followed this fiasco with another.
He built an aqueduct to bring a new water supply to the city, which was a good thing but he financed it by taking money from the temple treasury.
John, in his account (John 19:12), tells us that the religious leader make an ominous veiled threat when Pilate sought to release Jesus they said, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend.”
From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”
Sometimes the Devil will use our past failures and mistakes to keep us from doing the right thing in the present.
Conclusion
I do not know what your response to Jesus Christ has been, but if it is anything less than receiving Him as the Son of God and your personal Savior, it is not enough, it is rejection.
Your rejection may be polite; in fact it may appear that you have not rejected Him at all.
It may be that you have simply ignored Him.
But if you have not accepted Him, then you have rejected Him.
Just as Pilate could not avoid making a decision about Jesus, so you and I must make a decision as well.
When make a decision by ignoring Him and refusing to make a decision, let me simply remind you that this too is a decision, a decision to reject Him.
Once to Every Man
Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide
In the strife of truth or falsehood for the good or evil side.
But to every man there openeth a high way and a low.
And every man decideth which way his soul shall go.
James Russell Lowell
So I stand before you today and ask: What are you going to do with Jesus?
Will you stand with him or will you be a part of the crowd that yells CRUCIFY HIM?
Maybe today you are thinking back over your week and you can see times where you were part of the crowd.
Maybe you have been the only one around screaming at the crowd that you know and trust Jesus as savior.
This alter is open today. If you want prayer I invite you to come now.
