John 18:12-32

John 18:12-32 | Jesus isn’t on trial, we are

Prayer:

God- this is all about you. your word, your church, your work, your glory, your creation, your truth, your salvation, your victory, your covenant, your faithfulness, your story. to you be the glory forever and ever. may I be a vessel for your glory and for your truth. May you speak clearly to me and through me that we might be built up and built together in you. Please bring lost souls to hear the true word of glory.

intro:

Hello and good morning church!

Happy Holy Week to ya.

pastor Taylor

Gospel of John, Come and See

Calvary begins

The cross is on the horizon

18:1-11- Jesus arrested

Lead by his friend and now betrayer, Judas

followed by a mob of jewish and roman soldiers

weapons and torches in hand

in the middle of the night

to drag him to court

Today’s text: 2 locations, 3 trials

Much of the Gospel of John reads like a courtroom scene

Questions of Jesus are raised

witnesses are called to the stand

The Works of Jesus (miracles) (signs)

The Word of God

John the Baptist

now the official trials have begun

first, the Jewish court of law

then, the Roman court of law

P1: Priests on trial (vv12-14, 19-24)

Annas, Caiphas

annas sitting in

While Caiphas gathers the Council

“sanhedrin”

all the power players

the same group that gathered in ch 11

behind closed doors to conspire against Jesus

to make a plan to silence him

in that meeting, the head honcho, Caiphas spoke up and brought resolution to the debate

John 11:49-53 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

From that day on, Jesus was on the top of the hit list, public enemy #1, dead man walking

John tells us Caiphas prophesied (spoke truth from God

its “Better” that Jesus die

it is very good for us that Jesus die

“Good Friday”

Why is it good and better for us?

It is better for us that Jesus die, that we are not dead in our sins- so that we might live

It is better Jesus die so that we could be called children of God

It is better Jesus die that not only we, but the whole world might be saved

It is better Jesus die, that the world might have God, and with him- peace and hope and eternal life

But for Caiphas and the Sanhedrin, “better” meant something else entirely

better was not prophesy

better was strategy

Jesus was a threat to their power, authority and reputation

Jesus was a threat to their comfort and to their agenda

his miracles and his teaching undermined them

he would put an end to the temple, he would put an end to sacrifices, he put an end to priests

Better was not prophesy, better was not what God had planned for them

Better were their plans for themselves

God was a threat

They thought they knew better than God

Trial or a trap? (vv19-24)

out of the public eye

at night

without witnesses

why Jesus says, v20 “if you really wanted answers, you wouldn’t ask me, you would ask the people”

without evidence

don’t want to talk about his signs and miracles,

teaching and disciples

no evidence, no witnesses, or worse

according to other Gospel writer, false witnesses

framed by intimidation

at night

away from the public

abusive- they strike him and beat him in an effort to break him down

John never tells us about the interaction with Caiphas

it didn’t matter, their minds were set

This isn’t a real trial, this is a trap and an attack

Jesus may be innocent, but he is a threat

better that he dies

not for prophesy, but for political expediency

not for justice, but for convenience

not with reason, but in rebellion

not in truth, but in treason

Application:

not the last time Jesus would face an unfair trial

this is still happening today

The word of God is attacked by people who have never read it

Jesus is mocked by people who have never truly investigated him

false witnesses frame Jesus according to lies and ignorant people believe them

most atheist fall in this category

intentionally give Jesus an unfair trial

Their aim is to disprove God, not to understand if he is truly there

Atheists who attack God, must believe he is there- otherwise, why are they so angry?

he is a threat

Whats ironic, these are not atheists, they are the religious elite

Priests, OT teachers, leaders in the temple

Religious people were responsible for killing Jesus

Jesus is a threat to religion

What?

If religion is defined as a system in which we get right with God and receive salvation

Jesus has fulfilled it

There are no more sacrifices to be made,

because Jesus made them all

no more lambs, no more alms

jesus paid it- the religious economy is satisfied

There is no more temple

Jesus is the meeting place between God and man

The whole Earth is his temple and all who belong to him

There are no more priests

Priests stand as mediators between God and man,

Jesus is the High priest

all people can commune with God directly through Jesus

There is no more legalism

Jesus fulfilled the law

we are not justified by it

we no lomnger walk according to the law

-diet, clothing, rituals

we live according to the spirit

-love, peace, patience, kindness, self control

Religion apart from Jesus is dead

Religion with Jesus is complete

These men were priests, they were teachers of the law, they were leaders in the temple

Jesus was a threat to the jewish religious system

just as the Gospel of Grace is a threat to

the catholic church, the LDS church, the Jehovah’s witnesses, to Islam and every cult and religious system out there

since religion is fulfilled in Christ

all religion is either dead

or filled, satisfied and completed in Christ

Hook: Jesus isn’t on trial, we are

our verdict of Jesus does not change or determine who he is or his value

our verdict of God does not affect God

our opinion, our verdict in favor or against God

only affects us

Who do you say Jesus is?

This is not a question Jesus needs you to answer for his justification

its a question you need to answer for your justification and your salvation

Transition:

to the Religious Authorities and systems, Jesus is a threat

Keep their power

to sinners in need of salvation without hope in the system,

Jesus is great news!

God’s grace, salvation and love freely given

Problem: Jews lived under Roman occupation

Rome was the true political power

They needed Rome’s authority and consent to execute Jesus

So they extradite him

from Annas to Caiphas,

from Caiphas to the house of Pilate

from the head of Jewish legal power, to the head of Roman legal power

P2: Pilate on trial (vv28-40)

(v28) Don’t want to defile themselves by stepping in a gentile home

ritualistic purity laws of the OT

They are scared to break a outward purity law

but okay murdering an innocent man

If the Jews saw Jesus as a threat

and the goal was to keep their power

Pilate sees Jesus as a nobody

his goal is to keep the peace in this occupied land

Pilate Questions the Jewish Leaders:

(v29) What accusation do you bring? What is he guilty of?

(30-31) Jewish response: just trust us, kill him

If you want to keep the peace, honor us

we are honoring your law, you better honor ours

we want him dead

Political negotiation

Rome has to keep the peace

but Rome also has to do her due-diligence and hold a sort of hearing of their own

not a full trial- Jesus is not a roman citizen, the same laws don’t apply to him

Pilate steps in as a mediator

Pilate Questions Jesus:

4 questions:

are you the king of the jews? (v33)

your accord or others?

who’s asking?

you as pilate, a man interested in knowing me

you as pilate, the politician interested in condemning me

What have you done? (v35)

What I have not done:

armed men with weapons of war, mobilized a militia, created an uprising, political movement or rebellion.

in other words,

the men outside want you to believe I am a threat to you

I have not come to wage war against you

but to bring the kingdom of heaven to you

So you are a king? (v37)

Those are your words not mine

declaration of his heavenly mission

Jesus is king, and he does not deny that

but before he takes the throne, he takes the cross

Jesus has 2 comings

the first, to take the cross

past

the second, to establish his throne

future

Jesus concerns himself with the first

For this purpose x2: I came/ I was born

past tense

purpose x2, reason x1

bear witness to the Truth

Jesus came that we might know God, the truth

all truth comes from God, and is true because of God

he is the author of creation, of science, of the laws of nature

he is the foundational truth in all things

If you hear God and know God, then you hear Jesus and know Jesus

What is truth? (v38)

What a modern question from an ancient mouth

not inquiring, but mocking

not seeking answers, shutting down the conversation

a convenient truth

truth is unknowable

there is no such thing as truth

your truth is your truth

all of those are truth statements

they undo themselves

but they work, and we like them

because they are convenient

in this case, Truth would have gotten in the way of peace

of pleasing the world

Pilate exchanges truth for peace with the world

how often do we see the heart of pilate in our society, in our churches?

Pilate makes himself an accomplice with the world

The trade

moral and physical

Jesus for Barabbas

Barabbas was a robber (other translations: insurrectionist)

if this is the case

its the most ridiculous trade by both parties:

the thing the Jews are trying to accuse Jesus of

thing Pilate found Jesus “not guilty” of

is the very thing Barabbas was already convicted of

When we do away with truth, and when we do away with God

we do away with justice, righteousness and goodness for the world

when we get rid of Jesus, we get Barabbas

this is what our society and our country has right now

we have traded truth for convenience

we have traded God for man

we have traded justice for power

we have traded Jesus for a bunch of Barabbases

Give us Barabbas!

what a terrible trade

what a great trade!

good news for criminal, sinners, rebels, thieves and all who are guilty and in need of mercy and a new life

The great exchange

Jesus takes the place of a known criminal- a guilty man on death row awaiting the final judgement

this image is the Gospel

subsititution

Jesus came to die for sinners in the place of sinners

2 cor 5:21 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus took our chains, our sin, death and judgment

that all who trust and believe in him as their substitute,

might have peace with God, a place with God and a purpose with God in his kingdom for all eternity

Transition:

to pilate, Jesus is a nobody and truth is nothing

not Jesus on trial, or his testimony

We are on trial

our testimony

God doesn’t need us to justify him

we need God to justify us

we are on trial

from the religious, to the secular

to we who call ourselves friends of Jesus

We are on trial

Peter is on trial

P3: Peter on trial (vv12-18, 25-27)

Peter an another disciples (probably John) follow Jesus to see what’s going to happen

3 times Peter Denies Jesus

in all 4 Gospels

anyone who ever met Peter already knew this story about him

he had the reputation of being the man who denied his friend 3 times on the night he needed him the most

3 times Peter denies Jesus and a rooster crows-

just as Jesus had prophesied in chapter 13

to the jews, Jesus was a threat

wanted to keep their power

to Pilate, Jesus was a nobody

wanted to keep the peace

to Peter, Jesus is a let down, a fraud, a fake, “a phase”

Peter thought Jesus would be crowned king by now

he would be the cup bearer to the king!

Peter had different expectations of Jesus

he did not expect Jesus to be so weak

Following Jesus is risky

reputation

alliance with Jesus means enmity with the world

We are on trial

what we say about him doesn’t effect who he is

who we are and our future

What do you believe about Jesus?

What do you say of Jesus?

Conclusion: