Trials of Life
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
What is truth? The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
In worship, it is our whole heart and our whole mind and our whole spirit ‘tuned in’ to God.
28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.
29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”
31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”
32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”
36 Jesus answered, “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. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.
39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.
2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.
3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.
4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”
6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.
9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.
14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,
The enemy has changed. OT to NT. No longer were the nations around Israel the enemy. Jesus came to save Israel AND THOSE VERY NATIONS. So Jesus was able to walk into a Roman trial and know they people around Him were not His enemies.
The People
From Judea and Jerusalem, where religious leadership had much control. Not the same crowd who welcomed Him with hosannah’s. They were largely from the rural areas where He was much loved. This crowd was made up of the ones who had antagonized Jesus, who had plotted to kill Him. Had the crowd from Palm Sunday been present, there would have been quite the confrontation. But God had a plan...
Crowd mentality - All that being said, there was a crowd mentality.
Surely some of the folks who saw what was happening that morning were drawn in. Swept up in the moment. People who may have not yet formed a strong opinion about Jesus, but that day were swayed by the fervor of the chief priests and Pharisees.
So there is great importance to the crowd we, as Christians, surround ourselves with. If I surround myself with complainers who are never happy, I become dissatisfied. With big spenders, I try to keep up. With servants of the King, I am inspired to try and do the same!
Barabbas - One of the individuals that bears looking at is Barabbas.
Our Tuesday night bible study pointed out the meaning of the name and the character of the man didnt match. The direct translation of the name gives us ‘son of the Father’ or ‘son of a father’. John says he was a robber, the synoptic gospels tell us he was part of an insurrection- thus political, a murderer- so maybe a thug hired in the political. One of the sources I read said homicidal political terrorist. Yet his name means son of the father. And in some of the ancient Matthew texts he is ‘Jesus Barabbas’. So when Pilate offered to release one of the men accused, he would have offered Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ.
Even though Barabbas stood on the same platform as Jesus, his death would have done nothing to help humankind. It might have been justice served. But we have said that God had a plan. And the plan to send Jesus to die for mankind would accomplish what those present could not imagine. The offer of forgiveness and redemption for every sin they were committing, even in that moment.
Pilate
Fear - He knows the Jews are bringing him a trumped up charge. But when he begins to converse with Jesus, he also recognized this man is like no other he has had in court. “Are you the King of the Jews?” “What have you done?” “Where are you from?” There seemed to be more urgency with each question. His wife’s dream from - as if he wasnt concerned enough with sentencing an innocent man, his wife tells him to get his hands off the situation.
Indecision - Pilate shows a great example of being a peace-keeper instead of a peace-maker. A peace keeper always compromises truth to keep what semblance of peace there is. Pilate had asked Jesus early on “What is truth?”. A peace maker interjects God’s truth into a situation and lets the Holy Spirit work out the details. When I’m dealing with my kids or job responsibilities or taking care of my parents, sometimes it is a harder decision choose what is best for them. But when I base those decisions on the character of God, I am a peace maker.
Timing - Much has been made of the ‘sixth hour’. Apparent contradictions. Roman time. Jewish time. Jewish time blocks. ‘Saturday night’ is often technically Sunday morning.
The Passover Lamb
Also relates very closely to timing. The time of this trial and of choosing Jesus over Barabbas was the time when the passover lambs would have been taken toward the temple. There is much speculation...
As we are taking this trial from three perspectives, there is a heaviness that accompanies what we see. The crowd lathered up to have innocent blood spilled. Pilate fearful and giving in to the demands of the mob. And Jesus. Who is finished talking until on the cross. Already beaten and crowned with thorns. The mockery of a royal robe on his shoulders. I dont want to interject my opinion of the crucifixion, only to look at His.
22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”
31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”
Jesus moved through his ministry toward the cross. At the Last Supper He told the disciples ‘His blood would be shed for the forgiveness of sin’.
I need to get to the question. From what perspective do you view the trials of life. Your trials.
The crowd? Swayed by whatever is in front of you? Influenced by the voices around you?
Like Pilate? Fearful and indecisive when difficulty arises?
Like Jesus who ‘for the joy set before Him endured the shame of the cross’.
Friend we all wade through trials in this life. The antagonistic co-worker. The wayward child. The unexpected expense. And now I must decide, before the trial ever comes, that I will take the attitude of Jesus when walking into that trial.
Go home: From what perspective do we see others’ trials? I have asked you to look toward other people with the goal of sharing the gospel with them. Part of that is telling your story. Part of that is helping them see Jesus in theirs.