Sermon Tone Analysis

John 19 – Pilate Caves… Jesus Pays… Joseph’s Cave

Personal:

I love movies that are full of surprises…

* Front to back…

* Twists and turns

* Who is the villain…

* Secret identities…

* Ones that keep you intrigued right to the end!!

* Surprises… I love those kind of surprises…

 

Biblical:

John 19:1 Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3 and they /began /to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him slaps /in the face/.

4 Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him." 5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.

/Pilate /said to them, "Behold, the Man!" 6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify!" 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 by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out /to be /the Son of God." 8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was /even /more afraid; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?"

But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has /the /greater sin." 12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out /to be /a king opposes Caesar." 13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.

And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!" 15 So 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 then handed Him over to them to be crucified.

17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross.

It was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS." 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin /and /in Greek.

21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'"

22 Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and /also /the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.

24 So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, /to decide /whose it shall be"; /this was /to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS." 25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the /wife /of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!"

From that hour the disciple took her into his own /household/.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."

29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon /a branch of /hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!"

And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

Secular: /The Truth is…./

* We love an underdog… at least many of us do…

* That is why there are so many Canuck fans here…

* Ok….

* We like to see the little guy… the unexpected… succeed…

* We like those who appear destined to defeat are able to snatch glory… usually from a cocky… much more arrogant opponent…

 

Bridge: In Christian circles… “the meek shall inherit the earth...” and “his strength is in my weakness” have become platitudes… clichés

We have become calloused to the things that shock and surprise the world around us!!

We shouldn’t be surprised… when the world is…

We serve the boy born in a stable… laid to rest in hay… trained as a carpenter… who became an itinerant preacher… who baffled the most learned of rabbis… who sought no esteem for himself… who laid his life down for his friends… The underdog… who defeated death, sin, and the grave.

Surprised….

*5 areas of Surprise*

Body:

Surprise treatment of an innocent man….

John 19 opens…

Pilate took Jesus and scourged him… they place a crown of twisted thorns on his head… they slapped his face… they mocked him… Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him."

*  Hardly seems right….

- preached love

- preached forgiveness

- preached compassion

- preached truth

NAU 2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin /to be /sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

NAU Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as /we are, yet /without sin.

* We can’t claim the same innocence….

* Have your ever wondered… in times of trial… “What is going on here?”

*  Or thought “I don’t deserve this!” KARMA....?

*  There can be so much suffering in our lives….

Suffering that isn’t some divine punishment….

Suffering that furthers God’s purpose

Paul… Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine */lashes/*.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

26 /I have been /on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from /my /countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;

 27 /I have been /in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

·         Should we be surprised?

·         NAU Isaiah 48:10 "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

– lovingly grows us…

* Christ wasn’t be refined for his sake and his sin… It was for our sin, our stain… that was being removed

* We have been made righteous in Christ… yet this very righteous and holy Son of God still suffered for God’s purpose… our victory is eternally with God

* Don’t be surprised at the suffering…

* Be focused on the reward and the God you serve…

*  James 1:2 Consider it all *joy*, my brethren, when you encounter various *trials*,

* Even those made righteous… made innocent in Christ will suffer…

 

Surprise power in the powerless

So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has /the /greater sin."

* This is the topsy-turvy reality of the Christian world view…

* Matthew 20:16 "So the *last* shall be *first*, and the *first* *last*."

Oh, what the world values vs what God values… (Remember the disciples…)

* Jesus will be the strength in our weakness…

* We know we have to be crucified in Christ to live….

*  Jesus… having been beaten… crowned with thorns… blood running down his back and from his head… tells Pilate… the man who apparently holds his ‘fate’ in his hands… that authority rest not with him… but in heaven… with the Father.

*  Mother Teresa… small women… quiet… but operated in the authority of God with power no man could have given her…

* Billy Graham… does not draw a crowd because he is witty… or has a unique message… but operated in the authority of God with power no man could have given him…

* The new believer sold out for Christ… living it and sharing it… operating in the authority of God with power no man could have given her…

* When you wonder how can I do what God calls me to do… Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in *weakness*."

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

* It was in Christ’s apparent weakness the power of God was demonstrated!!

* It is in our weakness that the Power of God can be demonstrated!!

*  Don’t be surprised by the demonstration  of Power in the powerless…

Surprise death to the King

And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!" 15 So they cried out, "Away with /Him/, away with /Him/, crucify Him!"

* Ever truly been shocked….

* Something seems obvious… yet people vote it down… (RAV Line)

*  28 drivers working for Shell Canada…

*  Wanted to switch to 4 x 10 hour days…

* Serve a wider area (w~/o overtime) and save four jobs…

*  They voted no… voted 4 guys out of a job