The Prefect, The King, and The Sons of Perdition
Notes
Transcript
Lee Strobel was an investigative journalist and the award winning Legal Editor working for the Chicago Tribune. He was a convinced and antagonistic atheist. He actively made fun of Christians for believing in God. He had a young family, but his marriage was struggling, as his career was beginning to take off. Then, something happened that would change his life forever.
Lee’s wife started going to church. It annoyed him at first, and he made fun of her some. But one day, she came home and told him that she had gotten saved. She had decided to give her life to Christ, and to follow Him to the very best of her ability. Lee wasn’t just surprised. He wasn’t merely upset; he was irate. He was angry beyond belief. That these Christians had hoodwinked his wife into their audacious mind control scheme was more than he could bear, and he decided to do something about it.
Having studied journalism at the University of Missouri and attaining a Master’s Degree in Law at Yale, Strobel felt that he was amply prepared to do what no one else was willing to do:unmask Christianity as a fraud by proving that God didn’t exist. Strobel interviewed both Christian and atheist scientists, historians, and scholars. He questioned the reliability of Scripture, the evidence of the existence of Jesus outside the Bible, the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God, and the evidence supporting or discrediting the resurrection as an actual historical event. He spent three years trying to find a definitive blow that would destroy the Christian faith.
Instead, after Strobel’s research ended in his conversion to Christianity. He wrote a book about his experience, called The Case for Christ. Since that time, he has become a leading apologist, writing many books that give historical and scientific evidence of God’s work in creation, the existence of God, and the divinity of Jesus Christ. It seems the deeper he reached with man’s power and wisdom to undermine God, the more Strobel became convinced of His existence.
Turn with me, if you will, to John chapter 18. That’s John 18. The last time that we were together, you’ll remember that we were discussing the great irony in the arrest of Jesus by the Jews and their handing of Him over to Pilate, and what we saw was that our greatest act of treachery and rebellion against God was the betrayal and murder of the Passover Lamb, the Son of God. But through that same act, God reconciled us to Himself. He used what we meant to do evil for our greatest good.
As human beings, it is hard for us to look at the cross, an instrument of torture and death, and think or believe that anything good could come out of it. Death is a man-made problem, caused by our sin, that we have no way out of it. Why would the Son of God be allowed to endure such cruel and undeserved suffering? Isn’t a might an all powerful God and Father able rescue Him from it? As we continue forward in chapter 18 this morning, what we are going to see is that the imperfect and sinful ways of man can only converge into God’s perfect will because Jesus is sovereign in everything. And knowing that Jesus is truly the King changes everything.
We’re going to begin reading this morning from John 18, beginning in verse 33. And, whether you are here with us or worshipping from home, I invite you at this time to stand with us as we honor the Lord at the reading of His Word.
Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”
And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.
“But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?”
So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.
Let’s Pray together. Lord, Jesus, we thank you for this day. It is the day that You have made and have given to us, and while there is still breath in our lungs, we will praise You with it. You are the Maker and the Perfecter of all things, and there is nothing that outside of Your Sovereign authority and control. And as we gather together this morning, we declare that these things are as true in our lives as they are with the rising and setting of the sun each day. You are our Author. You created each of us, You have written the number of our days and counted their hours. Lord, we come to you this morning knowing that You are the One that knows us best, and so we are here to place ourselves in Your hands and to learn from You who You are and who You are calling us to be. Help us, Father, to hear Your voice this morning and give us the courage to answer Your call. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Thank you, you may be seated. In this morning’s verses, we find such a strange interaction of people. I have titled this message the Prefect, the King, and the Sons of Perdition because this passage is about the powers of men and the power of God. At the outset of this passage, we are greeted by Pontius Pilate. He was the Roman Prefect of Judea. As the military and civil leader in charge of this conquered territory, Pilate was responsible for the civil order and obedience to Roman decree. In Judea, Pilate had an extreme amount of power.
And yet, he was also accountable to Rome for an ongoing, peaceful, working relationship with the Jews. Rome used the Temple and the Sanhedrin as a mechanism for controlling the greater population, and so his relationship with them was important in his effectiveness as he governed the region. He wanted Jesus to have a fair trial, but he also wanted to please the Jews because his job depended on it. In his hands he held the power of man, and what we see Pilate try to do here is what every man does when he is given power: he tries to do what is best for Pilate. Look at verse 33 with me:
Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Pilate begins the encounter with a loaded question. The Jews wanted Jesus charged as a rebel, a rabble-raising self-proclaimed king sure to attempt a coup. And yet, you can almost hear the sarcasm in his voice as he asked the question. You know that Jesus didn’t look the part. He had been up all night, questioned and berated. He was mocked, slapped, and spit upon. Even as Pilate asked the question, he surely couldn’t imagine that the man in front of him was actually a King. Pilate meant for his question to frame their conversation. However, it is Christ’s response here that truly drives the rest of their discussion:
Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
Jesus, as He was so skilled in doing, answers Pilate’s question with a question of His own. He does not deny the accusation, but instead He re-frames the discussion. Consider this, friends. If Jesus were trying to get out of this situation, He would have said “no,” or “that’s crazy.” But, essentially, Jesus is asking “do you see the truth of who I am, or are you just the puppet of My accusers? Are you motivated by truth or propaganda? Do you want to know the truth, or are you just going on here say? and Pilate answers Him:
Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
What is Pilate saying? “What he means to say, is that you got yourself here, you tell me what your crime is.” But what he actually ends up doing is answering our Lord’s question. By saying “I’m not a Jew,” what Pilate is saying is “how should I know?” He is saying, “Prove it’s not true, because the people in power say it is.” Isn’t that just like the world around us today? We live in a world that hates Jesus, and yet know virtually nothing about Him. They only know what others have told them about Him. At best, He is painted as a philosopher and teacher that desperate men turned into something more that He was. At worst, they deny Him or call Him a fool. They deny His existence, though His birth and death are two of the most documented events in the history of the world, or they see Him standing before Pilate, and they call Him a fool. A deranged lunatic, getting Himself killed.
But if we look closely at this conversation, the picture we see of Jesus is not a man condemned, but a man in control. When Pilate said “I’m not a Jew” and “What have you done,” he spoke as though he were holding all of the cards. He was the man with all the power. Jesus had blown it, and he’d better start talking because His future depended upon Pilate, and no one else. But what we will see over the next few verses is that Jesus is actually the One in control. Jesus artfully tells Pilate exactly who He is and what He is doing in these two verses. Jesus gives Pilate a very clear picture of who He is and what His agenda is, and He does so in at least three ways. Look at verses 36 and 37 together with me:
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
First,
Jesus claims His Crown and Kingdom
Jesus claims His Crown and Kingdom
In verse 36, Jesus claims His Kingdom. He tells Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this world, that otherwise His servants would be fighting for Him. And this is where Pilate probably raised an eyebrow. Ah, a Kingdom out of this world? The man must be crazy. How could you have a Kingdom out of this world? What world is your Kingdom in? What King in His right mind would ever travel outside of the protection of His people? What King would choose to live as a common man among such common people? What King is incapable of calling on his defenses.
And this is the error of Pilate. I would dare it is the error of many men who scoff at the power of Christ as fairy tales thrown as garnishes on the truth. Why would such a man as Christ work might miracles for others and yet not save Himself? But these verses make the answer clear for us, if we are paying attention.Jesus isn’t saying that He didn’t have command in this moment. He never says that. Nor does our Lord say that He is without help. Surely, you and I know by now that this is not the case. In Matthew 26, as Jesus is arrested, He tells Peter to put away his sword. He says
“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
No, it isn’t that Christ does not have the authority or the means to free Himself- He could easily do so. Jesus is the Living Word of God. All of creation came to be by the sound of His voice. Do you really think that Rome could have thrown anything at Jesus that He could not have handled, had He been inclined to avoid the cross? Jesus isn’t saying He couldn’t free Himself. But what He is saying is that He is in the Kingdom of heaven it would never be an issue. It isn’t that Christ could not defend Himself, but that He would never have to. Jesus tells Pilate that He has a land to call His own, and a beloved people that would fight for Him. Jesus has a Kingdom, but He is in enemy territory.
Jesus claims His Kingdom, but He also claims His crown. Pilate comes back, in verse 37 with an AHAH! “Oh, so you are a king! And Jesus says yes. And in this moment, with these two pieces of information, Jesus told Pilate precisely who He is. I am a King, who reigns in a Kingdom not on this world. What Kingdom could Jesus be claiming but a heavenly one? What throne could Christ be claiming but that of God?
Romans worshipped their emperor as a god, though he was a man. Was it so inconceivable to them that the only true God could become a man? No one added this title to story of Christ. There was no late addition of Deity to His titles. Jesus Himself claimed His crown and His Kingdom. As we follow the story on, we’re going to see that this title of King of the Jews is the very thing inscribed as the crime that He dies for, and we see Him claim it right here, but Jesus wasn’t done. Look at verse 37 again:
Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Jesus reveals His identity to Pilate in claiming His crown and Kingdom, and secondly,
Jesus declares His conquering work
Jesus declares His conquering work
If you aren’t careful you’ll miss it. Right after Jesus says “You say correctly that I am King,” He says “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world...”
Now, I’m just a simple Pastor, but if I were a Prefect, a governor of an imperial Provence, and a man had just stood in my court room and claimed to be a king from another realm, even if I were skeptical, even if I didn’t believe Him, I would probably pay close attention to these words: “for this I have come into the world.”
See, Jesus just told us His Kingdom isn’t of this world. So, why is he here? Good question! I love to travel. It is in my blood I guess. And every time you cross the border into a foreign country, they ask you for your passport. They look at your identity and at you to make sure you are who you say you are, and then they ask a really important question: “What brings you to our country today?” Now, I’m just a normal guy, and yet every government wants to know why I’m in their country. How much more do you think that should be true of King!
Right here, Jesus answers that question, and it goes right over Pilates head. Jesus says, “to testify to the truth.”Jesus came to testify to the truth. And if Jesus came from His heavenly Kingdom to testify to the truth, what that should tell us is that the truth was not known. And Pilate verifies this fact, when he asks a rhetorical question in verse 38:
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”
And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.
What is truth? It was unknown before, but now Jesus has come. Now He has made it known, that there is salvation from sin, that man can have a relationship with God. Jesus came to testify to the truth of the Gospel.
Now, some of you are scratching your heads. How is it that testifying to the truth is conquering work? And I’ll tell you that Jesus could have said this just as easily. He could have said “I have come to conquer my Kingdom. I have come to establish My Kingdom here,” but He didn’t say that. At least, He didn’t say it like that. You see, Jesus knew that Pilate wouldn’t understand that. He would have taken such a statement as a threat against Rome. Pilate was focused on the physical world, while Jesus came to conquer souls. And so, Jesus spoke to Pilate in Spiritual terms, and the answer went right over His head. 1 John 5:5
Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Romans 8:37
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
What happens when a person becomes a Christian? Are their hearts not conquered? Is their citizenship not transferred? A Kingdom, friends is more than a territory, it is also a people. And Jesus just told Pilate He came to testify to the truth. He came to give them the Gospel, He came to bring us salvation. He came to reveal God to us in His fullness, so that we would become a part of His Kingdom by knowing Him, and would tell others about Him as well.
Jesus came as the conquering King. Why else would our mission be to know Him and to make Him known. Don’t you see it? It is there at the end of verse 37:
Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
“Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Why does Pilate walk away? Why does he go out to address the Jews? Because he was of the wrong Kingdom. Those that are called to God’s Kingdom, those in this land that belong to the King will respond when they hear His voice. Jesus came to conquer hearts and to conquer lives. He came to claim for Himself, His people.
And in these words, in this last part of verse 37, Jesus not only confirms that He has come to conquer with the truth of the Gospel, but He reveals to Pilate the last piece of His identity and purpose in our text this morning:
Jesus discloses His method for conquest
Jesus discloses His method for conquest
I remember watching a movie once. I don’t remember the title or much about it, other than this scene, where a spy who is tied up and beaten explains to his torturers exactly how he is going to escape, and win, and then he does it. And that, friends is exactly what Jesus just did.
He told Pilate, I am a King, but my Kingdom isn’t here. I’ve come to conquer a people, by proclaiming the truth. I have come to reveal the fullness of God, and those in this realm that belong to Him will respond when they hear the proclamation. Jesus came to earth to conquer hearts and lives, and the means of His Kingdom expansion is the Gospel proclaimed. It was His focus and purpose, the very heartbeat of His life and ministry. Jesus came to reveal Himself, that we might know Him, and that in knowing Him, we would make Him known! 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Beloved, we who believe are His conquered Kingdom, and our proclamation of His Gospel is our Kingdom expansion plan. Jesus came as the conqueror of sin and death, liberating our hearts to the Light of who He is, that we might glorify Him in knowing Him and making Him known.
I have told you before that all of life comes down to this. It is why these things are our vision statement, and the full truth of them takes a lifetime to understand. Know Jesus. Know Him in His fullness, Know the truth of who God is! Pilate asked the question, when the answer was standing right in front of Him. Know Jesus. And make Him known. Proclaim Him to all of creation, until every ear has heard, and the Kingdom of God has gone out to every corner. Matthew 24:14
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
This is the very epicenter of our faith. If it is why Christ came, if it is the way to the end, when Christ will come back, then knowing Christ and making Him known is the very center of who you and I are called to be. Christ came to bring us an invitation to His Kingdom and to His purpose.
Pilate had before him, the same invitation. It was and invitation that went over his head. He turned from the King, missing entirely the fullness of truth that had just been proclaimed, and he went out to the sons of perdition. And pay attention, friends. Verse 38
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”
And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.
“But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?”
So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.
Pilate missed the boat. He missed the truth before him, and so he went out and did what lost men do with power: he did what was best for Pilate. He tried to wash his hands of the matter. He couldn’t condemn him because Jesus didn’t give him anything to work with, and so he tried to take the easy way out, the way where he wins most readily, freeing himself of innocent blood, and appeasing the Jews at the same time.
But the sovereignty of God won the day, when evil men did what evil men do, and the children of darkness chose one like themselves over the King they refused to know. A thief, over the King of kings. A crook over the conqueror.
And in a way that only God can work, His will is accomplished in the work of His enemies. The prefect and sons of perdition used the power of man in the Sovereignty of God to accomplish the victory that they meant to squash. Jesus, friends, told us who He is, and why He came, and how He would win, and then He did it. And more than 2000 years later, men are still trying to no avail to crush Him; but those who hear His voice in the darkness are still being drawn to His light.
Know Him. and Make Him known. Know Him deeply, intimately, fully, and truly as a lifetime will allow you. And make Him known. Tell the world about Him. Help others to hear the truth and to grow in it. This is the Kingdom of God and His purpose in us. If today you hear Him calling, let it be the day You finally find the truth.
Would you pray with me? Lord, Jesus, the truth of who You are is spelled out before us in plain letters, in black and white. You came to show us the fullness of who You are so that we can know You and make You known. And in Your Word this morning, we find an invitation. We hear Your call to enter into Your truth. We hear You calling each of us to Yourself, and we are ready to respond. We too have seen the evidence of who You are, and our eyes are opened to the truth. Lord, would You forgive us for our pursuits in the darkness we live in? Would You bring us into Your eternal Kingdom? Would You use us now to proclaim Your Kingdom, that we may join You in Your purpose. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.