Classic Christianity – Jesus His Final Hours P3 (04-15-20)
Synopsis
It is unbelievable how unrighteous all of us are! We tend to focus on how hypocritical the Pharisees and religious leaders were, when we look into the details of how Jesus was sent to Herod and appeared before Pilate, with the beating and the mocking, and the political games played out. But do we see our own actions? Do we see the attitudes of our own heart? What does religion do to us? Does it not make us proud, to think I can do these certain things, that I can tithe, I can go church, have my quiet time, and go to visitation. Then, what do people do when they see others not doing what they are doing? Are they not mean as hornets? So we tend to make a mental list of the laws we think we can keep, and ignore the rest. Yet, do we realize our own unrighteousness that we might seek a savior? For those in Christ Jesus, we truly know all praise belongs to God through His Son Jesus Christ, in whom we have been imputed His righteousness.
Here is Pilate, knowing that they wanted Jesus killed for personal reasons, looking for an alternative so Jesus would not be executed, but he had a weakness. He is dead spiritually like all of us. He did not know truth, Jesus, who is standing before him. The fear of man, the fear of Caesar, was a snare to him. He had pride in his position of authority. Yet, Jesus knowing all things, knows it had to be this way, so he could die not only for Herod, for the Pharisees and the religious leaders, but also for you and me, and for the entire world!.
Now, Pilate asked a very good question that we all need to have the answer to. What is truth? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” and “His word is truth”. That is the only way we can come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved, to know God and His son, Christ Jesus. Jesus wanted us to see the depths of our need so we would come to him for our provision for that need.
So what did Jesus come to earth to do? He lived a life of perfect love, and by love he fulfilled the law for us. He upheld the demands of the law for us, and by meeting the just demand of death for sin, he died in our place. He took away the sins of the entire world. He cried out on the cross, “It is finished”. Before he died, he expressed his unconditional love for us by saying, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Then, an amazing thing happened. He rose from the dead after three days! See, he died to prepare us to receive new life, His resurrected life! If had not died first to take away the cause of our death, which is sin, then the next time we sinned, we would die again. But because he fulfilled and upheld the law for us, and now lives forever, he always lives to intercede for us. Now, he is calling upon all men to come to Him, to receive His resurrected life, to receive the same life that raised him from the dead to be resident in you and me.
For you see, when he walked the earth, he showed us what it looks like to walk in complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. That is how mankind was originally designed to be when God breathed into Adam, the first created being, the breath of life, the Holy Spirit of life. That is now restored when we are born again, having the Holy Spirit placed back into us. That is received by faith, asking God for new life, totally trusting in what he provided for you by means of his death, burial and resurrection.
Transcript
So you either have a life that you do not live or else you live a life that you do not have. So many people are trying to live a life they do not have and then there are those of us who have a life that we do not live. How much can you and I do apart from Jesus? Nothing. How much could Peter do apart from Jesus? Nothing. He was strong. He was big. He was bold. He loved the Lord but he could not do one thing apart from Jesus when the crunch came to life. How much can you and I do? Nothing. He said even if I die I will never disown you. He meant that.
Matthew 26:36-9
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
What was he praying? He was saying, “take this cup from me.“ Was he merely saying, “I do not want to die.” No. Much lesser men than that have gone to their death bed, who have not wept great drops of blood, as we will read about later. Here is the sinless Lamb of God, who literally took upon himself, by transfer, the sins of the entire world. Every dirty, lousy thing we have ever thought or done, or ever will do, and ever man who as ever lied, and everything they ever thought and done, all of that went upon Jesus.
In my early days of teaching as a brand new Christian, I was teaching in a Sunday school class with some teenagers. I remember one girl who said to me, “Mr. George, I do not see how Jesus would be dripping great drops of blood over dying?” So I said to her, “I want to ask you a question. If someone told you tomorrow that you were going to have to die, be shot or whatever it might be, do you think it would cause you to sweat as it were, of great drops of blood?” “No. I do not think so.” I said, “I do not think so either. Let me ask you another question. If someone told you tomorrow that you were going to go into a field and that you were going to be molested by a hundred guys and be made fun of and be engaged in all kinds of evil, sexual activities and everything else, what would happen to you then?” She said, “I think I would sweat great drops of blood.” That is the difference. This Jesus took upon all the vile sins that you and I ever thought of committing in our lives.
What was the Lord praying? “God, if there is any way to save these people apart from my having to become sin, taking upon myself the sins of the whole world, if there is any way to save them apart from doing that, do it? But Father, but it is not my will, but yours be done.” He knew there is no other way. “If He thought of anything while I was here on earth, come up with it. Yet, not my will, but yours be done.” That is an attitude that should be in our hearts as people who are born again. If we are indwelt by the living Christ and have his mind living in us, our attitudes should be “Lord, not my will but yours be done”. Do you want your prayers answered or do you want God’s will for your life, because the two are not necessarily the same.
Matthew 26:40-55
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
Who was sending Judas out? Chief priests, religious people and the elders.
Matthew 26:48-55
48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”
What did he call him? Friend. Do you think Jesus knew he was up to? Do you think Jesus knew what Judas was up to for three years? Yet, what did he call him? Friend. Recall what Jesus said. “I do not call you a slave. I call you my friends.”
John 15:15
15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
So, here is Judas, one of the twelve, who was with Jesus for three years. Here was Judas, who was also instructed to go out two by two, along with the other disciples. So, can someone taste and see the goodness of the Lord, but fail to come to him for life? It would be like a person going to church all his life, playing church, doing good things, looking good on the outside before men, but inwardly dead to God. It could be someone participating in the things Christians are known to do or it could be someone like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but either way fail to come to Christ for life.
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 26:50-51
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
That was Peter. We know this from John’s account.
John 18:10-12
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
The reaction of the other disciples were similar, to take up swords to fight, as we read in Luke’s account. Notice too, that Jesus healed the man’s ear. So the crowd of soldiers was dispatched to arrest Jesus. They hated him without reason.
Luke 22:49-51
49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Matthew 26:52-55
52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion,
In those days, there were rebellious Jews, organizing a rebellion against the Romans. That is why the Romans did not like the days of Passover because of the hundreds of thousands of Jews gathered in one place, for that would be potential danger there. Barabbas was one of those. So that was not an unusual question for Jesus to ask. “Am I leading a rebellion?” It would be like saying, “Have you seen me picketing Washington?”
Matthew 26:55
that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?
“Have you seen me doing this? ”
Matthew 26:55
Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.
“You heard me there. Why did you not arrest me then?”
Matthew 26:56
56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
So all the disciples fled, including Peter. Now then went over to the Kidron valley. That is a valley that goes from the garden of Gethsemane over to the Jerusalem walls. They went to Caiphas house. Many people believe that at that place is where the disciples denied the Lord, and was probably so.
Matthew 26:57
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.
Who had assembled there? All the teachers of the law, all the people who did not like Jesus, who do did not agree with his interpretation. And you know how bad that is, when someone does not agree with your interpretation.
Matthew 26:58-60
58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
This is what always takes place. When someone wants to get you, and they cannot get good information on you, why they dig up false information. You can always do that. You get people, and pay them off, to get them to say something about a person to try and get him crucified.
Matthew 26:60-61
Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
Did Jesus say that? Just as this temple, three days and three nights, this temple will be destroyed and be rebuilt. But what was he talking about? He was talking about himself.
John 2:18-22
18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?€19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Matthew 26:62-63
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.
Jesus was probably looking at him like, “Boy, are you dumb.” Jesus did not even answer.
Matthew 26:63
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
Where did that come? I thought the accusation was “I would destroy the temple and rebuild it”. No, the question now is, “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?”
Matthew 26:64-65
64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”
This is the high priest now.
Matthew 26:66-67
“He is worthy of death,” they answered.67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”
As you turn back to history, and look at what people did back in those days, people would put a hood on top of some man and tie it, and then bust him in the face, and say, “Who hit you that time?” Then they would turn him around, and then another person would hit him in the face. “Who hit you?”, mocking him, and asking, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?“
Isaiah 52:13-15
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him – his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness – 15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
As we read in Isaiah, he was beaten beyond recognition beyond any man. There was a huge hole, where they would take a prisoner and lower him down with a rope into a hole, with no place to move, and leave you there for torturing purposes, and then drag you back up again. There are all kinds of torture that took place. Can you imagine walking up and spitting in the face of the Son of God, a man who had raised the dead, healed the blind, the most loving person who ever walked on the face of the earth, yet engendered such wrath, for what? Teaching truth. He was called rabbi. He could have interpreted the laws, just like the other rabbis, and could have been the biggest ones there. But he taught truth.
He got underneath the skin to show us our own hypocrisy. We do not want to see that. We want to function with people on the surface. Do not get too close to me, but just let me fool you. Do not get under my skin. Jesus got underneath the skin, and that is uncomfortable because we have to come to grips with yourself. If there is no solution, then have to come to grips with yourself, accept or form more religion. Come to church more. Pray more. Read your bible more. Have more quiet time. That is the best religion can offer to you. And you try that, don’t you? So you go to church and tithe. Then he tells you to do something else, so you go to the prayer meeting and then you go to visitation. And then you try harder and try harder and then try harder, but there is nothing that can calm your heart. That thing he said in the beginning about peace. You have peace right in front of you and you refused it. That was certainly true of the priest, the religious leaders and the elders.
All of those things is the best that the world and religion can offer to man when confronted with your own imperfection and depravity. So they had no solution. You are guilty. You go to the day of atonement, kill a bull and a goat, but something is still troubling inside of you. Jesus wanted us to see the depths of our need so we would come to him for our provision for that need. So they spit in his face and said “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”
Matthew 26:69-75
69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
They took them over to Pilate’s house. That is all across the city. They dragged him from Chaiphas’ house through the streets all the way over to Pilate’s house. They humiliated him and beat him half to death along the way, from people putting sacs over his face and torturing him. Then he went before Pilate.
John 18:28
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
In other words, we are bringing this guy over to kill him, but I do not want to get involved in ceremonial uncleanness. So they did not enter the palace. They wanted to eat the Passover. You cannot kill a guy too late if you want to celebrate Passover.
In Jerusalem, in their elevators, their buttons are disabled. They have a Sabbat elevator. When the Sabbath comes, 5 o’clock in the evening, on Friday, when you go in it, it goes to the top floor and stops on every floor on the way down because you cannot push a button on the Sabbath, for that would be work. You have to get in the elevator, and it automatically goes up and down. This still occurs today.
So they do not want to be involved in anything ceremonially unclean, yet want to kill somebody before that takes place. That is why Jesus said, “You are clean on the outside but dirty on the inside.”
John 18:29-30
29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
The audacity these people had is unbelievable.
John 18:31
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected.
The reason we are taking him to you is so you can execute him. We have no authority to do so, but we want you to do it before the Passover because we want to eat the Passover.
John 18:32-38
32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
A good question isn’t it. How would you and I ever know what truth is if it was not for Jesus who said, “I am the truth”. How would we ever know what truth is if God had not given us the scripture and said, “My word is truth”? We wouldnt. So Pilate made a statement of absolute truth. What is truth? How are you ever going to know what truth is?
John 18:38
With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
I know what Pilate was thinking here. “I will offer this guy an alternative to prevent Jesus from being crucified, for I know your customs.”
John 18:39-40
39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
So they are saying, “No, we do not want Jesus. We want Barabbas, the one who led a revolt against the Romans.”
John 19:1-3
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” (mocking him) And they slapped him in the face.
He had been beaten by the Jews. Now, he is beaten by the Romans. Imagine the sight of Jesus, after all this beating!
John 19:4-5
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
Pilate sent him all over the way back to Herod’s place. Herod sent him all over the way back to Pilate’s place. That is a lot of travel when you are beaten half to death. He is now back at Pilate’s place.
John 19:6
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”
Pilate was trying to get out of this thing.
John 19:7-8
7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid,
Remember his wife had also warned him, have nothing to do with this man.
Matthew 27:18-20
18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
That tells you that you should listen to your wife. When Pilate heard this, and having his wife tell him as well, he was more afraid.
John 19:9-11
9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.
Jesus could have said, “You just think you have power.”
John 19:11-12
Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
Now they are appealing to his fear of Caesar. You are claiming, “let this man go”, he is claiming to be a king, and that is against Caesar, and you are going to let him go. We are going to let Caesar know about this.
