Pilate's Dilemma

Have your Bibles with you turn with me if you would to Luke chapter 23 we can be looking at verses 13 through 25 this evening.

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people and said to them, you brought me this man is one who was misleading the people. After examine him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him.

Neither did Harriet resending back to us look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.

I will therefore punish and releasing but they all cried out together. Away with this man and release to us Barabbas. A man would been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder Pilate address them once more, desiring to release Jesus.

They kept shouting, crucified, crucified him 1/3 time he said to them, why, what evil has he done. I failed in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and releasing but they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed.

So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who'd been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, then they ask, but he delivered Jesus over to their will, that with me as we got our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father is we study tonight. Pilate's dilemma.

We ask that you help us to see why he caved in. Help us to understand why he capitulated to the crowd. Pilate was concerned about his reputation and his career and his political position. He knew it was right that he didn't have the guts to stand for truth.

He gave them to those who pushed him and sent the son of God to his death on the cross.

Father, we know that Jesus death on the cross was predestined was assured to happen but that in no way lessens Pilate's guilt or makes him a victim. He did what he did because he thought he had too much to lose. He did what he did because he had no godly character. No true integrity Lord use Pilate's example tonight to convict us and shame us if necessary and the standing before a loss culture and proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, use the word of God to draw us close to the heart of Jesus. 40 is in the precious and holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.

You may be seated. Pilate cannot get away from his problem. He is already question Jesus wants and found that he was guilty of nothing but getting in the way of the religious leaders ambitions but the religious leaders were absolutely adamant and they said, look what Jesus is been doing these cost nothing but trouble for the last three years. He's fighting against taxation. He calls himself a keen Yasin desires to be executed and you have the responsibility Pilate of executing him Pilate's wife came to him, got them off to the side and she said have nothing to do with this. Just man drive had a dream about him and if you do anything to harm him. There will be dire consequences.

Then Pollard heard that Herod animus was in town in Jerusalem. He got excited about that he thought he could pass the buck he thought he could put the responsibility on Harriet so he sent Jesus to Herod, animus and Herod animus question Jesus and he examined Jesus and he found him not guilty to in the Scripture says that that Herod mock Jesus and treated him with contempt and standing right back to Pilate. I can imagine Pilate looking at the wind and sea and the soldiers Dragon Jesus back and I can imagine him being horribly mad lady kicking a chair across the room and and just spent on the floor and cursing St. in the world is wrong with these people. I don't have to deal with their religious struggle. I will have to deal with their religious politics. Most of all I don't want to deal with Jesus. What should he have done should've exonerated Jesus should've said Jesus, you are free to go and maybe should've charged the religious leaders with line and perjury. Why did he do this.

He did this because he didn't have to deal with the fallout.

Ask yourself a question and the question is this what is Jesus going to cost me is that not the question that we all have to ask yourself what does it mean to follow Jesus.

What is it going to cost us if we follow Jesus there is a necessity for appellants that we must turn from sin and we know that if we do that we might lose some friends there.

If we do that we might get our sales in all kinds of trouble. We might not get the promotion for work that we wanted we might have to get out of the moral relationship we might have to give up the pleasure of pornography and many times do you hear people say and will II think that all you have to do to be a Christian is just believe in your head that Jesus died on the cross for sinners and that he was raised from the dead should not be enough. Why should we have to fear God, why, why should we have to surrender to his Lordship.

Why should we have to treasure Jesus.

I shared with you a couple years ago that there's a little passage in John Piper's book desiring God that is always gripped my heart and I told just to share it with you at least two times a year so this is one of those times and a it's a passage that just is so poignantly true that it just help shake me out of my lethargy. This is what Piper said we are surrounded by unconverted people who think they do believe in Jesus drunks on the street say they believe unmarried couples sleeping together say they believe elderly people who haven't sought worship or fellowship. For 40 years say they believe all kinds of lukewarm world loving church attenders say they believe the world abounds with millions of unconverted people who say they believe in Jesus does no good to tell these people to believe in the Lord Jesus. The phrase is empty my responsibility as a preacher of the gospel and the church is not to preserve and repeat cherished biblical sentences, but to pierce the heart with biblical truth in my neighborhood every drunk on the street believes in Jesus. Drug dealers believe in Jesus panhandlers who haven't been to church in 40 years believe in Jesus, so I use different words unpack what believe means in recent years I have asked you receive Jesus as your treasure not just savior everybody wants out of hail but not to be with Jesus, not just Lord they might submit begrudgingly. The key is, do you treasure him more than everything converts to Christ say with Paul account. Everything is lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Six points that I want to share with you tonight as we look at this passage.

The first point is is Pilate's dilemma look with me at verses 13 to 15 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people and said to them, you brought me this man is one who is misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against team neither did Herod for ascending back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. So their stance Jesus before Pilate, the second time.

Pilate thought he'd seen Jesus for the last time when not to worry about it anymore. But that was not the case for four.

What did Herod do Herod declared that Jesus was not guilty and sitting right back to Pilate. But now this group has multiplied in numbers went when Pilate talked to the group before it was primarily just religious rulers and chief priest but now there is a plethora of huge tryout of the common people that are. They are Pilate shells to this group listen to me. I find no fault in Jesus and Herod and neither an Pilate could have said what you know, Herod and Meagher were not in cahoots to that we don't like each other. We've never been an agreement on anything until this and Herod believes that Jesus is innocent and I believe that Jesus is innocent look, nothing deserving death has been done by Jesus. But the problem is this. These wicked religious leaders. What Jesus did.

Jesus is limiting their influence. He is hurting their pocketbook. He is costing them money and have had a they think they're gonna get away with. The attack can they manipulate G Pilate, they think they can manipulate him through intimidation as to what they're going to do is there gonna scream out to everybody to all of Rome that Pilate is an enemy of Caesar because he siding up with this man who claims to be king that takes us to point to and that is Pilate's compromise.

Look at verse 16. I will therefore punish and release him the punishment that Pilate is suggesting here is not as bad as scourging, but it was still extremely painful. It was a beating that he was going to do and so this is a compromise by Pilate. Pilate knows that Jesus is not guilty, but it beating Jesus would get these religious leaders office.

Back then so be it. The angry mob could smell Pilate's compromise with every compromise that Pilate made that they could sense they would get a little bit closer little bit closer to getting what they wanted, which was the death of Christ focuses God's people. We can learn from the us. We are called to be flexible in all nonessential things. We are called to show mercy and grace. Some things are just a matter of preference. Some things are just a matter of opinion, and we shouldn't those things should not be a peel that we wanted down there.

Not that important. Paul said I become all things to all people should so that I can win some and that's flexibility but I want you know it's not compromise Pilate was, not just being flexible. Pilate was compromising. He is violating his conscience in order to appease men. Pilate should have manned up and said Jesus is not guilty and I will not, I will not send him to the cross. I'm am free and he and mom let him go and if you don't like it if you harass him. Then he'll be the one that will be put in prison.

That's what he should have done but for expedient sake to save face and to appease people. He stepped on his conscience and in doing so destroyed his soul was over it. Bruce Brown's church of a few weeks ago I was on vacation and Bruce shared a illustration that he gave me permission to use of that I thought was just perfect to describe what's going on with Pilate, a bruschetta back in the early 1950s there was a baseball game going on tween the Brooklyn Dodgers and the and the Philadelphia Phillies and a guy named Granny Hammer got up to bat for the Phillies hit a ball into left field.

He ran to first base and then he thought maybe I can stretch the single into a double. And so we took off to second base. The leftfielder got the ball through it to Pee Wee Reese the second basement and end Granny Hammer comes sliding in and and a Pee Wee Reese's puts the tag on the umpire's name was beans Riordan since safe. But instead of doing the same sign like this therapist hand in the outside. He said safe when he threw up his hand on the outside. Granny Hammer was still down on the ground. He looked upset. What is it in my safe, or am I out and then pay it then. Beans Riordan look back at them use it well there only three people here in the stadium that heard me say safe and there is 50,000 people in the stadium that solemnly give the outside so he said guess what your eye out you were out and brothers and sisters.

That's exactly what Pilate did the compromise putting you to be right in order to get approval from the religious crowd. As I said, he stepped on his conscience and in so doing destroyed his soul book of Revelation breaks up the population of this earth into two groups. We would usually say Christians and non-Christians are believers and unbelievers, but the book of Revelation refers to them as over comers and Earth dwellers.

The over comers of the Christians who will not compromise their faith.

They are Christians who have this this characteristic of boldness in their life that they are Christians to know and believe that Jesus is the at is the pearl of great price. He's the treasure in the field and they say we love him we treasure Jesus we we serve him. We honor him.

We obey him. We stand for him no matter what, and come hell or high water, we will not compromise where does that come from me tell you where it comes from the comes from grace. Amazing wonderful marvelous grace. Pilate's compromise made a statement in the statement that he was making to the world was the us he was saying him and Earth dwellers.

That's what I am all I care about is me all I'm concerned about is getting my the needs of my flesh met. I can't treasure Jesus because I think that the only thing that matters its what's going on in my life right now .3 is a fickleness of the human heart.

Look at verses 18 through 19 but they all cried out together.

Away with this million and release to us Barabbas, a man who'd been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder every time Pontius Pilate suggested a way to to deal with this problem of the crowds just shouted him down and then all of a sudden something hitting Jason Wegman this is Passover season and the governor always has an opportunity Passover season to release one of the Jewish prisoners. It was a gesture of kindness to the Jews. It was also symbolic of what happened at that first Passover went.

When the the Jewish people were set free from their bondage to Egypt and he said man this is great piece of their net there's a possibility that I can move in and cannot do something for Jesus here is a maybe these Jewish people have a little semblance at least of a been doing being right in knowing what's wrong and maybe they will understand what they're doing.

They hope that they would cry out for the innocent Jesus to be released then that problem would be totally settled, but they would have none of that Pilate brings Jesus fourth Jesus stands before that whole crowd.

He's just been beaten by the temple guards whose face is swollen. His eyes are are almost shut. He stands there and Pilate steps back in the Gospel of John says that Pilate looks at him and points his finger, adding and says behold your King. What would you have me to do Charlie's to you Jesus of Nazareth and the people shouted no. No way with him.

We have no king but Jesus crucified him, and released to us Barabbas you can picture the faces of this cry of the people in the cry of their contorted with anger and resentment and bitterness and there's all this vile venom and rage that's coming from there miles that slipping out of their lives while in the world did they hate Jesus a bad why would they be so angry, you know, in a in a crowd that big. All these common people, don't you know that there were some people there that Jesus had healed. Maybe some blind people that Jesus said a given site to maybe some deaf people that Jesus and giving them their hearing might maybe out some lame people that Jesus had given them mobility and the ability to walk. Maybe there some people there that had been demon possessed and Jesus had delivered them from those demons and many people there in her Jesus preach what if they heard Jesus preach the's the story of the prodigal son and in years. This is young man who walks away from his family to go out to the far country just to live in depravity do what he wants to do in while he was out clear, the Lord broking and he comes under deep conviction in Scripture since he came to himself and he goes back to his father and his father's they are at the gate waiting for him to come back in and when he sees income and he runs to his son. He did seem uppity hugs and tackles them in the road and invites him back into the family and I wonder how many people heard that story and said to themselves.

That's who I am on the prodigal son. And that's how the father might treat me and would hope it must've given them. Wonder how many Samaritans might've been in that crowd and remember the story of the good Samaritan that Jesus told and just felt that that joy go through their heart as they remember that story that you would think that these people these people who experience Jesus touch some of them heal. Some of them delivered all of them at least having heard a little bit the blessings of Jesus teaching you would've thought that they would've stood up forming, but no they turned their backs on Jesus that they once felt love and respect, forming but all of a sudden they just derided him and cursed him, and suggest ways in crucifying that really happen. Yes, oh yes it could happen and it did it happen with Judas Iscariot. It happen with Dimas when he tell you what else is happening in America is happening in America right now many young people you know in America right now who were raised in the church they grew up in the church and and they heard the word of God, and they were in fellowship with God's people, and they felt the presence of the Lord and they had a wonderful childhood and they grow up to teenagers at all of a sudden they got ready to go to college and they went off to college and when they did they had a atheistic professor that looks RAM running in the eye and congealed them and laughed at them for their faith and for their morality. I sent you for this professor says you don't really believe that this fable about Jesus dying on the cross for people sins.

Do you really believe that Jesus could have resurrected from the dead, you don't really think that we need to fear God, do you, you don't really believe in eternal judgment. You can't believe in that. And how many times the these college professors look in the lives of our young people and say what you whiten on young people. This is the time to be enjoying your sexuality. This is the time to experiment. You don't need to restrain yourself you're grown up now enjoy as many partners as you can experiment with homosexuality. Don't worry about disease worry about unwanted babies don't worry about guilt, don't worry about damage relationship virginity is highly overrated.

We have penicillin for diseases we have for abortion, for unwanted babies. We have antidepressants for guilt. We have psychologist for damage relationships so you so have at it. If it feels good do it. Throw all those oppressive chains of Christianity. Just go out and do what you want to do young people by the thousands who once prayed the prayer, who once quoted the, the crew, the creeds who once sat under solid preaching. Get up and they walk away from the faith and essentially in their heart there saying crucified Jesus and released to us Barabbas remember several years ago asked, talking to a young couple and when they they just got married and when they were teenagers. I made a commitment if they were going to stay sexually pure and they did and they were married and when they were married. They didn't have all that baggage to bring into their marriage with them and I ask a message you feel cheated you feel like like Jesus, just, stole some away from you and ruined your fun and I said all know and as I talked to my realize that what they had was a gift from God, a gift from God that those atheistic professors had absolutely no idea what it was about the human heart is fickle, people. It was fickle in Jesus's day and is fickle. Today so they cried out to pilot crucified him crucified Jesus and released to us Barabbas. Barabbas was an insurrectionist he was a terrorist to belong to a group called the Safari the Safari world, a group of of of underground terrorist that carried around a real sharp razor sharp curve knife. They kept it up under the garment when he saw a big crowd, I saw a soldier, off by himself and that crowd. They would sneak over to them go up behind the swing his throat and then they'd sneak off slither all through the crowd, nobody had any idea who did it. Those were the great enemies of the Roman of the Roman soldiers in the Roman government.

They were the ones of the Roman soldiers really feared they were murderers and they were absolutely treasonous. They terrorized with no conscience whatsoever, and one of the Jewish people doing here. They are crying out crucified Jesus and released to us Barabbas. This insurrectionist and weak it is that we share good verse with you from Proverbs chapter 17 verse 15 he who justifies the wicked, and he contends the just both of them alike for an abomination to the Lord, how often you see that happen today when people justify what wicked people are doing and said hey that's okay no it's not okay and it's an abomination before God for people to say so is a great irony here. Listen how David Gooding explains it. He said the situation was beginning to become crazy here were priest demanding the execution of Jesus on the ground that he was attempting to overthrow the political authorities. Yet these very priest would not themselves bound to the political authorities and what is more, they were calling for the release of the known political activists who, in a recent civil disturbance in the city had committed murder heart .4's pilots conscience. Look at verses 20 through 21 power address them once more, desiring to release Jesus with a Shouting crucified crucified him. Pilots conscience is still bothering the words of his wife are still ringing in his ear have nothing to do with this. Just man, for I've had a dream about him and I and if you do anything to harm this man. There will be dire consequences. Pilot knows about this guy.

Barabbas he knows that he's insurrectionist.

He knows that he is killed many Roman soldiers and I was thinking I am.

I do have to release him at the, like Jack the Ripper, finally get thrown in prison in some ice or Liska would let them out, but he'll be okay.

Menu thing knows better than that.

Somehow it looks out over this big group and he says to them, they suggest what's the matter with you. What's wrong with you. You want me to kill an innocent man, and then jewelry to release a man that you know is guilty is where is the justice in that. Yet the crowd gets even louder crucified crucified him. What is that that's a mob mentality that's was going on here you get a mob riled up and common sense goes right out the window.

Emotions rule the day mob mentality will strike fear into the heart and fear will silence the conscience in Proverbs chapter 29 verse 25. The Scripture says that the fear of man is a slayer.

The word slayer means arena, hook it in the nose and I used to take rings and they would put them in the nose of a little piglet so that when he got big like and handling Likert control and the pig and they would have that little ring in the pig's nose and and the farmer would get on a stick. That's gotta hook on the end of it he would stick it in the Korean then he could take that pig anywhere he wanted to go that P can do a thing about it because he could not fight back. All he had to do was to be jerked around and pulled by that puts the fear of man will silence the conscience. The fifth point is shocked by depravity. Look at verses 22 through 23. The third time he said to them, why, what evil has he done I found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and releasing but they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed over the Gospel of Matthew we are told that Pilate asked for a basin of water they bring it to him. He reaches down his hands into it. He washes his hands off and he says I am innocent of the blood of this man see to it yourself and then that the Jews cried out, they said let his blood be on us and on our children believe that menu you talk about just begging for God to judge you is what they were doing. I remember back when I was a senior in high school after school was over for that year. We just graduated bunch of us went to the beach. We stayed till campground and we were in that campground. One afternoon we decided August women we went out into the water and when we did a a lightning storm thunderstorm came up. Lightning was was just all over and answer the lifeguards to come on get a get out of the water, get on the water. We came out of the water and and there's a God was in that same campground and that God been drinking heavily.

The whole time we were there and he came walking out. Then he turned around he walked right back in the water got about waist deep and he looked up to heaven, and he held up his hands is a God, if you're a player strike me with lightning show these people once and for all that you're really God. Then he dropped his hands.

Danny waited for about two minutes they started laughing so there's your God, and he walked on only in I was not a Christian at that time but I can member thinking to myself man if I was God out. I stepped in with a lightning bolt on a Friday him like a piece of sausage right out there in that water 15 years later, I saw this guy in a pastor's conference and I looked if they are not. It took me a while to to remember who he wasn't that I walked overnight also is pastors tag name tag as that's him that's him and so I went over to a minor deuce myself to Anita remember me from Adam at NSS of your pastor and he said Yep and he told me where he was pastor and we talked a little bit and I sent hate to bring this up, but I just wonder are are you the job 15 years ago that was standing out in the water in Myrtle Beach in the middle of a lightning storm and you were challenging God to strike you with a lightning bolt and he looked at me, his face turned white.

He said you remember that I said I'll never forget it and he said yeah that was me facilitate what happened to me he said about a month after that I was in a car wreck.

I was knocked unconscious. He said I was in a coma for about three weeks and he said it was a terrible thing and finally I came out of that coma, and he said it when I deities that I realized that if I died on the inhale he said I had a good friend of mine was a Christian that came by right after that he said he sat down beside my bed. He took his Bible out and share the gospel with me and he said I came to Christ as my Lord and Savior.

He said Jesus just change my entire life and not long after that he call me to preach a said Doug. He said you know she said sometimes I go to sleep at night instead I'll dream about that stupid thing that I did and I wake up in a cold sweat.

He said I can't believe that Jesus save me. He said when I sing amazing Grace. He said man. I believe it.

I believe it won't, you know that these people what they did before Pilate was much worse than what that young man did that I am 50 days after the us on the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up on Jerusalem Squire and Peter preached a powerful gospel message 3000 people were safe. You know what some of those 3000 people that were saved were people that stood there before Pilate that day and cried out, crucified, crucified 50 days later Jerusalem Squire there crying out to Jesus Lord have mercy on me a sinner and you know what Jesus did in Jesus save them .6 is whose we'll look at verse 24 through 25 to Pilate decided that their demand should be granted to release the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they ask, but he delivered Jesus over to their wheel.

The Scripture says here that Pilate delivered Jesus over to their wheel and that was true. That's what they wanted. That's what they wheel like they wanted Jesus dead they wanted Jesus out of their lives and so they were all excited about it. We got our way. We must never forget folks that first and foremost, it was the will of God in Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. He spoke of this very thing in verse 23 of acts chapter 2. He said this him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken in by wicked hands have crucified and slain the wicked religious leaders thought that they were calling the shots.

We don't know this was the preordained plan of Almighty God. Reminds me of the story of Joseph. Joseph had become the Prime Minister of Egypt, the Lord had done this in order that Joseph might save the Jewish people from starvation and Joseph's brothers came to them and they were upset they were they and they knew they had done horrible before Joseph and they apologized to them and they said please forgive us for throwing you in the pit and selling you into slavery.

And Joseph said to them, you meant this for evil but God meant this for good folks, Satan meant the cross for evil but God meant it for good. First Corinthians chapter 2 and verse nine of the Scripture says says this is as if the princes of this world had known what they were doing they would never of crucified the Lord of glory to wheel so we read about in acts 223 I want to share with you what Philip Reich and set about this will close with this Peter said to the Jews year with the help of wicked men putting to death by nailing him to the cross. But he also said this man was handed over to you by God set purpose and foreknowledge. This strikes just the right balance. Jesus was put to death by real human beings.

An unholy alliance of Jews and Gentiles.

Ultimately, this was Satan's idea because he was the one who entered Judas before his betrayal. Nevertheless, it was all part of God's preordained plan. Isaiah foretold this in his ancient prophecy.

It was the will of the Lord to crush him when the people said crucify him.

They were confirming a divine decree as if God himself were saying crucified long before it was the will of the people for Jesus to die on the cross. It was the will of the father and the son for our salvation, that eternal plan does not exonerate these people. They were still guilty before God for the infinite injustice of murdering his son, but it proves that God knew what he was doing and he always does a man let's pray and heavenly father. We were reminded tonight.

It's a fear of man is a slayer's like a hook in the nose. When that happens, Satan leads us around like a pig.

Did God give us a love so deep for Jesus, that we would fear nothing but God. Father, help us to stand solidly on Paul's words in Romans 820 said, for I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, or things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, or any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Father not we celebrate the gospel by partaking of the Lord's supper. You promised that we would experience your presence in a special and unique way in the supper. As we celebrate please manifest your presence to us and make the gospel burn in our hearts for us in Jesus precious and holy name we pray. Amen