The Strangest of Foursomes, Part 1

Imagine the audacity of dragging our sinless Savior before a judge on false charges is exactly what happened the week before his crucifixion, traders, connivers and saboteurs work in harmony in an all-out effort to silence Jesus ultimately to kill him today on Insight for living Chuck's when God guides us in the study of Matthew's account taking time to notice the nuances and to pay respect to the depth of pain. Jesus suffered on our behalf, referring to the major players on the theatrical stage of Matthew 27 Chuck titled today's message the strangers. Of course as always pouring over so verses were looking at today. In the last number of hours this past week. It occurred to me that I am thinking through and we are today thinking through the darkest day in the history of the world, humanly speaking, there was none any darker and he knew no sin was made sin on our behalf that we by the grace of God might be made the righteousness of God in him. God's plan included the suffering and of course the death of Jesus on our behalf so behind-the-scenes is the sovereign hand of God at work, even in the midst of what we would call a human tragedy for the most person who is ever lived is treated in beastly talent mistreated, misunderstood and maligned and ultimately condemned to die if we keep in mind that he did this for us. It helps change our perspective and if we remember that none of it occurred accidentally or coincidentally it will help because it please the father to bruise him and by his stripes we are healed. Were looking together at Matthew 2711 through 26, which is the scene just before Jesus is turned over to the authorities as he drags the cross beam along the Via Dolorosa to the place of the skull called Golgotha where he was nailed to a cross and died for the sins of the world.

So what occurs here is the significance scene that is difficult to visit, but it is also and I don't mean to be shallow in this statement.

It is also intriguing how it unfolds. As you will see find if you will.

Matthew 27 verse 11. I'll be reading from the new living translation may be a little different from the version you read, but will be very similar following along through verse 26 now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. Are you the king of the Jews, the governor asked him. Jesus replied you have set it but when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him. Jesus remained silent. Don't you hear all the charges they are bringing against you. Pilate demanded that Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor surprise November the governor's custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd anyone they wanted.

This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barajas as the crowds gathered before Pilate's house that morning. He asked them which one do you want me to release to you Barajas or Jesus who is called the Messiah he knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night. Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. So the governor asked again which of these two do you want me to release to you the crowd shouted back. Barabbas, Pilate responded and what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah, they shouted back, crucify him why Pilate demanded what crime has he committed, but the mob roared even louder. Crucify him. Pilate saw that he was getting he wasn't getting anywhere and that Orion was developing so he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd saying I am innocent of this man's blood.

The responsibility is yours and all the people yelled back.

We will take responsibility for his death. We and our children. So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lid to whip then turn him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified to study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll.

Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck titled the strangest of foursomes.

When I think back to my high school years. I smile because all the classrooms were that great, but because of two particular men who made my life it seemed complete. First was the man who taught us our musical instruments. As I played in the band and orchestra, and he was a musical wizard I would call him. His name was Eugene C stranded still remember it and he could play every instrument in the band or orchestra and interestingly he was left-handed so we played them all left-handed had his his love for music was contagious so that when you were around him, that infection sort of grew in you as well such as delightful hours were spent in the band and orchestra under the leadership of Eugene C. Schram, and then we had Richard, Mimi, who interestingly at such a love for teaching that he left a lucrative career on Broadway as an actor and gave himself to teaching high school students and how blessed we were that he chose our school act, how to handle themselves on the stage on again and again. He just dripped with talent and in the live stage plays and how we loved that that whole art and pass that level off to all of us. By the time we reached our senior year we who admitted in the dramatic arts program during our years in school just was sure we would win state with our little one act play called the potboiler which was a farce of a comedy put together by a cast of characters that were well it was all so overdrawn this melodrama. For example, we had a villain who was mistreating well dark dark hair dark around the eyes, and that we had our hero may Mr. ruler that was me. Believe it or not, and then we have a damsel in distress Miss ivory mice and white 9944 100% pure and then we had Mr. sides, who did his best to scrub us up and keep us going unsuccessfully, but he was a wonderful actor. What a group we were we.

We thought we would knock him dead but with the state finals. The problem was we were up against another school that did a streetcar named desire. Well, if you know anything about that play is magnificent edifice done well it's a showstopper. And as we sat in the audience watching him do that we bought well is not bad.

Being second-place is that they were what Bettis you there there leading actor log could've been a stand-in for Marlon Brando's outstanding are leading actor could've been a stand-in for Don knots, but that's gives you an idea of the difference of the two contemplated we were quite a foursome ice to think of us as the cross eyed discus thrower that he had set many records but he kept the crowd awake and we were like that way when we we had such fun and it was such a delight to this day. Remember some of the lines and I was. But looking back I remember it was it was the foursome that made it so interesting. You're not going to believe this but when I began to do an in-depth study of Matthew 2711 through 26. I remembered our foursome because I came across the strangest of foursomes in these verses of Scripture. Now you must move from the ridiculous to the sublime from a completely secular to the absolutely sacred scene before us. There's nothing funny at all about what happens in these verses. Among these four but what is interesting is how they are all drawn together. The world would say it's as if the stars were aligned and on this one day and all the history of time there drawn together never be brought together again only on this one day Jesus, the innocent captive and Pilate. The vacillating judge and Barabbas the notorious criminal and Mrs. Pilate, the troubled wife come together for this scene when you see it in that light, it would make a magnificent stage play, you forgot. When Jesus comes on the scene of verse 11, he has already been beaten. You see, this is not the first trial. It's the fourth. In fact, though there were six Matthew wraps up the last three and one and describes it in verses 11 through 26. But what I want you to remember that Jesus is already stood before analysts. The former high priest who mistreated him. He was then turned over the second trial to Caiaphas, the current high priest, son-in-law of Annis who seriously mistreated him and beat him.

Then he was turned over to the Sanhedrin called in the text.

The Council these would be the official body of the people of the Jews like our Supreme Court.

But this court illegally and allow illegal brutality to happen so severely is the brutal activity that Isaiah writes 700 years earlier, prophesied what would occur his face was marred more than that of a man, meaning so swollen so lacerated, so beaten. He hardly resembled facial features of a man so Jesus is wearing his blood splattered.

You can't see it on the page of Scripture, but you came in your mind and you must so Pilate knew what he was dealing with a man he was dealing with one who has been mistreated already thought of color in this fascinating work Redbone.

I like this to celebrate. They decide to indulge in a ghastly game of terrible torture here were men who were supposed to protect the interests of their people, subjecting an innocent person to appalling abuse they pummeled his weary body. They spat in his face.

They blindfolded him, then sheered at him, challenging him to prophesy who just struck him a stinging blow. They sliced and smashed his face until it was purple and swollen with great wealth that the Jesus who stands before Pilate, you can't see him unless you take the time to remember for. He's been and what he's endured.

Pilate knows that he is not guilty, let me clarify something.

Even though Pilate is corrupt and already in trouble with the Roman government for letting things get out of get out of hand.

Pilate is is is is not stupid. His main job was to watch out for revolution and to put down even the beginning of mob violence so he had his informants, you know, we did have there ever been even a hint that Jesus was a revolutionary.

He would've already been arrested by Pilate and brought before it. He knew he was no revolutionary. He also knew the Jewish leaders having govern them for some time. In fact it says in verse 18 Pilate knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy you.

The charges were trumped up.

He knew Jesus was not guilty so he was impaled on the horns of a dilemma between what he knew to be true in his own conscience, depraved though it was in the pressure of the people forcing him to do what was wrong. That's for character counts and that's what Pilate lacked. He's the vacillating judge.

He has the power to set Jesus free, but he does not how it unfolds is truly intriguing.

Jesus is standing before Pilate, verse 11, and Pilate asked him directly, are you the king of the Jews, Jesus answer is what we would use the words you said it. In other words, I am. I am before those words could finish the echo in the chamber we read of the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him. They didn't want those words to linger, so they accused Jesus. Jesus remained silent. Pilots never seen anything like this. He's held many people on trial. No one has remained silent when falsely accused until now. So Pilate asks. Don't you hear all these charges they're bringing against you. This is a Pilate is saying I need I need information I need evidence I can use to defend you before them. But Jesus doesn't cooperate, is that if I can says he made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor surprise he's never seen anyone like this. He sitting on what is called the baseball the judgment seat in a place, an area known as the pavement near his own house he lived in Caesarea by the see a beautiful place that he came to Jerusalem to keep law and order during Passover because the crowds would swell into the millions. During Passover season pilots already in hot water with the Roman government and Tiberius is watching him carefully, knowing that if another riot breaks out Pilate's gone, Pilate knew he was hanging on the thin thread of that background, for he must prove himself faithful to the to the Emperor so that also adds to the pressure and Jesus makes no response to any of the charges, much to the governor surprise. So what does he do we see Jesus as a part of the force of we met Pilate will come back to them in a few moments, but now we meet a man who appears only here in all the biblical text here in the other Gospels. Let's study him. I'm intrigued by him. Verse 15. It was the governor's custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd anyone they want, so the Jews had this understanding that he was free to offer them any criminal that they may wish to have released so we thought who could I offer as a bargaining chip that they would they would much prefer to see put to death so that I can set Jesus free so we he brings up a name that is notorious and back. We read in this text.

This year there was a notorious prisoner named Barabbas to pause here and help you understand notorious according to Luke 2325 in John 1840 Barabbas is guilty of robbery, leading a revolution and murder. So he's awaiting trial, most likely in the fortress of Antonio some distance away come to that again.

The minute he's waiting trial.

His gift will be by crucifixion, which is how Romans carried out capital punishment he was waiting for his cross which had been prepared. Perhaps it would be that day. Pilate would hear that case as well.

So knowing that the case is coming.

Knowing the kind of man Barabbas is, he brings his name to their attention. Let's pause here and think about Barabbas. Several things stand out to me one. His name bar of us, you heard us referred Peter is bar Jonah Norton bargaining son in the original language in this case, means father, son of the father so strange until you know that in those days revered and respected rabbis were often called father could be that bar boss, the son of the father had strayed from his upbringing run amok ethically and morally gotten involved with criminal activity and into the world of crime, he moved much to the chagrin of his rabbi father. And now, of all things. He's being held for murder bar of us to go further, there is a near certainty that his first name isn't bar bar. All of us would be given name his first name. Believe it or not, quite likely was Jesus. If you carry the new living translation. You'll notice in the footnote some manuscripts read Jesus Barabbas Jesus, by the way, is a very common name Yeshua our word today.

I need today's Joshua common name mothers would leave their children Joshua Yeshua Jesus's name was Jesus. Barabbas suggests the Syriac and the Armenian versions of the New Testament.

In fact, referred to him as Jesus, Barabbas, I find it curious that twice Pilate, when referring to both Barabbas and Jesus identifies Jesus in a different way.

Look for yourself. Verse 17 which one do you want me to release to you Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah. Chuck Swindoll has set the stage for powerful application he's teaching from Matthew chapter 27 and we urge you to keep listening because the dramatic showdown between Pilate and Jesus isn't finished your listening to Insight for living trust title today's message, the strangest of foursomes and to learn more about this ministry.

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