Joe & Nick’s Excellent Adventure
The movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin. It follows slacker friends Bill and Ted, who travel through time to assemble historical figures for their high school history presentation. Bill and Ted, are seemingly nondescript, unpopular, dim-witted high school students at San Demas High School. They have their own band called the Wyld Stallyns and even though they are not very good at playing, they dream one day of being a successful band. But they have a problem in that if they fail their history class project, Ted's father plans to ship Ted to a military academy in Alaska, which for all intents and purposes, would end their dream of being a band.
Unbeknownst to them, their success or failure in passing this history project has far-reaching consequences for the future. In the year 2688, humanity exists as a peaceful, utopian society due to the inspiration of the music and philosophy of Bill and Ted, seen and heard in their music performed as the band “Wyld Stallyns.” So, with a little help from Rufus from the future they are able to use a time traveling phone booth to accumulate historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Genghis Khan, Billy the Kid, Socrates and Napoleon, bringing them into the future, and passing their history project.
Doesn’t that plot remind you of the stories we find in the Bible. For instance, God’s people, the Israelites, are being held captive as slaves in Egypt for over hundreds of years. God uses Pharoah’s daughter to save a baby from the Nile River, uses her to raise and educate him in Pharoah’s household, so he can grow up and be the one to confront Pharoah as an adult to let God’s people go. Along the way, he murders an Egyptian, has to flee to the desert, where he meets God in a burning bush. He then spends years tending sheep before he returns to lead God’s people out of Egypt into the Promised Land. As they leave Egypt, God through the Ten Plagues, causes Pharaoh and the Egyptians, to not only beg them to leave, but to gift them all the gold and silver they can carry as they are leaving. It says “they plundered the Egyptians.”
We see God’s providence and sovereignty all through the Bible. We see time and time again how God can and has used anyone and everyone, from Pharoah, to Nebuchadnezzar, to Judas, to David, to Peter (and the list goes on), to fulfill his purposes. He can use those who believe in him and he can use those who don’t. He also can and will use us and probably already has. The first question for you this morning is not if God has used you but when in your life has he used you to fulfill his purposes. He may not have called you to start a band that will usher in world peace and a utopia, but I can bet he has called you and used you to fulfill his purposes somewhere along the way. Maybe he is using you right now to fulfill his purposes. Adults, it could be raising your kids or it might be in the job he has you in right now. Students, it might be with your classmates in school. I know God is using Christian students right now in our schools to spread hope and the gospel to those who don’t have it during this pandemic. Or maybe he is using you to reach out to your family and friends or maybe he is using you right now at Idaville Church to fulfill his purposes. The second question is have you noticed it? If so, what did you do? Did you ignore it or did you go all in? I believe it is important that we notice when God is using us and then follow him completely as he leads us in accomplishing his purposes for his kingdom.
In our scripture this morning we are going to see two people who also have an excellent adventure. For now, I will call them, Joe and Nick. They are seemingly insignificant, nondescript and unpopular among their peers. Joe is only mentioned in the Gospels and only in connection with one event. Nick is only mentioned in the Gospel of John and only on three separate occasions. They are wealthy men and part of an important and prominent group of Jews but they are also followers of Jesus. In fact we will learn that they are secret followers of Jesus while he is alive, but after Jesus’ death, God uses them to not only fulfill his purposes, but uses them to fulfill the scripture, as well.
That brings us to our big idea that John wants us to understand this morning which is God can and will accomplish his purposes through anyone and everyone. He can use those who don’t believe in him, such as Pharoah and Pilate. He can use those who know the scriptures but don’t believe in Jesus as the Messiah, such as Judas and Caiaphas. He can even use those who are secret disciples. He can and will accomplish his purposes through anyone and everyone and that includes you and me.
Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, I ask for the Holy Spirit to descend upon us this morning. I pray that we would have open hearts and minds to your Word and that it would seep deep down inside us. Use your Word to guide us, protect us, and correct us. And give us opportunities this week to share it with others who desperately need to hear it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I want to start by giving some background information on the two main characters in our adventure. I will start with Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph is found in all four Gospels but only in connection with this one event we will see this morning. Each of the Gospel writers gives us bits and pieces of the whole of what we know about Joseph. Matthew 27:57 says, “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.” Verse 60 says, “and laid it (Jesus’ body) in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock.” From these verses we learn that Joseph was a rich man, he had become a disciple of Jesus and that the tomb Jesus’ body was laid in was new and was Joseph’s own tomb.
Mark 15:43, says, “Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.” The council spoken of here is the Sanhedrin, which was a kind of Supreme Court of the Jewish people. Caiaphas, who sent Jesus to Pilate to have him arrested, was the leader of the Sanhedrin at this time. We also learn that Joseph had been waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Luke 23:50-51, says, “And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;” In addition to what we already know we see that Joseph was a “good and righteous man.” We also learn that he had not consented to the Sanhedrin’s plan and action of having Jesus arrested and crucified.
Finally, one last piece of the Joseph puzzle is found in our scripture this morning in John 19:38, which says, “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews.” He was a disciple of Jesus, but he was a secret disciple because he was probably afraid of losing his position, his prestige and his wealth.
That is all we know of Joseph of Arimethea from the Biblical text. The other main character in this adventure is probably more well known to us but we still have very little to go on. He is Nicodemus. We only find Nicodemus in the Book of John. He is not mentioned in the other Gospels as Joseph’s helper or even at all. John 3:1-2 says, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night.” From this we learn that Nicodemus was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a group of Jews who were considered to know the Jewish law the best and who legalistically kept every letter of it. They often opposed Jesus throughout His ministry and Jesus often strongly denounced them for their legalism. It is probable that both Joseph and Nicodemus were part of the Sanhedrin. We also learn that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. In all probability, Nicodemus came at night so none of his fellow Pharisees would find out.
We also find Nicodemus in John 7:50-52, “Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them, meaning a Pharisee) said to them, “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you?” Here we see the end of an incident where the chief priests and the Pharisees had sent officers to arrest Jesus and had come back empty handed. Nicodemus seems to stand up for Jesus or at least stand up for due process of the law. He says they should hear Jesus out first before they arrest him. You can see from their reaction to Nicodemus that his words were not taken seriously. To “be from Galilee” meant you were insignificant, you were nothing.
That is all we know about these two men so far: they were part of the group that condemned Jesus to die and were secret disciples. But God was able to use them to fulfill scripture and to accomplish his purposes. Maybe, this morning, you are a follower of Jesus but realize that you are following him in secret like Joseph and Nicodemus. Maybe you are afraid of what your friends, family, fellow students or co-workers will say. Maybe you are afraid you will lose friends if you profess to be a Christian. In fact, if your friends, family, fellow students or co-workers don’t know you are a Christian, that’s a problem. If you are living as a Christ follower, they should not be surprised to find out you are a Christian. That brings us to our first next step this morning which is to stop living my life as a secret follower of Jesus and start living as a bold disciple of Jesus Christ.
Now, let’s turn to our scripture this morning, which we find in John 19:38-42. This is what God’s Word says, 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Like Matthew, John tells us that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but he goes on to say that he was a secret disciple because he was afraid of the Jews. We can assume that he was afraid of his position in the Sanhedrin, his possessions in that he was wealthy, and probably his prestige in being part of the ruling class of the Jews. But something happens between Jesus’ life and his death on the cross. Mark 15:43 tells us he boldly went before Pilate asking for Jesus’ body. Joseph finds a boldness that he didn’t have before. John makes it a point to tell us he was a secret disciple but he also presents him in a positive light in that he had the courage to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body when all the other disciples were hiding in the Upper Room. Now it is not written why Joseph asked for Jesus’ body but it could only have been for the purpose of burying it.
There are a number of important things we can learn from this. One, it was against Roman law to bury a crucified criminal. They would let them hang on the cross for the vultures, etc. to do their worst. It would have been a warning to others that this is what happens when you defy the Roman authority. Two, Joseph, by asking for Jesus’ body, could have easily been arrested for being a follower of a traitor to the Romans.
Three, we see the sovereignty of God in that Pilate granted Joseph’s request. This may have reflected his conviction that Jesus was innocent or he felt he was getting back at the Jewish leaders by allowing Jesus to be buried. No matter what he was thinking, God was in control, and Pilate granted Joseph’s request and Joseph goes to the cross and takes Jesus’ body.
In verse 39 we are introduced to the other character who joins Joseph in this adventure. That is Nicodemus. He is identified as the man who had earlier visited Jesus at night. He is also identified as Joseph’s helper in burying Jesus’ body. It says he brought about a hundred pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes, which they used to anoint Jesus’ body for burial. By today’s measurement the spices Nicodemus brought was more like sixty-five or seventy-five pounds but it was still a lot of spices. It seems like an extravagant amount to bury one body. In fact, that amount was normally only ever used to anoint the body of a king or a wealthy, prominent person for burial. This extravagance is reminiscent of the excessive wine leftover at the marriage feast in Cana. We also saw the same type of extravagance when Mary anointed Jesus feet with a pound of pure nard which was really expensive. These sixty-five to seventy-five pounds of spices might seem extravagant to us but John is making the kingship of Jesus clear. Jesus is not only the King of the Jews but the King of kings. He deserves this honor that is being shown to him.
The spices that Nicodemus supplied would have been used to bury Jesus’ body in the Jewish custom. The Jews didn’t embalm bodies like the Egyptians. They would wrap the body tightly with linen cloths adding the spices in and around the cloths as they wrapped it. They would then put more spices around and under the body after it was laid in the tomb. They used myrrh which was a fragrant, gummy resin which in powdered form was usually mixed with aloes, which was an aromatic powder made from sandalwood. The spices were to help with the smell as the body decayed.
From verse 41 we learn that in the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden. John is the only Gospel writer to tell us that. We also learn that in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. We learned in Matthew 27:60 that this was Joseph’s tomb and that he was a wealthy person. This would have been a family tomb cut out from rock. It would have had shelves cut out inside to place multiple bodies of his family members. It would have also had a big stone that would have been rolled over the mouth to close the tomb. This is where Jesus’s body was being laid. Why would it have been important that Jesus’ tomb belonged to a wealthy person? The reason was because it fulfilled prophecy. Isaiah 53:9 says this, “His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.” Seven hundred years before Jesus death, Isaiah wrote this about the Messiah being put to death with wicked men but being buried with the rich. Jesus was crucified between two thieves and as such should have been buried in a gravesite outside the city of Jerusalem with other criminals. Jesus’ family or disciples weren’t rich and could not have afforded a tomb like the one Joseph owned. Only by the providence and sovereignty of God was Isaiah’s words fulfilled.
Why would it have been important for Jesus to be buried in a new tomb where no one had ever been laid? The Jews would have felt that to bury a criminal in a family tomb would desecrate the other bodies in the tomb, but that is probably not why John wants us to notice the new tomb. Carson says, “More likely his purpose is to prepare for chapter 20: if on the third day the tomb is empty, only one body had disappeared, and only one person could have been resurrected.” God is sovereign and in control and he had it all worked out.
Again in verse 42 we see the providence and the sovereignty of God in that the tomb was close by where the crucifixion took place. The reason this was important was because it was the Jewish Day of preparation and the Sabbath, when all work had to cease, was due to start at sundown. Commentators believe that Jesus died around 3 PM and the Sabbath would start at 6 PM, which the Jews considered the end of the day and the start of the new one. There would have been 3 hours for Joseph to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body, to take his body down off the cross, for him and Nicodemus to prepare his body and then lay him in the tomb. We know from Mark’s Gospel, that when Joseph asked for Jesus’ body, Pilate had to make sure he was dead before allowing him to take it. Mark 15:44-45, says, “44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.” We don’t know how long that took, but I imagine it took some time to verify. The fact that the tomb was close by would have definitely helped as sundown was fast approaching.
But there was another reason why he needed to be buried before sundown on Friday. It was so Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:40 would be fulfilled, which says, “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The Jews counted any part of a day as being a full day, so for Jesus to be considered in the ground for three days he needed to be laid to rest on Friday. In his burial as well as his death, Jesus orchestrated all the details to accomplish God’s already revealed purpose. Just think about how completely God looked after every detail of his plan.
It is fascinating to see the providence and the sovereignty of God at work. He is always working out his purposes in your life and in my life. When I think about his providence and sovereignty in my life I just stand in awe of who God is. The lesson we can learn from Pharoah, Caiaphas, Judas, Joseph and Nicodemus, is that God’s can and will accomplish his purposes through those who are opposed to Jesus or through those who are followers of Jesus. (Big Idea). It is important to have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is doing in our lives and then get behind whatever he is looking to accomplish. That brings us to our second next step which is to be open to God’s purposes in my life and ask him to fulfill his purposes through me. As we know, God doesn’t need our permission in order to accomplish his purposes through us but imagine how much sweeter it would be if we were surrendered to his will.
Burge in his commentary talks about the contemporary significance of Jesus the King, the tomb and the cross and Joseph and Nicodemus in the Gospel of John. I want to conclude with this. We see that Jesus is a king that deserves a king’s burial. Herod the Great, who was despised by the people at the end of his reign, had an elaborate and expensive burial. The funeral bier was gold and embroidered with precious stones, his body covered with purple linens, a gold crown on his head and gold scepter in his hand. The procession was 1500 meters long and 500 slaves carried aromatic oils and spices.
We can compare this to Jesus: his was not a pauper’s grave, the wealthy man’s tomb was among other wealthy people’s tombs, and a religious leader brought a tremendous amount of burial spices to Jesus’ grave. Jesus was buried in a king’s hoard of spices. Jesus was buried in a “garden” which is the same setting for Israel’s kings such as David. Remember Jerusalem had their own burial places for criminals and according to Acts 1 that was where Judas finally found his grave. But Jesus is buried in splendor, in beauty, in an unused tomb, as if it had been carved for him alone. To be buried in a new tomb would have been a special honor reserved for kings. John wants us to understand that Jesus is the King of kings.
When it comes to the tomb, John does not seem to employ it in the same way the Synoptic Gospels do. They seem to employ the tomb as a prelude from which we await the resurrection. The tomb is shut, a guard posted and we await the angels to arrive and an earthquake to break open the grave that cannot contain its occupant. The tomb is linked to Easter Sunday. But in John there are no guards or heavy stone rolled in front. The tomb is the resting place for the great King, the culmination of his work on the cross. For John, the tomb and the resurrection is another step along the way as Jesus moves from earth to heaven. The tomb is not a place of depressing defeat. It too like the cross, is a place of glory and victory. Just as the trial and the cross shows us the victorious King of kings so does the tomb.
Finally, what can we make of Joseph and Nicodemus? In John 12:32 Jesus predicted that when he was lifted up he would draw all men to himself and now that he has been lifted up Joseph and Nicodemus have been drawn. They step out from their ambivalent positions at tremendous risk and publicly acknowledge Jesus’ honor. They risked their personal honor by protecting Jesus’ honor. To bury him like they did was a statement noted undoubtedly by their peers throughout Jerusalem.
When we look at Jesus’ disciples such as Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael, we see the importance for the public visibility of faith among true disciples. As professionals with considerable social prestige, Joseph and Nicodemus were stepping into the circle of true discipleship, joining the community of the faithful. This is worthy of notice especially for those whom public visibility comes at some risk. John is setting before us a sterling example of two men who used their considerable resources to glorify Jesus and in doing so become genuine followers of Christ. I pray that you and I would be as bold in our Christian walk as we allow God to accomplish his purposes in our lives for his praise and his honor and his glory.
As Gene and Roxey come to lead us in our final hymn, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for its wisdom and its truth. Let us use your Word to show others of your love, your justice and your truth as we pursue, grow and multiply disciples. Now, as we leave this place of worship, we pray for protection from the evil one, for unity among our body, for your complete joy to be in us and for a desire for holiness as we live our lives for you. Help us to be bold disciples of Jesus Christ, in his name we pray, Amen
Back To Church Sunday
Stronger Together
(Ecclesiastes 4:7-12)
INTRODUCTION
Good morning and welcome, everyone! It’s so good to see you all here this morning. It’s so good to be here together!
We’re honored that you’ve chosen to be here with us this morning. As you probably know, we are excited to be participating in and celebrating the national movement of Back to Church Sunday. All across the country, the body of Christ is gathering together to reflect on and to reclaim the true nature of the church as a place of Christ’s love and hope for ourselves, our friends, neighbors, communities, and world.
As a church, we are the collective hands and feet of Christ, who reflect Him and do His work in the world as we grow in our relationships with Him and with each other. That’s not just us as a group of friends and family within Idaville Church—it includes those who are gathering in the church up the road, down the road, and in the other small towns surrounding us, and virtually at home, and on the other side of our country, and around the world.
Sometimes we do a better job than at other times. And sometimes we’ve all done a lousy job of that calling to represent Christ. I know that everyone here today has a personal story and experience with the church—some good and life-giving; some bad and painful. For those of you whose experience with the church may have been painful, I’m sorry. I may not know each of your individual stories, but I do know how deep and how wide and how high and how pure God’s love is for each of you. And I am truly sorry for the pain you may have experienced when the actions of one or some of His followers fell short or contradicted His love for you.
But whatever path has led you here today, let me say that we are honored to welcome you and to get to know you. We are excited to be here together. This is a Sunday of belonging, and together is where we belong. We are stronger together!
If there was ever any doubt, or any sense of taking it for granted, the COVID-19 pandemic has sure reminded us how much we need each other. ‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’ may be a cliché, but it’s cliché because there’s truth in it. Having to distance ourselves from each other sure has provided a powerful reminder of the value and importance of our need for connection. We have all been living through the most tangible reminder in our collective lifetimes that we need each other, that we belong in community, and that we are much stronger together.
BODY
ME
Hunting
For many years I hunted alone
I didn’t have a buddy to go hunting with
Those years were tough and I didn’t hunt as much as I wanted to, because it was lonely
I didn’t have someone to motivate me or that relied on me to be there for them
There wasn’t anyone to rejoice with in a successful hunt
God has provided a couple of guys that I get to hunt with now, and it is such a joy to be together with them and share stories
WE
Every one of us is probably part of a group that we cherish
I know we have some scrap bookers here
There’s also those of us who have our “shopping crew” for Black Friday
Maybe we’re thinking about our hunting, fishing, boating, golfing, disc golf, tennis, basketball, football, soccer, rock climbing, camping, hiking, kayaking, video game, genealogy crew (enter whatever activity you enjoy doing together with others
Think about those groups and what draws us together through them
In Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, the writer of Ecclesiastes mentions another thing, that he has observed in his life, that is meaningless. He talks about a man who is isolated and alone, without any one to help him. Then he contrasts that with the benefits of having at least one companion, but probably more. The writer of Ecclesiastes wants us to understand that . . .
BIG IDEA – We were created for community.
Let’s pray
GOD (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12)
Background
Ecclesiastes is one of the Bible’s wisdom books. Its narrator is the Teacher or the Preacher, depending on the translation
Most scholars credit Solomon as the author or someone writing for Solomon (it is not mentioned in the writings)
Most of us are familiar with the book of Proverbs
Solomon is the author of that book and he has packed it full of wise sayings
There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, so it’s easy to read one Proverb a day for most months (I’ve done that in past years)
So, I’ve read and reread Proverbs a lot, but I can’t say that about Ecclesiastes
Perhaps we’re all the same when it comes to Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes can be a little hard to read
It can sound downright bleak in spots as the writer explores the futilities and emptiness of life
The same saying is repeated throughout the book, “this too is meaningless.”
Ultimately, the book walks through the ironies and empty pursuits of life, pointing toward trusting God as the only absolute, and it offers many wise insights along the way
The Teacher begins with the negative and then turns to the positive – from the bleak to the hopeful
Isolation (vv. 7-8)
The Teacher begins this section by repeating the statement that He saw something that was meaningless
Alone
The man that the Teacher observed did not have a son or a brother as a companion
Nothing is said of a wife, daughters, or sisters
Perhaps he had one or all of those
As we see in the remainder of theses verses, it seems as though work is the primary focus
In the Ancient Near East, most of the time, the men would be tasked with working in the fields or at a trade, while the women would focus on the housework (there were exceptions to this depending on life circumstances; i.e. – a widow, orphan, etc.)
The man not only has to work alone, but he doesn’t have anyone to pass on his possessions or trade to – there is no male heir for his inheritance
Application
Some of us can relate to this man’s loneliness
We don’t have siblings or children that can work alongside of us or take over the family business when we retire
It can be very lonely and tasking
It can cause us pain as we think about having to sell the business that we’ve worked so hard to create and develop
Perhaps some of us are feeling the same way as this man – everything is meaningless
We may also be feeling burned out
No end to his work and no contentment
Because he is all alone with no one to share the work load, he recognizes that there is no end to his work
Those of us who own our businesses know exactly what this man is feeling
There are farmers and small business owners who have never taken a vacation – or have rarely taken time away from work (they understand that the buck stops with them)
When asked about a vacation, they will probably respond, “What is a vacation? I’m not familiar with that term.”
They know that to be successful they have to work and work hard
Contentment
Many times, these hard workers are not content with the wealth they have accumulated
Proverbs 27:20, Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.
The Apostle Paul gives us the key to contentment no matter what our circumstances may be right now
Philippians 4:11-13, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Trust in God for His strength, no matter what my circumstances are right now.
Since this man does not have an heir, he asks two questions
Two questions
Who am I working for?
Some of us would answer this question with, “I’m working for the man!” (talking about our boss)
And in some instances, we may even say, “I’m going to stick to the man!” (again referring to our boss)
Paul helps us to change our perspective on this question
In writing to the believers in Colossae he provides some rules for Christian households
In that section it talks about slaves obeying their earthly masters, which for us can relate to obeying our bosses
Colossians 3:22-25, Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
No matter what job you have, as Christians, we are working for the Lord
Perhaps that little reminder will change our perspective as we prepare to face another work week
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Begin my work week by asking the Lord to help me remember that I’m working for Him.
The second question is just as important
Why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?
Those of us who are workaholics know that we have missed some important events in our family’s lives, because of work
I know a mother who missed her daughter’s preparation for her senior prom, because she felt like she needed to be at work
Illustration about Craig Groeschel from The Christian Atheist
I’ve known other people who have been reprimanded by their supervisor for prioritizing time with their children, for important events, instead of being at work
Others have been criticized for not participating in a work related event due to medical concerns with their spouse, child, or parent
I want to encourage everyone this morning to take time to enjoy life, especially with family
Let me paraphrase what Andy Stanley once said, there are hundreds or thousands of people who can do your job as good or better than you, but you are the only one who can be the husband/wife to your spouse and the father/mother to your children
That should change our perspective about being a workaholic and prioritizing our family
The man in this passage says that being a workaholic is meaningless
Toiling endlessly without a break is not how God designed us to function
We have to make time to be in community, because we were created for community
We are stronger together
That’s what the Teacher shares next
Community (vv. 9-12)
A few thoughts as we consider the importance of community
“The old aphorism applies: ‘I went out to look for a friend and they were nowhere. I went out to be a friend and they were everywhere.’” [Moore & Akin, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 58]
“Unfortunately, true community is not what people in many churches really want. What they really desire is either people meeting their needs on their terms or what some prominent sociologists have labeled ‘lifestyle enclaves’ (Bellah, et al., 71-75). Lifestyle enclaves are artificial communities. They are groups of people with the same socioeconomic background who exist solely to satisfy their individual and collective desires. This is not the biblical meaning of community.” [More & Akin, 58]
Work (v. 9)
The lonely man sees no end to his toil and doesn’t have any one to share his workload
The Teacher tells us that two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work
Biblical examples
Genesis 2:18, The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Luke 10:1-2, After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Acts 13:1-3, In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Even after Barnabas and Saul/Paul parted ways over John Mark, Paul took Silas with him and picked up Timothy along the way (they were serving in ministry together)
Application
Pastor Marc and I have experienced this here at Idaville Church
We are a great team!
When either of us gets stuck with sermon preparation the other person is always ready and willing to listen and give ideas
When there are important decisions that need to be made, we are talking them through together
Pastor Marc knows I’m a verbal processor and is always willing to listen
I praise the Lord for Pastor Marc’s friendship and partnership in ministry
We’re not only stronger together when it comes to work, but also as it pertains to hurt
Hurt (v. 10)
Do you remember the catchphrase, “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!”
In 1989 LifeCall began running commercials using this phrase [show picture of woman who has fallen in the bathroom]
This was probably new technology at that time, to have this pendant that was worn around the neck in case of an accident or emergency
All someone had to do was push the button on the pendant and it would alert a dispatch service
Importance of having a companion to help when we fall
It’s certainly important to have a friend and community who can be there to help us when we fall down physically
When our boys were small, I woke up one night in the middle of the night, with something in my eye that could not flush out
I needed to go to the emergency room, but knew that Judy would have to get all three boys up for her to be able to take me
I called my best friend, Dwane, and asked him to take me, which he willingly did
How many of you have experienced the love and generosity of the community here at Idaville Church when you have gotten hurt or had to recover from surgery or another illness?
When Jesus was teaching about the final judgment, in Matthew 25:31-46, He talked about taking care of those who were hungry, thirsty, a stranger, needing clothing, sick, and in prison
Matthew 25:40, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Galatians 6:9-10, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
It’s also important to have a friend and community that surrounds us when we fall down spiritually
Galatians 6:1-2, Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15-20 what our responsibility is when a someone sins against us (one-on-one; one or two others with us; before the whole church; treat them as we would a pagan or tax collector)
Even in our hurt, we were created for community
There are times when we need each other just to survive
Survival (v. 11)
Literally
“The warmth of lying beside each other does not refer to sexual activity, nor are the two necessarily husband and wife. It is an image derived from that of travelers who must lie beside each other to stay warm on cold desert nights.” [Garrett, The New American Commentary, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 308]
This passage has been used during wedding ceremonies and can certainly pertain to a husband and wife (if you’re married, you understand sharing body heat to stay warm in the winter, especially when your wife’s feet are like ice cubes and she puts them on your legs to warm them up)
In the Ancient Near East, those who were traveling together needed the shared body heat of two people as they slept under the stars or in a tent
It was a survival technique
Metaphorically
Some scholars see this reference to staying warm as a metaphor for “emotional comfort against the coldness of the world.” [Garrett, 308]
2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Perhaps every one of us can remember a time when we have experienced the comfort of others who have gone through the same things we have
In God’s sovereignty, He provides the right people at the right time to comfort us
Maybe God is prompting someone here today to be a comfort to someone else
I encourage you to listen to that prompting, because we were created for community and we are stronger together
We need each other in work, when we’re hurt, for survival, and finally for protection
Protection (v. 12)
Standing our ground
It’s difficult to stand our ground when we are standing all alone
Most people are bolder and more outspoken when they have some friends standing with them
If those same people were alone, they may not speak out or stand up at all – they may just remain silent
Mark 3:23-26, So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
It’s a reminder of the saying, “United we stand, divided we fall.”
We need each other to help with accountability
Hebrews 10:24-25, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Ephesians 6:12, For our struggling is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
We need to encourage each other to put on the full armor of God
“If one is bad, and two is good, how much better is three! In this regard note the Targum’s interpretation, ‘if two righteous people in a generation are useful, how much more useful are three righteous people in a generation!’” [Longman III, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Ecclesiastes, 143]
Cord of three strands
Rope
Most of us have used rope at some point in our lives
Have you ever taken rope apart? (it’s made up of different strands braided together)
Individually each of those strands might hold a little bit of weight, but it’s when those strands are woven together that their strength multiplies exponentially.
Examples
Would you rather water-ski behind a boat with a line of craft string or with a braided nylon tow-rope?
Would you rather rock climb on the thousand-foot rock faces of Yosemite attached to a long line of yarn? Or tied into a climbing rope?
Would you rather strap your harness to a tree in your tree stand with jute twine or a thick racket strap?
The important thing about rope is that it has always been made by twisting and weaving multiple strands or fibers together to make it stronger than one strand alone
Relationships
We are very much the same
We are like rope
We are stronger as we are woven together by and with Christ, and that happens when we are in community together
We were created for community
“The point of the image of the three-strand cord is rather that strength can be gained through human relationships.” [Longman III, 143-44]
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Commit to being in community with other believers.
YOU
Do you need to trust God for His strength for a situation in your life?
Who are you truly working for? (God or man?)
WE
We all need to remember that we were created for community and we are stronger together
CONCLUSION
“Pachomius was an Egyptian soldier won to Christ by the kindness of Christians in Thebes. After his release from the military around A.D. 315, he was baptized. Serious about his new faith and determined to grow, Pachomius became a disciple of Palamon, an ascetic who taught him the self-denial and solitary life of a religious hermit.
In early Christianity, the model of devotion was the recluse dedicated to resisting the corruption of society. These hermits wandered the desert alone—fasting, praying, and having visions. Many went to extremes: eating nothing but grass, living in trees, or refusing to wash.
Such was the popular image of holiness: solitude, silence, and severity. And such was Pachomius's early spiritual training. But he began to question the methods and lifestyle of his mentors.
How can you learn to love if no one else is around?
How can you learn humility living alone?
How can you learn kindness or gentleness or goodness in isolation?
How can you learn patience unless someone puts yours to the test?
In short, he concluded, developing spiritual fruit requires being around people—ordinary, ornery people. ‘To save souls,’ he said, ‘you must bring them together.’
Spiritual muscle isn't even learned among friends we have chosen. God's kind of love is best learned where we can't be selective about our associates. Perhaps this is why the two institutions established by God—the family and the church—are not joined by invitation only. We have no choice about who our parents or brothers or sisters will be; yet we are expected to love them. Neither can we choose who will or will not be in the family of God; any who confess Jesus as Lord must be welcomed. We learn agape love most effectively in our involuntary associations, away from the temptation of choosing to love only the attractive.
So Pachomius began an ascetic koinonia, where holiness was developed not in isolation but in community. Instead of each person seeking God in his own way, with the dangers of idleness and eccentricity, Pachomius established a common life based on worship, work, and discipline.
In community with flawed, demanding, sometimes disagreeable people, followers of Pachomius learned to take hurt rather than give it. They discovered that disagreements and opposition provide the opportunity to redeem life situations and experience God's grace. Thus began genuine monastic life.
Pachomius, while largely forgotten in church history, points out to us that as attractive as solitary sanctification may seem, it is life amid people, busyness, and interruptions that develop many of the qualities God requires.”
Condensed from our sister publication Leadership journal, © 1993 Christianity Today International. For more articles like this, visit Leadershipjournal.net.
Marshall Shelley, "Developing spiritual fruit requires being around people – ordinary, ornery people," Leadership journal (Spring 1993).
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/january/4012808.html].
Believe
Truth Teller
(John 19:28-37)
INTRODUCTION
“David Greenglass was a World War II traitor. He gave atomic secrets to the Soviet Union and then fled to Mexico after the war. His conspirators arranged to help him by planning a meeting with the secretary of the Soviet ambassador in Mexico City. Proper identification for both parties became vital. Greenglass was to identify himself with six prearranged signs. These instructions had been given to both the secretary and Greenglass so there would be no possibility of making a mistake. The signs were: (1) once in Mexico City, Greenglass was to write a note to the secretary, signing his name as ‘I. Jackson’; (2) after three days he was to go to the Plaza de Colon in Mexico City, and (3) stand before the statue of Columbus, (4) with his middle finger placed in a guide book. In addition, (5) when he was approached, he was to say it was a magnificent statue and that he was from Oklahoma. (6) The secretary was to then give him a passport.
The six prearranged signs worked. Why? With six identifying characteristics, it was impossible for the secretary not to identify Greenglass as the proper contact. How true, then, it must be that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah if he had 456 identifying characteristics well in advance and fulfilled them all.”
John Ankerberg, John Weldon, and Walter Kaiser Jr., "If Specific Prophecies Were Fulfilled by the Messiah, Does the Science of Probability Consider This Proof There Is a God?"; submitted by Aaron Goerner, Utica, New York.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2005/may/15917.html].
BODY
ME
Completing something
Puzzle
Several months ago I started a Thomas Kinkaid puzzle of DC Comic Superheroes
It took me quite a few evenings to complete it, but there was such excitement and satisfaction when I was done
I took a picture of it and sent it to our boys
I told Judy, “It is finished!”
Sermon
Every week, as I prepare God’s Word for Sunday, I’m excited when it’s done
Now, I don’t shout, “It is finished!” to Pastor Marc, but I still feel a sense of satisfaction and anticipation to share it on Thursday evening and Sunday morning
Master’s degree
Those two were short-term victories for me
Completing my Master’s degree was a long-term victory
It took me several years of late nights, reading, writing, and studying, to complete my degree
I was glad when I could say, “It is finished!”
WE
Completing something
What short-term things have you completed? (book, puzzle, exercise, laundry, lesson plans, lunch preparation, video game, etc.)
What long-term victories have you completed? (degree, job search, marriage, family, etc.)
Last week we saw Jesus hanging on the cross, but He had not yet died. Today we’ll see Jesus’ last words and deeds and His death on the cross. He was completing a long-term victory – redemption of humanity. There are three more prophecies fulfilled in these ten verses. In fact, there were twenty prophecies fulfilled during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 361]. John wants us to understand that . . .
BIG IDEA – We can trust that God will always fulfill His Word.
Let’s pray
GOD (John 19:28-37)
Prophecy of the drink (vv. 28-30)
Completed
Last week we saw that Jesus completed His first-born male responsibility to make sure His mother would be taken care of, after His death
Later
The NIV translation of “later” makes it sound like an undetermined amount of time passes, from Jesus putting His mother in John’s care, and His statement about being thirsty
Most every other translation says, “after this”
John is simply letting us know that he is transitioning to another memory of Jesus’ crucifixion
Jesus had completed everything that God had given Him to do while on earth
He is obviously not referring to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension – those were still to come
“Others may unconsciously play their part in the divine plan of redemption (e.g. vv. 23-24; cf. Acts 13:29), but not Jesus . . . Jesus’ knowledge that all was now completed is the awareness that all the steps that had brought him to this point of pain and impending death were in the design of his heavenly Father, and death itself was imminent.” [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 618-19]
What Jesus completed
He had taught crowds of people about the Kingdom of God
He had prepared His disciples to carry on the Gospel mission to both Jews and Gentiles
He had prepared the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit
He had lovingly taken care of His mother’s future
It’s time for Jesus to return to the Father
PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when we obey Him completely.
Jesus modeled for us what it looks like to obey God completely
Jesus told His disciples and the religious leaders on multiple occasions that He was not doing or saying anything that was not from the Father
Philippians 2:8, And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!
Jesus was willing to sacrifice everything in order to obey God completely
Are we willing to sacrifice everything in order to obey God completely?
1 Samuel 15:1-35 (The Lord Rejects Saul as King)
Samuel gives Saul a message from the Lord about completely destroying the Amalekites and all their possessions
Saul attacked the Amalekites and completely destroyed all the people, except Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs – everything that was good (1 Sam. 15:9)
When Samuel confronted Saul, he joyfully greeted him and told him he had carried out the Lord’s instructions
Samuel was confused, because he heard the bleating of sheep, and lowing of cattle
Saul had not completely destroyed the Amalekites and all their possessions
He did not completely obey the Lord, so the Lord rejected him as king of Israel
Mark 10:17-28 (The Rich Young Man)
The rich young man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life
Jesus reminds him of the ten commandments, which he says he has kept since his youth
Jesus then says this, “One thing you lack,” he said, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)
The young man went away sad, because he had great wealth
In our western culture, we struggle to sacrifice everything in order to be completely obedient to God
Many times we want to hang on to a little of our past, instead of completely sacrificing it to the Lord, and then we wonder why God is not blessing us or answering our prayers
Sometimes we only obey the parts of the Bible we feel are easy to do and we ignore the other parts that are more difficult to do
We determine that we can’t afford to tithe, even though God has commanded us to give from the firstfruits of our labor
We are commanded not to gossip, but we “share” a prayer request about another person
We know we should forgive others and work towards reconciliation, but it’s so much easier to just leave and find another group of friends, another job, or another church
We know that looking at a woman with lust is just like committing adultery with her in our heart, but we justify it in our minds, because we haven’t actually done the physical act (Matt. 5:27-28)
We know that being angry with someone is just like murdering them in our heart, but we still allow ourselves to justify being angry with them (Matt. 5:21-22)
We know that we are supposed to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but we don’t (Matt. 5:43-44)
The list could go on and on
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Admit that I am not obeying God completely and ask Him to help me obey Him completely, each day.
Luke 9:23-25, Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”
We can trust that when we completely obey God, He will always fulfill His Word and keep His promises
We see the fulfillment of God’s Word in Jesus’ next statement
“I am thirsty”
Physically
We have already seen in verse 24 the connection to Psalm 22
Psalm 22:15, My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
Every one of us knows what it’s like to be really thirsty and to have a dry mouth, where our tongue sticks to the roof of our mouths
David, in Psalm 69, again references thirst and what was offered to quench thirst
Psalm 69:3, I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.
Psalm 69:21, They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
Jesus was certainly physically thirsty at this point
The beatings He’d endured, and having to carry His own cross to Golgotha resulted in dehydration
Jesus already knew what was coming next, so I believe He was preparing for His triumphant announcement – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves
Many scholars believe there is also a spiritual side to Jesus’ statement about being thirsty
Spiritually
Jesus knew that His departure from this world would usher in, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, on all His disciples
He was ready to return to heaven and see the ongoing fulfillment of the redemption story
Psalm 42:1-2, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Paul understood this desire to be with the Lord
2 Corinthians 5:6-9, Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
We see then what the soldiers do in response to Jesus’ thirst
Relieving Jesus’ thirst
Wine vinegar
The soldiers would have had a jar of wine vinegar right there to keep themselves hydrated during the crucifixion
In most cases, it took days for the crucifixion to be completed
The wine vinegar was a cheap sour wine
It was different than the wine mixed with myrrh
John doesn’t mention this wine, but the Gospel writer, Mark, does
Mark 15:23, Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
As Jesus is being led through the city streets, there would have been charitable people, who had mixed this wine, to help those being crucified
It was considered a sedative and helped to dull the pain and agony of crucifixion [Carson, 620]
The wine vinegar would have helped to hydrate the individual, prolonging life, pain, and agony [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 550]
The soldier uses a sponge and a hyssop stalk to offer the wine vinegar to Jesus
Sponge and stalk of hyssop
Some people try to claim that Scripture is false, because of this reference to the use of a stalk of hyssop
Hyssop was a bush that could grow just about anywhere [show picture of hyssop]
It could grow from the crack in a stone wall
Its stalks/branches were very thin and flexible
So, how could a wine vinegar-soaked sponge be supported by a stalk of hyssop?
Two things to consider:
Many of us think about the images we’ve seen in movies about the crucifixion [show first crucifixion picture] where the feet of the person being crucified is at head level with those on the ground
More realistically, the individual’s feet were probably between 2-4 feet off the ground [show second crucifixion picture]
The hyssop stalk would probably have been strong enough for the soldier to lift it just above his head to Jesus’ mouth
We weren’t there, so we don’t know exactly how it happened, but we can trust God’s Word – it is accurate and true
After Jesus has His thirst quenched, He makes a powerful proclamation
“It is finished”
Victory!
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say that after Jesus received the drink, He cried out in a loud voice
John is the only one who mentions that Jesus said, “It is finished!”
The drink enabled Him to loudly announce victory
“This confirms the sense we have seen throughout the Passion story that here Jesus is accomplishing what he intends. He is not a victim, but a servant doing God’s bidding. This is not a cry of desolation (‘At last it is over!’) but an announcement of triumph (‘It is accomplished!’).” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 529]
Handed over
“The verb ‘handed over’ comes as the last in a chain of occurrences of this verb. The devil through Judas Iscariot (13:2), ‘handed over’ Jesus to Caiaphas and the Jewish authorities (18:2), who ‘handed him over’ to Pilate (18:30), who ‘handed him over’ again to the Jews again for crucifixion (19:16). Now, Jesus himself ‘hands over’ himself – that is, his ‘Spirit’ – to someone, but to whom? . . . Quite clearly, Jesus ‘handed over the Spirit’ to the Father, just as in the other Gospels.” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 965]
Jesus was not a victim, because He willingly laid down His life
God had given him the authority to do it
John 10:17-18, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Application
PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus’ death is our victory!
Because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross and His triumphant announcement, “It is finished!”, we are able to be saved from our sins
Isaiah 53:6, We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:5, But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We can be healed from the scars of sin through Jesus Christ
We can be at peace with God, instead of rebellion against Him, through Jesus Christ
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Admit that I have turned to my own way, accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and be at peace with God.
Jesus’ death on the cross brings us victory over sin and death
God has promised us peace with him and healing from our sins when we turn to Jesus Christ
We can trust that God will always fulfill His Word.
The second fulfillment of prophecy is found in verses 31-33 and 36
Prophecy of the bones (vv. 31-33, 36)
Special Sabbath
The day of Preparation was just that, the Jews were preparing for the Sabbath
This is one positive aspect of the Jews, mixed in with their betrayal and rejection of Jesus
They were preparing for the Sabbath
Sabbath was on Saturday and actually began Friday evening at sunset
We should pay attention to this important practice of preparing for the Sabbath
Our preparation for Sunday worship should begin Saturday evening
For many years we practiced this with our boys and taught them about the importance of preparing for Sunday
We usually didn’t have friends over on Saturday evenings to spend the night, unless they were going to church with us on Sunday
We rarely scheduled parties or other activities on Saturday evenings, so that we could prepare for Sunday
We would go to bed at a reasonable hour, so we would be able to get up and go to church on Sunday
If you aren’t preparing the night before for Sunday worship, I want to encourage you to consider making it a priority in your life
It can make all the difference!
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Commit to preparing on Saturday evening for church on Sunday.
This was a special Sabbath because it fell during Passover and they had the special sheath offering during this time
Request of Pilate
Background
Roman crucifixion
It most instances, death by crucifixion took days
The impact was greater when criminals were left on the cross for multiple days
In fact, many times wild animals and carrion birds would come and feed on the rotting bodies still hanging on the cross
If the Romans needed to speed up the dying process, they would smash the legs of the individual with an iron mallet, so they would not be able to push themselves up and take a breath (they would die from suffocation)
Jewish law
The Jews were asking Pilate to speed up the dying process, because they didn’t want the bodies hanging on the crosses during the Sabbath
Their desire for this comes from their own laws
Deuteronomy 21:22-23, If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
The Jews obviously didn’t want the land to be desecrated, especially on this special Passover Sabbath
The Jews were aware of the Roman practice of breaking the criminal’s legs to speed up death, so they request that it be done and the bodies be taken down before sunset
Pilate agrees to their request and informs the soldiers
Broken bones
They begin with the two criminals on either side of Jesus
Why did they work from the outside in and not in a row?
We don’t know why they did it in this order, other than the sovereignty of God
No broken bones
When they came to Jesus, they recognized that He was already dead
We know that He had bowed His head
His body would have been still and He would not have been making any noise, at this point
Perhaps the other two men were still moving around on the cross and crying out in pain
John tells us in verse 36 that the soldiers didn’t break Jesus’ legs, because it was a fulfillment of Scripture
It is the sovereignty of God at work once again
We can trust that God will always fulfill His Word.
Jesus was fulfilling and completing the sacrificial system that the Jews had lived under from the beginning
They were required to bring a perfect lamb, without blemish, as a sin offering (this only covered over their sins)
This lamb was not to have any broken bones and while they ate the sacrificial lamb, before the exodus, they were not to break any of its bones
Exodus 12:46, “It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.”
Numbers 9:12, They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations.
Jesus is identified as the Passover Lamb by Paul and Peter, so it’s appropriate that none of His bones were broken
1 Corinthians 5:7, Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
1 Peter 1:19, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Jesus was the perfect lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)
His sacrifice was once for all and it didn’t just cover over our sin, it took it away
We also see the fulfillment of Psalm 34:19-20
David is writing and explains that the Lord will protect the bones of a righteous man
Psalm 34:19-20, A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones.
Jesus was perfect, without sin (a righteous man) and the Lord protected His bones during the crucifixion
While two of the criminals had their legs broken, Jesus’ legs were not broken, which fulfilled Old Testament Scripture
Instead of breaking Jesus’ legs, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear
Prophecy of the piercing (vv. 34, 37)
When they pierced Jesus’ side blood and water came out
There are all kinds of speculation about the meaning of blood and water flowing from the spear wound
What did the spear actually pierce? (heart, lungs, etc.)
We know that it did not break any of the bones in His chest or side
Most scholars agree that John’s intention in mentioning blood and water flowing out, is to remove any doubt that Jesus was dead – He died a human death
Had He still been alive, only blood would have flowed out [Gangel, 354]
Fulfillment of Scripture
We see again that this act of piercing Jesus’ side happened to fulfill Scripture
God was in control of every circumstance surrounding Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection
We can trust that God will always fulfill His Word.
Past: Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
Future: Revelation 1:7, Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
Jesus’ body being pierced instead of breaking His legs was a fulfillment of Scripture
John’s statement in verse 35 is really a fulfillment of Scripture too
Prophecy of the Gospel (v. 35)
Most scholars agree that John is the one who is being referred to here as the testimony giver
We already know that John was at the foot of the cross and had watched Jesus’ crucifixion and death
He was an eyewitness to the trial, flogging, crucifixion, and eventually resurrection and ascension
He would be the best person to give a testimony, as a first-hand observer/witness
John gives his testimony, so that those he is writing to will believe
The “you” in the Greek is plural
John is writing to us also – he is sharing his testimony of what he saw, so that we will believe in Jesus
PRINCIPLE #3 – God’s desire is that we testify about Jesus, so others may believe.
This is His Great Command and Commission for His disciples (that’s includes us!)
Mark 16:15-16, He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Matthew 28:18-20, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
John was obediently fulfilling this command and commission and through that he was fulfilling the prophecy of the Gospel
#4 – My Next Step Today Is To: Testify about Jesus to my family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, so they may believe and be saved.
YOU
Are you obeying God completely?
Will you prepare on Saturday evening for Sunday morning?
WE
Are we making disciples?
CONCLUSION
“Frieda van Hessen was one of Holland’s foremost opera singers, but during the Nazi invasion she, as a Jew, was forced into hiding. In the providence of God, her life was spared. After the war someone told her she should convert from Judaism to Christianity, just in case something else was to happen. This suggestion nagged at her until she finally gave in and spoke to a minister. He set up a meeting for her with a Christian lady named Elizabeth who had converted from Judaism. Their Bible study turned into an argument. Frieda just couldn’t believe what she was reading from the Gospels. She accused Elizabeth of believing in fairy tales. After six weeks of fruitless arguments, they decided the next week would be their last meeting. Elizabeth asked Frieda to read two chapters from the Old Testament before their last meeting – Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Frieda writes about that week:
Six days went by, and I could no longer procrastinate. I went to a small room in the house, closed the door, and opened up the Bible. . . . God, in His wisdom, had said to Elizabeth, ‘Tell her to read Psalm 22.’ . . . I found it, and what did I see: ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ I . . . remembered that in Bach’s ‘St. Matthew’s Passion,’ the basso, portraying the Lord, sings, ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ Still in my rebellion, I said, ‘What do you know, they stole this from Bach!’
Oh, God is so wise! This finally got my attention. Now I wanted to continue reading to see what else had been ‘stolen’ from Bach! Then I came to verse 16, and read, ‘They pierced my hands and my feet.’ Almost in shock, I literally yelled out ‘That’s Jesus!’
I knew that Jesus died in that devastating way. The Jews stoned people to death but did not crucify them. Crucifixion was a Roman death penalty. Yet David wrote Psalm 22, prophesying this form of death hundreds of years before crucifixion was ever invented and practiced by the Romans.
Then I reread Isaiah 53, and clearly understood that it described the whole crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Instantly, God had taken the blinders off my eyes and Satan was defeated! I called Elizabeth, who came over immediately, and together we read Isaiah 53. Then, all of it became very clear to me: how ‘He was despised and rejected of men,’ how He was a ‘man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,’ how ‘we hid our faces from Him,’ how ‘He had been afflicted and wounded for our transgressions,’ and how ‘with His stripes we are healed.’
I realized how ‘all of us, like sheep, have gone astray,’ and how ‘He died for our iniquities.’ Yes, for my sins too.
I reasoned that if David . . . and Isaiah . . . both knew Him, and Paul, a Pharisee, saw Him and knew Him, then I needed no further proof. I accepted Him too, as my Lord and Savior. (Roos-Van Hessen, Life, 190-92).
[Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John, 374-75].
Believe
King of Kings
(John 19:16b-27)
INTRODUCTION
“Richard Dawkins is the author of The God Delusion. He was formerly Professor for Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He once debated John Lennox who is Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University. They debated the existence of God. At one point Dawkins says of John Lennox:
He believes that the creator of the universe, the God who devised the laws of physics, the laws of mathematics, the physical constants … that this genius of mathematics and physical science could not think of a better way to rid the world of sin than to come to this little speck of cosmic dust and have himself tortured and executed so that he could forgive.
That, says Dawkins, is profoundly unscientific. Not only is it unscientific, but it doesn't do justice to the grandeur of the universe. Why would God bother entering into our small and broken planet? Dawkins chided Lennox and all Christians for believing in that kind of God.
God’s only and eternal Son on a Roman cross? Despised and rejected by men on this tiny planet. It’s like being blind-sided in the subway station on a Friday morning in Washington DC in a hurry to get to work and you pass by one of the most brilliant violinists in the world playing some of the most beautiful music in the world on one of the most expensive violins in the world. You don’t expect to see the master violinist performing in such a dirty, undignified place. But that is the very point. Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners.”
Charles Price in his sermon: “God's Power in Unexpected Places,” PreachingToday.Com (March, 2014).
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2019/march/gods-power-in-unexpected-places.html].
BODY
ME
Confused by teenagers
I’ve been confused by teenagers and how and why they do things
What doesn’t make logical sense to me, makes perfect sense to them
They just ate, but now they have to run to a restaurant or convenience store to get more food, because they’re hungry
There’s perfectly good food in the house, but there’s nothing good to eat
They just left spending time with their boyfriend or girlfriend, but now they have to text them, Snapchat them, Instagram them, call them, etc.
They have friends over to hang out, but either play a one-player game on their game system or they all sit around spending time on their phones, not talking to each other
Confused in a conversation
There have been times when I’m confused in a conversation, because the person started the conversation in their mind and when they begin to verbalize the conversation they are part way through it
I always have to stop them and asked a few questions, to get caught up with the “private” part of the conversation
God’s sovereignty
There have been times in my life when I have been confused by God’s plan for my life
I entered college without knowing what I wanted to major in
I’ve left jobs, without knowing where God was leading
But what I’ve found is that while I may initially be confused by God’s leading and His plan, His sovereign will has always been what is right for me
WE
Perhaps we have all experienced at least one if not all three of these scenarios in our own lives
It can be frustrating, but God’s sovereignty is always best for us
As Jesus is led away to be crucified, we’ll see God’s sovereignty at work as Scripture is fulfilled again and again and as Pilate gives Jesus the correct title. Through this passage, John wants us to understand that . . .
BIG IDEA – God is sovereign.
Let’s pray
GOD (John 19:16b-27)
Christ’s Cross (vv. 16b-18)
The Roman soldiers take charge of Jesus (NIV)
This makes the most sense as we continue to look at this passage
Most other translations simply say that “they” took charge of Jesus
As a condemned person of the Roman state, it would have been the task of the Roman soldiers to lead a prisoner through the city streets, making sure that everyone saw the sign that identified their crime(s)
Since crucifixion was the punishment, it was the responsibility of the Roman soldiers to take charge of Jesus
Jesus is carrying His own cross at this point
The soldiers and Jesus would have left the praetorium and started their journey through the city streets
After being beaten, the soldiers would parade the prisoner through the city streets, using the longest route possible, to the location of the crucifixion
This served two purposes:
It allowed for the largest number of people to see the charges of the accused
It would prolong and increase the suffering of the prisoner
The Roman soldiers perhaps found great satisfaction in causing the greatest amount of pain and suffering
Simon of Cyrene
While John doesn’t mention Simon of Cyrene, it doesn’t mean that John’s Gospel is in conflict with the Synoptic Gospels
John simply says that Jesus was carrying His own cross, which is true when they started out
At some point along the arduous route, the Roman soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to finish carrying Jesus’ cross
The cross
Most images of Jesus carrying His cross show the horizontal and vertical pieces together [show image]
It was most likely that Jesus was only carrying the cross beam (the horizontal part) [show image]
“The upright piece normally was stationed at the execution site, and the victim would then carry the heavy cross piece to which he would later be attached at the site. The cross piece with the victim attached to it would then be raised and fixed or dropped onto the upright pole through a slot in the cross piece.” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 262]
Jesus is carrying his cross to a location just outside the city gates
The location
This would have been a high traffic area for people coming and going into the city
Choosing a high traffic area was intentional
The Roman officials wanted to make sure that as many people as possible would see what happens to those who disobey Roman law
It was designed as a visual deterrent for anyone thinking about rebelling or pursuing evil
Several names, same meaning
Primary – place of the Skull
Aramaic – gulgoltâ (Golgotha is an English transliteration of the Greek, which is a transliteration of the Aramaic) [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 609]
Latin – calvaria also means “skull” and is where we get our English word “Calvary” [Carson, 609]
John also tells us that Jesus was not crucified alone
Between two others
There were two other men who were crucified at the same time – one on either side of Jesus
“The ‘two others,’ identified more explicitly in Matthew (27:38) and in Mark (15:27) as ‘terrorists’ and in Luke (23:33) as ‘criminals,’ are introduced abruptly, with no explanation as to why they are being crucified . . .” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 949]
Some believe that they were friends of Barabbas and had been arrested for being insurrectionists/rebels
Some see a fulfillment of the Isaiah and the Psalmist’s words
Isaiah 53:12, Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalm 22:16, Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. (it could also represent the soldiers)
If Isaiah and the Psalmist are speaking of the two criminals in these passages, then we see the sovereignty of God through the fulfilling of Scripture
God is sovereign!
John gives us an aside that helps us continue to understand God’s sovereignty in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus
Christ’s Crown (vv. 19-22)
Pilate’s notice
Pilate probably told the soldiers what to write about Jesus
It’s unlikely that Pilate wrote the notice himself
It was then attached to Jesus cross
Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews
The first part is the identification of the prisoner
They listed His name
They also listed where He was from
The second part was His crime
Pilate put down what the Jews had determined in their trial, but had refused to tell him
The Jews had determined that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy, because He said He was equal with God
Matthew 26:63b-65, The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 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. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.
Pilate, through the sovereignty of God, makes Jesus equal with God – he exalts Him to the throne
While Jesus is certainly King of the Jews, He is far more than that – He is King of kings!
“This notice serves to indicate at least three things: (1) Jesus’ conviction on the charge of treason; (2) Pilate’s resentful exacting of a small measure of revenge upon the Jews; and (3) symbolism regarding Jesus being the Savior of the world (Carson 1991: 611).” [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 544]
John tells us that many Jews read the sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city (again in a high traffic area, during Passover, with hundreds of thousands of people in Jerusalem)
Written in three languages
Common languages of the day
Pilate’s notice was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek
Aramaic was the language of religion (the Jews, Judea)
Latin was the language of government (the Romans)
Greek was the language of commerce (everyone spoke Greek)
Having the notice written in the three common languages of the day served to make sure that everyone knew the charges against the accused
No one could claim ignorance
Symbolism of the three languages
Many scholars see symbolism in the notice being written in the three common languages of the day
The symbolism is that while Jesus is accused of being King of the Jews, His kingdom, once established, would be for everyone!
We know this to be true even 2,000 years later
Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension made a way for all of humanity to be in a right relationship with God
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
2 Peter 3:8-9, But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Corinthians 5:20b-21, We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Repent of my sins, believe in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross, and receive God’s eternal life.
While Pilate exalts Jesus to the throne, the Jewish religious leaders are not happy about it
The chief priests protest
The chief priests understood the significance of Pilate’s notice
It wasn’t lost on them that the notice was being read by thousands of people
They wanted Pilate to change it, so that everyone who read it would not associate Jesus of Nazareth with their religious beliefs and practices – He was not their king!
That was the whole purpose in why they wanted Him dead
They wanted Pilate to change the notice to read that Jesus said, “I am the King of the Jews.” (NASB, NLT, ESV)
It was a way of differentiating between Jesus and the Jewish religion
Pilate’s response
“No, I’m not going to change it.”
“What I have written, I have written.”
We see God’s sovereignty again!
With whatever intentions Pilate wrote the notice, God, in His sovereignty, used it to announce Jesus’ kingship, authority, and power
PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is King of kings; no matter what others think or say.
Scripture tells us this
Philippians 2:9, Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name
Ephesians 1:19b-21, That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Revelation 19:16, On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Our culture
Over the years, our educational system has tried to rewrite history, by taking God and religion out of the lives of our founding fathers and out of our textbooks
They have also tried to take God and Jesus out of schools, by eliminating prayer and telling students they can’t bring their Bibles to school
There are individuals who try to say that Jesus was a good person, a great teacher, a prophet (perhaps), but not the Son of God
Unbelievers don’t want to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives
But no matter what our culture thinks or says, it doesn’t change, eliminate, or remove the fact that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords
We can and should rejoice in this fact today
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Worship the sovereign God, who established Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
We saw the sovereignty of God through Pilate’s notice, but we also see it through the dividing of Jesus’ clothing
Christ’s Clothing (vv. 23-24)
God used a tradition that had probably been established for years in order to accomplish His sovereign will and plan
However this custom began, it was well established by the time of Jesus’ crucifixion
I can imagine that, initially, the pieces of clothing were probably discarded
Then one day, one of the soldiers realizes that an article of clothing from someone who was crucified was in better condition than the piece of clothing he owned
He decides to take the piece of clothing and before you know it, the other soldiers are looking at the condemned criminals in a different light (we need to make sure we flog them after we get that nice robe off)
Maybe they’re even talking about who is going to get which article of clothing as they’re parading the criminal through the streets of the city
All of this happens under the divine sovereignty of God Almighty
Jesus’ clothing
There were obviously five articles of clothing and four soldiers who were tasked with crucifying Jesus
The four articles of clothing that were divided were probably His head covering (turban?), a belt, possibly sandals, and an outer cloak [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 527]
The fifth piece of clothing would have been His tunic (“undergarment”)
John tells us that it was woven as one piece from top to bottom
There were no seams, because it was one piece
This was a common practice in the 1st Century
It also protected Jews from breaking Jewish law
Deuteronomy 22:11, Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
If the tunic was woven in one piece, with no seams, they could ensure that it would not break this law
Instead of cutting the tunic into four pieces, the soldiers decide to cast lots to see who would get the full tunic
Fulfillment of Scripture
The casting of lots for Jesus’ tunic happened to fulfill Old Testament Scripture
Psalm 22:18, They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
God is sovereign!
God’s sovereignty is still evident today
Application
What is God’s sovereignty?
Sovereignty is power and authority displayed by God
Sovereignty – God has the right to rule and He rules rightly
Sovereignty – God has the right to plan my life. He has the right to rule and make any decision He wants to. He has the right change things.
Psalm 22:28, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.
Isaiah 44:6, “This is what the Lord says – Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Do you believe that God has the right plan for your life?
Perhaps you’re looking for a husband or a wife and you’re wondering if God is every going to bring the right person into your life
Maybe you’re trying to decide about college or entering the work force
You may be trying to figure out the next step in your career
Some of you may be trying to decide whether or not to move
Others of you are struggling with financial decisions
There may be someone here who is struggling with spiritual decisions (submitting to Jesus, determining where you should be going to church, trying to decide whether or not to go to church at all)
Everyone is probably struggling with how to act and react to COVID-19 and the civil unrest in our country
Our church is praying about the next step that God wants for us
In God’s sovereignty, He has the right plan for your life
Are you trusting Him for the right plan?
Are you asking Him to reveal to you His plan?
Are you sacrificing other things (food, recreation, etc.) in order to seek His face about His plan for you?
God’s sovereignty is always best for us!
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Seek God for His sovereign plan for me and then trust Him to fulfill it.
God fulfilled His sovereign plan of redemption through Pilate two criminals, and four soldiers, so He can fulfill His sovereign for you
In the final three verses, this morning, we see the beautiful fulfillment of a Son’s commitment to His mother
Christ’s Commitment (vv. 25-27)
Faithful followers
There are four women and one man who are at the place of the skull – they are right there with Jesus until the very end
Matthew and Mark state that there were more woman there, but John only mentions these four
Four woman
Jesus’ mother, Mary
Mary’s sister, perhaps Salome (James and Greater and John’s mother)
Mary the wife of Clopas (the mother of James the Less and Joses)
Mary Magdalene
One man
John doesn’t mention his own name, but uses the term that Jesus used for him – the disciple whom He loved
If Jesus’ mother’s sister is Salome, then John the Beloved would have been Jesus’ cousin
This would make Jesus’ next statement more understandable
Jesus was the first-born son of Mary and with that distinction came some responsibility
Fulfillment of first-born responsibility
Most scholars agree that Mary was probably widowed at this point, otherwise Joseph would have provided for her and taken care of her
Jesus’ half-brothers were not yet His disciples
“The traditional role of the oldest son in a Jewish family was to provide for the care of the mother when the husband or father of the house was no longer around to care for the mother. It seems clear that Jesus here fulfilled his family responsibility as a dutiful son.” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 269]
Jesus completes His commitment as the first-born son and ensures that His mother will be taken care of after He is gone
PRINCIPLE #2 – God is pleased when we honor our parents.
Jesus gave us a beautiful example of honoring His mother to the very end
Scripture support
Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Ephesians 6:1-3, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
1 Timothy 5:8, If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
#4 – My Next Step Today Is To: Honor my parents by taking care of them.
YOU
Have I accepted God’s sovereign of redemption?
Have I worshiped God for establishing Jesus as the King of kings?
Am I trusting God’s sovereign plan for my life?
Am I honoring my parents by taking care of them?
WE
God’s sovereign plan is always best for us, so will you commit to pray with the leadership of the church for His next step for us?
CONCLUSION
“In her book The God Who Hung on the Cross, journalist Ellen Vaughn retells a gripping story of how the Gospel came to a small village in Cambodia. In September 1999 Pastor Tuy Seng (not his real name) traveled to Kampong Thom Province in northern Cambodia. Throughout that isolated area, most villagers had cast their lot with Buddhism or spiritism. Christianity was virtually unheard of.
But much to Seng's surprise, when he arrived in one small, rural village the people warmly embraced him and his message about Jesus. When he asked the villagers about their openness to the gospel, an old woman shuffled forward, bowed, and grasped Seng's hands as she said, ‘We have been waiting for you for twenty years.’ And then she told him the story of the mysterious God who had hung on the cross.
In the 1970s the Khmer Rouge, the brutal, Communist-led regime, took over Cambodia, destroying everything in its path. When the soldiers finally descended on this rural, northern village in 1979, they immediately rounded up the villagers and forced them to start digging their own graves. After the villagers had finished digging, they prepared themselves to die. Some screamed to Buddha, others screamed to demon spirits or to their ancestors.
One of the women started to cry for help based on a childhood memory—a story her mother told her about a God who had hung on a cross. The woman prayed to that unknown God on a cross. Surely, if this God had known suffering, he would have compassion on their plight.
Suddenly, her solitary cry became one great wail as the entire village started praying to the God who had suffered and hung on a cross. As they continued facing their own graves, the wailing slowly turned to a quiet crying. There was an eerie silence in the muggy jungle air. Slowly, as they dared to turn around and face their captors, they discovered that the soldiers were gone.
As the old woman finished telling this story, she told Pastor Seng that ever since that humid day from 20 years ago the villagers had been waiting, waiting for someone to come and share the rest of the story about the God who had hung on a cross.”
Doris I. Rosser & Ellen Vaughn, The God Who Hung on the Cross (Zondervan, 2003), pp. 35-37.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/april/1041111.html].
God is sovereign!
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
We have a lot of word pictures in the English language to describe being in a predicament. We might say we’ve “painted ourselves into a corner,” or we are “in a pickle” or our backs are “up against the wall.” A least one person has defined a predicament as being , “A lawyer who specializes in suing doctors for medical malpractice finding himself in need of major surgery.” We might also say that we are caught “between a rock and a hard place.” Between a rock and hard place means you’re stuck in between two options, and neither one is desirable. These are the times when you’re confronted with your absolute weakness and inability to hurdle the obstacles in life.
More than a hundred years ago, a financial crisis occurred in the US that became known as the Bankers’ Panic of 1907. The financial crisis impacted many industries, as you can imagine, and the ripple effect of the financial upheaval was felt all the way out in Bisbee, Arizona. The lack of funding led to a dispute between the copper mining companies and the mineworkers there. They were underpaid, and their working conditions were terrible. So they organized into labor unions and approached the company management with a list of demands for better pay and conditions.
The company refused and retaliated – any mining worker who complained would be fired. So the mineworkers were faced with a dilemma, they had to either choose to continue to work at the rock face in quarry in terrible conditions or lose their job and make matters even worse. One of the workers coined the phrase, “we are stuck between a rock (the quarry wall) and a hard place (unemployment).” It wasn’t long before the phrase took root and by 1930, newspapers were using the phrase to describe any number of impossible situations.
Maybe you are between a “rock and a hard place” this morning. Maybe your current job is unbearable, but there are no other jobs available and you need the paycheck. Maybe the people you’re living with are crazy, but you don’t have the money to get your own place. I am not necessarily talking about your family. Maybe you need surgery, but you don’t have health insurance. Maybe you are a student and don’t like school but you have to go. You may or may not find yourself in these kind of predicaments right now, but at some point in your life, you will find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place.
When we’re caught between a rock and a hard place, we feel trapped, stuck, and tired of where we are. We don’t know what to do or where to turn. Honestly, it’s a lose-lose situation. If it were a clear win-lose situation, we would know how to choose and where to turn. We’re like the Israelites with Pharaoh on one side and the Red Sea on the other. Death seemed certain either way. But what do you do when there are no clear choices? Maybe you try to deny it, maybe you try to mask it, maybe you try to fake it or you might even try to ignore it. Sometimes you just take the option that will cause you the least trouble or stress. You are still going to lose but you will lose less.
This morning, we continue to look at Jesus’ time before Pilate, leading up to being sentenced to crucifixion. Last week we saw the Jews approach Pilate in the early morning but would not come into his palace because it would make them unclean and they would not be able to eat the Passover. They try to manipulate Pilate into bringing unfounded charges against Jesus. Pilate finds no reason to bring charges against Jesus and tries to find ways to set him free. He also has a conversation with Jesus. Jesus assures Pilate that he is not trying to usurp his authority or take over as emperor. He says his kingdom is not of this world and he tries to introduce truth to Pilate which he scoffs at. Through all this, Pilate is convinced that Jesus is innocent, but instead of doing the right thing, Pilate tries to compromise and both times it backfires on him.
In our scripture this morning, Pilate continues to compromise and with each compromise he continues down a road to a point of no return. Pilate may not have felt that he was between a rock and a hard place yet but he soon will. Pilate also has another conversation with Jesus. Imagine having a conversation with the Son of God and not being changed. Those conversations could have made all difference in the world for Pilate and the rest of his life but when he was caught between a rock and hard place, he tried to deny it, he tried to mask it, he tried to fake it and he tried to ignore it.
The truth is we are weak creatures. We are sinful, we fail. Being prone to sickness, we hurt; being mortal, we wear out; pressure weighs us down; anxiety gives us ulcers; people intimidate us; criticism offends us; difficulties hound us. What choice do we really have during those times when we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place? That brings us to our big idea this morning which is to: You can turn to Jesus when you have nowhere else to turn and feel you are caught between a rock and a hard place. In fact, why would you turn to anyone or anything else? Where else will you find the truth? Where else will you find hope? Who else can do the impossible? Only Jesus.
Let’s pray: Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to what you want us to learn this morning. Imprint your words on our hearts and help us to use it to bring you praise and honor and glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
There are two points this morning. The first is “the rock” and the second is “the hard place.” We will start with “the rock” which for Pilate was knowing what the right thing to do was but not having the courage to do it no matter what. We see this in verses 1-11 of John chapter 19. This is what God’s word says, “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 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.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 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.” 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.” When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
Pilate has tried to wiggle out of dealing with the Jews and Jesus. He has compromised over and over again instead of just doing the right thing and setting Jesus free. In verse 1, he continues his compromises by having Jesus scourged. In Luke 23:14b – 16, we get more insight into what Pilate was thinking here. That says, “I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” Pilate thought once they saw Jesus, bloody and beaten, he would be able to let Jesus go and this situation would be over.
Scourging or flogging was one of the cruelest punishments known to man. The criminal was bound to a post and beaten by several people in turn. They used a short-handled whip to which several leather thongs were tied. Each thong had jagged pieces of bone and metal attached to the ends. Jewish law set the maximum number of lashes at 40, but the Romans were not bound to that law so they would continue to beat the victim until they were exhausted, the commanding officer stopped them, or the victim died which often happened. This type of punishment tore a person’s body apart and was so horrible that Roman citizens could not legally be sentenced to it.
The Romans also had three different levels of scourging, one more severe than the last. The “fustigatio” was the least severe and was reserved for troublemakers who simply needed to be punished and warned. The third level was “verberatio” which was the most severe and served as part of the punishment for a capital offense, and in preparation for crucifixion. It seems Pilate chose to use the least severe form of scourging here to probably accomplish two things. One, to teach Jesus a lesson to be more careful in not upsetting the religious leaders in the future, and two, to satisfy the Jews who were demanding his death.
But the punishment and humiliation of Jesus wasn’t over yet. The Romans had made a sport of torture and the Roman soldiers continued to humiliate Jesus making fun of the accusation of Jesus being the “king of the Jews.” They twisted together a crown of thorns, probably made from the thorny date palm, whose thorns could exceed twelve inches and pressed it down on his head. It would have cut deeply into Jesus’ head increasing the pain and bleeding. They were mocking Jesus and the Jews, as it would have looked like Jesus had radiant beams coming from his head. They also put a purple robe on him, probably one of the soldiers’ robes, to finish the picture of Jesus as a king. The soldiers also mocked Jesus by going up to him again and again paying false homage to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews” as they would do before Caesar and hit him in the face. Matthew and Mark recount that they hit him with a reed which they had given him as a kind of scepter. It is interesting how much irony John uses in his gospel and we see it here. The Roman soldiers mock Jesus as a “king” not understanding that he is the King of kings and one day he would stand in judgment of those very soldiers who tortured and humiliated him.
The law now required a formal presentation of the criminal. Pilate comes out before the people and declares Jesus innocent of any charges that could be tried in a Roman court of law. He fully expected the Jews to be satisfied with the punishment already inflicted upon Jesus, so he brings him out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. He is beaten and bloody, face bruised and swollen, looking nothing like a king. He wanted to show the Jews how ludicrous it was to take their charges seriously. In his view, Jesus posed no threat to them or the Romans. Sarcastically he says, “Here is the man.” By introducing Jesus in this way, Pilate was mocking the Jews but also trying to elicit sympathy for Jesus so he can set him free. “Behold the man” probably meant “see this “poor” creature.” It would have been ridiculous to Pilate that they would want to crucify such a weak and humiliated person. Again, we see the irony John uses here in reminding us that Jesus called himself the “Son of Man” and that he is the Word made flesh and was displaying his glory as the Son of God in his disgrace, pain, and weakness.
But it backfires again. Instead of wanting him to free Jesus, the Jews shout and demand that Jesus be crucified. Now, I think Pilate may have been feeling the pressure of being caught between a rock and a hard place. He knows that Jesus is innocent of any wrongdoing. He probably has a sense that Jesus is not just any ordinary person. He knows what the right thing to do is but he lacks the courage to free Jesus, as was his right as the Roman governor. At this point, Pilate probably had enough of these Jews. They had brought Jesus to him in the first place but now would not accept his judgment. Seeing that his strategy to free Jesus has not worked, he mockingly and sarcastically tells them to take Jesus and crucify him themselves. This was another tactic to keep Jesus from being crucified because he knew they couldn’t carry that sentence out.
The Jews didn’t miss a beat though. It is interesting that they seem to have an answer for Pilate every time he tried to free Jesus. They had done their homework and knew what buttons to push. At no time did they seem to have to stop and think of what to do next. But Pilate almost seems unsettled at each turn and has to do a song and dance to keep ahead of the Jews agenda. In verse 7, the Jews change tactics. Their first tactic was to get Jesus charged as a political opponent to Rome which we saw last week. Now the Jews try to get Jesus charged as a religious opponent to Rome, saying that he claimed to be the “Son of God.” Taking this at face value, it should not have worked. What did Rome care for the religious views of the Jews? This is what Pilate was referring to back in verse 31 when he told them to take Jesus and judge him by their own law. He meant their own religious law. They tell Pilate that Jesus has already been judged according to that law, found guilty and deserving of death. The law they were talking about is found in Leviticus 24:16, which says, “Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.” The Jews demand that Pilate acknowledge their legal rights and order Jesus to be crucified, implying, that would keep the peace in the area. The Roman governor was responsible for keeping the peace and maintaining the local law. If he didn’t he would surely be replaced as governor if not taken out and killed.
This new tactic exposed their true motives as to why they wanted Jesus killed. They told Pilate that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy and had to die according to their law. Interestingly, Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God wasn’t sufficient to prove blasphemy. The anointed king of Israel, such as David or Solomon, was called the Son of God and the Messiah was to be the Son of God. What the Jews were upset about and why they hated Jesus so much was he claimed to be equal to God, himself. They knew they needed Pilate’s help to put Jesus to death but of course they weren’t going to be completely honest with him.
If the Jews were holding their breath to see how Pilate would react to them taking this religious angle, what Pilate did next probably gave them a great sense of relief. Instead of questioning the Jews about their motives, he becomes even more afraid and takes Jesus back inside the palace to have another conversation with him. Pilate like most Romans were superstitious. Every Roman of that day would have heard stories of the gods or their offspring appearing in human form. The thought that Jesus might be a man with divine powers or a god in human form filled him with fear. Also, his superstition was probably fueled by a dream that his wife had about Jesus and warning him to have nothing to do with Jesus. We see this in Matthew 27:19 where it says, “While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”
Pilate takes Jesus back into the palace and asks him where he comes from. He already knew Jesus was from Galilee, but what he wanted to know was whether he was from earth or from the realm of the gods. Jesus is silent when questions by Pilate. Why? It may have been to fulfill prophecy from Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” Maybe Jesus is silent because he had already told Pilate he was not from this world or maybe he knew that Pilate couldn’t or wouldn’t understand any answer Jesus would give because Pilate had already shown he wasn’t concerned with truth.
Pilate is upset with Jesus that, of all people, he would not talk to him. He reminds Jesus he is the one who has the power to set him free or to have him crucified. This is ironic, in that he had spent all this time going back and forth with the Jews avoiding making a decision about Jesus but ultimately knew deep down that he could not avoid this responsibility. He may have had the power but he didn’t have the courage to do what was right. Jesus tells Pilate the only power he has over him is the power given to him from above. He did not have ultimate control over what happened to Jesus. Even the death of Jesus was under the sovereignty of God. Again, we see the irony in John’s gospel in that for all the power that Pilate felt he had he must have felt powerless before God’s plan in this hour.
Jesus tells Pilate there is someone guiltier than him. The one who handed Jesus over to Pilate was guilty of the greater sin. Jesus is probably not talking about Judas because he has disappeared from the story. It is probably not the Jews because Jesus seems to imply “one’ person. The best solution is the high priest Caiaphas. He was the catalyst for Jesus’ arrest and who had seemed to formulate the plan for Jesus to die. We see this in John 11:49-50, 53 which says, “But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.” Jesus wasn’t absolving Pilate of guilt for his actions, but Caiaphas was more guilty because he had seen the overwhelming evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. He knew the scriptures, not Pilate. He should have accepted Jesus as his Messiah, not Pilate, who wasn’t even a Jew.
This was “the rock” that Pilate found himself between. He continues to find Jesus innocent of any crime. He knows the right thing to do is to release Jesus. Deep down he probably knows that what is going on is of the utmost importance but he still does not have the courage of his convictions. He doesn’t have the courage to do what is right and he continues to dig himself a deeper and deeper hole that he can never get out of. He is caught between a rock and a hard place. Which brings us to our first next step which is to make up my mind to always do the right thing no matter what. If you will choose the right thing every time your “rocks” will become smaller and not seem so impossible to overcome. Your stress and anxiety levels will be lower. The ability to choose to do the right thing comes easier when we turn to Jesus when things seem impossible and we have nowhere else to turn. (Big Idea)
Our second point this morning is “the hard place.” The “hard place” for Pilate was that he let the Jews pressure and bully him into crucifying Jesus. He let them back himself into a corner, ultimately sinning in making the wrong choice. We see this in verses 12-16. This is what God’s word says, “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.” When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
Here’s where Pilate really starts to feel the pressure and we see how desperate he seems to get. After talking to Jesus about who really had the authority and power over Jesus, Pilate is even more convinced of his innocence and tries to set Jesus free. In fact, the verb is verse 12 means an ongoing action in that he kept trying to set Jesus free. We don’t know how many different things he tried. We don’t know how many other compromises he made. The ironic thing was it was in his legal authority to set Jesus free. He didn’t need the Jews to okay it or rubber stamp it. But he didn’t have the courage to do the right thing and next we see the Jews put the final nail in the coffin for Pilate. If Pilate didn’t feel he was between a rock and a hard place before, now he knew it was over and he had no choice but to give in to the Jewish leaders’ demands to crucify Jesus.
Even though they failed to convince Pilate of Jesus’ guilt the Jews don’t seem to be fazed. They reverse their tactics again playing the political ace up their sleeve putting Jesus in opposition to Caesar himself. They tell Pilate that if he releases Jesus he was no friend of Caesar because anyone who says they are king opposes Caesar. They were planting the thought in his mind that he would suffer if he doesn’t do what they want with Jesus. The idea of not being a friend of Caesar’s would have set off warning bells in Pilate’s head. The emperor at the time, Tiberius, was noted for his suspicious nature and his willingness to ruthlessly punish his subordinates. Pilate most definitely would have feared for his position, his possessions and his life. Pilate had already brought a lot of heartache on himself while being the Governor of Palestine. The Jews had already made complaints against him to Rome because he had treated their religion with contempt a number of times. He could not risk the Jews making another complaint to Rome about him. Plummer comments on the tactics of the Jewish leaders: “They knew their man: it is not a love of justice, but personal feeling which moves him to seek to release Jesus; and they will overcome one personal feeling by another still stronger.”
We see how far the Jewish leaders were willing to go to get Jesus crucified. We see their corruption and their hypocricy. The Jews hated the Romans rule over them and were most certainly themselves no friend of Caesar’s. Again John shows us the irony here that in order to have Jesus executed the Jewish authorities had to make themselves out to be more loyal subjects of Caesar than Pilate was. Now Pilate had to choose between either setting Jesus free or inciting the wrath of the Emperor against him. Their mention of Caesar sealed Jesus’ fate. There was no question about the choice Pilate was going to make. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, in between two impossible choices, and in the end he made the choice that brought the least amount of trouble for himself. It was the choice where he would lose less. Greene says, “He would no longer oppose the Jews because that would take self-sacrifice.” Pilate was not willing to make any sacrifice on his part to save Jesus.
Pilate doesn’t answer the Jews but immediately brings Jesus out before the people. He will now give the official sentence which will conclude the matter. Pilate sits down on the judge’s seat. John tells us this place was known as the Stone Pavement, called “Gabbatha” in Aramaic, meaning “platform” or “high place.” Pilate is now poised to speak with the voice of his office. Again, John show us the irony in that Pilate was going to pass judgment on the one whom God had granted the power of all judgment and who would one day pass judgment on Pilate and the rest of humanity. Next we see John carefully setting the scene for us. He says it was the sixth hour on the day of preparation for the Passover Week. The sixth hour was late morning approaching noontime. It was swiftly approaching the time when the sheep would have been slaughtered in the temple in preparation for Passover. John wants us to remember Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people.
Pilate, still agonizing over his decision, tries one more thing. Instead of sentencing Jesus right away, he pronounces Jesus as their king. For Pilate, Jesus was not a king, at least not in any sense he would understand. But for John the kingship of Jesus was real and he wants us to understand that Jesus was king even as he went to the cross for our salvation. By now the Jews only want blood, Jesus’ blood, and they respond again with “crucify him!” Pilate again tries one more time, and we can hear the sarcasm in his voice as he says, “Shall I crucify your king?” with emphasis on the word “king.” MacArthur says, “This was probably his way of mocking them that this beaten, bloody, helpless man was all the king they deserved.”
Pilate is not answered by the mob this time but by the chief priests who make it clear that they have no king but Caesar. Here is another example of irony in that they of all people, who claimed to be the religious leaders of the nation of Israel, who claimed to be God’s chosen people and claimed God as their king, would make that statement. They now express the real truth of what was in their hearts. It is interesting that by saying they have no king but Caesar they actually gave Caesar more power than the Romans did. Up to this point in history Caesar was never called a king. Also, it was a total rejection of God alone as Israel’s king. Even the kings of Israel such as David reigned by God’s divine appointment. By rejecting Jesus as king they have rejected God. Again, we see the irony in that the Jewish leaders were guilty of blasphemy themselves. Robinson says, “Writing as a Jew for other Jews, (John) is concerned from beginning to end to present the condemnation of Jesus, the true king of Israel, as the great betrayal of the nation by its own leadership.”
There was nothing more Pilate could do. If he released Jesus now he would be accused before Caesar of not doing his duty. He had enough trouble keeping the peace in Palestine without allowing that to happen. So, after all that it says Pilate finally handed him over to them to be crucified. Now it doesn’t mean he handed Jesus over to the Jews. He handed Jesus over to the Roman guards who would carry out the sentence of crucifixion. But John is telling us is that Pilate handed Jesus over to the will of the people. No matter who carried out the actual crucifixion, Jesus was being handed over to those who wanted him dead. They had manipulated and played Pilate like the proverbial fiddle and they got exactly what they wanted, a crucified Jesus, which ironically was God’s plan all along.
Pilate was caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew what was right but didn’t have the courage to do it and then he let the Jews pressure and bully him into making the wrong decision. He let them use him for their own evil purposes and they persuaded him into sinning against the Son of God sending him to his death on a cross. That brings us to our second next step which is to not let others pressure me into sinning but to stand up for what is right in God’s eyes and not man’s. The question Pilate failed to answer properly is found in Matthew 27:22, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” That is the same question we must all face. There are only two alternatives. One, reject him and face eternal damnation, or two, acknowledge him as Lord and Savior and be saved. Pilate’s futile attempts to evade the issue clearly reveals there is no middle ground. Matthew 12:30 says, He who is not with Me is against Me. That brings us to our third next step this morning which is to acknowledge Jesus as my Lord and Savior and be saved. That is the most important decision you can ever make. Pilate no longer has the opportunity to make that decision but you and I do. I encourage everyone to have the courage to choose to do what is right and not let others pressure you into making the wrong choice when it comes to Jesus.
In closing, I want to read this illustration from Burge’s commentary. From Malchus, which means “my king”, who we saw in the garden to Jesus’ discussions with Pilate the word “king” occurs over a dozen times. Later even on the cross Pilate insists that Jesus be labeled “King of the Jews” instead of the compromising “This man said, I am the King of the Jews.” John’s story reads like a medieval drama about a king whose rightful rule has been overthrown temporarily. He moves about the masses unknown with no crown but only the clothes of a commoner. But we know the usurpers are doomed and the true king will win the day. Jesus is the true king, the hidden king, whose victory is about to be cheered.
John wants us to see the people stumbling in the darkness unable to see the true king in their midst, because he is challenging us with their predicament. If the kingship can be submerged in the politics of Jerusalem can the same happen today? Despite this darkness John assures us that God’s glory is still at work. This is “the hour” God planned from the beginning and Jesus is still in control. He asks the questions and makes the judgments. He alone has the power that comes from above. Despite how the world treats God and his son, God will prevail. God’s glory and power can’t be suppressed or be contained by the plots of human beings. No one can stop God’s glory if God intends his glory to be shown. God is in control of history even this hostile seemingly darkened chapter of history that offers little hope. If he is sovereign in places like this Passover during this particular year in Jerusalem, if he can manifest his glory and accomplish his purposes when to the observer everything seems like defeat and disaster, our history can be no different. If God can transform this “hour” with glory, than he can transform any hour. He can transform your hour. He can transform your “rocks” and your “hard places” if you will turn to him and rely on him when you feel caught between a rock and a hard place.
As Gene and Roxey come to lead us in our final hymn this morning, let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, when the storms of this life seem to surround us and it seems impossible to get out of them, let us turn to you. You are the one who gives us hope, you are the one who gives us truth and you are the one who can do the impossible. Let us make our minds up to do what is right no matter what and not allow others to pressure us into sinning against you. In Jesus; name, Amen.
Believe
Choosing Sides
(John 18:28-40)
INTRODUCTION
“While serving as a missionary in Laos, I discovered an illustration of the kingdom of God. Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries, the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement on taxation in the border areas. Those who ate short-grain rice, built their houses on stilts, and decorated them with Indian-style serpents were considered Laotians. On the other hand, those who ate long-grain rice, built their houses on the ground, and decorated them with Chinese-style dragons were considered Vietnamese. The exact location of a person's home was not what determined his or her nationality. Instead, each person belonged to the kingdom whose cultural values he or she exhibited. So it is with us: we live in the world, but as part of God's kingdom, we are to live according to his kingdom's standards and values.”
John Hess-Yoder, Portland, Oregon. Leadership, Vol. 7, no. 3.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/june/1498.html].
BODY
ME
Calvinist or Arminian
When I first started working in ministry over 24 years ago, I was asked about my doctrinal beliefs
There are basically two main branches, Calvinism and Arminianism
I didn’t know how to answer, because I had never been taught what they were or their differences
So, I called my Dad, who had been my pastor for all of my life up to that point and asked him
He had never specifically taught us about those two doctrinal beliefs, but instead taught us about the Gospel of Jesus Christ
After spending time studying the two doctrinal beliefs, I can say with confidence that I am neither
I am simply what my Dad taught me growing up, a Christian!
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, which is better than claiming either of the other two doctrinal belief systems
Here is why – Calvin and Arminius were both human beings, and as such, struggled as fallible sinners, just like me
Jesus is holy and perfect, without sin
That is why I am His disciple and adhere to His doctrine taught in His Word
When pressured to choose sides, I did, but it wasn’t in the way that the individuals thought I would
I chose truth, by choosing to obey and follow Jesus instead of man’s understanding
This statement is not original to me or the person who told it to me, but it’s powerful nonetheless – “I pray like a Calvinist, like it’s all up to God, and I work like an Arminianist like it’s all up to me.”
I think that covers it
WE
When was a time when you were forced to choose sides?
Perhaps it was a choice between truth and falsehood
What was the outcome?
The Jews and Pilate both have a choice to make when it came to Jesus. Pilate would have to choose whether or not to side with truth or be swayed by the crowd. The Jews would have to choose between innocence and guilt. John wants us to wrestle with the same thing. Will we choose truth or not? Will we choose innocence or guilt? John wants us to understand that . . .
BIG IDEA – Obeying Jesus’ words shows we have chosen truth.
Let’s pray
GOD (John 18:28-40)
Charges (vv. 28-32)
Movements of Jesus
Trial with Caiaphas (v. 28a)
We saw last week that Annas sent Jesus, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest (John 18:24)
John’s Gospel does not record the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, but Matthew (26:57-68) and Mark (14:53-65) do
Many scholars believe that Peter’s first denial came while Jesus was being questioned by Annas and the final two denials came while Jesus was being questioned by Caiaphas
It’s probable that the same courtyard serviced both Annas and Caiaphas’ residences
So, Peter would have been warming himself around the same fire, while Jesus would have been shifted from one residence to the next
Trial with Pilate
After Jesus agrees that He is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One (Mark 14:61b), the Jews condemn Him as worthy of death as a blasphemer (Mark 14:64)
They transition Jesus from Caiaphas’ residence to the Roman governor’s palace
The Roman governor normally resided in the praetorium at Caesarea Maritima with the Roman soldiers on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
He would come to Jerusalem during the high feast times to ensure peace
There are two potential locations for the governor’s palace or praetorium [show map]
Herod’s Royal Palace with its three great towers that helped with defense on the Western Gate [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 237]
This location would have been closer to the traditional site of Caiaphas’s house
The other, less likely, location would have been the Fortress of Antonia on the northwest corner of the Temple
John gives us a timestamp and an interesting ironic situation with the Jews
Religion over relationship (v. 28b)
It was early morning
While the Greek word for early morning is ambiguous, it is probable that Jesus was taken to Pilate before 6:00 am
The last watch of the night was called “early morning” or “dawning” and included the hours of 3:00 am to 6:00 am [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 588; Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 523-24]
This would not have been considered inappropriate or egregious to call on the Roman governor at this early hour, because many of the Roman officials would rise early and complete their work by 11:00 am or 12:00 pm
Pilate would probably have already been awake and perhaps working by this time
Choosing religion over relationship
The Jews were so concerned about the religious practice of remaining ceremonially clean, so they could eat the Passover, that they failed to see how condemning an innocent man to death would make them unclean before God
They were willing to use a Gentile governor to accomplish their goal, but would not set foot in his palace for fear of becoming unclean [Köstenberger, 524]
The irony should be striking to us – they were choosing religious practice over a relationship with Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ
I want to caution us not to be too harsh with the Jews, because God was using their rejection of Jesus, and focus on religion, to bring about salvation for all of humanity
This salvation would include Jews and Gentiles
PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when His people choose relationship over religion.
We too can get caught up in choosing religion over relationship
It happens with our relationship with God and Jesus
We can focus so much on the disciplines associated with being a Christian that we neglect the relationship with God and Jesus
We can become legalistic about reading the Bible, praying, attending church, serving others, giving to the Lord, and so much more
“Receiving baptism (by whatever mode), taking communion (in whatever church), attending worship (with whatever regularity), offering prayers (of whatever length), giving money (of whatever amount), in themselves do not, have not, will not, and cannot save us from our sins and their inevitable judgment. ‘Religion’ cannot achieve redemption; ceremonies cannot save.” [Milne, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of John, 264]
We can do these things with the wrong attitude and with the wrong intentions
We focus on the act instead of the reason for the act
Spiritual disciplines should be done not to be accepted by God, but because we love God and value our relationship with Him
Anytime we want to get to know someone, we spend time with them, we ask questions, we participate in things that they value and enjoy
The same should be true of our relationship with Jesus and God
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Practice spiritual disciplines out of love for God, instead of a desire to be accepted by God.
It can also happen with our relationships with other believers
We can become judgmental and critical of other believers who are not living out their faith like we are
In an attempt to “help” them we actually hurt the relationship, because we don’t confront in love
Confrontation is needed, but let me tell you, it’s hard to do, in love, with pure intentions
We are sinners, first and foremost, and those sinful desires, thoughts, feelings, and actions tend to surface before the godly, humble, and loving desires, thoughts, feelings, and actions
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Ask the Holy Spirit to help me, when I need to confront other believers, to do it with a godly, humble, and loving attitude, so they will know that I value the relationship over religion.
When we approach confrontation this way, we are obeying Jesus’ words and showing that we have chosen truth
While Pilate was not a Jew, he understood Jewish culture and their religious practices, so he came out to talk with the Jews
What charges? (vv. 29-32)
Pilate asked the Jews what charges they were bringing against Jesus
They could have listed at least seven [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 335]
He threatens to destroy the temple (Matt. 26:61)
He is an evildoer (Luke 23:2)
He perverts the nation (Luke 23:2)
He has forbidden the Jews to pay taxes (Luke 23:2)
He is a revolutionary agitator (Luke 23:2)
He makes himself king (Luke 23:2)
He claims to be the Son of God (John 19:7)
Instead they don’t list any of those charges
Their response says volumes
Notice that they don’t answer Pilate with any charges
They say they wouldn’t have handed Him over to him if weren’t a criminal
They’re hoping that Pilate will simply rubber-stamp the decision of the Sanhedrin, but he doesn’t
If you remember, the Sanhedrin had many false witnesses that came forward to testify against Jesus, but none of their testimonies matched
Even the two witnesses that testified that Jesus said He would destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it again in three days, did not agree
The high priest eventually asks Jesus, directly, if He is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One
When Jesus answers affirmatively, they charge Him with blasphemy, which wasn’t a crime in a Roman court of law
Pilate sees through their smokescreen
He knows that Jesus has not broken any Roman law, so he challenges the Jews to judge Jesus by their own law
This wouldn’t work for two reasons
First, the Jews did not have the power to execute anyone
The right to execute someone was highly prized and protected by the Roman Empire in the 1st Century
It provided a level of power that no one else had
Certainly we see in the book of Acts that the Jews stoned Stephen
Jews certainly killed people in the 1st Century for breaking Jewish law, but most of the time it came as a result of a mob mentality and not something organized and planned
The Jews were given authority by Rome to kill anyone who violated the Temple area whether Jew or Gentile, whether a Roman citizen or not (there was no need for a trial, because justice was enacted immediately, probably by the Temple guards)
The form of execution that was available to the Jews was stoning and not crucifixion on a cross
The Old Testament outlined that stoning was the appropriate form of death for anyone who blasphemed
So, the Jews didn’t have the authority to execute Jesus, but there is a much greater reason why this wouldn’t work to judge Jesus by Jewish law
Second, the form of execution would not have fulfilled what Jesus had already said about how He would die
Jesus mentions multiple times throughout the Gospels about the fact that He would be lifted up
This was a reference to the fact that He would be crucified
Matthew 20:18-19, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
John 12:32-33, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Both Jews and Gentiles were under Roman law, so when Jesus died the Roman death, crucifixion, He was dying for all of humanity and not just the Jews
Pilate knew the Jews intentions for bringing Jesus to him and he knew why they were being evasive when he asked them about the charges they were bringing against Jesus
In a far greater and more perfect way, God knows the intentions of our hearts
PRINCIPLE #2 – God knows the intentions of our hearts.
He knows when we are genuinely seeking a personal relationship with Him instead of doing spiritual disciplines for His approval
He knows our intentions when we confront other believers about their walk with the Lord – whether those intentions are selfish or selfless
He even knows our intentions for befriending someone, giving to an individual or organization, serving the poor, seeking riches, etc.
God is all-knowing, so nothing we think, say, or do is lost on Him
Perhaps we all can remember a situation where our intentions were not pure and genuine, but rather self-seeking
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Ask the Lord to reveal if I am thinking, saying, or doing anything with selfish intentions and then confess that to Him.
John transitions the scene by telling us that Pilate went back inside the palace to question Jesus
Truth (vv. 33-38a)
Pilate was doing his due diligence instead of just taking the Jews word for it – he wanted to know for himself if Jesus was guilty of any crime against the empire
Pilate’s questions
Question 1 – “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Pilate and the Jews must have had an additional conversation about Jesus, for him to ask this question of Jesus
Where would Pilate get the idea of Jesus being king of the Jews”
Luke 23:2, And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.”
Pilate is trying to determine if Jesus is going to be a political threat to the Roman Empire [Köstenberger, 527]
“Are you a claimant-king challenging Rome?” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 500]
That would change everything – it would be Pilate’s problem and not a Jewish law issue at that point
Jesus’ response to the question
Did you come up with that question on your own?
Have you talked with others about me?
Pilate’s response
Pilate seems to be saying, “It’s obvious that I’ve spoken with others about you. I’m not Jewish, so how would I know if You are king of the Jews?”
Pilate reminds Jesus that it was His people and His chief priests who handed Him over to Pilate
This is an interesting statement
Pilate is simply saying that it was the Jews and their leaders who are accusing Jesus
Pilate realized that Jesus was also Jewish
Pilate then asks his second question
Question 2 – “What is it you have done?”
Jesus doesn’t answer Pilate’s question directly
Instead He continues to answer Pilate’s first question about being a king and kingdom
Jesus reassures Pilate that He is not starting a rebellion against the Roman Empire
He is not a political revolutionary agitator
Jesus lets Pilate know that if His intentions were political in nature that His servants would fight to prevent His arrest by the Jews
Peter did attempt to fight for Jesus, but we learned that his power was misplaced
Jesus quickly took care of Peter’s misplaced power by telling him to put his sword away
That was not how Jesus was going to initiate and begin His kingdom
His spiritual kingdom was going to be established in a way that was completely opposite of how the world established their kingdoms
Jesus’ kingdom is from another place, it is not of this world (both positive and negative)
Pilate could rest easy that Jesus was not gunning for His position or the emperor’s position
Pilate then makes the statement about Jesus being a king
Jesus affirms Pilate’s statement – “You’re right!”
The reason that Jesus was born and came into the world was to establish His spiritual kingdom in the hearts of humanity
He does this by testifying to the truth
Jesus then tells Pilate that everyone on the side of truth listens to Him
Obeying Jesus’ words shows we have chosen truth.
This is key (the Jews have a choice, Pilate has a choice, we have a choice)
Are we going to choose truth as Jesus has testified about it?
We have His Words in Holy Scripture – we know what He said – we can and should listen to Him
Have you chosen truth today?
Have you chosen Jesus today?
Jesus came into the world, so that we could choose truth and restore a right relationship with God
The Jews were not choosing Jesus’ truth, but rather their own version of truth
What would Pilate choose?
We don’t have to guess what his choice was
Question 3 – “What is truth?”
Pilate probably asks this question as he is turning to go back outside to address the Jews
He doesn’t wait for Jesus’ answer to his question
Perhaps he thought that truth was relative and there was no solid answer for that question
It seems as though Pilate is cynical about truth
Pilate still has a choice to make at his point – will he do what he knows is right or will he compromise?
Choice (vv. 38b-40)
Innocent
Pilate’s verdict, after questioning Jesus, is that He is innocent
Pilate can’t find any basis, in the Roman law, for a charge against Jesus
He isn’t going to try to judge Jesus based on Jewish law – that’s not his area of responsibility
He is trying to protect his position by avoiding any kind of riot or uprising from the Jews, so he offers what he believes is a compromise that will ensure Jesus’ release
Compromise
Pilate is willing to honor the custom of releasing one prisoner at the time of Passover
He recommends releasing “the king of the Jews,” Jesus
The crowd shouted back that they didn’t want Jesus released, but rather Barabbas
Barabbas was actually guilty of insurrection/rebellion against Rome
They wanted a guilty man to be released instead of an innocent one
Pilate’s hope of releasing Jesus through the custom had backfired on him
PRINCIPLE #3 – Doing what’s right is better than compromising.
Pilate realized that too late – he couldn’t back out now
He valued his position more than doing what was right
Application
We are just as guilty of doing the same thing
We may know what the right thing to do is, but out of fear of losing our position or status, we compromise and give in to the loudest voices
There are times when compromising actually backfires on us and we still can lose our position and status
We should always do what is right, even if it means sacrificing our position or status
#4 – My Next Step Today Is To: Choose to do what is right in every situation.
YOU
What’s the reason why you are practicing in spiritual disciplines?
Are you valuing relationships over religion?
Are there any selfish intentions that you need to confess to the Lord?
Will you choose to do what is right in every situation?
WE
We need to choose truth
CONCLUSION
“When Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, George Shultz kept a large globe in his office. When newly appointed ambassadors had an interview with him and when ambassadors returning from their posts for their first visit with him were leaving his office, Shultz would test them. He would say, ‘You have to go over the globe and prove to me that you can identify your country.’ They would go over, spin the globe, and put their finger on the country to which sent--unerringly.
When Shultz's old friend and former Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield was appointed ambassador to Japan, even he was put to the test. This time, however, Ambassador Mansfield spun the globe and put his hand on the United States. He said: ‘That's my country.’
On June 27, 1993, Shultz related this to Brian Lamb on C-Span's ‘Booknotes.’ Said the secretary: ‘I've told that story, subsequently, to all the ambassadors going out. ‘Never forget you're over there in that country, but your country is the United States. You're there to represent us. Take care of our interests and never forget it, and you're representing the best country in the world.’’”
Dr. Wallace Alcorn. From the files of Leadership.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/april/4514.html].
Believe
Under Fire
(John 18:12-27)
INTRODUCTION
“Sports fans around the world can rely on one fact about their sport: the home team wins more often than the visiting team. A 2011 Sports Illustrated article concludes: ‘Home field advantage is no myth. Indisputably, it exists …. Across all sports and at all levels, from Japanese baseball to Brazilian soccer to the NFL, the team hosting a game wins more often than not.’ What explains this fact?
A wealth of evidence disputes the most common theories behind home team advantage. For instance, thousands of cheering or jeering fans didn't change a team's performance. On a number of statistics—such as pitch velocity in baseball or free throw percentage in basketball (which over two decades was 75.9 percent for home and visiting teams)—home field advantage didn't make a difference. Their research also eliminated other likely theories based on the rigors of travel for the visiting team or the home team's familiarity with their field, rink, or court.
So what drives home field advantage? According to the authors of the article, ‘Officials’ bias is the most significant contribution to home field advantage.’ In short, the refs don't like to get booed. So when the game gets close, they call fewer fouls or penalties against the home team; or they call more strikes against visiting batters. Larger and louder fans really do influence the calls from the officials. The refs naturally (and often unconsciously) respond to the pressure from the crowd. Then they try to please the angry fans and make the calls that will lessen the pain of crowd disapproval. In the end, the refs’ people-pleasing response can have an impact on the final result of the game.”
Matt Woodley, managing editor of PreachingToday.com; source: Tobias Moskowitz & L. John Wertheim, "What's Really Behind Home Field Advantage," Sports Illustrated (1-17-11).
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/april/1040411.html].
BODY
ME
Toilet papering a friend’s house
Being offered some vodka in high school
WE
We can all probably think of a time when we have folded under the pressure of family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc.?
Perhaps we can all remember a situation when we held our ground when no one else did
After Jesus was found in the garden, He was arrested and taken to Annas for questioning. He denies nothing during the questioning and stands strong under pressure. Peter, on the other hand, denies everything when questioned in the courtyard. Because of Jesus’ great love for Peter and for us, we can trust that . . .
BIG IDEA – Jesus will defend us even when we deny Him.
Let’s pray
GOD (John 18:12-27)
Jesus holds (vv. 12-14, 19-24)
Jesus is arrested
Commander of the soldiers
The commander was not mentioned until now, probably because it was assumed that there was a commander with the 600 soldiers
Judas had led the detachment of soldiers to the garden where Jesus was, but now we see that the commander of the soldiers is in control of leading them back to the Fortress of Antonia
The commander and his soldiers, along with the Jewish officials, arrest Jesus
They bound Jesus even though they wouldn’t have had to, because Jesus willingly offered Himself in exchange for His disciples
Jesus is brought to Annas
Who is Annas?
He was the Jewish high priest from A.D. 6-15
He was appointed to the position by Quirinius
The high priest position was a life appointment, just like the United States Supreme Court Justices
The Roman Governer, Valerius Gratus deposed him in A.D. 15 (he was the governor right before Pilate)
Annas’ five sons had all held the position of high priest and now his son-in-law, Caiaphas, held the position
While the Roman Governors kept shifting the position, most Jews would have still considered Annas as the true high priest
“Thus Annas enjoyed great power and was the patriarch of an influential priestly family, well known for its wealth, power, and greed.” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 493]
Side note about Caiaphas
John gives us a few important notes about Caiaphas
As I already mentioned, he was Annas’ son-in-law
He was the “acting” high priest that year
This simply means that he was high priest when Jesus was arrested and tried
It did not mean that his appointment as high priest only lasted for a year
He was the one who spoke more profoundly than he realized
John reminds us of Caiaphas’ prophecy about Jesus
John 11:49-52, Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
Caiaphas did not realize that he was prophesying about God’s redemptive plan
He was only concerned about not losing their political and religious freedoms with the Roman Empire
He was plotting with the other religious leaders to have Jesus killed, so they could protect their status and rights with Rome
God’s redemption plan was to have one man die for the Jews and Gentiles, so they could be reconciled to Him
Romans 5:12-13, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned – for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
We have all sinned, no one is exempt
1 Corinthians 15:20-22, But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life
1 John 5:11-12, And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
My Next Step Today Is To: Admit to God that I’m a sinner, believe in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross, and receive Jesus into my life.
John transitions to Peter and John following Jesus, but we will look at those verses during our second point
There are two story lines happening at the same time and two people who are being questioned
We see in verses 19-24 the questioning that Jesus is experiencing from Annas
Annas asks about Jesus’ disciples and His teaching
Jewish trial
“In a formal Jewish trial, the judge never asked direct questions of the accused but rather called forth witnesses whose words determined the outcome. If two or more agreed with the charges, the verdict was sealed.” [Burge, 495]
Annas would have been aware of this, which could mean that he did not see his questioning as a formal trial
Nevertheless, he may have been trying to gather information that could be used against Jesus in a formal trial
That seems to be the intent, since Jesus deflects his questions, as we’ll see in a moment
Disciples
Annas’s questions about Jesus’ disciples probably centered around whether or not they were unified as a group and ready and willing to continue His teachings if He wasn’t in the picture (He would be dead) [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 904]
Annas was probably also trying to determine how large Jesus’ following was, so he would know if they were a threat to the Jewish faith [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 583]
Annas wasn’t just concerned about Jesus’ disciples, he was also concerned about His doctrine
Teaching
We know from all the Gospel writers that the Jewish religious leaders did not believe that Jesus came from God or that Jesus was God
Annas, and the other religious leaders, were probably concerned that Jesus was leading the Jews and others away from the God of Israel
They were concerned that He was just another false prophet
The Jews knew the consequences of being a false prophet who tried to lead God’s people away from Him
Read Deuteronomy 13:1-11
Jesus knows exactly what Annas is trying to accomplish with His questioning, so He answers appropriately
Jesus responds to Annas
No secrets
Jesus wasn’t trying to create a secret cult where He only shared the “greatest truths” with those who had moved through the various levels
There were those types of cults in the 1st Century
They were called mystery religions and “stressed one’s ability to be joined in a mystic relationship with a deity, secret mystery rites, and frequently a religious enthusiasm or ecstasy.” [Carson & Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 373]
Mystery cults still exist today, but we call them “secret societies”
They have varying levels that each person works through
At each level the initiate is given more history and background about the organization
They seem pretty innocent because they do a lot for the community (community service projects) – but don’t be fooled, they’re still considered a cult
Jesus reminded Annas that He had spoken openly to everyone
He had taught in synagogues or at the temple
These two places were where the Jews came together to worship and learn
He had not said anything in secret
There will be some people who will push back on this idea that Jesus didn’t say anything in secret
They’ll tell us that Jesus did teach His disciples in private, but we have to remember that what He was teaching them in private was nothing more than what He had taught in public
Many times, the disciples were asking for clarification concerning Jesus’ public teachings
He wasn’t sharing secret truths with the disciples, but only what He had already shared with the public
Jesus knew Jewish law, which is why He directs Annas back to the fact that he should be questioning witnesses to His ministry and not questioning Him
No witnesses
Jesus knew that Annas was trying to sneak around the back door of Jewish law by questioning Him privately
Burge likens Annas’s questioning to the modern day police interrogation of someone recently arrested
We’ve all seen video footage of those interrogations
They can last for hours and are designed to get the accused to fold and incriminate themselves
The police officers are trying to get a confession
Jesus wasn’t going to let Annas get away with it, which is why He asks him why he is questioning Him
If Annas wanted to know what Jesus had been teaching and what His theological and doctrinal beliefs were, all he had to do was question those who had witnessed Jesus teachings
I like how confident Jesus is in His teachings and in those who had heard Him teach
“Jesus is not being uncooperative and evasive, but rather he urges a proper trial in which evidence is established by interrogation of witnesses; the present informal hearing did not meet such qualifications (Morris 1995: 669).” [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 517]
Jesus was going to make sure that Jewish law was followed and in no way was He going to incriminate Himself (He couldn’t have anyway, because He is holy/perfect without sin)
No mention of the disciples
Before we look at Jesus being struck by one of the high priest’s officials, I want us to recognize that Jesus never mentioned anything about His disciples in His response to Annas
This may seem insignificant at first, but it’s not
Jesus had already protected the eleven disciples in the garden by instructing the soldiers and temple guards to arrest only Him and let the other men go
Jesus continues to defend and protect His disciples
He is defending Peter even when He knows what Peter is doing in the courtyard at the same time
We can rest in the fact that Jesus defends us even when we deny Him (we’ll continue to develop this big idea when we learn about our second point
When confronted with truth, it’s hard to not be defensive and strike back
Jesus struck by an official
We don’t know if Annas instructed the official to strike Jesus, or if he did this on his own
Most likely the official acted on his own, because he accuses Jesus of answering the high priest in a way that doesn’t show respect
The official took it on himself to defend Annas against what he felt was Jesus being disrespectful
Jesus wasn’t being disrespectful, but rather He was being truthful
Henry Rollins is quoted as saying, “Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it feels real good.” [https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/henry_rollins_381416]
For Annas, the truth hurt, because Jesus had exposed his true intentions
It’s likely that the official who struck Jesus was not aware of Annas’s true intentions
Jesus was being treated unfairly
In order for God’s plan of redemption to be accomplished, Jesus was going to be mistreated and falsely accused
PRINCIPLE #1 – Christians should never expect a completely fair trial in the courts of this world.
I don’t know if you have experienced this or not, but recently Judy and I shared a video from Facebook to our timelines
Within a couple of days, we received a notification that the video had been “fact checked” by an independent organization that considered the information in the video and post to be false
A conservative non-profit news organization is currently asking people on Facebook to sign a petition telling Facebook to stop censoring their entire Facebook page. They have been labeled as a “fake news media outlet” and Facebook is restricting their reach to their own audience.
These two examples are not specifically religious, but it shows, how those who don’t agree with the current cultural rhetoric, aren’t treated fairly by the culture
As Christians, we see in our culture the push and expectation that we be tolerant of everyone else and their opinions, viewpoints, and passions, but that the truths and values of God’s Word, that we hold to, are not tolerated
There are multiple examples of how Christians have been treated unfairly in the court system and the court of public opinion (Baker in Colorado, Florist in Washington, Chick-fil-A in San Antonio, TX)
We need to stand firm and hold on to truths and values that are taught in God’s Word, even if it means being treated unfairly by the world
We’re in good company when the world persecutes Christians, because that is what they did to Jesus
Jesus challenges the official
Many times we are prone to strike out at someone who speaks truth, simply because it goes against what we have been holding to or believing about someone or something
We want to be right, but when we realize that we aren’t, it takes a great deal of humility to calmly apologize and seek forgiveness
Our normal reaction is to strike back
Jesus challenges the official to testify about what He said that was wrong
The official wasn’t going to be able to testify at all, because Jesus had only spoken truth
The official was going to have to explain why He struck Jesus out of ignorance and anger
Application
It takes incredible humility to admit when we are wrong
It takes herculean discipline to not strike back when confronted about something we have said or done that is wrong
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us to help
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Humbly apologize when confronted about something I have said or done that was wrong.
Annas knew that what he was attempting to do – questioning Jesus – was wrong
Jesus sent to Caiaphas
We see in verse 24 that Annas doesn’t try to continue to question Jesus
He doesn’t fight, argue, or strike back at Jesus, but rather, he sends Him to Caiaphas
Caiaphas would be able to begin the actual trial of Jesus with members of the Sanhedrin in attendance
We know that eventually they had to bring in false witnesses in order to condemn Jesus
Had they brought in any other witnesses, it was likely they would have confirmed Jesus’ teachings
Jesus held on and didn’t deny anything while being questioned and struck in the face
Peter on the other hand was coming under fire
“Someone has said that Peter’s ministry career could be summarized in three stages – at the fire, under fire, and on fire.” [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 333]
Peter folds (vv. 15-18, 25-27)
Peter and John follow Jesus
John tells us that Peter and another disciple were following Jesus as He was being led away by the temple guards and Roman soldiers
I don’t know about you, but if Jesus sacrificed Himself for me and cleaned up an impulsive mess that I made by reacting hastily to a situation, I’m not sure that I would be following Him, even at a distance
I wouldn’t be pressing my luck by hanging around the Jewish officials and the high priest’s courtyard
Unnamed disciple
Most scholars agree that the unnamed disciple is probably John the Beloved
Peter and John and seen together throughout the Gospels and the book of Acts
John was a fisherman, by trade, and some people question how a simple fisherman would have been known by the high priest – their assumption is that John and the high priest were not in the same economic stratus
We know that John’s father, Zebedee, had servants, which leads us to believe that he had some wealth and was not on the bottom of the economic scale
Perhaps Zebedee’s fish business had a loyal customer in the high priest and his family, so John would have had a working relationship with Annas and Caiaphas
It’s also conceivable that it was another disciple of Jesus and not one of the eleven (if that’s the case, then we have no way of knowing who this disciple was and why they were tight with the high priest)
Peter did not have the same relationship with the high priest that John or the unnamed disciple had with him, so he had to wait outside the courtyard until the other disciple came to get him
Peter’s first denial
For the sake of this message, we are going to assume that John is the unnamed disciple
He comes back to the gate keeper, who was a girl, spoke to her, and then brought Peter inside the high priest’s courtyard
Before he gets inside, the girl at the gate asks him a question
“You are not one of his disciples, are you?” (NIV)
“We might paraphrase: ‘What’s this? Not another of this man’s disciples, is it?’ Or: ‘You couldn’t be another one of this man’s disciples, could you?’” [Burge, 495]
The form of the Greek question implies the answer would be “No!”
Peter just follows the implied answer and says, “I am not.”
John then gives us a side note about a fire
Side note about a fire
“Jerusalem is built on a mountain and is on the edge of the desert. That means when the sun goes down, it gets chilly.” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 231]
Peter joins the other servants and officials around a fire they’ve made to stay warm
Perhaps this was a mistake, since he was sharing a fire with those who opposed Jesus and His ministry
Peter’s second denial
John picks up right where he left off by saying in verse 25, As Simon Peter stood warming himself . . .
John was using a good story telling technique to keep his readers engaged – he was combining two story lines at the same time and going back and forth between the two
Peter is again asked the same question while standing around the fire
“You are not one of his disciples are you?”
The form of the Greek sentence again implies a negative response
Peter obliges again, “I am not.”
While it was easy to deny being Jesus’ disciple the first two times, the third time would not be as easy
Peter’s third denial
One of the high priest’s servants who had been at the garden challenged Peter
He said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?”
This servant was a relative of Malchus, the guy who lost his ear to Peter’s sword
While it probably wasn’t as easy to do with this inquiry, Peter denies knowing Jesus
Peter had given in to the fear of man three times in a row
Application
We shouldn’t be too hard on Peter, because we are just as easily swayed by peer pressure to do the same thing
PRINCIPLE #2 – Fear of man can cause us to deny knowing Jesus.
The social pressures of going to school are already enormous without being a follower of Jesus Christ
We want to fit in, be liked, and accepted by the “in” crowd
It’s easy to deny knowing Jesus when the people we so desperately want to be accept by, reject Him
It’s also difficult when the administration and some teachers pressure us into giving up our freedom to carry our Bible, pray for our meal, etc.
Work environments are also filled with social and political pressures and from time-to-time we may give in to the fear of man of deny knowing Jesus
Social media is also a hot bed that can cause us to fear man and deny knowing Jesus
There is hope!
Peter denied Jesus three times in one night and yet Jesus used him as the rock of the early church, because he was repentant
In the other Gospels we learn that Peter immediately left the courtyard and wept bitterly
Jesus restored Peter after he failed to stand up for Him
Jesus will do the same for you when you repent and turn to Him for forgiveness
He will empower you to stand strong for Him through the Holy Spirit that lives in you
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Confess that I have denied knowing Jesus, because of my fear of man.
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Ask the Holy Spirit to help me stand up for Jesus where I work, play, and live.
Jesus will defend us even when we deny Him.
Jesus’ prediction comes true
After Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, a rooster began to crow
The Synoptic Gospels tell us that after rooster crowed, Peter remembered Jesus’ words
John 13:38, Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”
YOU
Will you humbly apologize when confronted with something you have said or done that is wrong, instead of striking back?
Do you need to take time today to confess the times that you have denied knowing Jesus, when pressured by the world?
Are you ready to ask the Holy Spirit to give you strength to stand up for Jesus instead of giving in to the fear of man?
WE
CONCLUSION
“I once read a book called The Book of Failures. It was filled with all kinds of failures that people have made. For instance, the book introduces Arthur Pedrick, who patented 162 inventions, but not one of them was ever taken up commercially. These inventions include a car that could be driven from the back seat, a golf ball that could be steered in flight, and a plan to irrigate the deserts of the world by sending a constant supply of snowballs from the polar region through a massive network of giant peashooters. I kid you not.
My favorite story in the book was about an elderly lady in South London who called a group of firefighters to rescue her cat from a tree. They arrived with impressive speed and carefully rescued her cat. The lady was so thankful that she invited them in for tea. So they had tea, received another round of thanks from the woman, and drove off, waving goodbye. And as they backed out of her driveway, they drove right over her cat!”
James Emery White is founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a consulting editor to Leadership Journal. He is author of Serious Times and A Search for the Spiritual, and blogs at churchandculture.org.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2013/march/who-is-god-after-i-sin.html].
Believe
True Power
(John 18:1-11)
INTRODUCTION
“Imagine a basketball game. It's almost the end of overtime; it's time for one last shot. Who do you want to have the ball? You want the calmest and best player out there. Or imagine the security of the nation is threatened. Threat levels have gone through the roof, and an attack is imminent. Who do you want to have the nuclear codes? Who do you want making the final call on what to do or not to do? You want someone who is calm under pressure. Or here's one more example. Imagine you need a crucial surgery to save your life or the life of a loved one. Who do you want behind that scalpel? Who do you want performing the surgery? Of course you want the best doctor available.
That's how the Gospels present Jesus as he faces the cross. He's under extreme pressure—pressure that we will never even fathom. He's actually sweating drops of blood. And yet at every stage Jesus is calm. He is in control of himself.
But Jesus also leaves every sports star, every politician, every surgeon far behind. It's not just that Jesus is in control of himself; Jesus is in control of the events themselves. It's not just that he's able to handle his own adrenaline; he's able to dictate the result. It's not just he's able to act wisely under pressure; he's able to determine the outcome. Jesus isn't just able to respond skillfully to what he finds; he already knows what he will find, and has already mapped out the solution to the deepest human problem of all. Jesus stands out in this because he is in control of the entire sweep of human history, even as he goes through his death.”
Gary Millar, "Jesus, Betrayed and Crucified," sermon on PreachingToday.com.
BODY
ME
Power in a name
We have been working to get a co-op set up, with a mechanic, for Levi for his senior year
He will take a couple of classes and then be released to work with a mechanic on cars
I needed help finding a mechanic that would potentially be willing to help with a co-op
I emailed two different pastor groups that I’m a part of to see if any of them knew of a mechanic that would help
I received three responses with two recommendations
When I contacted the first mechanic, I used the name of the pastor who had recommended him, since they have an 18-year relationship – the pastor’s name carried power and influence that I didn’t have with the mechanic, since I had never met him before
When I contacted the second mechanic, I used the names of the other two pastors, because they have had a long time relationship with him – again those two pastor’s names carried weight with the mechanic, that I didn’t have
In both of those situations, I was given an opportunity that I might not have otherwise had, if I had contacted them by myself
WE
Power in a name
When have you used someone else’s name in order to gain a hearing with an individual that you didn’t have a relationship with?
What was the result of using their name instead of trying to make the contact on your own?
John begins the section where Jesus completes His earthly mission. Today we’ll learn about Jesus’ betrayal and arrest. The arresting party presumes they have power by the sheer number of men they’ve brought to arrest Jesus. Peter also presumes to have some kind of power, but it was misplaced. Through both of these we’ll see that . . .
BIG IDEA – Jesus’ power far exceeds the power of this world.
Let’s pray
GOD (John 18:1-11)
Presumptive Power (vv. 1-3)
Introductory content (transitional information)
Finished praying
The NIV provides the word “praying,” but it’s not actually in the original Greek
The Greek word is hoytos and means, “this” or “these”
Most other translations say, “these words” or “these things”
When Jesus had spoken these words . . . (NASB)
After saying these things . . . (NLT)
It seems to be the general consensus that what is being referred to here is all of Jesus’ upper room discourse (chapters 13-16) including His final prayer (chapter 17)
When Jesus had finished His final teaching and prayer, then He and His disciples left for the Mount of Olives
Crossed the Kidron Valley
Many of the modern translations say they crossed the brook or ravine of the Kidron [show map of Jerusalem with Kidron Valley and Mount of Olives]
That just helps us to understand what was there
Most the year the brook or ravine was dry (no water running through it)
It was only during the rainy season that the brook with run with water (mostly in the winter)
This same brook would have run red as the fluids from the Temple sacrifices would flow into the valley, especially during the various feasts and festivals throughout the year [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 216]
Perhaps as Jesus and His disciples crossed the brook, it was running red
They were headed to a place that Jesus had taken His disciples many times
Entered the olive grove
On the other side of the Kidron Valley was the Mount of Olives
“On the side of the Mount of Olives were many private enclosed gardens, where the well-to-do people of Jerusalem would go to escape the heat of the city.” [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 582]
These enclosed gardens would have been filled with vegetables, flowers, palms, fruit trees, and obviously olive trees. The reason for the private gardens on the Mount of Olives was because they were forbidden in city limits of Jerusalem [Rogers & Rogers, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek News Testament, 221]
Gospel writers, Matthew (26:36) and Mark (14:32) refer to it as the garden of Gethsemane, which is appropriate, because Gethsemane literally means “oil press” [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 576; Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 504]
The fact that Jesus and His disciples “went into” and Jesus “came out of”, is evidence that they probably had access to a wealthy benefactor’s personal garden on the Mount of Olives – they weren’t just entering the Mount of Olives as a whole (the eastern slope rising above the Kidron Valley)
Judas had been to this private garden on many occasions, so He knew exactly where to find Jesus
Show of power
Judas Iscariot
John is letting us know which Judas he was talking about by mentioning that it was the one who betrayed Jesus
Obviously John is writing after the fact, so he can describe Judas this way
Judas had already been to see the religious leaders and had gotten his 30 pieces of silver
Now all that remained was to lead the group to where Jesus was, so they could arrest Him
Detachment of soldiers
The Greek for detachment is a “band, cohort, company, or squad” of soldiers
The normal use of the Greek word refers to 600 soldiers
It could also refer to a maniple which was 200 soldiers
“The Romans could use surprisingly large numbers of soldiers even in dealing with a single person (like the 470 soldiers protecting Paul in Acts 23:23), especially when they feared a riot.” [Köstenberger, 505]
The Jewish religious leaders were aware of Jesus’ popularity with the masses, so it’s no wonder that they sent a cohort of Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus
The Roman cohort would not normally have been stationed in Jerusalem
They were stationed at Caesarea Maratima on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea [show image of Caesarea Maratima]
They would be deployed to Jerusalem during the busy feasts and festivals to help maintain order and to deter any rioting from taking place
They were there as a show of force so that the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) would be maintained
I believe that this presumptive show of power was necessary to highlight the true power of Jesus, as we’ll see in verse 6
Officials from the chief priests and Pharisees
Not only is there between 200 to 600 Roman soldiers, but there are also officials from the chief priests and Pharisees
Most likely these were the Temple guards, who would actually be the arresting officers
It was their responsibility to take Jesus into custody and bring Him to the chief priests for questioning
Equipment
Torches
These were strips of wood that were bound together
They put resin on them to provide a longer burn time
Lanterns
Köstenberger describes them as a terracotta cylinder with an opening on one side so that a household lamp could be placed inside with the wick facing out [Köstenberger, 506]
An image search reveals that they could also be made of bronze [show image of bronze lantern]
Weapons
It’s likely that the Roman soldiers were carrying shields, short swords, long swords, and spears
The Temple guards may have been carrying some of the same weapons
While the group, led by Judas Iscariot, is coming out in a show of power, this power was really presumptive, especially when compared to Jesus’ power
True Power (vv. 4-9)
Jesus’ knowledge (v. 4a)
PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-knowing (omniscient)!
Jesus hadn’t gone to the private garden on the Mount of Olives to hide from the religious leaders or to try and avoid the inevitable events that were unfolding
Rather, He knew everything that was happening and was actually orchestrating everything according to God’s will and plan
He went to the garden where He had taken Judas many times
He was creating the perfect environment where God’s plan could be fulfilled without the concern of having large crowds trying to interfere and stop His arrest
This was all happening, because Jesus is all-knowing
This principle is important for us, because we can trust that Jesus knows everything that is happening in our lives
He knows the struggles we’re experiencing and the joy that is coming
He is also sovereign, so He knows how to guide and direct our lives
We can trust completely in Jesus and turn to Him when we feel overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, hurt, angry, confused, frustrated, and so much more
When we can’t see how things are going to work out, we can turn to the One who knows everything and rest in His plan for us
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Trust in Jesus’ ability to know everything that’s going on in my life and rest in His perfect, sovereign plan for me.
He even knew when they would be arriving, so He goes outside the walled-in garden to greet those who were coming to arrest Him
He asks them a question
Jesus’ question (vv. 4b-5a)
“Who is it you want?”
Jesus already knew the answer to His question, but it wasn’t the question that was most important, it was His response to their answer
They were looking for Jesus of Nazareth
His response was going to prove who was in control and had the real power
Jesus’ power (vv. 5b-6)
In response to their answer, Jesus says, “I am he”
In the Greek it’s actually “I Am!” (egō eimi)
God used the same self-identification with Moses in Exodus 3:14
Jesus is making it clear that He is God
Those two words carried incredible power
Judas is counted with the Roman soldiers and the officials from the chief priests and Pharisees – he is not part of the disciples anymore
As the arresting group hears Jesus’ response to their answer to His question, they all stumble backwards and fall to the ground
Imagine for a moment what that would have looked like
Anywhere from 200 to 600 Roman soldiers, the officials from the Temple, and Judas Iscariot all fall down
That must have been a sight to see
That video would have won America’s Funniest Home Videos and would have gone viral immediately on social media
Whatever power the Roman soldiers and Temple officials thought they had, probably left by this point
Jesus’ power far exceeds the power of this world.
PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent)!
“Falling to the ground is regularly a reaction to divine revelation. This striking response also conveys the powerlessness of Jesus’ enemies when confronted with the power of God.” [Köstenberger, 508]
Jesus was completely in control of when and how He would be arrested and tried
“The effect within John’s Gospel is to put a very large exclamation point after Jesus’ words spoken eight chapters earlier, ‘I lay down my life, that I might receive it back again. No one took it away from me, but I lay it down on my own’ (10:17-18a). ‘No one!!’ – not even six hundred Roman soldiers, plus ‘officers both from the chief priests and from the Pharisees’ – can take Jesus’ life from him. The ‘authority to lay it down,’ like the ‘authority to receive it back’ (10:18b), is his and his alone. This he will do freely and voluntarily, ‘for the sheep’ (10:15), as he will quickly demonstrate (v. 8).” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 891]
This is great news for us as His disciples
While the soldiers and officials were experiencing the negative effects of Jesus’ power – stumbling backwards and falling down – we can experience the positive effects of His power
There is nothing too hard for Jesus or God
They can handle anything you’re experiencing or going through
Are you dealing with difficult relationships at home, in your neighborhood, at work or school? – Jesus can handle that!
Are you struggling financially? – Jesus can handle that!
Are your emotions all over the place and you feel frazzled and hopeless? – Jesus can handle that!
Is your health failing? – Jesus can handle that!
Are you questioning your relationship with God and Jesus? – Jesus can handle that?
He is waiting for us to humbly come to Him for help
He knows all about our struggles and hardships, because He is all-knowing, and He stands ready to help us, because He is all-powerful
Turn to Him right now!
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Turn to Jesus and humbly ask Him to help me with whatever struggle(s) I’m currently experiencing.
Because Jesus is all-powerful, He can protect us
Jesus’ protection (vv. 7-9)
Jesus asks the arresting party the same question again and they answer Him the same way
My guess is that they braced themselves for His response this time – they leaned in as He responded with “I told you that I Am!”
Jesus goes a step further this time
He tells the arresting party to let His disciples go
We know, from Scripture, that they obeyed His request
They were probably ready to comply with whatever Jesus said, after they had experienced the power of His name
It was also in fulfillment of what Jesus had said in John 6:39, And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus is our protector!
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the One who protects us
“Whatever the wolf may represent in our lives today – guilt and shame from past failures, the accusing voices of criticism, sudden paralyzing feelings of inadequacy as they come snapping and snarling at our heels, the good shepherd is there to meet them and to issue his word of command, ‘Let my disciple go!’” [Milne, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of John, 255]
This should give us hope as disciples of Jesus Christ
“Just as Jesus protects the disciples on that dark day, he will protect and preserve all who follow him.” [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John, 354]
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Claim the promise that Jesus will protect me from the “wolves” in my life.
We can hold on to that truth and know that He will accomplish it in our lives, because He did it for the first disciples – He is faithful and unchanging!
Jesus’ true power proved that the arresting party’s power was simply presumptive and not true
Jesus’ power far exceeds the power of this world.
John completes this section of Scripture with information about Peter’s misplaced power
Misplaced Power (vv. 10-11)
Throughout Scripture we know Peter to be a man of action and not just words
He had already told Jesus that he would lay down his life for Him (John 13:37), but Jesus checked him on that, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three time!” (John 13:38)
Perhaps Peter was still trying to prove to Jesus that he would lay down His life for Him
Peter shows either great courage or perhaps extreme stupidity
He steps up with his sword and swings it wildly at the high priest’s servant, Malchus
I don’t know if he intended to kill Malchus, but the result was that he cut his right ear off
That must have been a pretty sharp blade
Jesus commanded Peter to put his sword away
Matthew records these words of Jesus, “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:52-54)
Peter had misplaced power, because He thought that Jesus needed Him to help with the situation
Peter was not following God’s plan at this point, but was trying to take matters into his own hands
PRINCIPLE #4 – God’s desire is that we follow His plan.
How often do we try to run ahead of God and His sovereign plan for us?
Remember, He is all-knowing, so He knows what’s coming and is all-powerful, so He has the power to handle it
Judy and I just experienced this in the last week
Let me tell you the rest of the story about trying to set up the mechanic co-op for Levi
The first mechanic we contacted was very excited about the opportunity to help Levi out
I called him back to try to schedule a time for him to meet Levi and sign some paperwork for the school
He told me that he had contacted his insurance agent about worker’s compensation and that he was trying to work out the details of that
The next time I called him, he said that, because of the cost of worker’s compensation, he wouldn’t be able to have Levi do his co-op with him. He was frustrated, because he really wanted to help
Judy and I discussed, very briefly, about covering the cost of the worker’s compensation insurance, but Judy also added, “Would that be forcing something, that God doesn’t want?”
Long story short, when I contacted the second mechanic, he said that they really needed the help and that they had done at least four mentorships with the Carlisle schools in the past, and totally understood the minimum hours required and everything else
We met with them on Friday and toured their facility
We are working through the paperwork to get the co-op set up for Levi
Have you ever tried to “help” God with His plan for your life?
How did that end? (positive or negative?)
Can you trust the Lord is to have the prefect plan for your life?
Have you talked with Him about revealing that plan to you?
Are you following that plan now?
#4 – My Next Step Today Is To: Trust God and follow His plan for my life.
Jesus knew God’s plan of redemption for humanity
God’s plan of redemption must be fulfilled
Imagine if Peter would have successfully defeated 600 Roman soldiers
Jesus wouldn’t have been arrested and tried
Jesus wouldn’t have died on the cross to take our punishment for sin
We would have to take our own punishment for sin and be separated from God for all eternity
Praise the Lord that Jesus did drink the cup the Father had given Him
YOU
Will you trust Jesus’ ability to know everything that’s going on in your life and rest in His perfect sovereign plan?
Will you humbly turn to Jesus and ask Him to help you with whatever challenge you are experiencing today?
Will you claim the promise that Jesus will protect you from the “wolves” in your life?
WE
When we trust Jesus and His sovereign plan, humbly turn to Him with our challenges, and claim His promise to protect us, it’s a powerful testimony to the world that we truly believe what we say we believe about God
It will be what draws them to a relationship with Jesus Christ
CONCLUSION
“Set in A.D. 180, Gladiator tells the story of General Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Russell Crowe), who was about to be given reigning authority in Rome by the aging emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before this could take place, however, the emperor's son, Commodus, killed his father in order to establish himself on the throne. He then ordered the murder of Maximus and his family. Maximus escaped, and the movie follows him as he is sold into slavery, becomes a nameless gladiator, and finally seeks justice against wicked Emperor Commodus.
The turning point comes late in the movie. After Maximus wins a great battle in the Coliseum, Emperor Commodus decides to meet this unknown gladiator face to face. The crowd watches as the emperor in full pomp strides with his soldiers onto the sands of the Coliseum.
The emperor asks the simple question: ‘What is your name?’
Maximus, streaked with blood and dirt from the battle, takes off his helmet and says: ‘My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, general of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.’
The crowd erupts with a deafening roar, while the emperor visibly shakes under the weight of the true identity of a man he thought was a mere slave. The emperor flees the Coliseum, only to face defeat and death later at the hands of Maximus.”
Elapsed time: 01:29:09 to 01:33:08 (DVD scene 16).
Content: Gladiator is rated R for violence.
Gladiator (DreamWorks, 2000), rated R, written by David Franzoni, directed by Ridley Scott; submitted by Bill White, Paramount,.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2002/september/13888.html].
Believe
Spiritual Unity
(John 17:20-26)
INTRODUCTION
“Archeologist Dr. Jim Strange from the University of South Florida (Tampa) visited a Buddhist temple in Tibet. As he watched the flow of people come and go, he noticed a group of teenagers gathered at the temple. They were dressed like American teenagers from the 1980s, and he thought it peculiar that they would light incense and bow in the traditional manner. So he asked his guide, ‘What are they praying for?’ The guide responded, ‘They’re not praying. They’re wishing for money, good relationships, and success.’
When a person bows before a temple with lighted incense and intently ‘wishes,’ that is praying, even though it may be mistakenly aimed. Many modern people in a plethora of languages and cultures pray for money and success. But the ‘good relationships’ angle is interesting. In a very real sense, that was part of the essence of Jesus’ prayer. And he was not ‘wishing’ either but devoutly committing himself to the Father for a return to heaven and the ongoing empowerment of his disciples.
We learn a great deal about prayer from this chapter but perhaps even more about relationships. A relationship to the Father and the Son is primary, but our relationships with other believers in the world gets significant attention in this high-priestly prayer. We can activate this chapter in our lives by praying in the pattern of Jesus. But perhaps even more important is for the modern church to allow the Spirit of God to activate his love through us to other believers.
The result of Christian unity on earth is a radiance of the love of the Father and Son in us. I remember an old chorus from the days of my youth:
May Christ be seen in me, O Lord.
Hear thou my earnest plea.
O take me, fill me, use me, Lord,
‘Til Christ be seen in me.”
[Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 322].
BODY
ME
Differences in our marriage
Judy and I don’t always agree on everything (I know, that may come as a shock to some of you)
I like sushi and she doesn’t
Her favorite ices cream is mint chocolate chip and mine is either grapenut or teaberry
I like Hawaiian pizza and most everyone else doesn’t
I like video games and she doesn’t
Unity in our marriage
We don’t have to agree on everything in our marriage to be unified in our marriage
We realize that most of our differences are personal preferences
What unites us as husband and wife is a mutual love and relationship with Jesus Christ
Unity comes, not from within us or in our own strength, but through Jesus
WE
I realize that no one else has differences in their marriage or other relationships – it’s just Judy and I
We all experience differences in our relationships, no matter what relationship that may be (family, friends, coworkers, fellow believers, church attenders, etc.)
Those differences don’t mean we can’t be unified, especially within the body of Christ
We have to determine that the relationship is more important than the personal preference we hold to
In this last part of Jesus’ high-priestly prayer, He is praying for future believers (He was praying for us!). There are repeated themes of love and being one (unity) throughout these seven verses. The key to being one, as followers of Jesus Christ, is modeled for us by God and Jesus. We will learn today that . . .
BIG IDEA – Body unity comes from activating divine unity.
Let’s pray
GOD (John 17:20-26)
United in Him (vv. 20-23)
Future believers (v. 20)
Pastor Marc shared last week about Jesus’ prayer for His disciples – those eleven men who had been with Him from the beginning of His ministry
We see that Jesus’ prayer for them will be fulfilled as He continues praying for future believers
This should have given the eleven disciples incredible confidence and hope for the future
Jesus had already told them that they would experience the same things He had experienced on earth (hatred, persecution, separation, and death)
The mission He was giving them would not be easy, and yet His prayer here shows that they will be successful
Jesus is praying for people who will believe in Him through the message that the disciples would share with them
Jesus’ prayer stands the test of time
The generation of believers that heard the message from the eleven disciples could also claim the promise of this prayer as they shared the Gospel
The generation that followed them could claim the same promise and have the same hope that the Gospel would be successful in transforming the lives of individuals
We can claim the same promise and have the same confidence as the first disciples that when we share the Gospel, people will believe in Jesus through our message
PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when His people share the Gospel
When we share the Gospel, it means that God’s promise and Jesus’ prayer are fulfilled from generation to generation
We can have confidence that even though we will be hated and persecuted by the faithless world, that God’s redemption plan will continue to transform the lives of those who hear it and accept it
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Confidently claim the promise that when I share the Gospel, people will believe in Jesus.
We may not witness the transformation taking place immediately, but we can have hope and confidence as we plant and water the seeds of faith
1 Corinthians 3:5-9, What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
So, Jesus is praying for every person who will believe in Him through those who share the message of the Gospel – generation upon generation!
He prays for their unity
Complete unity (vv. 21-23)
Divinity, Divinity relationship
What we see in these verses is an incredible love between the Father and the Son (God and Jesus)
This love has been expressed throughout John’s Gospel
Jesus has been modeling this love for His disciples, so they will understand its importance
PRINCIPLE #2 – God and Jesus are One!
The Father is in Jesus (vv. 21, 23)
Jesus is in the Father (v. 21)
Jesus has been telling His disciples, the religious leaders, and everyone else, that He and God are One
As we’ll see in just a couple of weeks, this claim will be one of the reasons why He is crucified
The next relationship we see in these three verses is between the disciples and Jesus and God
Disciple, Divinity relationship
We have to be in Jesus and God (v. 21)
“Like a set of matched mixing bowls, we are the smaller one that fits into Christ who fits into the Father.” [Gangel, 319]
The relationship that Jesus is praying about here is perfectly summed up in His teaching about the vine and the branches (John 15:1-11)
John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me to can do nothing.”
We’ll talk about the fruit of unity in just a moment
Jesus has to be in us (v. 23)
This is the relationship that is most important, because it guarantees spending eternity with God
John 14:23, Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
Revelation 3:20, Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (this is a picture of a close relationship)
John 1:12-13, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
This leads us the final relationship between disciples
Disciple, Disciple relationship
PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus’ desire is that His disciples are one (unified).
Defining unity [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John, 343-45]
Unity is not compromising the truth
“[Unity] is not achieved by hunting enthusiastically for the lowest common theological denominator, but by common adherence to the apostolic gospel, by love that is joyfully self-sacrificing, by undaunted commitment to the shared goals of the mission with which Jesus’ followers have been charged, by self-conscious dependence on God himself for life and fruitfulness.” [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 568]
We have to keep the main thing the main thing
Most evangelical churches agree on the Gospel of Jesus Christ even when they don’t agree on other secondary issues – we can still be unified with them around the Gospel
The same in true within every local body of believers
Unity is not outlawing any diversity
Just as Judy and I don’t agree on everything and have our own personal preferences, every one of us will have our personal preferences and not agree when it comes to church
The key is found in this classic quotation: “In essentials, unity. In nonessentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” [Carter & Wredberg, 344]
We may think that certain things should be done a certain way at church, but in most cases those things are related to personal preferences
In some extreme cases, individuals make their personal preferences higher and more important than Biblical truth and unity and will fight to the death in order to get their own way
This only cripples the local body of believers in accomplishing God’s purpose and will
Unity is participation in a shared relationship with Jesus
Jesus prays about giving His glory to His disciples
We don’t have any glory on our own, it only comes from God and Jesus
“Child of God, don’t you know only you share the glow. It’s the light from within, when the blood covers sin. It’s the wonderful glory of God.” [Gangel, 319]
We can only experience true unity in the body, as disciples of Jesus Christ, when we keep our focus on loving Jesus and God
Body unity comes from activating divine unity.
Four evidences of a unified church [Carter & Wredberg, 346-49]
A shared commitment to Biblical instruction
Acts 2:42-44, They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.
“If every member of the church is willing to ask, ‘What does the Bible say?’ and commit to obey it no matter what, that church will experience unity.” [Carter & Wredberg, 347]
Are you willing to ask that question when confronted with conflict and disunity in the church?
Are you willing to commit to obeying God’s Word no matter what?
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Study God’s Word and commit to obey it when confronted by conflict and disunity in the church.
A shared understanding of our new identity
At the moment of our salvation, we are immediately in Christ
We are children of God, family members
This membership in God’s family creates unity across ethnic, racial, economic, and social lines
Unfortunately, even within the Christian community we still see division, hurt, anger, and disunity in all of those areas
We need to make sure that we are agents of Christian unity with everyone
A shared pursuit of sacrificial love
Jesus’ prayer highlights the fact that God loves us the same way He loves Jesus (that’s a perfect love)
Jeremiah 31:3, The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
Philippians 2:1-2, If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
What does the pursuit of sacrificial love look like? [bearing one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:1), instructing one another (Rom. 15:14), forgiving one another (Eph. 4:2), praying for one another (James 5:16), submitting to one another (Eph. 5:21), encouraging one another (1 Thess. 4:18), provoking one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24)
It means putting aside our personal preferences and seeking what is best for others
A shared discontentment with selfish division
We should never get to the point where we say “We’re unified enough.” [Carter & Wredberg, 349]
Imagine for a moment that someone put arsenic in your cup. Would you feel confident to drink from that cup if you didn’t know that every last drop of arsenic was removed?
“Disunity and broken relationships are like poison in the church. We can’t be content until every last drop of division is removed – not by getting rid of someone or leaving ourselves but by dealing biblically with division.” [Carter & Wredberg, 349]
I’m really passionate about reconciliation within the church, but unfortunately it rarely happens, because there is a church on every street corner in America. When someone doesn’t get their own way (whether a congregant or a pastor) they just move on to the next church and never resolve the conflict. Church discipline is really weak in most churches. The thing that’s frustrating is that the issue that drove the individual away from the church follows them to the next church. It eventually surfaces again and the process continues, indefinitely.
I’ve had people ask me if I want them to leave the church and my answer has always been, “No.” I want them to be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. I want there to be submission to the Lord and His Word and changed attitudes and hearts. I want there to be reconciliation and unity.
“Puritan preacher Thomas Brooks wrote, ‘Discord and division become no Christian. For wolves to worry the lambs is no wonder, but for one lamb to worry another, this is unnatural and monstrous’ (“Legacies”).” [Carter & Wredberg, 349]
How do you deal with differences and disagreements within the church?
Paul (Read Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus (Read Matthew 18:15-20)
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Commit to resolve any differences and disagreements I have in the church and strive to reconcile with the individuals involved.
Hurting the purpose of unity
“Divisions in the church breed atheism in the world.” [Thomas Manton cited by Carter & Wredberg, 349]
“The effectiveness of the church’s evangelism is devastated by dissension and disputes among its members.” [John MacArthur cited by Carter & Wredberg, 349]
“The gospel proclaimed from the pulpit is either confirmed, and hence immeasurably enhanced, or it is contradicted, and hence immeasurably weakened, by the quality of the relationships in the pews. In this sense every Christian is a witness. Every time we gather together we either strengthen or weaken the evangelistic appeal of our church by the quality of our relationships with our fellow church members. The biggest barriers to effective evangelism according to the prayer of Jesus are not so much outdated methods, or inadequate presentations of the gospel, as realities like gossip, insensitivity, negative criticism, jealousy, backbiting, an unforgiving spirit, a ‘root of bitterness’, failure to appreciate others, self-preoccupation, greed, selfishness and every other form of lovelessness.” [Milne, The Bible Speak Today: The Message of John, 250-51]
Jesus explains the purpose of this incredible unity that He has been praying about
Purpose of unity
The world will believe (vv. 21b, 23b)
It’s all about God’s divine plan of redemption for the world
Our unity, through love for one another, is a powerful testimony that God sent Jesus from heaven to earth to take our punishment for sin
It’s also a powerful testimony of the everlasting, loving kindness of God, with which He draws sinners to Himself (Jer. 31:3)
I don’t know about you, but I want to have that kind of testimony with our neighbors and community
We’ve been praying for salvations and I want to see God answer those prayers
Our effectiveness in leading others into a discipling relationship with Jesus is based on our unity as a body of believers
Body unity comes from activating divine unity.
Jesus was so concerned about our unity, that He prayed about it over two thousand years ago and has continued to intercede for us before the Father
He not only prayed that we would be united in Him, but also that we would be reunited with Him
Reunited with Him (vv. 24-26)
Being with Jesus (v. 24a)
Home improvement shows
Judy and I love to watch home improvement shows and tiny house shows
When the house is complete, the homeowners usually invite their family and friends over for an open house, so they can show everyone what it looks like
Perhaps you’ve done that when you’ve moved into a new home, or have made improvements to your current home
You want everyone to see how attractive it is
Jesus is looking forward to the time when those, that God had given to Him, would be able to be with Him in heaven
The attractiveness of heaven will far exceed any home improvements that we can do here on earth
Our heavenly home will be perfect!
The magnificence of heaven will be highlighted by the glory of Jesus and God
Jesus’ glory (v. 24b)
As Jesus continues with His request, about being reunited with His followers, He expresses His desire for His followers to see His glory
This is the pre-incarnate glory that He had with God before the world was created
2 Corinthians 3:18, And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
1 John 3:2, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Jesus concludes His prayer by reaffirming that He has made the Father known to the world
Making God known (vv. 25-26)
Jesus addresses the Father as righteous
This is one of His many attributes
It means that He does everything right – He does everything perfectly
Jesus had made the Father known to the world
John 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.
John 17:6, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
The fact that the world does not know the Father, doesn’t mean that they hadn’t heard
“The problem is not the world’s access to the knowledge of God . . . but that the world refused to acknowledge that God had sent Jesus.” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 469]
Jesus continues to make the Father known through us
Jesus, and His love, living in us, is the key to making the Father known to the world
We are Jesus’ ambassadors to those in our world who don’t know Him
YOU
Are you sharing the Gospel of Jesus with your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors? (You can do it with confidence knowing that God will give the increase)
Are there any relationships in the church where you need to work towards reconciliation and unity?
WE
The body unity that comes from activating divine unity will accomplish God’s purpose of transforming individuals in our world
CONCLUSION
“The church can be a taste of heaven. When people with different preferences, hobbies, jobs, genders, backgrounds, skin colors, accents, and tastes love one another with a love surpassing all human love, they open a window to heaven, and people begin to feel a breeze from a far-off country and in their souls awaken a long-dormant hope. They want to go to that place and be with those people who know, see, and feel something different, something beyond, something more.
The love of God assures us we have a home and a country on the other side of the sea. This knowledge binds us together and spills out in a love that feels strangely foreign but still familiar. When people see this love displayed in a million little ways, they will hope it’s real, and when the hope is confirmed, they will understand the story is true. They will know Jesus lives and Jesus loves.”
[Carter & Wredberg, 351].
Weekly Schedule
Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
- Nursery
- Children’s Bible Club
- Youth Bible study
- Worship, Praise, and Prayer
Sunday Morning
- Sunday School, 9:00
- Worship Service, 10:15
Contact Information
3590 Carlisle Road
Gardners, PA 17324
Get Directions