Jesus on Trial (part 2)

John chapter 18 verse 28.

John 18:28

Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman Gummider.

! By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, they did not enter the palace,

because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked,

What charges are you bringing against this man?

If he were not a criminal, they replied, we would not have handed him over to you.

Pilate said, Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.

But we have no right to execute anyone, they objected.

This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him,

Are you the king of the Jews?

Is that your own idea? Jesus asked. Or did others talk to you about me?

Am I a Jew? Pilate replied.

Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?

Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world.

If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.

But now my kingdom is from another place.

You are a king then, said Pilate.

Jesus answered, You say that I am a king.

In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.

Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.

What is truth? retorted Pilate.

With this, he went out again to the Jewish gathered there and said,

I find no basis for a charge against him.

But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover.

Do you want me to release the king of the Jews?

They shouted back, No, not him. Give us Barabbas.

Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

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'm 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 asked.

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.

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.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

So we're continuing this morning

to think about the journey

that John records of Jesus towards the cross.

And we come to the second trial

that Jesus faces.

Last week,

he was before the Jewish religious leaders.

And the big question there,

as we were thinking about it,

was related to truth.

But this time,

as he stands before Pilate,

who represents the Roman Empire,

we can think about power.

Here is Jesus standing before the man

who represents the might of Rome,

the greatest empire,

the most powerful empire to date.

And at a human level,

it might seem something of a mismatch.

Here is Jesus,

this man who has no wealth or status.

He has no position or power within society.

He has very little recognition or honor

beyond a very small circle of followers.

But yet,

as we come today,

2,000 or so years later,

we recognize that the empire of Rome is gone.

It's of interest to historians,

but nobody else.

But the kingdom of Jesus

is one that grows and continues to grow.

And that billions of people since this moment

have come to worship him.

So we can learn some really interesting things about power

from our trial scene here.

So we're going to think about the limits of power.

We're going to consider the problem of power.

And we're going to see how Jesus transforms power

for a few minutes together.

First of all,

thinking about the limits of power

takes us to the question and answer

in verses 33 to 36 of chapter 18.

Are you the king of the Jews?

So it was a question that the religious leaders

wanted an answer to as well.

There is this driving concern.

Is Jesus a political figure?

For Pilate, perhaps,

is he a threat to Caesar

and the authority of Rome?

Is this another freedom fighter Messiah

that they are going to need to send troops

to crack down on?

How does Jesus answer the question,

are you a king?

In a sense, he says,

well, yes, I am.

But another way,

no, I'm not,

or at least not the way you think.

Verse 36,

my kingdom is not of this world.

If it were,

my servants would fight

to prevent my arrest

by the Jewish leaders,

but now my kingdom

is from another place.

I am a king,

I have a kingdom,

but it doesn't work

according to the usual

operating systems.

My kingdom is not of this world.

And because of that,

and we've seen this already,

Jesus won't use force.

So he's already showing

he's different to the Roman Empire.

He's different to so many

of the great men of history.

He's already said to Peter,

put your sword away.

I don't want you to fight this.

And Jesus says,

I would and I could

summon legions of angels to help me,

but that's not God's way.

And so I won't use force

because my kingdom

is from another place.

Here is a king

standing before the might

of the empire

and this kingdom

looks and feels

so very different.

He won't resist,

he won't fight,

he won't use force.

Why?

Because Jesus understands

this is God's way.

Verse 34,

this took place

to fulfill

what Jesus had said

about the kind of death

he was going to die.

Here is God's king,

Jesus,

and he has come

to lay aside power,

to sacrifice himself.

He voluntarily gave up

his life to death

as a substitute

for his people.

No king,

no Caesar,

no empire,

no emperor,

no president

operates in this way.

It is not their default setting

to say,

I have power,

but I'm going to give up power

in order to serve others.

Jesus is a different king.

Jesus didn't come

to bring

some kind of

political regime change

because that always

requires force.

Jesus came

to bring heart change

and that requires grace

and love

and sacrifice.

And so the way

of Jesus

in his life

was so different.

His was

a kingdom

marked by grace.

that transformed

lives.

It saw those

who were naturally

excluded

being welcomed.

It saw those

who were filled

with shame

coming to Jesus

and being honored.

Those who were needy

could have their needs

met and satisfied

in Jesus

and those who were

profoundly aware

of their sin

and guilt

could have that

forgiven.

It's a very different

kingdom.

It's a very different

operating system.

It's interesting

to trace then

what happens

to the church

after Jesus

returns to heaven

and sends the spirit

because the way

of the early church

was absolutely

the way of Jesus.

To look at the story

of the first church

in the book of Acts

and in the first

couple of centuries

is to discover

here are a group

of people

who are doing

mission

from the margins

of society

with a clear

understanding.

We are a people

who've been changed

by God's grace

and we want to

follow the way

of grace.

We follow a loving

saviour

and so we want

to live lives

of love

and service

and as a tiny

minority

they turned

the power of

Rome on its head.

They turned

the Roman Empire

upside down.

I've been reading

this week

a book by

a sociologist

called Rodney Stark

called The Triumph

of Christianity

and he's asking

the question

how is it

that this tiny

group of followers

of Jesus

could have such

a massive impact

on the Roman Empire?

And some things

that historians

and sociologists

notice

is that unlike

Rome which said

mercy

was weakness

for the Christian

church

mercy

was a great

virtue.

they saw

that Jesus

was full

of kindness

and compassion

and so they

lived with

kindness

and compassion

to others.

That made

a huge difference.

Another thing

that made

a huge difference

is that they

followed the

example of Jesus

when it came

to how to

treat women.

They gave

rights and honour

and a place

of security

to women

not regarding

women as

playthings

and again

that made

a huge difference

in society.

When the

great plague

came

when smallpox

arrived in the

empire

when people

were running

for their

lives

when they

were literally

throwing their

own family

members out

onto the

streets

the Christians

were different

because they

stayed and at

great risk

to themselves

would nurse

their own

friends and

family

but also

strangers

that nobody

else was

caring for

and these

actions

following

the example

of Jesus

had a

massive

impact.

So they

lived the

message

and they

spoke

the

message

and people

flocked

because they

saw here is

a better

community.

Here is a

safer,

kinder,

more respectful

community.

It includes

people and it's

got a message

at its heart

of love and

grace.

It's the way

of Jesus.

It's not about

power and force,

it's about love

and grace.

Well that was

then but what

about now?

Shouldn't it be

the way for the

church in the

21st century?

That we too

are called to

do mission on

the margins

following the

way of Jesus.

Next week,

Saturday,

Hope Church

Leith have got

an open day.

See their new

building, come

and meet the

community and

as Derek was

writing, inviting

people, he said

this, it's

striking, it's

very Derek, as

he was talking

about who's

this church

going to be

for.

He said he

wants it to

be for the

last, the

least and the

lost.

Why?

Because that's

the way of

Jesus, that's

the way of

grace.

As Christians,

as a church,

we won't

change the

world by

political force

and we

shouldn't try.

That whole

idea of

Christendom,

well it

failed, trying

to impose a

set of values

and a

religion.

But we

can change

society, we

can change

our communities

by grace and

love.

Imagine the

possibilities.

As we think

about the

people that

work with

us, as the

people who

live around

us, in the

confusion, in

the anxiety, in

the loneliness

that so many

people experience,

if we determine

to be a

community that

recognizes the

dignity, the

worth, the

value of every

person that we

meet, if we

care for

neighbors because

our hearts have

been changed

and gripped

by grace, if

we refuse to

exclude but

always choose to

welcome, when we

want to show

mercy to those

both who are

like us and

those who are

unlike us.

Imagine how

different this

city would be if

Christians in our

city, if we

acted this way.

just like the

first church, just

like Jesus, but

clue is on the

margins.

But that doesn't

stop God's

kingdom.

And what our

world needs to

see, what we

need to see, are

the limits of

power.

Political power

is limited.

It can make some

changes, but it

cannot change

hearts.

We need to see

the limits of

force.

force.

And instead to

be gripped by this

kingdom from

another place.

This king with a

different set of

values.

Because what our

world needs and

what we need is

grace and truth,

not expressions of

raw power.

Jesus' message and

his message about

power is always

going to sound so

different to the

world.

So different to

what we hear in

our news, but it's

a message we need

to hear.

Because it

connects to, the

limits of power

connect to the

problem of power

that Pilate and

his actions and

reactions

demonstrate.

So there's a

popular phrase and

an idea I think

that people admire,

maybe we've heard

it, the idea that

truth speaks, you

know, speak truth

to power.

power.

We admire those who

speak up, who

take risks to

stand up for what

is right, to stand

up for justice, even

in the face of

powerful figures who

would resent it.

I don't know how

many of you saw

this week the story

of the senator in

the States, Cory

Booker.

And we come across

that story and all

the kind of the

stuff that was

happening in the

news.

This guy gave a

25-hour speech.

An incredible act

of endurance.

He was asked how

he managed to do it.

He had to fast for

days.

He had to go without

water for days because

you weren't allowed

any bathroom breaks.

So he took this

deliberate stand.

He said he felt this

was something he had

to do.

This wasn't about

political left and

right.

He felt like he

wanted to make a

stand for what he

saw as a right and

wrong issue.

As he was seeing

the impact of

government policies,

he wanted to make

a stand and say

there are certain

things that I

believe are wrong.

And the world

took notice because

of that 25-hour

stand.

Truth speaks to

power.

We admire it, I

think, when we come

across those examples

in the Bible.

Think about Daniel

and his friends

standing against the

might of an empire.

No, we will not

bow down to your

statues.

No, we will not

worship the king as

if he were a god.

And we admire John

the Baptist, perhaps,

as he confronted the

religious leaders,

calling them a brood

of vipers because

they're hypocrites,

challenging King

Herod for being

immoral, speaking

truth to power.

power.

And we hear Jesus

speaking truth to

Pilate.

And Pilate is not

ready to listen.

Verse 37, we have

Pilate saying, you

are a king then.

So at this point it

seems as if Pilate

said, okay, I

understand power, I

understand kingship and

rule and authority.

Okay, we're speaking the

same language right now.

I get Jesus, he's in

the power business as

well, but what does

Jesus say?

Verse 37, you say

that I'm a king.

In fact, the reason I

was born and came into

the world is to

testify to the truth.

Everyone on the side

of truth listens to

me.

Not in the power

business, Jesus is in

the truth business.

He's come to testify to

truth.

It is true that he is

the eternal son of

God.

It is true that he is a

king, but he's a

different kind of king.

He's the servant king.

It is true that he's

come to build a

kingdom, but that's not

by raw aggression.

It's by a kingdom of

love and sacrifice.

What will Pilate do

with this message?

It's one of the things

that John's gospel

records for us.

Jesus makes these

great claims, great

statements about who

he is and why he came

and how do different

people react.

And as we read John's

gospel, there's always

that invitation drawing

us in.

How do we respond?

How do we react to the

truth claims about

Jesus?

So the gospel begins

with some really

positive responses.

So we've got John who

writes the gospel.

He says, Jesus is God.

And he reveals the

glory of God to us.

We look at Jesus and

we see the glory of God.

We have John the

Baptist saying to

people, listen, this is

the Lamb of God.

He's been sent to take

away the sin of the

world.

You should all listen

to him.

We have Andrew

excitedly coming to his

brother saying, listen,

we found the Messiah.

Come and meet him.

After a wedding, when

Jesus turns water into

wine, the disciples

believe because they see

Jesus' glory.

But we also see lots of

negative responses.

We thought about a lot

of them last week.

The attempts especially

of the religious leaders

to get rid of Jesus, to

kill him, to stone him.

But we also meet the

people who walked away.

They found his claims to

truth too hard to take

and so they simply

stopped listening.

They doubted his

identity, rejected his

teaching, rejecting his

offer of salvation.

So here's our question

today.

What will Pilate do in

this moment?

Pilate in verse 38 makes

that famous statement,

what is truth?

But he never waits for the

answer.

What is truth?

Retorted Pilate and with

that he went out.

And the striking thing,

and you would have heard it

as we heard the text read,

is that Pilate clearly

knows Jesus is

innocent.

He is working so hard

to find a way to have

Jesus released,

but at the same time

he will have Jesus

beaten and mocked with

a crown of thorns and the

robe placed on him.

And ultimately,

he will hand Jesus

over to be executed.

Why?

Because Pilate values

power more than he values

truth.

The turning point is there

in verse 12.

As soon as the crowd

starts shouting,

anyone who claims to be a

king opposes Caesar,

it's at that point

that he's going to hand

Jesus over to be

crucified.

Pilate is standing

before Jesus.

He is the way

and the truth

and the life.

He is the one

who's come from God.

He reveals the truth

of God.

He would bring people

back to life

in proper relationship

with God.

But Pilate,

he chooses his own God.

Ultimately,

he chooses power

over truth.

He chooses power

over Jesus.

One of the things

that we see,

so we admire,

when people speak

truth to power.

It's a really

attractive quality,

but it often meets

with very fierce opposition

because it means

someone's power

and control

is being threatened.

And so there is

that effort to fight

and to silence the truth.

Maybe you remember

that famous scene

in the movie

A Few Good Men.

As you get to

this climactic

trial scene,

you have Jack Nicholson

shouting across the court,

you want the truth,

you can't handle the truth.

And we see it all

through the pages

of scripture

and through history.

Daniel and his friends

will that the king

would get rid of them

by throwing them

into a fiery furnace

or throwing them

to the lions.

John,

as he speaks,

truth to power

to Herod,

he's beheaded.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

as he spoke against

the Nazi regime,

was killed by them.

Martin Luther King,

as he spoke

for civil rights,

ended up assassinated.

The problem is apparent

because people love power

so much

and will cling to it

at all costs.

There is a very real problem

with power.

It can serve truth

and it can serve people,

but it can also be

very self-serving

so that we would resist

the truth.

We would build our identity

on the power and influence

that we have.

And again,

this isn't just for

power-hungry leaders

over there.

This is for all of us

right here.

We will all have

some measure

of power and control,

some measure

that we will want

to hold on to.

So whether we're a child

or whether we're an adult,

and whether we're

looking at ourselves today

and we think,

well, I'm at the bottom

rung of the ladder

or whether we're

at the top of the tree,

there are going to be

places where we have power.

That might be in a company,

it might be in a community,

it might be within our family,

it might be in a team,

or it might just be

in our own lives.

And we need to beware

to draw lessons from Pilate,

to be aware of our own hearts,

that temptation

that we will all have

to use power

for selfish reasons,

to take our influence

and say,

I'm going to use my influence

to make sure it's my agenda,

it's my needs,

it's my ego.

Sometimes we feel

that we just need control

and we need status.

But more than that,

the warning of Pilate

is that we beware

the temptation

in our own hearts

to walk away from Jesus

and His truth.

where we don't want

that truth

to get too close to us

because we understand

the implications.

If I walk towards Jesus,

if I submit to Him

as Lord,

then He's in charge

and not me.

Then there's going to be

power and control

and influence

that I have to give up.

Jesus spoke a bit,

denying ourselves

to follow Him.

That can be really hard.

Well, you and I

may not have Pilate's power,

I imagine we will all face

Pilate's temptation

to make power and control

an idol that rules us.

Martin Luther has a really

helpful definition

of what an idol is

in our hearts.

He said this,

he said,

a God is whatever

we expect

to provide

all good

and in which

we take refuge

in all distress.

Whatever you set

your heart on

and put your trust in,

that,

I tell you,

is your true

God.

And we can do that

with power.

If I have power,

then I've got the good life.

If things are going badly,

well,

at least I've got my status.

We can set our heart on,

I want to be somebody,

to be a person

of significance.

Jesus challenges

our hearts

because He says

to follow me

involves sacrifice.

It involves being willing

to deny ourselves daily,

to deny our claim

to power daily

in order to follow Him,

to have Him as King.

How can we do it?

Why should we do it?

That leads us

to our last thought.

Let's think about

how Jesus

transforms power.

This takes us

into chapter 19.

And what becomes clear

is there is this moment

of recognition

where Pilate goes

from thinking,

I'm the man,

I'm in charge,

I'm calling the shots,

to all of a sudden

understanding

that he's not.

And Jesus speaks to him.

Chapter 19

and verse 7,

Pilate hears

the Jewish leaders

say of Jesus,

we have a law

and according to that law

he must die

because he claimed

to be the Son of God.

And when Pilate heard this

he was even more afraid.

So Pilate is beginning

gradually to realize

the man in front of me

though he looks weak,

though I have humiliated

and beaten him,

he is a force

far greater than I am.

But still he tries

to hold on

to his power claims.

Listen to him

in verse 10,

do you refuse

to speak to me?

Pilate said,

don't you realize

I have power

either to free you

or to crucify you?

Like so many people,

he's persuaded government,

that's where power is,

that's where influence

is found.

Listen to Jesus,

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.

You would have no power

unless God had given it

to you

and this was God's plan

all along.

And we have this

remarkable truth

that while evil things

are happening

God takes up

these evil actions

of the Jewish leaders

and of Pilate

in order to accomplish

his good plan

of salvation.

We discover

that this is God's plan

Jesus already told us.

The Bible tells us

it's God's plan

that his son dies

as a sacrifice

to be our savior.

The cross is God's idea

and he is driving

the agenda.

But nevertheless,

Pilate is responsible

for his own moral choice.

So are the Jews.

There is real guilt.

But what they intended

for evil,

God intended for good.

God intended for good.

Where do you come from?

He asked Jesus.

Jesus says

you'd have no power

if it were not given

to you from above.

And remember

that all the time

John's gospel

has been saying to us

remember

Jesus

is from above.

Remember

Jesus is the king

who is eternal.

He has unlimited power.

He is God.

He is God.

He is not being forced.

He is not being dragged

against his will.

This is voluntary sacrifice.

the same Jesus

who just a few hours earlier

took off his robe

in order to wash

his disciples' feet

is the same Jesus

who willingly goes on trial,

who is willing

to be clothed

in a purple robe

and mocked

as they put a crown of thorns

on his head.

It's the same Jesus

who in chapter 19

and verse 23

will be stripped

of his clothes

as he hangs

dying.

Jesus is

a king

and he is

a servant.

And Jesus

transforms power

because he gives it up

for the sake of others.

He transforms power

by embracing sacrifice

so that he can embrace

sinners by his grace.

For the king of heaven,

real power

is service.

Not ruling by force.

Not ruling for self-interest.

Not ruling to be seen

as a somebody.

Jesus came to save us

by service

and by sacrifice.

And when our hearts

are transformed

by that truth,

when our hearts

are filled

by that truth,

that Jesus

loved me

and gave himself

for me,

that Jesus

left the glory

of heaven

to become one of us

in order to die

for us,

to save us,

when we understand

that,

when we're moved

by that love

and that sacrifice,

then we too

are given the power

to follow

the way of Jesus

from transformed hearts.

Here's how we can

do mission

on the margins,

not grasping

for power,

but ready to serve

and sacrifice.

Following Jesus'

pattern,

relying on the power

that he provides.

Let's pray

to give thanks.

God,

our Father,

we thank you

for the willingness

of Jesus

to voluntarily

come to this place,

to come to this earth,

to be arrested,

to be tried,

to be mocked,

to be beaten,

to be questioned,

to be rejected,

and to be killed.

To do that

out of love

as an act

of sacrifice,

to save us

from our sin,

to bring us

into your kingdom,

to give us

a new way

of understanding

power,

and a new power

within us

to live

the way

of Jesus.

We pray

that you'd

help us

to pursue

lives marked

by mercy,

marked by

loving sacrifice,

that we too

would be willing

to give up

power,

to deny

ourselves

in order

to follow

Jesus,

our humble

servant king.

Help us

towards this,

we pray.

in Jesus'

name,

amen.

Now we come

to the point

of our service

where we'll

shortly come

to the Lord's

table,

and as we

do so,

again we're

taken to

the cross

of the Lord

Jesus,

in visible

form.

As the Christian

church,

we should never

stray far

from the cross,

it should be

in our thoughts,

in our words,

in our songs.

It should

determine our

actions and

our attitudes,

as we thought

about from

John's gospel.

It should

influence our

affections,

how we

love.

I came across

a quote this

week I'm going

to share

from Tim

Chester.

He wrote

this,

when we go

to the cross,

we see our

God dying

for us.

If you let

any other

God down,

then it

will beat

you up.

If you

don't make

it or

you mess

up,

then you'll

be left

feeling

afraid,

downcast,

or bitter.

But when

you let

Christ down,

he loves

you still.

He doesn't

beat you

up,

he dies

for you.

Jesus

transforms

power by

his loving

service and

sacrifice.

And so

as those

who've been

saved by

grace,

we come

to the

table.

We come

as those

who are

both blessed

and broken.

We come

as those

bringing

nothing in

our hands

except our

sin and

our shame,

and we

cling to

the cross

for our

salvation.

We come

to receive

these elements

that represent

his broken

body and

his shed

blood,

and we

recognize

as they

point us

to the

cross,

these are

the source

of our

hope and

our healing.

we come

to the

table knowing

that Jesus

meets with

us, he

is the

host,

that he

speaks to

us again

of his

grace, his

mercy, and

his love,

and he

would give

us power

to enable

us to go

into this

world to

live for

him.

Who is

the Lord's

supper

for?

It's for

those who

can say

the Lord

loves me

and gave

himself for

me.

It is for

those who

have given

up looking

to our

own power

and ability

to save

us, rather

we are

trusting

ourselves

entirely

on God's

powerful

grace shown

to us in

Jesus to

save us.

If that's

your personal

testimony and

experience,

then the

table is for

you.

If you're a

member of

God's church,

God's family,

anywhere,

then please

come and

share this

meal with

us.

If you're

here today

and that's

not yet

your story,

then just

stay in

your seats

when other

folks are

coming up.

As we

sing a

song

together,

you can

use it

as words

of God's

invitation

to you,

that you

too would

come to

Jesus,

come to

this one

who is

all-powerful

and yet

was willing

to sacrifice

and serve

to save

and to

forgive you

and me.

So in

just a

moment,

we're

going to

stand as

we're

here.