Shall I Crucify Your King?

took to the palace of the Roman governor.

By now it was early morning,

and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness,

they did not enter the palace

because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.

So if we're paying close attention here,

we notice that John skips right over the part

where Jesus stood before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin.

All the other gospel writers mention this,

and if we compare with them,

we see that Jesus went straight from Annas

and his house to standing before Caiaphas

and the Jewish leaders, the Sanhedrin,

and then now they lead Jesus from there to Pilate,

and it's still early in the morning.

Pilate was the Roman governor.

For those of you who are maybe less familiar

with some of the history here,

the Romans had come a while back,

and they had conquered the whole region,

and so they were in power, they were ruling,

and Pilate was the governor of this region

on behalf of Caesar, the Roman emperor.

And with Roman rule, there were, of course,

soldiers present in Jerusalem

where all this is taking place.

So functionally, Pilate is the highest authority

in the land.

But, of course, these large empires of ancient times,

they didn't totally obliterate

all of the local government,

provided that certain conditions were met.

Taxes had to be paid and other things.

And the Jewish people were permitted by Rome

to have their ruling council, the Sanhedrin,

and to have their priesthood

and leaders at the temple.

And even in this region, a king.

They had a man named King Herod.

But, of course, Rome was very choosy

about who they allowed

to serve in these positions of leadership.

They wanted to ensure

that they would have the compliance

of their conquered peoples.

So it was very early in the morning,

and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness,

they did not enter the palace

because they wanted to be able

to eat the Passover.

So according to Jewish law,

if they'd entered Pilate's palace,

it would have made them ceremonially unclean

and unable to participate fully

in the Passover.

So according to John,

that's why Pilate came out of the palace

to them.

Verse 29.

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.

So the Jewish leaders,

they present Jesus to Pilate,

and Pilate asks what the charges are,

and here in John's Gospel,

it seems that they didn't really have

a good answer to the question,

at least at first.

If he were not a criminal,

we would not have handed him over to you.

Well, that doesn't answer the question.

It's almost like they're saying,

He's guilty.

Trust us.

Pilate basically says,

Why don't you deal with this yourselves?

Take him.

Judge him by your own law.

And it's here that the truth

of why they've come to Pilate

comes out.

We have no right to execute anyone,

they objected.

Essentially, they're saying,

We have tried him.

He is guilty.

He deserves to die

for what he has done,

but we can't execute him

because according to

the Roman law

and how things are going

in the nation right now,

only the governor

has the authority

for capital punishment.

There's also,

perhaps,

an unstated desire here

for the religious leaders

to have Pilate

do their dirty work

for them,

as if that may lessen

their guilt in the matter.

You see that there's a whole lot

of religious posturing

going on here

on the part of

the religious leaders.

So Pilate takes Jesus in

and he questions him.

Verse 33.

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?

This conversation

between Pilate and Jesus

is fascinating.

Pilate asks Jesus point-blank

whether he's the king of the Jews.

Now imagine for just a moment

that you were Jesus' attorney

and you were there in the room.

What would you say

if you had to give an answer

on Jesus' behalf?

Are you the king of the Jews?

Well, that really opens up

a big conversation, doesn't it?

First of all,

there's already a king

of the Jews,

at least in name and position,

a man named Herod.

He probably wouldn't appreciate

somebody else claiming to be king.

Next, we might wonder

what Pilate's getting at here.

Jesus has been very popular

among many people.

Might it be in the best interests

of this whole situation

to replace Herod

with this man

who happens to encourage

people to pay taxes

to Caesar

and whose teaching,

if followed,

could bring some really good change

in this region.

Perhaps Pilate wonders

whether this man in front of him

is of royal lineage.

Is that why so many

are talking of him

as being the king?

There was this whole

triumphal entry thing

that happened

just a few days ago

and they were proclaiming him

king of Israel.

He's been referred to

as the son of David,

that great king of old.

And then we, of course,

add to all that

the expectations of the people

regarding the Messiah,

a coming king

of God's choosing

who would rule the nation

according to the word

of the prophets long ago.

Is Pilate asking

whether Jesus is the Messiah?

So this is not

the easiest question

to answer,

is it?

Depending on what Jesus says,

there could be

some serious consequences.

Notice what Jesus

does say in reply.

He doesn't answer

the question.

Instead, he asks

a counter-question.

Is that your own idea?

Or did others

talk to you about me?

He probes deeper

into where Pilate

has even got this notion

that he might be

the king of the Jews.

Pilate replies,

Am I a Jew?

Your own people

and chief priests

handed you over to me.

What is it you have done?

Pilate won't answer

Jesus' question either.

And if I had to guess

at what Pilate means here,

it's probably something like,

I'm not a Jew.

I don't understand

what's going on here

between you

and the Jewish leaders.

All I know is that

they're the ones

who have handed you

over to me.

So what have you done?

Pilate knows

that the Jewish leaders

have a problem

with Jesus.

But now he's trying

to figure out

what's the problem?

Is it something wrong

that he's done?

Or is it the problem

with the religious leaders?

And again,

amazingly,

Jesus doesn't give

a direct answer

to the question.

He gives Pilate

something else

to think about.

Verse 36.

Jesus said,

My kingdom

is not

of this world.

If it were,

my servants

would fight

to prevent

my arrest

by the Jewish leaders.

Jews.

But now my kingdom

is from another place.

Fascinating.

Jesus claims

point blank

to be a king.

To have a kingdom.

Even to have

servants or subjects.

But not in the way

that we might expect.

He claims to be king

of a kingdom

that's not of,

not from

this world.

That's quite the claim.

We could follow

Jesus' logic here.

If Jesus' kingdom

is not from

this world,

then where is it from?

Out of this world.

Heaven.

That's what Jesus

has been teaching.

The kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of God.

Now I'd love

to ask Pilate

just what was going on

in his mind

as Jesus

heard,

said this to him.

Most people

claiming something

like Jesus

just claimed

you wouldn't

take too seriously.

You might think

they were mad

or crazy.

Or was there

something

about this Jesus

that made

Pilate wonder

deep down inside

if Jesus

was speaking

the truth?

Pilate comes back

with these words

in verse 37.

You are a king

then,

said Pilate.

Now we don't know

the tone of these words.

Was Pilate

just trying to

pin Jesus down

as claiming

something?

By your own words,

you admit it,

you are a king.

Or was Pilate

saying this

with a tone

of mockery?

You are a king

then.

Perhaps because

he thought

Jesus' claim

was laughable.

Or was it

more inquisitive?

So then,

you are a king?

We don't know

how Pilate

said this,

but Jesus

replies,

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.

Wow.

Again,

what a reply

from Jesus.

And here again,

there's more debate

about what Jesus

meant when he said,

you say

that I am a king.

It's possible

that Jesus

means,

yes,

you said it.

I am a king.

Some don't agree.

They think

he means,

you say

that I'm a king.

Those are your words,

not mine.

I think the first option

makes more sense,

that this was sort of

a colloquial way

of saying to Pilate,

you're right.

You've said it.

I am a king.

And then Jesus

goes on to explain

why he has come

into the world

and what he has

come to do.

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 a thing

to say

to the most

powerful man

in the region.

I love it.

Jesus

is fearless.

He knows

exactly

who he is.

He knows

why he has come.

He doesn't hide

the truth.

He doesn't

pretend to be

just an ordinary

human being.

He says,

my birth,

my coming

into this world

has a purpose.

I'm here to testify,

to bear witness

to the truth.

And everyone

on the side

of truth,

everyone

of the truth

listens.

to me.

Another

amazing claim

of Jesus.

And think

about this.

Jesus is

basically saying,

there's two

kinds of people,

Pilate.

There are those

who are on the

side of truth

or of the truth

and there are

those who

are not.

And Pilate,

I myself

am the line

in the sand

between the two

sides.

Everyone who

listens to me

is on the

side of truth.

and everyone

who doesn't

implied

is not.

What an

amazing claim.

Jesus sets

himself up

as the

ultimate

authority

of truth

in this

world.

And that

before

the Roman

governor.

Pilate

responds,

what is

truth?

truth?

Again,

there's

speculation

about

Pilate's

tone here.

Some think

Pilate was

sincere in

this question.

Some not.

Some see

Pilate as

kind of a

philosophical

thinker in

this moment.

You know,

what is

truth?

Most people,

I think,

take Pilate's

words as a

sort of

rhetorical

dismissal of

Jesus.

Like,

what is

truth?

death?

Like,

can we

even know

it?

Whatever

Pilate meant,

he had

already come

to the

verdict in

his mind

for Jesus.

With

this,

he went

out again

to the

Jews 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.

So,

whether

Pilate

believed all

that Jesus

said to

him in

private,

we don't

know,

but he

made it

quite clear

that he

had found

no basis

for a

charge

against

Jesus.

And it

seems in

the moment

he tried

to come

up with

a way

to release

Jesus.

According to

Matthew's

gospel,

Pilate knew

that it

was out

of envy

that the

Jewish

leaders

had handed

Jesus over

to him.

And so

Pilate tries

to make

a play

here.

He tries

to do

the opposite

of what

the religious

leaders want

and release

Jesus and

he tries

to do

this by

appealing

to the

crowd.

Let's

give them

a vote.

Maybe

they really

like

Jesus and

it's just

these leaders

who don't

like him.

He gives

them the

chance to

make a

decision

based on

this annual

custom of

releasing a

prisoner

each year.

He gives

them the

option.

You can

have

Barabbas

or you

can have

the king

of the

Jews

released to

you.

You can

have an

insurrectionist

who's been

thrown in

prison for

his part in

an uprising

and another

gospel,

murder,

or you

can have

Jesus,

the king

of the

Jews.

Probably

Pilate

thought this

would be a

sure way to

secure Jesus'

release.

After all,

Jesus might

have made a

few enemies,

but many

loved him,

right?

But Pilate's

play fails.

The crowd

shouts back

in response,

No!

Not him!

Give us

Barabbas!

Matthew

actually tells

us in his

gospel that

the chief

priests and

the elders of

the Jews went

around in the

crowd and

stirred up the

people to

ask for

Barabbas instead

of Jesus.

So Pilate's

first attempt

here to

release Jesus

failed.

chapter 19

verse 1.

Then Pilate

took Jesus

and had

him flogged.

The soldiers

twisted together

a crown of

thorns and

put it on

his head.

They closed

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.

Now we

might wonder,

well,

why did

Pilate decide

to have

Jesus

flogged?

Luke gives

us the

clue.

According to

Luke,

this was

another

attempt by

Pilate to

have Jesus

released.

He knew

that Jesus

hadn't done

anything to

deserve death

and so he

had this

hope of

satisfying the

Jewish leaders

by having

Jesus punished

and then

releasing him.

perhaps this

will be

enough,

a sort of

public

humiliation

that will

squelch

Jesus'

public

following

and make

the Jewish

leaders

appear in

the right.

Now what

kind of

flogging

was this?

The Romans

had three

kinds of

floggings

that they

would

regularly

administer.

The

fustigatio

was a

less

severe

beating

that they

gave for

relatively

light

offenses,

troublemakers.

The

flagellatio

was a

brutal

flogging

that they

gave to

criminals,

people whose

offenses were

quite serious.

And lastly

there was

the verberatio,

the most

terrible

scourging

of all,

one that

was always

associated

with other

punishments

including

crucifixion.

Now the

exact

sequence of

events is a

little unclear

here when

you compare

all four

gospel

accounts.

Was Jesus

flogged

once before

Pilate

presented him

to the

crowd and

then led

away to

be crucified

or was

he flogged

before and

then after

flogged

again?

It's difficult

to make a

judgment about

these things

and see how

these accounts

all fit

together but

if indeed

Jesus was

flogged

twice then

likely the

final flogging

would have

been that

most severe

form.

And the

earlier would

have been

likely less

severe given

that Pilate

intended to

release him.

This

most severe

flogging,

the verberatio,

was horrific.

The victim

was usually

stripped,

naked,

tied to a

post,

and beaten

until the

soldiers were

exhausted

or until

the commanding

officer called

them off.

For victims

who like

Jesus were

not Roman

citizens,

the favored

instrument was

a whip with

leather thongs

and these

thongs were

fitted with

pieces of

bone or

lead or

metal.

These

beatings were

so savage

that the

victims sometimes

died just

from them.

eyewitness

records report

that such

brutal

scourgings

could leave

victims with

their bones

and their

insides

exposed.

But John's

emphasis as he

tells the

story is not

so much on

the brutality

of this,

but on the

shameful

humiliation

of it.

John tells

us of how

they mocked

Jesus.

They dressed

him up like

a king with

a purple

robe.

They put a

crown of

thorns on

his head

and they

said,

Hail,

King of

the Jews,

and repeatedly

slapped him.

literally gave

him blows.

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.

Behold

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.

So

Pilate's

second attempt

to release

Jesus

failed.

the Jewish

leaders were

not satisfied

with this

punishment.

They wanted

him dead.

Notice the

details that

John gives

us here.

In verse

six,

As soon

as the

chief priests

and their

officials saw

him,

they shouted,

Crucify!

It was

the Jewish

leaders,

the chief

priests,

Annas,

Caiaphas,

and their

family that

led the

charge.

They didn't

leave an

instant for

the people in

the crowd to

have pity or

compassion on

Jesus or to

have a differing

opinion.

They just

started shouting

right away

and in no

time the

entire crowd

was shouting,

Crucify!

Crucify!

Which means

kill him,

execute him

on a cross.

Crucifixion was

the way the

Romans did

their executions.

They nailed

people to

wooden crosses

and hung

them up to

die.

Pilate

answered,

You take

him and

crucify him.

As for me,

I find no

basis for a

charge against

him.

This is the

third time

Pilate has

spoken these

words.

I find no

basis for a

charge against

him.

This man does

not deserve

to die.

He hasn't

done anything

deserving of

punishment.

Pilate seems

to be saying,

Listen, if you

want to crucify

him, go ahead,

I give you

permission.

Go and

execute him

yourselves.

What's going

on here?

It sounds like

Pilate is fully

aware that to

execute Jesus

would be an

injustice.

To just

sentence him to

death without a

criminal charge

would make

him guilty

of injustice.

So this

seems to be

Pilate saying,

I don't want

any part of

this.

You kill

him if you

want to.

Leave me out

of this.

Pilate was

not known in

the history

books as an

upright man,

but at the

least it seems

that he had a

conscience.

He knew that

this was not

right.

Verse 7,

The Jewish

leaders insisted,

we have a

law and

according to

that law he

must die

because he

claimed to

be the son

of God.

When Pilate

heard this,

he was even

more afraid

and he went

back inside

the palace.

Where do you

come from?

He asked.

But Jesus

gave him

no answer.

Pilate now

seems quite

conflicted

inside.

I can't

help but

wonder what

was going

on in his

mind right

here.

What if

it's true?

Could he

really be

from heaven

sent by

the gods

or by the

God of

the Jews

to be

their king,

to speak

the truth?

What if

he is the

son of

God?

Remember,

Pilate was

no stranger

to all that

had been

happening.

The stories

of miracles

and healings

abounded.

The teaching

of Jesus

had spread

like wildfire

through the

nation on

the lips

of Jesus'

disciples.

What if

it's all

true?

So he

questions

Jesus.

Jesus does

not answer.

When Pilate

heard this,

sorry,

where do

you come

from?

He asked.

Jesus gives

him no

answer.

Pilate says,

do you

refuse to

speak to

me?

Don't you

realize I

have power

either to

free you

or to

crucify you?

So Pilate

gets upset

that Jesus

won't answer

his question.

He tries to

intimidate

Jesus.

how dare

you,

you refuse

to speak

to me?

Don't you

realize your

life is in

my hands?

I can set

you free

or I can

have you

killed.

Answer my

question.

And I

marvel at

Jesus'

response here.

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.

Amazing.

Jesus

acknowledges,

yes, you

do have

power over

me, but

only because

God, my

Father, has

given it to

you.

In other

words, yes,

my life is

in your

hands, but

you will

answer to

God for

what you

do with

me.

Jesus

says,

therefore the

one who

handed me

over to

you is

guilty of

a greater

sin.

Now, I'm

not going to

speculate about

all that

means, but

at the

very least,

notice what

Jesus is

saying here.

He's saying,

Pilate,

should you

crucify me?

you will

indeed be

guilty of

sin.

And this

time it

seems Jesus'

words leave

an impression.

Verse 12,

from then on

Pilate tried

to set

Jesus free.

And the

tense of

that verb

is not

just a

one-time

thing, but

he was

trying, he

was making

continual

effort for

some span

of time

here 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.

Right to

the end,

we see this

reluctance of

Pilate to

give in to

their demands.

In fact,

it almost

seems as if

Pilate's ready

to install

Jesus as

their king.

Here's your

king.

Shall I

crucify your

king?

Are you

sure you

want me to

do this?

And the

answer of

the chief

priests,

Annas,

Caiaphas,

and family

is we

have no

king but

Caesar.

Wow.

We are

loyal subjects

to the

emperor alone.

I mentioned

before how

there was a

lot of

religious

posturing

going on.

Well,

here's a

different kind

of posturing.

Here the

religious leaders

are posturing

saying,

if you don't

give us

this thing

that we

want and

put him

to death,

if you

don't execute

him,

we're more

loyal to the

Roman emperor

than you

are.

This

statement

represents the

outright rejection

of Jesus

as their

Messiah.

Just as

John told us

right at the

very beginning

of his

account,

back in

chapter 1,

verse 11,

Jesus came

to that which

was his own,

but his own

did not

receive him.

And with

that,

Pilate finally

gives in to

their demands,

and he

does what

he knows

is sin

and hands

Jesus over

to be

crucified.

We're going

to continue

the story

next week,

but let's

take a moment

to reflect

on what

we've heard

this morning.

How should

we respond

to this?

There's lots

of different

ways this

could touch

us.

This is the

very heart

of the gospel

that we're

getting to.

John really

does seem

to highlight

the utter

wickedness

of these

Jewish leaders,

their blatant

rejection of

Jesus.

They will

not have

him as

their king,

even though

he is

God's

Messiah.

They will

not be

content with

his being

punished and

humiliated.

They want

him dead,

and they

want Pilate

to do it

for them.

The hypocrisy

here is

staggering.

In the

midst of all

this,

John highlights

Jesus'

innocence,

Pilate is

no saint,

he's no

righteous man,

but even

Pilate,

the Roman

governor,

a Gentile,

knows that

Jesus has

not done

anything to

deserve this.

Three times,

I find no

basis for a

charge against

him.

He hasn't

done anything

wrong.

Yet even

though Jesus

suffers greatly

here and is

the victim,

we also see

through John's

eyes that

he is in

fact the

hero of

this whole

story.

Isn't it

awesome how

Jesus responds

to Pilate

again and

again and

again?

We just see

this great

wisdom of

Jesus,

carefully

deciding when

to answer

and when

not,

when to

answer directly

and when to

counter with

a question.

We see his

wisdom.

we see

Jesus'

confidence.

He knows

who he is.

He knows

why he has

come.

He's not

embarrassed or

ashamed one

bit to tell

Pilate the

truth.

I am a

king and

of a kingdom

that's not

from this

world.

And I have

been born,

I have come

into this

world to

testify to

the truth.

And everyone

on the side

of truth

listens to

me.

What

confidence,

confidence,

what boldness

to speak

like this

to the

most powerful

man in

the region,

the man who

stands judge

over him.

I love it

when it comes

to verse 11

of chapter

19.

And Jesus

says this,

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.

Notice what

happens in

this moment.

It's like

Pilate's

the judge

and Jesus

is the one

on trial.

And it's

almost like

they switch

places for

a moment.

One minute

Pilate's

claiming to

have power

over Jesus

and the

next minute

Jesus is

telling

Pilate what

his verdict

is going

to be.

He's going

to be

guilty

before God

if he

crucifies

Jesus.

Suddenly

Pilate's

the one

on trial.

What will

he do

in this

moment of

testing?

And he's

trying and

trying to

set Jesus

free.

It's

amazing.

Jesus

just has

this

authority.

This way

of bringing

God's

truth to

bear on

any

situation

and it

unseated

Pilate

from his

judgment

seat.

Jesus is

the hero

of this

story.

We see

his wisdom.

We see

his confidence.

We see

his boldness.

We see

his authority.

We hear

his penetrating

words.

And all

of this

in the face

of injustice,

cruelty,

hatred,

envy,

corruption,

slander.

It's

amazing.

Perhaps

the greatest

emphasis here

though in

John's

telling of

this story

is on

whether or

not Jesus

is king.

That's what

all of this

turns on.

It's the

first question

Pilate asks.

Are you

the king

of the

Jews?

It's the

subject of

Jesus'

conversation

with Pilate.

My

kingdom

is not

from this

world.

It's the

title

Pilate

gives to

Jesus.

Your

king.

It's what

Jesus is

mocked for

with the

robe and

the crown.

It's why

the religious

leaders say

Pilate must

condemn him

or be no

friend of

the emperor's.

We have

no king

but Caesar.

And the

clear message

of all the

gospel accounts

is that

Jesus is

the king.

God's

chosen

king.

The

Messiah.

Do you

hear what

Jesus said?

My

kingdom is

not of

this world.

It's from

another place.

Yes.

He really

did claim

to be a

king.

Heaven's

king.

Do you

believe

Jesus?

Jesus?

We saw

and heard

how they

treated

Jesus

here.

Rather than

accepting him

as king,

they rejected

him.

Rather than

bowing reverently,

they mocked

him.

Rather than

listening to

him and

obeying his

word,

they conspired

against him

and put him

to death.

But as we

hear it today,

what about

you?