Led To The Slaughter

As soon as it was morning, the chief priest held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council.

And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

This section introduces us to a new character in the plot of Jesus' crucifixion.

And his name is Pontius Pilate.

Pilate was the Roman prefect responsible for governing this particular area of the empire.

History tells us that he served in this particular role for about 10 years.

The question immediately becomes, as we look at the bigger picture here of Mark's gospel, why is Pilate actually necessary?

Why is it that he even comes into the picture as far as the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion?

Pilate is concerned.

And we need to understand that the Roman form of government did indeed allow for quite a bit of flexibility with conquered nations.

They were allowed nations like Israel to live under their own customs and laws to a certain extent.

And then, of course, that was underneath the umbrella of the Roman law.

The Sanhedrin, which consisted of the chief priests and the elders and the scribes or the lawyers, as we're told here in verse number one,

were a legitimate governing body for the Jews, even as the Roman perspective was concerned.

They looked at the Sanhedrin as a legitimate governing body.

But they were limited in the scope of their government.

And one such limitation that they had was the power of execution.

Only Rome, in Roman law, was allowed to actually condemn a person to death.

And so the council needed Pilate's permission to actually put Jesus to death.

Now, they could have carried out the execution, but they needed the okay from the Roman authority,

which in this case was Pontius Pilate at that particular time.

They needed his permission to do it.

Not only that, but in the case of the Jews at this particular time, it being Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

they had laws that said they could not put a person to death during the feast.

So they not only needed Pilate's permission, they actually needed Pilate to carry out the execution of Jesus.

So the purpose in them bringing Jesus to Pilate at dawn early in the morning was so that their plan could actually be finalized and come to fruition.

And what we see happening and unfolding in these verses is that we find the perfect Lamb of God,

as Isaiah said in Isaiah 53, being led to the slaughter.

But it's not just the fact of Jesus' death that I want you to understand this morning.

This trial with Pilate affirms Jesus' innocence, and then it illustrates an important doctrine for us,

and that is the doctrine of substitution.

And not only was Jesus innocent, but Jesus' death was a substitutionary death.

And to help us walk through the narrative, I've got three words for us to look at.

The first is interrogation.

The second is substitution.

The third is condemnation.

And I think that will help us as we work through these verses together.

First off, let's see interrogation.

Interrogation.

Look with me again at verse 2.

Pilate asked him,

Are you the king of the Jews?

And he answered him,

You have said so.

And the chief priest accused him of many things.

And Pilate again asked him,

Have you no answer to make?

See how many charges they bring against you.

But Jesus made no further answer,

so that Pilate was amazed.

Well, for Pilate to agree to crucify Jesus

required a bit of political maneuvering on the part of the chief priest.

Now remember back, if you can remember a couple of weeks,

to Jesus' midnight trial, that kangaroo court we called it,

before the Sanhedrin.

Remember what the charge eventually became.

The charge against Jesus was a charge of blasphemy.

That's what the Sanhedrin was seeking to put Jesus to death for.

But that was something that the Roman authorities,

they wouldn't have really cared anything about.

There was nothing about the breaking of Jewish religious laws

that Rome cared anything about governing over.

So when the Sanhedrin brought Jesus before Pilate,

they were going to have to come up with something else.

And when they presented their case before Pilate,

they accused Jesus not of blasphemy,

but instead they accused him of treason and insurrection,

crimes of which were intolerable to Rome.

Now Luke wrote about this.

In fact, if you'll just flip over a few pages to Luke's gospel

and turn with me please to Luke chapter 23,

Luke 23 · chapter mention

Luke actually gives us the specific charges

that the Sanhedrin lays out.

And I want you to see these.

Luke chapter 23, verse one,

Luke 23 · chapter mention

then the whole company of them arose

and brought him before Pilate.

And they began to accuse him.

There's a threefold accusation here.

We found this man misleading our nation.

That's number one.

He's trying to become a leader among the people.

Number two, forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar.

In other words, he's trying to amass a following among Israel.

And a part of his teaching is that they shouldn't pay their taxes,

which was something Rome cared about.

And then the third part, saying that he himself is Christ.

Now, they defined Christ the way that they wanted to divine Christ for Pilate's ears.

They said Christ a king.

Now when the Jews thought of Christ as a king,

they had a very different idea than what Rome had

when they considered Christ as a king.

They didn't think of a spiritual leader.

They thought of a political rival to the empire.

In verse four or verse five, if you'll look down again,

Pilate wasn't convinced of what they were saying.

And then they continued on.

They were urgent, saying,

He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea,

from Galilee even to this place.

So what they charge him against with Pilate

to try to get him to be put to death is not blasphemy.

It's treason.

It's insurrection.

He's amassing a following.

He's going to come in.

He's telling them to stop paying their taxes to Caesar.

And he's going to try to create a revolution.

And for that, he must be put to death, Pilate.

Now, this explains why Pilate immediately asked Jesus

in verse two if he was the king of the Jews.

Because they're attempting to deceive Pilate

into thinking that Jesus was trying to set himself up

as a king.

The irony in all of this

is that a powerful political figure overthrowing Rome

was precisely what the Jews were hoping for.

They come to Pilate seeking to destroy Jesus

for being the thing that they wish he was.

If Jesus had actually come with that agenda,

with that kind of political, military agenda,

all of these men that are accusing Jesus

would have actually supported him.

But since his purpose didn't match their expectations,

they pretended to be on the side of Rome

so that they could get rid of him instead.

And that's not unlike the way many people view Jesus today.

People come to Jesus every week in churches

with a particular expectation.

And then when they find that Jesus doesn't line up

with their particular expectation,

they abandon the truth.

When they find out that Jesus's primary interest

is not their personal ambition,

they decide that Jesus isn't actually the Messiah

that I want him to be,

and they crucify him in their minds.

That's what's unfolding here with the Sanhedrin.

Now, Jesus's answer to Pilate

is a bit enigmatic, isn't it?

It's just a strange saying.

The way it comes across in English,

he says, you have said so.

You have said so.

Which comes across in English

as if Jesus is almost trying to skirt the question.

He's trying to avoid being too transparent.

So he answers affirmatively,

but it's with a measure of reservation.

And why do you think he did that?

We have to remember and interpret this

in the larger context of Jesus's life,

where he regularly actually veiled his identity.

And do you remember why he did that?

It wasn't because he was dishonest.

It wasn't because he was afraid.

It was because one cannot rightly understand

Jesus's identity as the Messiah

apart from his purpose as the Messiah.

And in this moment,

even if Pilate thinks he's a messianic figure,

Pilate's mind is not a spiritual savior

that will redeem them from their sins.

His mind is set on Jesus as a political savior

who will overturn the rule of Rome.

So there's, in the sense,

Jesus is saying with this phrase,

I am, but not in the way that you think I am.

So Pilate says, are you the king of the Jews?

Well, yeah, but you're not exactly thinking of that

the way that you should be thinking of that.

And John actually gives us the fuller picture of that.

Actually, why don't you turn there with me

to John chapter 18.

John 18 · chapter mention

John chapter 18.

John 18 · chapter mention

John covers more detail than any of the gospel authors

when it comes to Jesus's crucifixion.

And I want you to look with me at verse 33.

John 18, verse 33.

John 18:33

So Pilate entered his headquarters again

and called Jesus and said to him,

are you the king of the Jews?

And look how Jesus answers.

Do you say this of your own accord

or did others say it to you about me?

And Pilate answered, am I a Jew?

Your old nation and chief priests

have delivered you over to me.

What have you done?

And Jesus answered,

my kingdom is not of this world.

If my kingdom were of this world,

my servants would have been fighting

that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.

But my kingdom is not from this world.

Then Pilate said to him,

so you are a king.

And Jesus answered,

you say that I am a king.

And for this purpose,

I was born.

And for this purpose,

I have come into the world

to bear witness to the truth.

And everyone who is of the truth

listens to my voice.

And then notice how Pilate responds.

He says, what is truth?

He was looking at truth,

embodied,

but he didn't see it.

And after he had said this,

he went back outside to the Jews

and told them,

I find no guilt in him.

Now, do you see the fuller picture

that John gives?

You have said so.

What's Jesus saying?

Yeah, I am a king,

but I'm not a king

like you think I'm a king.

I'm not here to be the emperor

of the Roman Empire.

I'm not here to lead a revolution of Jews

to throw you out of Palestine.

My kingdom is not of this world.

And if it was of this world,

that's exactly what we'd be doing.

But if you will look around, Pilate,

you will notice

that none of my followers

are actually doing that

because my kingdom

is not of this world.

Do you see the bigger picture here?

Now, all kinds of people

seem to be on this endless search

for the historical Jesus,

what they call the historical Jesus.

They're intrigued by Jesus as a person,

but they refuse to accept

that he was anything

other than an ordinary man

who suffered a tragic death.

But until you come to terms

with what the Bible says

is true of the purpose of the Messiah,

namely to give his life

to appease God's wrath

against your sin,

until you come to terms

with that fact,

you'll never comprehend

the reality of his identity.

And that's the issue with Pilate.

That's the reason Jesus answers Pilate

in the way that he did.

The Sanhedrin continue to press

their accusations against him.

You see that in verse 3.

The chief priest accused him

of many things.

But just as Jesus had done

in the earlier trial,

he refused to answer

any of the false allegations.

Now, Mark writes that Pilate

was especially taken aback by this.

Look with me there at verse 4.

Pilate again asked him,

Have you no answer to make?

See how many charges

they bring against you.

But Jesus made no further answer

so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate is accustomed

to people coming into his courts

begging for their life,

begging in defense

against their accusers.

And now he has just

this unique experience

where this man stands before him,

not cowardly,

but with a silent resilience,

a silent resolve.

And Pilate is blown away

by the fact that Jesus stands there

with this composure,

not attempting to defend himself

against what he and Pilate

both know to be false charges.

He quietly stands,

and he answers only the question

of his identity.

But Pilate didn't know it.

But scripture was being fulfilled

before his very eyes.

Remember Isaiah 53, 7.

He was oppressed

and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep before its shearers

is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

So we see interrogation.

Secondly,

we see substitution.

Substitution.

Look with me at verse 6.

Now at the feast,

he used to release for them

one prisoner

for whom they asked.

And among the rebels in prison

who had committed murder

in the insurrection,

there was a man called Barabbas.

And the crowd came up

and began to ask Pilate

to do as he usually did

for them.

Now history tells us

that Pilate was no friend

to the Jews.

According to James Edwards,

he actually despised them

and on at least two other occasions

had so offended them,

intentionally offended them,

that it produced riots

among the people.

Now,

some,

Rome clearly being intolerant

of insurrections,

didn't appreciate the riots

that Pilate has caused.

And Pilate then was walking

on thin ice,

as it were,

in relation to his superiors.

So perhaps that's why

he had developed this custom

to satisfy the Jews.

On the feast day

when the Passover would roll around,

he would offer two options

for the Jews

before the people

and he would release

one of their prisoners

back to him

to show some kind of favor

to the Jews

and perhaps quell

any other offense

that he caused

throughout the year.

And on this particular day,

a crowd of Jews

well aware of Pilate's tradition

came to his headquarters

at the same time

as the Sanhedrin

had come with Jesus.

But they're there

for totally different reasons.

I want you to see this.

the Jewish leaders

are there to have

Jesus condemned.

That's why they brought him.

But the rabble

is not there

because of Jesus.

They're there

to have one of their friends

released from custody.

And unlike is often assumed,

so many times

we come to these passages

and we may,

as preachers,

unfortunately,

we'll refer

to the fickle crowd,

how that,

on one hand,

the crowd

just one week earlier

was crying out,

Hosanna,

glory to God

in the highest

as Jesus as Messiah.

And then a week later,

they've already turned on him

and they're calling

for his crucifixion.

But this isn't

the same group of people.

This isn't the same group

of people

that welcomed Jesus

into Jerusalem.

Those people

that welcomed him in

were devastated

by what happened to Jesus.

They still didn't quite

understand exactly

what he was doing,

but they still expected

him to come

as the Messiah

and deliver them

even if they thought

it was going to be

a physical

and political deliverance.

And they're crushed.

That's why

after Jesus' death

on the morning

of his resurrection,

we see the two

unnamed disciples

walking back

to their homes

on the way

to Emmaus.

Why?

Not because

they cried out

crucify

and then they felt

bad about it,

but because

they were probably

a part of the earlier crowd

crying Hosanna

and they're crushed

by what they have

now experienced.

Their hopes

have now been crushed.

This isn't the same

group of people.

This group of people

that have come

to Pilate's headquarters

on this day

seems to be a group

of Jewish revolutionaries.

We refer to them

as zealots.

Remember one of

Jesus' disciples

was at one time

a zealot

before he was converted

and became a follower

of Christ.

They wanted to take

advantage of Pilate's

custom

to get one

of their men back.

They weren't there

because of Jesus.

they wouldn't have

even had any way

of knowing

that Jesus

was even there

or been aware

of what was unfolding

in regards

to his midnight trial.

But in the providence

of God,

the Sanhedrin

shows up

at the same time

that this

rabble of revolutionaries

show up

and what begins

to unfold

in the ensuing chaos

is this picture

of substitution.

the target

of the crowd

was a man

named Barabbas.

All four Gospels

make it clear

that Barabbas

was an insurrectionist,

he was a murderer,

and he had been arrested

in a recent altercation

with Rome.

The fact

that the crowd

had specifically

come for Barabbas

indicates

that he wasn't

just one of their group,

but he was probably

a main leader

in their group,

in this zealot movement.

Matthew even refers

to him as a,

quote,

notorious prisoner,

informing us

that Barabbas

was well known

among all the people

for his actions

against Rome.

And my point

is that everybody

knew Barabbas

was actually

guilty of crimes

punishable by death,

not only by Roman law,

but also by Jewish law.

Whether you were

Jew or Gentile,

you could look

at Barabbas

and say,

yeah,

he's guilty

according to our law.

He deserves

to die.

And while the chief priests

were there

to condemn Jesus,

the crowd

had actually come

to demand the release

of their guilty comrade.

Now I want you

to look at verse 9.

Pilate answered them

saying,

do you want me

to release for you

the king of the Jews?

For he perceived

that it was out of envy

that the chief priests

had delivered him up.

But the chief priests

stirred up the crowd

to have him release

for them Barabbas

instead.

That last word

is important here.

Instead.

Meaning,

Barabbas was the one

who was on the road

to the cross.

Barabbas.

But instead of Barabbas,

it becomes

Jesus.

An exchange

has taken place.

A substitution

has taken place

here with Barabbas.

So Pilate offers

to release Jesus.

You can see

as you read

through those gospels,

you can see

a great reluctance

on Pilate's part

to actually condemn him.

That's not because

Pilate was a believer

or because Pilate

was a righteous man.

He was neither.

But the Lord

was working on his heart

in such a way

that he knew

there was something

significant to this man.

He could clearly see

through the facade

of the chief priest,

recognizing that Jesus

was a victim

of establishment envy.

But he was also

reluctant to release

Barabbas,

who was a known

enemy of the state.

So Pilate's in quiet.

The conundrum here,

he has a dilemma.

On one hand,

he has a man

he believes to be innocent

and he's reluctant

because his wife

has told him,

I had a dream

about this guy,

you better not mess

with him.

And now he's a little

bit nervous about

that being a superstitious

man.

And he's a little bit

nervous about condemning

Jesus.

And then on the other

hand,

he has a criminal

that he really

wants to see dead

because this criminal's

main objective

is to kill him

instead.

dead.

So he doesn't

want to condemn

Jesus,

but he doesn't

want to release

Barabbas either.

And that creates

a problem.

What's certain

in all of this

is that Pilate

publicly affirmed

Jesus' innocence

and Barabbas'

guilt.

That's the point.

Being unwilling

to be just,

perhaps trying to

avoid another

riot among the people,

he left the decision

in the hands

of the crowd.

We aren't told

exactly how the

chief priest

stirred up the

crowd here.

That's what we're

told in verse 10

happens,

or in verse 11,

that the chief

priest stirred up

the crowd to have

him release Barabbas

instead.

But it probably

wasn't very difficult.

After all,

the crowd had come

for Barabbas,

not Jesus.

There's a good

chance that they

knew of Jesus,

especially if they

were from sort

of the headquarters

of the Zealot

movement in Galilee.

That's where Jesus

did most of his

work and his

ministry and his

teaching.

They probably knew

of him.

Perhaps they had

been impacted on

some level by him.

They might have

enjoyed the miracles

that he did.

They might have

listened to the

teaching that he

gave, but in the

end, Jesus wasn't

the kind of Messiah

that the crowd

wanted.

Barabbas was.

Do you see that?

Jesus comes as the

true Messiah.

The crowd doesn't

want him.

He doesn't meet

their expectations.

On the other

hand, is Barabbas,

the sinful man.

Well, now, Barabbas,

that's the kind of

guy we want leading

us at this point.

That's the kind of

guy we want

calling the shots.

though the stories

of the Lord

entertained them

perhaps.

They weren't

interested in

someone whose

agenda didn't

match their own.

And again, things

haven't changed very

much for people

today.

They're happy to

hear about the

incredible things

that Jesus did.

They're happy to

listen to some of

the stories that he

told, but they're

not interested in a

Messiah who calls

them to abandon

their ambitions, to

repent of their

sin, and to follow

him instead.

That's where the

crowd is.

Not very far off

from where the

Sanhedrin is.

Maybe it's not

very far off from

where you are.

But do you see the

reality of substitution

here in these

verses?

Barabbas was

guilty.

Jesus was

condemned.

He quite literally

became the

substitute for

Barabbas.

And what we find

happening here in

Mark chapter 15 is

Mark 15 · chapter mention

Jesus being the

fulfillment of the

Leviticus 16

scapegoat.

Barabbas is the

guilty one.

But in this moment,

the sins of

Barabbas by Pilate

and the Jews and the

crowd are being

transferred over to

the innocent one,

the guiltless one,

Jesus.

And Jesus is the

one who's going to

be condemned.

Jesus is the one

who's going to be

put to death.

Jesus is the one

who's going to

suffer the alienation

and the shame and

the mockery that

Barabbas was actually

deserving of.

And he becomes the

scapegoat in that

moment.

He becomes the

substitute.

And the significance

of this picture here,

listen,

is that we,

you and me,

each one of us,

we are Barabbas.

We're the guilty

ones.

And because of our

sin, we deserve

death.

We deserve alienation

from God.

But Jesus, the

righteous one, the

sinless one, the

guiltless one, has

become our scapegoat.

He is our

substitute.

And again, in

Isaiah 53, 6, we

see it.

All we, like sheep,

have gone astray.

We have turned

everyone to his own

way.

And the Lord,

Yahweh, has laid

on him, laid on

Jesus, the

iniquity of us

all.

We're the ones who

sin.

We're the ones who

are guilty.

But God has laid

our guilt on

Jesus.

He has taken our

place.

And we see it

unfolding in the

narrative here with

Pilate and

Barabbas.

So we see

interrogation.

We see

substitution.

And finally, we see

condemnation.

condemnation.

Look at verse 12.

Pilate again said

to them,

then what shall I

do with the man you

call king of the

Jews?

And they cried out

again, crucify him.

Now that escalated

quickly.

They're not calling

for Jesus to be

imprisoned or just

punished.

the chief priests

have actually stirred

up the crowd to

call for his death

now.

And Pilate said

to them again,

affirming his

innocence, why?

What evil has he

done?

But they shouted

all the more,

crucify him,

crucify him.

So Pilate,

wishing to satisfy

the crowd,

released for them

Barabbas,

and having

scourged Jesus,

he delivered him

to be crucified.

The condemnation of

Jesus didn't

originate with

Pilate.

It originated with

the Jews.

Pilate's reluctance

here, it doesn't

absolve him of guilt.

He's still guilty for

what he did.

But the text

indicates that had

it been left to

Pilate alone,

Jesus probably

wouldn't have been

sentenced to death.

It was Jesus'

own people who

pushed so hard

for his execution.

Reminds us of

John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

He was in the

world, the world

was made through

him, yet the

world did not

know him.

He came to

his own, but

his own did

not receive

him.

In Acts chapter

Acts 2 · chapter mention

2, on the day

of Pentecost, Peter

preaches and he

says this, men of

Israel, hear these

words, Jesus of

Nazareth, delivered

up according to the

definite plan and

foreknowledge of

God.

You crucified, you

crucified, and killed

by the hands of

lawless men, that

being the Romans.

God's.

Now, was it out of

hatred for Jesus, or

was it love for

Barabbas that the

people cried for

Jesus to be

condemned?

It was both.

The chief priest

condemned him

hatefully.

The crowd condemned

him ignorantly.

But in the end, it

doesn't really

matter, because they

all ultimately

rejected the

Messiah, the

Son of God.

And such is the

case with those who

reject Jesus still.

Some despise the

very message of the

gospel.

They despise Jesus

himself.

Their rejection of

him is because of

their hate for him.

But then there's

others who reject

him ignorantly.

Ignorantly just

because they love

other things more.

They want other

things more than

what they want

Jesus.

But whether you

reject Jesus out

of hate, or whether

you reject him out

of ignorance, you

will face the same

eternal judgment for

your sin.

Whether your

position is outright

hate or general

indifference, the

result is the same.

And it was the same

for the chief priest

and the ignorant

crowd.

It was also the

same for Pilate.

Pilate insists he

could find no fault

in the Lord.

The people didn't

even try to justify

a charge.

He says, what has he

done?

They didn't say, well,

he did this and this

and this.

No, they just said,

crucify him.

We don't care what

he's done or if he's

done anything.

Just crucify him and

give us Barabbas

instead.

Cried for his

crucifixion, punishment

reserved for the most

dangerous and notorious

criminals.

So that Jesus, the

sinless one, was

condemned to suffer as

if he was the worst

kind of human that they

could find.

Which again reminds us

of Isaiah 53, 9.

They made his grave

with the wicked and

with the rich man in

his death.

Although he had done

no violence and there

was no deceit in his

mouth.

Peter writes about this

in 1 Peter 2.

He committed no sin.

Neither was deceit

found in his mouth.

2 Corinthians 5, 21.

Paul addresses this.

For our sake, he made

him to be sin who knew

no sin so that in him

we might become the

righteousness of God.

Again, there's a

transaction, a

substitution.

With Jesus'

condemnation, we are

made free.

With his death, we

receive life.

Barabbas was released.

Jesus was led to the

slaughter.

We sing about this,

don't we?

Bearing shame and

scoffing rude, in my

place condemned he

stood.

Sealed my pardon with

his blood.

Hallelujah.

What a savior.

Sinclair Ferguson said

without knowing him, the

religious leaders and

Pilate and Barabbas were

all part of a tapestry of

grace which God was

weaving for sinners.

That's a great way to put

it.

I don't know if I have

done an adequate job

explaining why all of this

matters or why it should

matter to you and to me.

I did have the privilege this

past Thursday to teach the

lesson for the kids

adventure club.

I don't get to do that

very often.

Usually it's Allah and

Ashley and Kyle that do

that.

This week I got to do it

and the lesson that we

were covering was

titled Sin Brings Death.

And we walked through this

gospel message together with

the kids as we close this

morning.

Maybe these bullet points

would be helpful to show

you why this text matters.

first thing we told the kids

Thursday is that God

created you to live.

God created you to live.

Do you know why we dread

death so much?

You know why we dread the

mystery of it so much?

Why we're so afraid?

Even those of us who are

believers afraid of at least

the process of it taking

place.

Because we weren't created to

die.

We're created to live.

Genesis 2 says that God

formed man out of the dust

of the ground and then he

breathed the breath of life

into Adam's nostrils and man

became a living creature.

God didn't create us to die.

He didn't give Adam an

expiration.

He created us to live.

So death is not meant to be

natural.

And we shouldn't treat it as

such.

Death is destruction.

It's an aberration from God's

intention.

God created us to live.

Sin of which we are all

guilty is what brings death.

Breaking God's law, going

against the purpose that the

creator has given us causes us

to lose the benefit that he

gives in creating us.

And we're all guilty.

We're not only guilty in Adam,

we're guilty like Adam.

Romans 3 tells us that we've all

sinned.

Romans 6 tells us that the wages

of that sin is death.

So God creates us to live, but our

sin is what brings death.

But then here's the awesome thing.

The story of the Bible, the

overarching story of the whole

thing, is about God's

determination to restore and

reconcile us to himself in order

that he might give us life

again.

That's the whole story of the

Bible.

And as you go through the Old

Testament, you see it in regards

to covenant promises that God made

to his people.

You see it in the fulfillment of

those promises despite their

rejection of him over and over

and over.

And finally, you see it in the

person of Jesus Christ, God's

own son, who is himself

life.

John 1 says, in him was life, and

the life was the light of men.

John 14, Jesus himself said, you

know the verse, I am the way, the

truth, and the life.

No man comes back to the father,

which was the place Adam had before

his sin.

No one comes back to the father

unless it's through me.

I'm the one that has life.

So God creates us to live.

Sin brings our death.

And then God relentlessly pursues

us in his perfection and in his

will to restore us back to life.

And he does that through the

person of his son, Jesus Christ,

who when Jesus stands before

Pilate here is condemned in the

place of Barabbas in the same way

that he is condemned in your place

and in my place as well.

And then Jesus says, after paying

our cost for sin on the cross,

after raising from the dead,

proving that he actually has power

of life over death, Jesus says

that whoever repents and trusts and

follows me for eternal life will

receive it.

That the restoration to life that sin

has destroyed is brought only through

Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself says it.

I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in me, Jesus said,

though he die, yet shall he live.

And everyone who lives and believes in

me shall never die.

That's John 11.

What's he talking about?

Spiritual life.

Of course, we'll all find our physical

expiration.

But what happens beyond that?

For those who follow Christ alone,

they receive eternal life,

reconciliation with God,

forgiveness of sin,

eternal peace,

comfort,

joy.

And no one who doesn't

will receive that same thing.

That's why this text matters.

It proves to us Jesus's innocence as

well as his substitution.

This is at the heart of that tapestry

of grace that Sinclair wrote about.

Jesus willingly laid down his life to

be condemned in our place.

We are Barabbas.

But whoever will believe,

follow him,

will be saved.

There's an old hymn that I love.

I came across it again last Sunday.

Maybe we'll sing it one day.

It's called,

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place.

One of the verses says this,

enough for me that Jesus saves.

This ends my fear and doubt.

A sinful soul,

I come to him.

He'll never cast me out.

I need no other argument.

I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died

and that he died for me.