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(John 18:28-40)
I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.
Last week,
We saw several things Jesus suffered for us
At the hands of His own people
So that He might bring us to God.
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And in such a way
That would clearly show the Jews
That Jesus was accursed:
As the Bible says,
Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, (Gal. 3:13)
But they would be exonerated for His death
In the eyes of those who supported Jesus,
Since the Romans would be the ones doing it.
B. Preview.
This morning,
We see them deliver Jesus to Pilate
That Pilate might crucify Him.
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Between 3 and 6 in the morning.
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Once Pilate was awakened,
John writes, Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do
you bring against this Man? (v. 29).
What is this man charged with?
They answered and said to him, If this Man were not an evildoer, we would
not have delivered Him to you (v. 30).
In other words:
Weve already determined that He deserves death.
We just want you to carry out the sentence.
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Weve already judged Him,
And our verdict is death.
But were not allowed to carry this out.
So were bringing Him to you.
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When the Jews saw that their initial charge was dismissed,
Luke writes, They began to accuse Him, saying, We found this man misleading
our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is
Christ, a King (Luke 23:2).
And so Pilate asks, Are you the King of the Jews?
Jesus answered, in John 18:34, Are you saying this on your own initiative, or
did others tell you about Me?
Is it because you really want to know,
Or is it because of what these have said?
Pilate answered, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests
delivered You to me; what have You done? (v. 35).
Im not Jewish, so that isnt my concern.
I dont get involved with matters of Jewish religion.
What I want to know is if Youre guilty of treason.
Tell me what Youve done?
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In essence, He was telling Pilate
He didnt need to be troubled:
If His servants didnt protect Him from the Jews,
Much less would they use force
To set up His kingdom against the Romans.
C. Finally, Pilate finds Him innocent and tries to have Him released, but the Jews
wont let him.
After Jesus said He came to testify of the truth,
Pilate said to Him, What is truth? (v. 38).
That is a question all the wise men and philosophers in every age have asked, but
no one has been able to answer.
So many people believe they have truth.
But what is it, really?
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At this point,
Pilate tried to get the Jews to drop the charges.
The easiest way was to invoke a tradition
We read in verse 39, But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the
Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews? (v. 39).
So they cried out again, saying, Not this Man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was
a robber (v. 40).
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Its interesting that the same word used to describe Barabbas crime,
Is also used to describe the crime the two men crucified with Jesus committed.
Matthew writes, At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the
right and one on the left (Matt. 27:38).
Its very likely that these men had been Barabbas accomplices,
And that Barabbas was the one who would have been crucified with them:
Jesus took the cross that was meant for him.
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But lets close with some application:
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Are you contending for the faith once for all delivered to the saints?
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The path of love.
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