Solely Jesus
John 19:1-16
Sovereignty and Responsibility
We’ve been looking at the life of Jesus from the eyewitness account of the Apostle John
We’ve been going verse by verse through the account
Looking at the history
Looking at the people
Drawing some lessons and application for life
We are in John’s account is the trial of Jesus before the Governor of Judea – Pontius Pilate
We are going to do something a little different today – 5.5 minute clip of this portion of the Gospel of John
It portrays some of the drama of the event in a way that I can’t portray it.
Let me set the scene
This is in the middle of Jerusalem – Center of the Jewish world
250K people are in town for the Passover festival
Event though this is Jerusalem and the center of the Jewish world
The Jewish world is controlled by the great Roman Empire
Cicero, the Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, orator, who lived just before the time of Jesus wrote arguing that a person’s place in life had to be known/kept, "Rank must be preserved."
The clothes that a person wore said something about their rank/position in life.
When I was a kid – was time to go school shopping – when I got old enough – Levi’s with the little red tag
Sears/JC Penny catalog
I knew where I stood – everyone else knew where I stood.
If you were a slave you wore certain clothes.
If you were free but a commoner you wore a ‘freedman’s cap.’
If you were a citizen, not all those that were free were citizens, when you reached somewhere between 14 and 16 you could wear a toga virilis – toga of manhood.
If you were even higher up in rank – Equestrian – not only a toga of fine clothing but you were would wear a gold ring that showed you were part of the ‘Order of the Rings.’
Remember when Jesus’ brother James writes: ‘Suppose someone comes into your gathering in a fine robe wearing a gold ring.’ - This is what he is referring to – someone of high rank.
In the Roman Empire, that ruled for almost 1000 years, might was right.
Rank mattered.
The celebrity, the hero and the powerful and prestigious person -- they were held up as the model of life.
** That is a crazy way to live – don’t you think?
Can you imagine a society that:
- Ranked people based on income, or possessions or citizenship.
- Where - celebrity status and prestige were the model of life and how people ought to live
- Imagine a culture where people used clothing and styles as a way of indicating who is in and important
- Imagine living under a system of life where the prestigious and famous are more important than everyone else.
Let’s watch this clip – I’m going to comment on a few lines – draw a lesson and an application
47:00 – 52:30
Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead- tipped whip.
Roman law made provision for 3 levels of flogging.
- Roman citizens were flogged with 'rods'
- Soldiers with sticks
- Non n Romans/slaves - flogged with whips - 'scourge' - consisted of a wooden handle to which several rawhide thongs were fastened. Into each thong small butterfly shaped pieces of metal or bone were fixed. Wielded by a powerful arm, the scourge was a deadly weapon, which in a few strokes would strip the flesh from a man's back.
Jewish law allowed only 39 lashes
Roman law - allowed flogging until the floggers arm grew tired
- For minor crimes - misdemeanor - flogging that was painful but not debilitating.
- For medium crimes - felonies - the flogging was more severe and the consequences were long lasting. Some who were flogged as felons actually went crazy/mad from the suffering.
- For major crimes - capital - once an execution order had been given - the flogging was severe and it was so brutal that it was common for those beaten to die before they ever got to the cross. The point of the severe beating was remove resistance of the prisoner and to quicken their death on the cross
Think about the fact that it was not uncommon for people to die before they even got to the cross in light of the historical record of 1000s being crucified at a time.
I find nothing to charge him with … Hoping that the beating would satisfy them.
The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”
When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever.
He was already frightened by the dream that his wife Claudia had
Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat; his wife sent him this message: "Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about Him last night." (Matthew 27:19 NLT)
Claudia was a troubled woman ... she was the grand-daughter of Caesar Augustus
Pilate had fought with the Legion Germanicus in the battles of the Rhine
After victory in the Rhineland he traveled to Rome where he met Claudia
Claudia's mother was a woman so morally bankrupt that Augustus - "Oh that I were wifeless or had childless died!"
Was he 'more afraid' because they had changed the charge from being a political charge, rebellion against Caesar to a theological charge of blaspheme?
Was he 'more afraid' because he heard them say: He claims to be God's Son?
Was he ‘more afraid’ because he had never had a prisoner like Jesus?
Whatever it was – the fear quotient in Pilate’s life continue to ratchet up – He was AFRAID
“Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”
Don’t you know who you are talking to?
Don’t you know who is interrogating you?
I’m Pilate – You will live by my decision and you will die by my decision
Are you just going to stand there?
Mark – Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise. Luke - Refused to answer
Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
We’re going to look at the first part Jesus’ response in a minute
The one who handed me over to you has the greater sin …
Who had the greater sin …?
Was this Judas? Annas? Caiaphas? The Jewish leaders?
Then Pilate tried to release him …
The situation was on the verge of spinning out of control.
If he doesn't give in to the mob … A riot is likely.
If he condemns an innocent man – will he incur the wrath of the gods? Of Tiberius?
If he goes with his gut, which is that Jesus is innocent, the Jews are threatening sending news to Caesar.
The mob might seek justice, mob justice is an oxymoron … When does a mob ever bring justice.
Pilate’s primary roll, as governor of Judea, is to keep peace and keep the Jews in control.
In the end, the death of one innocent man would keep the peace and keep the Jews from rioting in the streets.
The blood of one man doesn't compare to the blood of hundreds or even thousands.
There is no shortage of accounts of Roman leaders being prosecuted for maladministration
Providences or cities would send complaints to Rome about the one who had been placed of them.
There are famous accounts of a Caesar sending a message to an a man in power in an outlying area ordering him to commit suicide thereby saving the Roman Army the trouble
Pilate sat down on the judgment seat ... It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”
“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”
“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back. John 19:1-16 NLT
“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked. 15 NLT – sarcastic
The leading priests make a declaration that the Jewish people hadn’t made and had fought against for 100s of years – generation after generation
We have no king but Caesar!
I wonder what all those people in the crowd were thinking when they heard their leading priests declaring allegiance to Caesar …
The very Caesar that just a few hours before this they were fighting against when they as a crowd called for the release of the notorious revolutionary Barabbas
Matthew’s account reads this way:
Pilate saw that he wasn't getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood. The responsibility is yours!" And all the people yelled back, "We will take responsibility for His death—we and our children!"
(Matthew 27:24-25 NLT)
Pilates washes his hands – symbolically to say – “This is your doing. I'm innocent. You are the guilty ones.”
The crowd responds, ‘We will take responsibility for his death - we and our children!’
WE will take responsibility for his death --- we and our children?
Is this one death worth that much?
Or is this a statement of their conviction that Jesus had blasphemed so severely that there was no way this would fall on them or their children
It’s one thing to take responsibility for my actions but to place responsibility on my children
Volunteer them to take care of this …
Isn’t that the dilemma of irresponsibility though?
I don’t care if we go further in debt as a country because …
My grandchildren are going to be paying for this …\
Go back to Jesus’ words to Pilate:
Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.
So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
What we see in the words of Jesus is the mystery of the Sovereignty of God – Responsibility of Man
Tension of two truths
Everything that happens is under the oversight of a Sovereign God
Man is responsible for his actions
Sovereignty and Responsibility
The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him! Luke 22:22 NIV
Peter in the first teaching of the Apostles after Jesus rose from the dead:
This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. Acts 2:23 NIV
Everything happens under the oversight of God
Air Traffic controller, ports, rivers, bridges, ferries, the roads, the trains, the donkeys, horses – dog sleds, walkers
He doesn’t tell everyone where to go … but everything is under his oversight
There are times that the laws of nature dictate what happens
There are times when God himself – stops/starts/controls – allows – disallows things
People don’t like that …
Who does he think that He is?
How dare he xxxxx
How come he won’t stop xxxx
It is always funny to me that people are really mad at God because of some of the things in life that happen
But have no problem … Mother Nature doing what she wants
Nobody curses Mother Nature … it doesn’t do any good …
Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. (Psalms 115:3 NIV)
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" (Daniel 4:35 NIV)
The idea that God is in control --- God has oversight -- maybe the one idea that troubles people more than anything else in our day.
We want everything controlled
- We want to control it
- Or at least someone has to control it
- We’re going to get to the bottom of this and find out who is to blame
- Heads will roll!
The reality that everything is under the oversight of God produces two responses in people
Freeing thought
- None of this has taken him by surprise
- I may not understand
- I may not have an answer
- I can’t do much anyway
Trust ...Relax ...
This is Jesus response … He says to Pilate – “this isn’t happening under your watch”
This is happening under My Father’s watch
There is an old hymn that – Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey
Troubling thought
- Why didn’t he do something?
- Why isn't he doing anything about this?
- When is he going to do something?
- What if he doesn’t do anything?
- What could his motives be for allowing this to happen?
God is guilty for not controlling traffic the way I think it should be controlled
Steve Saint – Who’s father was killed by the Auca Indians in Central America – When asked – Why God…?
“God hasn’t chosen for me to be the interpreter of what he does.”
Not only is there sovereignty of God and everything is under God’s oversight
Man is responsible for his actions
Sovereignty of God and personal responsibility are always in tension
Moral responsibility and the Sovereignty of God are like two rails of a train track.
Right here they are separate … and they don’t make sense
But look down through time and the two rails come together and some things that didn’t make sense then do now
Mark Driscoll – Mars Hill
Sovereignty and Responsibility are like the two pedals on a bike
You can pedal with only one pedal but that’s not how it’s designed, you won’t get very far and it’s not a pleasant ride.
Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.
So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
Sovereignty and Responsibility in tension
God directed me to pastor – but he holds me responsible
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1 NIV)
Lean too hard on either pedal and a person believes and starts to live a lie
Leaning to hard into Sovereignty leads towards ---- Fatalism
Destiny or fate is a predetermined course of events.
No other alternative ... It had to happen this way
A married man becomes attracted to someone who is not their spouse ... He has a choice to make
What will I do?
Well – I guess this was meant to be … goes down a road of destruction
Believing it was “meant to be”
Says to his wife: I guess we weren’t meant to be together
Says to his kids: I guess we weren’t meant to have you
That is a cop out ... Fatalism
It is a lie
This is where - Ethics come in
I have a moral responsibility to make this right ...
Someone makes a mistake ... but there is a correction
Cashier
Tax estimate
Lean too hard into personal responsibility – denial of God
Rejection that there is someone who ultimately oversees
Removes all hope of trust because there is no one to trust
God’s plan doesn’t wholly determine the course of a person’s life
Man’s actions doesn’t capsize the work/sovereignty of God
Sovereignty and Responsibility are always in tension
I didn’t bring this on … I have done everything I can do
I have to rest … I have to trust …
One of the most important verses in the Bible – (If that can be said)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. (Proverbs 3:5-7 NIV)
Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to GOD! Run from evil! (Proverbs 3:5-7 MSG)