Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: 16SCM
Program Code: 16SCM000014A
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00:51 Welcome to 3ABN's Spring Camp Meeting:
00:57 Live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 01:02 And we do welcome every one of you. Thank you all. 01:05 Are you enjoying Camp Meeting? I think we ask you that 01:08 so often... but I have been so blessed. 01:12 The ministers that are ministering are opening up 01:16 new word for us and I believe it's changing all of us 01:19 into His image and His likeness. 01:21 Isn't that what we all want in the first place? 01:24 Well, we are honored this afternoon to have Shelley Quinn 01:27 to present her last message for this Camp Meeting. 01:31 And it's The Trial of Trials. 01:33 This morning what she presented was so beautiful. 01:36 And she's going to pick up there and take it further. 01:39 You know, Shelley has been with 3ABN now for almost 12 years 01:42 and I've known her for almost twelve years. 01:45 During that time you see people through the good times 01:48 and through the bad times. 01:50 And I just want you to know she's another one that's 01:53 the real deal. She's the same any time 01:56 whatever the circumstance is. The woman loves God 01:59 and she opens herself up to God and He blesses her. 02:03 And I want you to receive the word this afternoon 02:06 as she presents it. But right now I've got 02:09 Pastor John Lomacang and Celestine Barry 02:13 that are going to come out and they're going to sing 02:16 a beautiful song for us. It's Gentle Healer. 02:20 So as they come I want to encourage you 02:23 to open up your hearts to them. 02:25 This is another mighty man of God, and the more I get 02:29 to know about Celestine I realize she's got clean hands 02:32 and a pure heart. Isn't that what we look for? 02:35 Before you sing, pastor, let me pray. OK? 02:38 Holy Father, I come before You in the name of Jesus. 02:41 And Lord we praise you and thank You for Your presence. 02:44 Thank you, Lord, that You are here. We ask 02:47 that you would open up all of our hearts. 02:49 Father, open our hearts to receive Your Word. 02:51 And then, Father, as the Word is implanted 02:54 we pray that You would seal it that the enemy can't come and 02:57 steal not one word from our hearts 03:00 but Father it would produce a mighty bountiful crop 03:03 as we're conformed not to the image of this world 03:06 but into Your image and likeness. 03:08 And this is my prayer in Jesus' name. Amen! 03:21 The gentle Healer came Into our town today 03:28 He touched blind eyes And the darkness left to stay 03:36 But more than the blindness, 03:40 He took their sins away 03:43 The gentle Healer came 03:45 Into our town today 03:54 The gentle Healer came 03:57 into our town today 04:01 He spoke one word... that was all He had to say 04:07 And the one who had died 04:10 Just rose up straight away 04:16 The gentle Healer came 04:19 Into our town today 04:38 Oh, He seems like just An ordinary man 04:46 With dirty feet And rough but gentle hands 04:54 But the words He says Are hard to understand 05:00 Yet, He seems like just And ordinary man 05:11 The gentle Healer 05:14 He left our town today 05:19 I just looked around 05:21 And found He'd gone away 05:25 Some folks from town Who followed Him, 05:30 they say 05:35 The gentle Healer is 05:38 the Truth, the Light, the Way. 05:42 The gentle Healer is 05:46 the Truth, the Light, 05:50 the Way. 05:56 Amen! 05:58 Thank you Pastor John and Celestine. 06:01 Isn't that a beautiful song? And they sing so well together! 06:05 Well, you've had your physical food. Are you ready 06:07 for some more spiritual food? Amen! OK. 06:11 We are going to continue. In our last meeting we were 06:15 talking about the Garden of Gethsemane. 06:17 Now we're going to continue along the path 06:21 of Christ's passion. Let's pray. 06:23 Father, as we come in the name of Jesus 06:26 once again, Lord, we just lift before You 06:29 our hearts and ask that You would do a great work 06:33 in our hearts. As we receive Your Word 06:36 sanctify us by this Word, Lord. 06:38 Help us to know You better because to know You 06:42 and to know Your Son Jesus Christ 06:44 is eternal life. In Jesus' name, Amen. 06:47 I want to read to you a quote from Desire of Ages 06:50 page 83. Ellen White writes: 06:54 "It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour 06:57 each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. 07:00 We should take it point by point 07:03 and let the imagination grasp each scene... 07:07 especially the closing ones. " 07:09 And then she says we'll have three benefits from this. 07:12 "As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, " 07:16 first, "our confidence in Him will be more consistent; " 07:19 second, "our love will be quickened; " 07:22 and third, "we shall be more deeply imbued with His Spirit. " 07:27 As I have read and re-read 07:30 both the acts of what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane 07:33 and what happened during the trial of Christ 07:36 I have found these words to be true. 07:39 They've had a profound impact. 07:42 These stories have had a profound impact on me 07:45 as I have considered how and why Jesus had to suffer 07:50 so much before He was crucified. 07:55 Usually we think of His suffering as the crucifixion, 07:58 but He suffered this intense suffering. 08:02 And I realize that His excruciating pain and shame 08:07 before He went to the cross 08:09 is just another demonstration 08:12 of His incomprehensible love for us. 08:16 But we also see the judgment of God... 08:19 how severe the judgment of God and how real the judgment of God 08:24 on sin is. To the degree that we understand 08:29 the measure of Christ's suffering 08:31 is the degree that we will understand His love for us: 08:35 this extravagant love. 08:36 And to the degree we understand His extravagant love 08:40 is the degree that we will trust Him. 08:45 And you know what I have found? Just doing these studies 08:48 and, as Ellen White said, con- templating on them over and over 08:52 has truly helped me lose all doubt 08:58 in anything that God might do. 09:00 We've already considered His intense suffering in the 09:04 Garden of Gethsemane. Now we're going to consider 09:07 His suffering after His arrest in the two phases of His trial. 09:12 First... There were two different stages. 09:15 First He went before the Jewish religious courts. 09:19 He appeared briefly before Annas, then He was shuffled off 09:23 to Caiaphas' house, and then before the Sanhedrin. 09:26 Now the Sanhedrin was like I would call it the Supreme 09:31 Court. It was the ruling council of the Jews. 09:34 There were 71 members in the Sanhedrin 09:37 and it only took 23 for a quorum. 09:40 But this was made up... The Sanhedrin was Sadducees, 09:43 Pharisees, the scribes and then the elders - the lay people. 09:48 And what they did... The Sanhedrin was presided over 09:52 by the high priest. And what they did was to 09:56 coerce Jesus to admit that He was the Son of God 10:00 and then they charged Him with blasphemy 10:03 which was a capital offence in the Jewish world. 10:06 And because... You know, the Sanhedrin had 10:09 considerable authority. But about 20 years before 10:13 Jesus' trial the Romans had passed a law that limited 10:18 the Sanhedrin in their ability to carry out a death execution. 10:22 So they were forced to take Him to the Roman court. 10:25 So He goes from the Jewish religious court 10:29 to the stage of the Roman political court. 10:32 And He appears first before Pilate, of course, who was 10:36 the Roman governor. And they charged Him. 10:38 There was trumped up charges about treason against Rome. 10:42 Pilate sends Him to Herod Antipas 10:45 and Antipas sends Him back... Herod sends Him back to Pilate. 10:49 So please open your Bibles to John chapter 18. 10:53 John chapter 18. I hope you have your Bibles today. 10:57 All four gospels 11:00 talk about the trial of Jesus. 11:06 But the different authors emphasize different events. 11:11 They have different perspec- tives, and what I have found 11:15 as I harmonized all of this and put it together 11:18 there is more written about the trial of Jesus 11:21 than about any other event in the life of Jesus. 11:24 And I have gone round and round with how am I going to 11:26 present this to you. Should I just get up here 11:28 and tell you the story? But if I do that 11:31 you won't be able to do what I've done 11:34 when you go home: to read and re-read 11:36 and consider this. So today what we're going to do 11:39 is read. And we're going to be flipping back and forth 11:42 in all four gospels. 11:44 And we're going to read as it were the transcript 11:50 of Jesus' trial. So we're going to have to go rather rapidly, 11:54 but... 'cause there's a lot to read. 11:57 Before we start let me tell you this: 11:59 the procedures - the proceedings - 12:04 before the Jewish court were all illegal. 12:08 They broke every law of the Sanhedrin. 12:13 First of all, no trial was to be held during a feast day 12:17 or at night. And Jesus' was held before sunrise... His trial 12:20 was before sunrise on a feast day. 12:23 The accused was supposed to be given legal counsel... 12:27 a defense counsel. He was given none. 12:29 The accused was not supposed to be asked a self-incriminating 12:33 question. But Caiaphas made Him under oath 12:38 admit that He was the Son of God. 12:42 So each member of the Sanhedrin was supposed to be an impartial 12:47 judge. They were supposed to vote individually. 12:49 But what we are going to see is that Jesus was convicted 12:54 by an enthusiastic loud group approval. 12:58 And in death cases there was supposed to be 13:00 a full night that passed before the sentence was carried out. 13:04 But they are going to make certain that He gets crucified 13:07 on the same day. So for you note takers 13:09 just jot this down. Our first segment is John 18 13:13 verses 12 through 14 and verses 19 to 24. 13:19 John 18:12-14 and 19-24. 13:23 This is the first phase of the Jewish trial: 13:25 the informal interrogation before Annas 13:28 who was the previous high priest. 13:30 John 18:12: "Then the detachment of troops 13:33 and the captains and the officers of the Jews 13:35 arrested Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away 13:38 to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas 13:41 who was the high priest that year. 13:43 Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews 13:45 that it was expedient that one Man should die 13:49 for the people. " And John earlier in his gospel said 13:52 he didn't do that under his own authority 13:55 but as high priest he prophesied 13:58 that one would die for the Jewish nation 14:01 as well as for all of God's children. 14:05 So now skip down to verse 19. John 18:19: 14:09 "The high priest... " speaking of Annas... "then asked Jesus 14:14 about His disciples and His doctrine. " 14:16 He wasn't interested in learning; he was interested 14:19 in incriminating. Caiaphas, or Annas rather, had been the high 14:23 priest from AD 6 to the year AD 15. 14:27 And according to the Mishnah the Jews considered 14:31 the high priesthood as an office for life. 14:35 So once you've been high priest, even though you retired, 14:38 you are still considered high priest. 14:41 And Annas was the most influential member 14:44 of the Sanhedrin. So verse 20: 14:48 "Jesus answered him and said: 14:51 'I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues 14:54 and in the temple where the Jews always met 14:56 and in secret I have said nothing. ' " 14:59 "Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me 15:03 what I said to them. Indeed, they know what I said. " 15:06 "And when He had said these things, one of the officers 15:08 who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand 15:12 saying: 'Do You answer the high priest like that? ' 15:15 Jesus answered him: 'If I have spoken evil 15:18 bear witness of the evil. 15:20 But if well, why do you strike Me? ' 15:23 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. " 15:28 Now keep your finger in John 18 'cause we're coming back there. 15:31 But turn to Matthew chapter 26. 15:35 Matthew chapter 26. 15:38 And again if you're taking notes so you can follow this from home 15:42 we're going to look at verses 57 through 68. 15:47 Matthew 26:57-68. 15:51 We're going to look now at what happened at Caiaphas' house 15:56 who... Caiaphas was high priest at the time of this trial. 16:01 He'd been high priest for 18... He was actually high priest for 16:04 18 years... which is the longest 16:08 of any other first-century high priest. 16:11 So verse 57... Matthew 26:57: 16:14 "And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away 16:17 to Caiaphas the high priest where the scribes and the 16:19 elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him at a 16:22 distance to the high priest's courtyard 16:24 and he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. 16:27 Now when the chief priest, the elders, and all the council 16:30 sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death... " 16:34 They're working frantically to coach witnesses... 16:38 but they found none. Even though many false witnesses 16:42 came forward they found none 16:44 because the testimony of these carefully-prepared witnesses 16:47 just didn't agree. "And so they said: 'This fellow 16:52 said: I am able to destroy the temple of God 16:56 and build it in three days. ' " 16:58 Now of course we know in John 2:19 Jesus said: 17:01 "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. " 17:06 What was He referring to? 17:07 Verse 21 said it was His body. 17:10 But in II Samuel chapter 7 17:13 and Zechariah chapter 6 both of those accounts 17:17 portray the Messiah as One who will build the temple. 17:22 So just this accusation... Caiaphas is taking this 17:26 as a calm to the Messiahship. 17:28 So verse 62: "And the high priest arose 17:32 and said to Him: 'Do you answer nothing? 17:34 What is it these men testify against You? ' 17:37 But Jesus kept silent, and the high priest answered 17:41 and said to Him: 'I put You under oath by the Living God. 17:46 Tell us if You are Christ the Son of God. ' " 17:50 He's going to coerce the com- mission... admission from Him. 17:54 "Jesus said to him: 'It is as you said. 17:58 Nevertheless I say to you: hereafter you will see the 18:01 Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming 18:05 on the clouds of heaven... ' " Knowing that this affirmation 18:10 would lead to death Jesus affirms His divine origin. 18:16 And He's drawing here from what? Daniel 7 and verse 13 18:20 where He identifies Himself as the Son of Man who will 18:23 come on the clouds of glory. 18:25 He is a King of heavenly origin. 18:28 He is a co-equal to God 18:30 and He will reign over an eternal kingdom. 18:34 Look at verse 65. 18:36 This is Caiaphas' reaction. 18:38 "Then the high priest tore his clothes saying: 18:42 'He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have 18:46 of witnesses? Look! Now you have heard this blasphemy. ' " 18:50 Tearing the clothes was a common expression of grief 18:54 in the Jewish culture. 18:59 It was customary to respond to blasphemy this way, but 19:04 it's interesting. In Leviticus 21:10 the high priest 19:08 was prohibited from tearing his garments 19:11 because they were sacred. 19:14 But Caiaphas was so enraged at this 19:18 that he committed this act of sacreligion. 19:22 And verse 66 he continues: 19:24 "What do you think? " 19:27 "And then they all answered and said: 19:29 'He is deserving of death! ' 19:31 Then they spat on Him and they beat Him. " 19:34 Mark says they blindfolded Him 19:36 and others struck Him with the palms of their hands 19:37 saying: "Prophesy to us, Christ. 19:40 Who is the one who struck You? " 19:43 The Sanhedrin found Him guilty 19:48 but they're not yet sentencing Him. 19:50 But some members of the court went wild 19:53 and they're spitting on Him and they're slapping Him. 19:56 And then they dismiss with a plan to reconvene 20:01 shortly after dawn. And they hand Him over to the 20:06 troop of Roman soldiers that had accompanied them 20:10 to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Him. 20:13 Now because He was sentenced to death 20:16 these Roman soldiers felt pretty much at ease. 20:18 They could do whatever they wanted with this prisoner. 20:21 And they probably played 20:24 a very common Roman game called hot hand. 20:28 What the Roman soldiers would do 20:31 is they would blindfold the prisoner. And this is... 20:33 We saw that Mark said that He was blindfolded. 20:36 Then they would of all the troops 20:39 there would only be one that would stand out. 20:42 All the rest of them would double up their fists 20:46 and sock the prisoner. 20:48 Then they'd remove his blindfold 20:51 and they'd all be back together and they'd say: "Tell us: 20:54 which one of us did not strike you? " 20:57 So we are given reason to believe that this is exactly 21:02 what happened. In Luke 22 in his account 21:05 the Greek word that he uses is that they beat Jesus. 21:10 "He was bruised for our iniquities. " 21:15 Now keep your finger there in Matthew 26 21:18 and let's flip back to John 18. 21:23 John 18. And again for you note takers 21:27 this is John 18 verses 15 through 18. 21:31 We're going to look at the record of Peter's denial 21:34 as he observed these circus-like proceedings. 21:38 John 18 and verse 15. 21:41 "And Simon Peter followed Jesus at a distance and so did 21:44 another disciple. " This would be John, who's writing. 21:47 "Now that disciple was known to the high priest 21:49 and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 21:52 But Peter stood at the door outside. 21:55 Then the other disciple... " young John... who was known 21:58 to the high priest "went out and spoke to her 22:01 who kept the door and brought Peter in. 22:03 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter: 22:06 'You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you? ' 22:10 And he said: 'I am not! ' " 22:14 That's his first denial. 22:15 "Now the servants and the officers who had made a fire 22:18 of coal stood there, for it was cold and they warmed themselves. 22:22 And Peter stood with them and warmed himself. " 22:25 Peter joined the crowd. He was attempting to blend in. 22:30 He was at a crossroad between courage and compromise. 22:34 And unfortunately he failed to die to self 22:37 and he cowardly denied Jesus. 22:39 You know, many of us succumb to the pressure 22:44 of a crowd of unbelievers. 22:46 We falter and we lose our testimony. 22:48 If we do not speak boldly we lose our testimony 22:52 because of fear. Either we're going to deny self 22:56 or we're going to deny Christ. 22:58 Now return to Matthew 26. Just flip back there to 23:03 Matthew 26. Again for you note takers 23:07 this is verses 71 through 75. 23:10 Matthew 26:71-75 tells us the rest of the story 23:15 of Peter's total humiliation. 23:18 Verse 71: "And when he had gone out to the gate 23:21 another girl saw him. " According to John's gospel 23:24 this was a relative of Malchus who'd had his ear cut off 23:29 by Peter with the sword in the garden. 23:32 And she recognized him from the garden. 23:34 "So she said to those who were there: 'This fellow also was 23:38 with Jesus of Nazareth. ' But again he denied it 23:43 with an oath: 23:47 'I do not know the Man. ' " 23:50 Peter was so intimidated by the fear of persecution 23:56 and ridicule... the threat of persecution... 24:01 that he actually took an oath. And what that is saying 24:04 is that he was saying: "I swear by God 24:08 I do not know the Man. " 24:11 This is his second denial. 24:13 "And a little later... " verse 73... 24:16 "A little later those who stood by came up and said 24:20 to Peter: 'Surely you also are one of them 24:24 for your speech betrays you. ' " 24:25 "You've got a Galilean accent! " 24:27 "Then he began to curse and swear saying: 24:30 'I do not know the Man! ' " 24:32 This is his third denial. 24:35 "And immediately a rooster crowed. " 24:39 Now here Luke's account says 24:42 "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. " 24:47 Peter had witnessed what was going on with Jesus. 24:51 How He was being beaten and socked 24:55 and how He'd been spat upon 24:57 and how He'd been ridiculed. 25:00 Peter, the man who gave up all to follow Jesus, 25:04 the man who was quick to obey 25:06 when he'd been fishing all night and Jesus said: 25:09 "Hey go out into the deep and cast your nets over on 25:13 this side" he was quick to obey. 25:15 He was a man of great faith. He had walked on water 25:18 at Christ's bidding. He was a man of spiritual insight. 25:21 He said: "Thou art the Christ. " 25:24 Yet he was a man of self will and he was still self-confident. 25:30 And in his own confidence he committed this terrible sin 25:34 of denial. What is the lesson that we should learn from this? 25:39 "Take heed lest ye think ye stand you fall. " 25:43 So... exhausted and bruised from the beating 25:47 with His clothes torn and tattered 25:51 Jesus lifts His head and He looks at Peter. 25:55 He looks at Peter and gives him this sympathetic look 26:01 of intense profound love. 26:05 And when Peter saw the look of Jesus' face 26:10 he was heartbroken. 26:13 He realized what he had done and look at what verse 75 says: 26:18 And Peter remembered the words of Jesus who had said to him: 26:22 'Before the rooster crows you will deny Me three times. ' 26:26 So he went out and wept bitterly. " 26:29 Just hours before at the Last Supper 26:32 Peter was warned by Christ that he would deny Him. 26:37 And in his usual brash zeal he had said: 26:41 "I will not deny You if I have to die with You! 26:45 You can count on me. " 26:48 But Jesus had prayed for Peter 26:51 and now the power of that prayer was beginning to work 26:57 in Peter's heart and it moved Peter 27:01 to restore him to loyalty. 27:04 So broken and full of anguish he goes out. 27:07 He gets alone with God and he repents. 27:11 Now turn to Luke chapter 22. 27:15 Luke chapter 22. 27:18 For you note takers, we're going to look at 27:22 Luke 22:66-71. 27:26 Luke 22 verses 66 through 71. 27:29 This is His formal trial before the Sanhedrin. 27:35 Caiaphas had called a hastily-called meeting: 27:40 an illegal night session of the Sanhedrin. 27:42 So now it's the dawn of day. He re-assembles the Sanhedrin 27:46 to formulate the charges against Jesus. 27:49 So Luke 22 and verse 66: 27:51 "As soon as it was day the elders of the people 27:54 both chief priests and scribes came together and led Him 27:57 into their council saying: 'If You are the Christ, tell us. ' 28:01 But He said to them: 'If I tell you 28:05 you will by no means believe. ' " 28:08 Once again, they expected a militant Messiah... 28:12 one who would deliver them physically, deliver them 28:17 materially. They did not expect the suffering servant 28:22 who was going to die as their substitute 28:26 to deliver them spiritually. 28:28 Do you remember what we said in the last hour? 28:31 Someone has said preconceived opinions 28:35 effectively insulate the mind against truth. 28:41 In verse 68 Jesus says: 28:45 "And if I ask you you will by no means answer Me 28:49 or let Me go. " He knew that they were unwilling 28:53 to let go of man-made religious practices. 28:57 These were abusive bullies. 29:01 And you know something? Bullies are always insecure individuals. 29:07 Bullies are afraid of losing their influence, 29:12 their power. And they're afraid of being powerless themselves. 29:16 And that's what was going on here. Verse 69: 29:19 "Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand 29:22 of the power of God. " "Then they all said: 29:25 'Are You then the Son of God? ' " 29:27 And He says to them: "You rightly say that I am. " 29:31 The Sanhedrin asked 2 questions: 29:33 "Are You the Christ? " "Are You the Son of God? " 29:36 They wanted to catch Him in clear-cut blasphemy. 29:40 And He claimed Sonship. He claimed that He would not 29:44 remain dead. He said: "You'll see Me at the right hand 29:47 of the throne of the Father. Even if you kill Me 29:50 you're going to see Me again. " 29:52 And He claimed exaltation, and their voices break forth 29:57 in an outrage. Verse 71: 30:00 "And they said: 'What further testimony do we need 30:03 for we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth. ' " 30:08 In other words: "You are guilty of blasphemy. 30:12 You are sentenced unto death. " 30:15 Now keep a finger here in Luke 30:17 and we're going to turn to John 18. 30:22 And I think I've got time to do this. While you're turning 30:25 I just want to share what was going on 30:30 with Judas. We saw what happened with Peter. 30:33 But when Judas saw that they had condemned Him 30:38 for blasphemy and he knew that they had plotted against Him 30:42 to put Him to death, Judas returns to the temple 30:47 priests and he says: "Hey, I've betrayed innocent blood. " 30:51 And there was a divine curse in Deuteronomy and I believe 30:55 27:25 against anyone 30:58 who would betray innocent blood. 31:03 So he says: "I've betrayed innocent blood. " 31:06 And he's trying to give them their 30 shekels back. 31:09 They won't even take it. 31:10 You know what they said? "What is that to us? " 31:13 Which shows they knew that Jesus was innocent. 31:15 But they said: "What is that to us? " 31:17 And so they told him: "You see to it. " 31:21 So their glib response proves 31:24 that they realized His innocence. 31:26 So Judas throws the 30 pieces down 31:29 in the temple and he is remorseful... 31:34 he's trying to make restitution. But unlike Peter 31:38 he doesn't repent. And gripped by guilt, he goes 31:41 out and he hangs himself. 31:43 And then Luke tells us in Acts 1:18 the rest of his story. 31:48 As he hung there in the hot sun 31:53 the bacteria of decay 31:56 caused his body to begin bloating up. 31:59 He was like an over-inflated balloon. 32:02 So when either the branch or the rope on which he 32:06 hung broke, he fell forward and his body split open. 32:11 So that's the difference between just being sorry for your sin 32:16 and repenting. So we should be at John 18. 32:21 We're going to consider verses 28 through 38. 32:26 The Sanhedrin has found Him guilty. 32:29 Now they're going to take Him before Pontius Pilate. 32:31 He's the Roman governor. He was actually the governor 32:34 from AD 26 to AD 36. 32:37 So verse 28: "Then they, the whole multitude 32:41 led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. " 32:43 This was the official residence of the Roman governor 32:47 and it was most likely in Herod's palace 32:50 that was on the western wall of the temple. 32:54 "And it was early morning... " early morning... 32:58 "but they themselves did not go into the Praetorium 33:01 lest they should be defiled 33:03 but that they might eat the Passover. " 33:06 This was a Gentile judgment hall, and if they went in 33:09 they'd be ceremonially unclean. 33:11 And when it's referring to eating the Passover 33:14 most likely it's referring to the feast of unleavened bread 33:17 that lasted for seven days. 33:20 But it's soon after sunrise. 33:23 So here Pilate is roused from a deep sleep 33:27 and he doesn't realize that he is waking up 33:32 to the greatest drama in history. 33:35 Verse 29: "Pilate then went out to them. " 33:39 I can just see him rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 33:42 "And he said: 'What accusation do you bring 33:46 against this Man? ' 33:48 They answered and said to him: 'If He were not an evil-doer 33:51 we would not have delivered Him up to you. ' " 33:53 Full of pride, aren't they? 33:56 Pilate didn't want to get involved in the internal affairs 34:00 of the Jews, so he says in verse 31: 34:04 "You take Him and judge Him according to your law. " 34:08 "Therefore the Jews said to him: 'It is not lawful for us to 34:11 put anyone to death' that the saying of Jesus might be 34:15 fulfilled which He spoke signifying by what death 34:20 He would die. " Well... what does that mean? 34:25 There's no other - as you're harmonizing this - 34:29 there's no other gospel that's going to explain it. 34:32 We've got to read between the lines. 34:36 It's signifying the death by which He would die. 34:40 You see, the Jews, although their authority had been 34:45 limited, they still stoned, didn't they, 34:49 for blasphemy. They stoned Stephen for blasphemy. 34:52 So they didn't strictly adhere to the Roman law. 34:55 But they were not wanting Jesus to be stoned. 35:00 They were seeking crucifixion. 35:04 Crucifixion horrified the Jews 35:07 because it was the same as hanging on a tree... 35:10 which carried God's curse. 35:14 And that's what they wanted for Jesus. 35:17 Now here the gospel of Luke 35:19 adds that they were hurling accusations of treason 35:23 against the Roman state saying: "We found this fellow 35:25 perverting the nation and forbidding to pay taxes 35:28 to Caesar saying that He Himself is Christ the King. ' " 35:32 But now let's continue. John 18:33: 35:35 "Then Pilate entered the Praetorium 35:38 and he called Jesus and said to Him: 35:41 'Are You the king of the Jews? ' 35:43 Jesus answered him: 'Are you speaking for yourself 35:46 about this or did others tell you this concerning Me? ' 35:49 Pilate answered: 'Am I a Jew? 35:52 Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You 35:55 to me. What have You done? ' 35:57 Jesus answered: 'My kingdom is not of this world. 36:01 If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would 36:04 fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. 36:07 But now My kingdom is not from here. ' " 36:11 He's saying: "I am a King, 36:13 but I rule over hearts... not territory. " 36:17 "Pilate therefore said to Him: 36:19 'Are you a King then? ' Jesus answered: 36:22 'You say rightly that I am a King. 36:25 For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come 36:28 into the world: that I should bear witness 36:31 to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth 36:33 here's My voice. ' " And then Pilate - 36:37 standing in the presence of truth incarnate - 36:41 Pilate says: "What is truth? " 36:45 He is just dismissing the relevance of truth. 36:51 You know, if we consider Matthew's account 36:53 of Christ standing before Pilate, 36:55 it's interesting. Matthew says Jesus did not answer 37:00 one charge that the chief priests and the elders 37:03 hurled against Him... not one word. 37:06 And Pilate marveled greatly because Pilate was used to 37:11 men saying with loud protestation: "I'm innocent! " 37:16 He was used to men trying to defend themselves 37:19 and it was confusing to him 37:21 to see a Man who seemed content to die. 37:24 was being fulfilled. 37:29 "He was oppressed and He was afflicted 37:32 yet He opened not His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the 37:35 slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent 37:38 so He opened not His mouth. " 37:42 Now flip back to Luke. 37:45 We're going to now consider Luke chapter 23 37:51 verses 4 through 17. 37:54 Luke 23:4-17. 37:57 This is when Pilate sends Jesus 38:01 to Herod Antipas. 38:03 Luke 23 and verse 4: 38:06 "So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd: 38:08 'I find no fault in this Man. ' 38:10 But they were the more fierce saying: 'He stirs up the people 38:13 teaching through all Judea beginning from Galilee 38:16 to this place. ' Now when Pilate heard of Galilee 38:20 he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon 38:24 as he knew that Jesus was 38:27 and he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, 38:31 he sent Him to Herod who was also in Jerusalem 38:35 at this time. " Now who is Herod? 38:38 He's the tetrarch of Galilee. 38:40 He's the one who murdered John the Baptist. 38:44 So verse 8: "Now when Herod saw Jesus 38:47 he was exceedingly glad for he had desired for a long time 38:52 to see Him because he had heard many things about Him. " 38:57 "He had heard many things about Him 38:59 and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. " 39:01 He wanted Jesus to entertain him in other words. 39:04 "Then he questioned Him with many words 39:07 but Jesus answered him nothing. " 39:10 Members of Herod's household were believers. 39:15 His personal steward Chuza was a believer, 39:19 and Chuza's wife Joanna was a believer. 39:22 They were supporters of Jesus. 39:25 You can find it in Luke 8 and verse 3. 39:27 And Manaen, who was brought up as Herod's foster brother, 39:32 was a believer. He was actually a teacher 39:35 in the early church. We find that in Acts 13 verse 1. 39:39 But their reports about Jesus 39:42 had no effect on Herod's unresponsive heart. 39:47 And Herod is the only man that Jesus did not answer. 39:51 Not one word. 39:54 He stood in dignified silence. 39:57 Herod had not listened to John the Baptist 40:02 so Jesus didn't waste any words on him. 40:04 So let's look at Luke 23:10. 40:07 "And the chief priests and the scribes stood and vehemently 40:10 accused Him. Then Herod with his men of war treated 40:13 Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a 40:15 gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. 40:17 That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other 40:20 for previously they had been at enmity with each other. 40:23 Then Pilate when he had called together the chief priests, 40:26 the rulers, and the people said to them: 40:28 'You have brought this Man to me as One who misleads 40:31 the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, 40:34 I have found no fault in this Man 40:36 concerning those things of which you accuse Him. 40:39 Nor neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him 40:42 and indeed, nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. ' " 40:46 So now he's going to offer a compromise. 40:49 "I will therefore chastise Him and release Him 40:52 for... " verse 17 says: "it was necessary 40:57 for him to release one to them at the feast. " 41:02 This was a common practice. 41:04 So now let's look at Matthew 27. Again, note takers: 41:10 this is Matthew 27 verses 16 through 30. 41:15 Pilate is going to wash his hands of it. 41:19 Matthew 27... 41:21 we'll look at verses 16 through 30. 41:27 So Matthew 27:16: 41:30 "And at that time they had a notorious prisoner 41:32 called Barabbas. " He was notorious because he 41:35 had committed a murder in the uprising. 41:37 "Therefore when they had gathered together Pilate said 41:40 to them: 'Whom do you want me to release to you? 41:43 Barabbas... or Jesus who is called Christ? ' 41:45 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of 41:49 envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat 41:52 his wife sent to him saying: 'Have nothing to do 41:57 with that just Man for I have suffered 42:01 many things in a dream because of Him. ' " 42:04 Ancient Christian tradition tells us 42:08 that Pilate's wife's name was Claudia. 42:12 Claudia was a convert to Judaism 42:15 and then later became an ardent Christian. 42:18 So here she is. They've been aroused from their sleep. 42:23 He's out there and she realizes: "Oh my goodness... look 42:26 what's going on. " So she raises a voice 42:30 to try to defend Jesus. 42:32 The only voice that was raised in His trial 42:34 to try to defend Him... a female voice. 42:39 Verse 20 says - and I have to say this - 42:44 her message really enforced... reinforced Pilate's fear. 42:48 We'll see in just a minute. 42:50 Verse 20: "But the chief priests and the elders 42:53 persuaded the multitude... " They're stirring up the crowd. 42:56 "that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 42:58 The governor answered and said to them: 'Which of the two 43:02 do you want me to release to you? ' 43:03 They said: 'Barabbas. ' And Jesus said to them... 43:06 or Pilate said to them: 43:07 'What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? ' 43:11 And they all said to him: 'Let Him be crucified! ' 43:14 Then the governor said: 'Why? What evil has He done? ' 43:18 But they cried out all the more saying: 'Let Him be crucified! ' 43:23 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all 43:25 but rather that a tumult was rising 43:28 he took water and he washed his hands 43:32 before the multitude saying: 43:34 'I am innocent of the blood of this just person. 43:37 You see to it.' " Now first of all, let me tell you something. 43:40 Pilate was not a nice guy. 43:44 History tells us... I mean this isn't just because 43:48 Pilate is some sweet wonderful man. 43:51 He was not a nice man; he mistreated the Jews. 43:54 He did not want to get... There had been so much 43:59 disturbance under his administration 44:01 he didn't want to get involved with this. 44:04 But something made him realize Jesus is innocent. 44:10 He exonerated Jesus 3 times. 44:13 But he's overruled by the people's choice. 44:16 So what does he do? He can't risk any more problems 44:19 with the Jews because Caesar could recall him. 44:24 Rome could recall him or even a worse state. 44:27 So he washes his hands, but he is not free of guilt. 44:33 Pilate had the authority and the responsibility 44:38 to act justly. And it's interesting. I found 44:41 this note... it's so fascinating. 44:43 Eusebius was a Christian scholar and a Roman historian. 44:47 He reports that in AD 37... 44:50 What year was Jesus killed? AD 31. 44:54 In AD 37 Pilate was... 44:59 He only reigned to 36. He was exiled to Gaul 45:04 which was in Western Europe. 45:05 So basically if he reigned from the middle of 31 45:09 to 36... for about 4-1/2 more years 45:13 of reign... he sold his soul. 45:16 We have to remember... whew! Matthew 27 and verse 25: 45:21 "And all the people answered: 'His blood be upon us 45:25 and on our children. ' 45:28 Then he released Barabbas to them. 45:32 And when he had scourged Jesus 45:35 he delivered Him to be crucified. " 45:37 You know, we sanitize the scenes of the flogging 45:42 and the crucifixion. 45:44 Perhaps because the Bible writers didn't go into the 45:47 horror of it... but they didn't have to 45:49 because people during their times knew what happened. 45:53 We have to go to extra Biblical resources 45:56 to find out exactly what happened. 46:00 When the Romans flogged a prisoner 46:04 they would strip him to the waist. 46:07 They would tie him to the rack, 46:09 tying his wrists with leather thongs 46:12 and his ankles with leather thongs. 46:15 And then the whip they used was no ordinary whip. 46:18 This was many leather thongs that were loaded with lead 46:23 and sharp bones and iron spikes. 46:26 And then every time they would hit 46:30 every blow would tear into the muscles and the ligaments. 46:35 And bones would be chipped; their bones would be laid bare. 46:40 And if they missed... if they hit wrong, 46:43 they would be disemboweled. Many men died on the rack. 46:48 See, the Rom... Now the Jews... how many blows? 46:53 Forty minus one... 39. 46:57 But the Romans had no such limit. 47:00 Their only stipulation was you beat them till the flesh 47:04 hung off their back. 47:05 So this was excruciating pain. 47:09 "He was wounded for our transgressions; 47:13 He was bruised for our iniquities... 47:16 and by His stripes we are healed. " 47:21 He was weakened from the beatings and dehydrated. 47:25 He hadn't had anything to drink all night long. 47:27 Blood loss. Is it any wonder 47:30 that He was too weak to carry His cross? 47:33 Verse 27: 47:35 "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the 47:37 Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him 47:40 and they stripped Him and they put a scarlet robe on Him. 47:42 And when they had twisted a crown of thorns they put it 47:45 on His head and a reed in His right hand. 47:47 And they bowed the knee before Him. 47:50 And they mocked Him saying: 'Hail, king of the Jews. ' 47:53 Then they spat on Him and they took the reed and they 47:57 struck Him on the head. " 48:00 And John adds: "They struck Him with their hands. " 48:03 This is brutal treatment to our wounded and exhausted 48:08 Savior. The bushes of Palestine 48:11 are noted for their very long - and we've seen them - 48:16 very long very sharp thorns. 48:21 And these thorns... For the soldiers to have twisted 48:25 this together they would have had to have had gloved hands 48:29 or their hands would have been bloodied. 48:31 So when they put that... Each time they put that 48:35 crown of thorns on His head... each time they hit Him over 48:38 the head that would drive the thorns deeper 48:41 into Christ's scalp. And what were thorns? 48:44 They were an emblem of sin, remember? 48:47 When God put the curse on the earth the thorns came. 48:52 So the soldiers placed an emblem of sin upon Jesus' head 48:58 but God crowned Him. He crowned Him with the actual 49:04 sins of the world. Sister White says 49:08 "Imagine... " Let your imagination go to this scene. 49:12 "Imagine now the bloodied, battered 49:17 body of the suffering Messiah. " 49:21 There's a scripture that I really understand now. 49:25 Isaiah 52:14 says: 49:28 "Just as many were astonished at You 49:31 so His... " speaking of the servant, the Messiah... 49:37 "so His visage was marred more than any man 49:42 and His form more than the sons of men. " 49:47 In other words, He was so beaten, 49:50 so bruised, He was unrecognizable. 49:55 So what happens in John 19 50:00 verses 4 through 16. John 19:4-16. 50:04 We're going to have to hurry, I just looked at the clock. 50:09 Pilate's final attempt for compromise. 50:13 Pilate brings Him out and says: "Behold the Man. " 50:16 "Behold the bloody spectacle. " 50:18 "And therefore when the chief priests and the officers 50:21 saw Him they said: 'Crucify Him; crucify Him! ' " 50:24 He said: "You take Him and crucify Him. I don't find any 50:27 fault in Him. " And they said: "But we have a law 50:30 and according to our law He ought to die because 50:32 He claims... He made Himself out to be the Son of God. " 50:35 Whew! Now Pilate's even more fearful. 50:38 History says that he was very superstitious, and the idea 50:41 that he was about to kill a supernatural being 50:45 made him afraid. So he comes back in and he says 50:48 to Jesus: "Where are You from? " 50:50 And Jesus doesn't answer. 50:52 And he says: "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know 50:55 that I have the power to crucify You and the power 50:58 to release You? " But Jesus says this: 51:00 "You could have no power at all against Me 51:04 unless it had been given you from above. 51:07 Therefore the one who delivered Me to you 51:10 has the worse... the greater sin. " 51:13 So he goes therefore in verse 13 51:16 to sit on the judgment seat 51:20 and he then in verse 14 says: 51:23 "Behold your King. " He leads them away... 51:27 They're saying: "Away with Him; crucify Him. " 51:30 And he delivers Him to be crucified 51:32 so that they took Jesus and led Him away. 51:35 Jesus... whose whole ministry was healing people 51:39 and setting them free... He was wounded 51:42 and bound and led away to be crucified. 51:45 And men thought that they had triumphed, but the real 51:48 triumph was going to be shown in just a few days, wasn't it, 51:51 at the resurrection. 51:53 So let me ask you this: 51:56 why? We know Jesus had to die for us. 52:00 Why did Jesus have to suffer so much 52:04 before His death? What was the purpose 52:08 of His suffering before the crucifixion? 52:12 His suffering reveals the magnitude of God's love for us. 52:18 John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only 52:21 begotten Son, that whosoever should believe on Him 52:25 would not perish but have everlasting life. " 52:27 Romans 5:8. "God demonstrated His love by this: 52:30 while we were yet sinners He sent Jesus to die for us. " 52:33 And John 15:13 when Jesus said: "Greater love hath no man 52:38 than this: that he would lay down his life 52:40 for another. " Because of our sins... 52:43 I Peter says He suffered "to bring us to God. " 52:48 Listen: I Peter 3:18: 52:50 "For Christ also suffered once for sin - 52:53 the just for the unjust - that He might bring us to God. 52:57 Being put to death in the flesh 52:58 but made alive in the Spirit. " 53:01 Jesus paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt 53:04 we could not pay. Isaiah 53 says: "Surely He 53:09 has borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him 53:13 stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was 53:16 wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised 53:19 for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace 53:22 was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. " 53:25 The violence of sin was heaped upon Him, 53:29 and His suffering reveals the horrendous nature of sin. 53:33 It demonstrates how far He would go for love and righteousness 53:37 because He suffered to make us whole. 53:41 But it is the New Testament book of Hebrews - 53:44 and I don't think we've got time to flip there - so let me 53:46 just say it quickly. In Hebrews chapter 4:14-16 53:52 says He suffered with our weaknesses so that He could be 53:57 a compassionate High Priest. 54:00 "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who is 54:03 passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, 54:05 let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest 54:09 who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses 54:11 but was in all points tempted as we are 54:14 yet without sin. " And THAT is the reason 54:18 that we can come boldly before the throne of grace. 54:22 He understands! He has proven that 54:27 He's not some distant God. 54:29 He's not gonna let you suffer alone. 54:31 Have you, like Jesus, been betrayed and abandoned 54:35 by those closest to you? 54:37 Have you been verbally abused? Suffered rejection 54:41 and ridicule? Have people false- ly accused you and told lies 54:46 about you? Have you suffered vicious physical abuse? 54:50 Have you been stripped naked and violated 54:53 and suffered intense pain? 54:54 Jesus understands your feeling of powerlessness. 55:00 Jesus knows that you are tempted. 55:03 He understands that you're temp- ted to hurt those who hurt you. 55:07 To lash out against those who abuse you. 55:10 He suffered to give you victory over these feelings. 55:14 He's somebody who can carry our burdens today 55:17 and give us the victory. 55:19 In the decades following Jesus' death 55:22 there were many martyrs who were brutally martyred. 55:27 But knowing that Jesus willingly 55:30 chose to face such physical pain and suffering 55:34 on their behalf gave them the strength 55:37 to carry forward... faithful unto the end. 55:41 By choosing to suffer physical and verbal abuse 55:45 He identified with us so that He could offer us 55:49 His supernatural strength at the times when we suffer. 55:54 As we confront the terrifying trials of life 55:58 we need to reach up for our Savior's hand 56:02 knowing that He is able to give us the help that we need. 56:06 He empathizes; He'll give us the victory. 56:11 We know that He was crucified in weakness 56:14 but He goes on living in the power of God. 56:17 And His power is made perfect in our weakness. 56:21 His grace is sufficient, so we can take great hope. 56:27 We know like Paul said in Philippians 4:13 56:31 "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. " 56:37 Praise the Lord! 56:38 One of my favorite promises is Romans 8:37-39. 56:45 It says this: "Yet in all these things 56:48 we are more than conquerors 56:51 through Him who loved us. 56:53 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life 56:56 nor angels nor principalities nor powers 57:00 nor things present nor things to come 57:03 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing 57:08 shall be able to separate us 57:11 from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. " 57:16 I hope that you will take this study 57:20 and go home and repeat it over and over. 57:24 Watch what it does to your heart. 57:26 Watch how it connects you to the Lord. 57:29 Watch how you will be imbued 57:31 with the power of the Holy Spirit. |
Revised 2019-12-18