So,<\/p>\n
so I'll be preaching English today. And<\/p>\n
if you'd like to hear it, of course, we<\/p>\n
have those headphones. Some of you<\/p>\n
already have those on. And thank you,<\/p>\n
Chaa, for translating today. So if you<\/p>\n
are uh visiting you um one thing I want<\/p>\n
to say briefly is that we've been in the<\/p>\n
Gospel of Matthew and we'll continue in<\/p>\n
that today and we've been walking<\/p>\n
towards Holy Week. Well, today marks the<\/p>\n
day when Holy Week begins. You saw the<\/p>\n
children up here with the palm branches.<\/p>\n
Palm Sunday. Today is known as Palm<\/p>\n
Sunday. So we enter into that week. We<\/p>\n
enter into Holy Week. Uh today is the<\/p>\n
day uh Palm Sunday when we remember when<\/p>\n
Jesus entered Jerusalem. It's known as<\/p>\n
the triumphal entry when he came in to<\/p>\n
the city of Jerusalem. Now, we actually<\/p>\n
looked at that text uh a little bit out<\/p>\n
of order a few weeks ago, a couple weeks<\/p>\n
ago. So, you can go listen to that<\/p>\n
sermon if you would like, but we did<\/p>\n
that uh then because we're doing things<\/p>\n
a little bit differently this year. We<\/p>\n
want to look at some other parts of what<\/p>\n
transpired in this week in Holy Week.<\/p>\n
There are some amazing things that took<\/p>\n
place uh in this week and we want to<\/p>\n
look at those. And so last uh yeah we<\/p>\n
want to understand what happened. So<\/p>\n
when Jesus um entered into Jerusalem of<\/p>\n
course on what we call Palm Sunday now<\/p>\n
he was proclaiming remember if you were<\/p>\n
here for that sermon he was proclaiming<\/p>\n
and showing himself very clearly to be<\/p>\n
the Messiah the promised one that was to<\/p>\n
come and to deliver the people. The Old<\/p>\n
Testament prophecy, Israel had been<\/p>\n
waiting and Jesus was here. He said,<\/p>\n
\"Look, this is who I am. I am the one<\/p>\n
that has come to rescue the world.\" But<\/p>\n
he was riding on a donkey. And we<\/p>\n
remember, wow, that doesn't seem like<\/p>\n
it's the picture of a powerful military<\/p>\n
mighty leader coming into the city. But<\/p>\n
what it showed was that God's ways are<\/p>\n
not our ways. And Jesus had come, we<\/p>\n
know looking back, he had come to<\/p>\n
powerfully save by his utmost what?<\/p>\n
Humility.<\/p>\n
Humility. He was giving of himself<\/p>\n
for the world. He was giving of himself<\/p>\n
for us. Last week, Ajanati led us as we<\/p>\n
looked at the last uh meal, the last<\/p>\n
supper as it's known and called uh with<\/p>\n
his disciples. And at that meal, Jesus,<\/p>\n
remember, and we celebrated this last<\/p>\n
week, he took the bread at the table. He<\/p>\n
took the bread and he and he broke it.<\/p>\n
And when he broke that bread, he he was<\/p>\n
saying, \"This is my body.\" He was using<\/p>\n
it as a visual for the people, for his<\/p>\n
disciples and for us now, but for them,<\/p>\n
showing them, \"This is me. I am going to<\/p>\n
be broken and given up for you.\" and<\/p>\n
this cup. And he took the cup and he<\/p>\n
raised it up and he said, \"This wine is<\/p>\n
the new covenant in my blood.\" He was<\/p>\n
saying and showing my blood will be shed<\/p>\n
for you. My blood will be shed for you.<\/p>\n
Now remember, when we read the gospels,<\/p>\n
when we read the Bible, and when we read<\/p>\n
the gospels, they actually give us a<\/p>\n
firsthand historical account of Jesus,<\/p>\n
of his life. Like these things happened.<\/p>\n
they really happened. And when we read<\/p>\n
the Bible, we see and we know and we<\/p>\n
begin to understand more and more about<\/p>\n
just who Jesus is and what he did during<\/p>\n
his life. So we read it, we see it, we<\/p>\n
know it. Uh and in in in that knowledge<\/p>\n
and in that understanding, as our minds<\/p>\n
begin to reckon with this, it beckons<\/p>\n
us, it calls us, it calls us to to<\/p>\n
wrestle with it. And so the idea is that<\/p>\n
we're called to believe<\/p>\n
to believe in it to believe in him to<\/p>\n
know him as our God to worship him to<\/p>\n
find our lives rooted in him fulfilled<\/p>\n
in him. This is the call of the<\/p>\n
scriptures. It's the call of the gospel.<\/p>\n
Now a few weeks back about a month ago<\/p>\n
um when Kuniran preached he he mentioned<\/p>\n
this verse in Matthew 16. So earlier in<\/p>\n
the gospel from what we're going to look<\/p>\n
at tonight uh and it's such an amazing<\/p>\n
very simple verse and there's something<\/p>\n
happening here where Jesus is conversing<\/p>\n
with his disciples remember and people<\/p>\n
have been trying to figure him out and<\/p>\n
so it says that you know he's he's<\/p>\n
asking like who who do people say that I<\/p>\n
am what's you know what's happening out<\/p>\n
there what are people saying about who I<\/p>\n
am and he gets different answers but<\/p>\n
Jesus says to them he says to them Well,<\/p>\n
what what about you?<\/p>\n
What about you? Like, who do you say<\/p>\n
that I am? And friends, that is the<\/p>\n
question that we look at and deal with<\/p>\n
as we understand and read and understand<\/p>\n
the Bible and and understand who Jesus<\/p>\n
is. This is the question for us as well.<\/p>\n
It's the question for us. We read the<\/p>\n
gospels. We see the claims of who Jesus<\/p>\n
is. claims that he made himself and<\/p>\n
claims that other people made of him.<\/p>\n
And we're invited to answer. In fact,<\/p>\n
you might say, we have to answer. We<\/p>\n
have to reconcile with this question.<\/p>\n
Who is this man?<\/p>\n
Who is Jesus?<\/p>\n
Now, as we enter into Holy Week, allow<\/p>\n
yourself to imagine.<\/p>\n
If you need to close your eyes and<\/p>\n
picture it, whatever you need to do, but<\/p>\n
think about this. Think about all that<\/p>\n
took place all those years ago. Jesus,<\/p>\n
he's arrived in Jerusalem. He's had his<\/p>\n
last meal, his last supper with his<\/p>\n
very, very close followers.<\/p>\n
And our text today, it actually is kind<\/p>\n
of what happens next. It recounts his<\/p>\n
betrayal,<\/p>\n
uh, profound interaction with a Roman<\/p>\n
authority, a local governor that we'll<\/p>\n
learn about, uh, and his death is nigh.<\/p>\n
He knows his time is come and we're<\/p>\n
seeing that play out in this passage.<\/p>\n
Let me pray for us and we'll we'll read<\/p>\n
our text for tonight. Let's pray. God,<\/p>\n
we believe that your word, that your<\/p>\n
Bible, the scriptures that we're reading<\/p>\n
today, we believe that they are eternal,<\/p>\n
that they are your word to us, and that<\/p>\n
these words have the power to reveal our<\/p>\n
own hearts to us and before you.<\/p>\n
So we ask that you would speak through<\/p>\n
these words, that you would speak<\/p>\n
through this passage, that you would use<\/p>\n
this truth in our own hearts today, our<\/p>\n
own lives.<\/p>\n
Help us to see what you would would help<\/p>\n
help us see uh what you have us to see<\/p>\n
and to understand like to have knowledge<\/p>\n
of what you would want us to understand.<\/p>\n
And even we would ask that, you know, we<\/p>\n
believe your word challenges our hearts.<\/p>\n
And so if there's anything in us that is<\/p>\n
not of you or or just help us like<\/p>\n
challenge our hearts and if if we sense<\/p>\n
some change that you are leading us to,<\/p>\n
would you help us in that? Would you<\/p>\n
lead us in that? Would you give us<\/p>\n
courage to again ask of you and to<\/p>\n
submit to you and walk in you? So we ask<\/p>\n
that you would do all of that. We know<\/p>\n
it's within your power and we ask that<\/p>\n
you would do all of that today. Help us<\/p>\n
see your grace and your mercy at work in<\/p>\n
our lives and in this city. We ask and<\/p>\n
pray in your holy name. Amen.<\/p>\n
So our passage today is uh taken from<\/p>\n
Matthew um the 27th chapter and our<\/p>\n
portion of it, it's not a very long<\/p>\n
portion, but there is so much happening<\/p>\n
here. So much. Let me read it to us and<\/p>\n
we'll look at it more deeply. Jesus<\/p>\n
before Pilate. Now Jesus stood before<\/p>\n
the governor and the governor asked him,<\/p>\n
\"Are you the king of the Jews?\"<\/p>\n
Jesus said, \"You have said so.\"<\/p>\n
Jesus said, \"You have said so.\" But when<\/p>\n
he was accused by the chief priests and<\/p>\n
the elders, he gave no answer.<\/p>\n
Then Pilate said to him, \"Do you not<\/p>\n
hear how many things they testify<\/p>\n
against you?\"<\/p>\n
But he gave him no answer, not even to a<\/p>\n
single charge. So that the governor was<\/p>\n
greatly amazed.<\/p>\n
Now at the feast, the governor was<\/p>\n
accustomed to release for the crowd any<\/p>\n
one prisoner whom they wanted.<\/p>\n
And they had there then a notorious<\/p>\n
prisoner called Barabus.<\/p>\n
So when they had gathered, Pilate said<\/p>\n
to them, \"Whom do you want me to release<\/p>\n
for you? Barabus or Jesus who is called<\/p>\n
Christ?\"<\/p>\n
For he knew that it was out of envy that<\/p>\n
they had had him delivered up delivered<\/p>\n
him up to to Pilate. Besides, he was<\/p>\n
sitting on the judgment seat. And while<\/p>\n
he was there, his wife sent word to him<\/p>\n
to Pilate, \"Have nothing to do with this<\/p>\n
righteous man, for I have suffered much<\/p>\n
because of him today in a dream.\" Now<\/p>\n
the chief priests and the elders<\/p>\n
persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabus<\/p>\n
and to destroy Jesus.<\/p>\n
The governor again said to them, \"Which<\/p>\n
of the two do you want me to release for<\/p>\n
you?\" And they said, \"Barabus.\"<\/p>\n
Pilate said to them, \"Then what shall I<\/p>\n
do with Jesus who is called Christ?\" And<\/p>\n
they all said, \"Let him be crucified.\"<\/p>\n
And he said, \"Why? What evil has he<\/p>\n
done?\" But they shouted all the more,<\/p>\n
\"Let him be crucified.\"<\/p>\n
And when Pilate saw that he was gaining<\/p>\n
nothing, but rather that a riot was<\/p>\n
beginning, he took water and washed his<\/p>\n
hands before the crowd, saying, \"I am<\/p>\n
innocent of this man's blood. See to it<\/p>\n
yourselves.\"<\/p>\n
And all the people answered, \"His blood<\/p>\n
be on us and on our children.\"<\/p>\n
Then he released for them Barabbus<\/p>\n
and having scourged Jesus delivered him<\/p>\n
to be crucified.<\/p>\n
This is the word of the Lord.<\/p>\n
As we read this passage in the Gospel of<\/p>\n
Matthew,<\/p>\n
it deals with all these different themes<\/p>\n
in this unfolding part of Jesus's life.<\/p>\n
themes of power,<\/p>\n
authority,<\/p>\n
crime,<\/p>\n
punishment,<\/p>\n
justice,<\/p>\n
and injustice.<\/p>\n
As we look at this text more closely,<\/p>\n
let's have these themes in mind.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of Matthew 27,<\/p>\n
there's u there's some details about<\/p>\n
what happened, what transpired.<\/p>\n
says, 'When morning came, all the chief<\/p>\n
priests and the elders, this is after<\/p>\n
the the the supper, the the the last<\/p>\n
supper, the final supper, uh the night<\/p>\n
before, when the morning came, all the<\/p>\n
chief priests and the elders of the<\/p>\n
people took counsel against Jesus to put<\/p>\n
him to death<\/p>\n
and they bound him and they led him away<\/p>\n
and delivered him over to Pilate, the<\/p>\n
governor. Now the events in this chapter<\/p>\n
happen right like I just said after the<\/p>\n
last supper the next day Jesus has been<\/p>\n
betrayed by Judas okay at dinner<\/p>\n
remember and then in the garden he's<\/p>\n
been denied by Peter said aren't you one<\/p>\n
of his disciples no I don't know your I<\/p>\n
don't know that man right he's been<\/p>\n
denied by Peter his disciples have<\/p>\n
scattered<\/p>\n
Jesus has been brought before Jewish<\/p>\n
authorities the night before after the<\/p>\n
dinner and after the garden the high<\/p>\n
priest<\/p>\n
scribes, elders, all these religious<\/p>\n
leaders. And after examining him,<\/p>\n
questioning him, accusing him of<\/p>\n
blasphemy, they pronounce him deserving<\/p>\n
of death, the text says. And so they set<\/p>\n
out to see what can be done. What can we<\/p>\n
do about Jesus? What can we do about<\/p>\n
Jesus? And that's where we pick up here.<\/p>\n
Now, at this time in history, uh<\/p>\n
Jerusalem was under the rule and the<\/p>\n
reign of the Roman Empire. very powerful<\/p>\n
historical<\/p>\n
uh empire, the Romans, Roman Empire and<\/p>\n
Jewish religious leaders like Caiaphas,<\/p>\n
like Anus, others, they were allowed,<\/p>\n
they were given some measure of<\/p>\n
authority with the Jewish people. But<\/p>\n
the Roman authority, the Roman Empire,<\/p>\n
they were the final authority. They were<\/p>\n
they were ruling over, reigning over<\/p>\n
Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
The reason that they took the religious<\/p>\n
leaders took Jesus to Pilate was that<\/p>\n
the Jewish leaders, they lacked the<\/p>\n
authority<\/p>\n
to have Jesus executed. They could not<\/p>\n
do that. It was outside of their<\/p>\n
authority. And yet that's what they<\/p>\n
wanted to happen. So they took Jesus to<\/p>\n
Pilate.<\/p>\n
Now Pontius Pilate was the the Roman<\/p>\n
governor and he was serving over he was<\/p>\n
exercising authority over the region of<\/p>\n
Judea which included Jerusalem. So he's<\/p>\n
the local political ruler representing<\/p>\n
Rome. So he's there. He has certain<\/p>\n
responsibilities, certain power. And he<\/p>\n
did have authority to have criminals<\/p>\n
executed,<\/p>\n
prisoners, and others that had committed<\/p>\n
crimes, they could be put to death. And<\/p>\n
Pilate could rule on that, and he could<\/p>\n
he could pronounce that over them, that<\/p>\n
they had to be executed. Now, as brutal<\/p>\n
as Rome was, and perhaps you've read<\/p>\n
books, seen films, you know that they<\/p>\n
were they were a brutal empire, they<\/p>\n
still operated within a system of<\/p>\n
even though they were really brutal. And<\/p>\n
and Roman justice could be met through<\/p>\n
punishment for crimes, right? Justice<\/p>\n
could be met against the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n
But there was a legal system that had to<\/p>\n
be followed. So this passage sets up a<\/p>\n
really unique problem for the Jewish<\/p>\n
leaders and for Pilate because it's<\/p>\n
brought to him. And we'll see why even<\/p>\n
more so. It's a big problem for him.<\/p>\n
The religious leaders wanted Jesus<\/p>\n
killed. They couldn't do it. They take<\/p>\n
him to Pilate who can do it, but he has<\/p>\n
to follow a Roman legal system.<\/p>\n
It's a challenge, right? The Jewish<\/p>\n
leaders, they think Jesus deserves<\/p>\n
death. They want to kill him. In their<\/p>\n
minds, their religious teachings, they<\/p>\n
believe he's guilty of blasphemy, which<\/p>\n
is which is punishable by death. It's<\/p>\n
horrible. And so, he deserves to die.<\/p>\n
They've pronounced that over him. They<\/p>\n
did not believe him to be the Messiah,<\/p>\n
right? who Jesus has said or they would<\/p>\n
worship him as such. But they don't<\/p>\n
believe him to be the Messiah and so<\/p>\n
they are seeking to silence him. How do<\/p>\n
you silence him? You kill him. But they<\/p>\n
didn't have the authority. They couldn't<\/p>\n
do it. What can they do? On the other<\/p>\n
side, again, Pilate, the local ruler,<\/p>\n
has a lot of authority. He had criminals<\/p>\n
killed, but for crimes against who? The<\/p>\n
Roman Empire. And he had to adhere to<\/p>\n
and follow a Roman legal process. Okay,<\/p>\n
remember those themes? Power, uh,<\/p>\n
authority, betrayal, crime, punishment,<\/p>\n
justice, injustice.<\/p>\n
All of this sets this scene for this<\/p>\n
particular part of the Gospel of<\/p>\n
Matthew.<\/p>\n
So, Pilate again, he's in a really tough<\/p>\n
spot. What does he do? He's trying to<\/p>\n
keep order in the city. This is the<\/p>\n
Passover. There are a lot of Jewish<\/p>\n
people gathered uh for the Passover. The<\/p>\n
city is full. We're about to experience<\/p>\n
Sonran in a couple of weeks. The streets<\/p>\n
are going to be full of people out,<\/p>\n
right? When that happens, there are<\/p>\n
unique challenges. A lot of people<\/p>\n
gather. You have to be careful. The last<\/p>\n
thing Pilate wants is for things to get<\/p>\n
out of hand under his leadership, under<\/p>\n
his rule. If there was an uprising in<\/p>\n
Jerusalem during this time, especially<\/p>\n
during this religious uh Passover<\/p>\n
season, it could be really bad for him.<\/p>\n
Really bad for him. He could lose his<\/p>\n
job, maybe worse, but he's also<\/p>\n
responsible at the same time to just<\/p>\n
follow and operate within the<\/p>\n
jurisdiction of his authority, his<\/p>\n
position. So, uh to justly fulfill his<\/p>\n
role, he needs more details, right? This<\/p>\n
person's been brought to him. Is he a<\/p>\n
criminal? What has he done? Pilot needs<\/p>\n
more details. So, he asks some<\/p>\n
questions. He needs to know, \"Who are<\/p>\n
you?\" He has authority in this case. He<\/p>\n
works within his role. And he asked<\/p>\n
Jesus a similar question to what we were<\/p>\n
just talking about. Who do you say that<\/p>\n
I am? Except he asked Jesus, \"Who are<\/p>\n
you?\" essentially he says, \"Are you the<\/p>\n
king of the Jews? Are you a religious<\/p>\n
leader? Are you a powerful leader among<\/p>\n
the Jewish people? Are you the king of<\/p>\n
the Jews?\" So Pilate is trying to<\/p>\n
understand who Jesus is. And from a<\/p>\n
political stance in the eyes of the<\/p>\n
Roman Empire, he seems pretty harmless.<\/p>\n
He came into the city on a donkey. He's<\/p>\n
not a threat. He's just not. Rome is<\/p>\n
mighty and powerful. He seems to just be<\/p>\n
a religious figure for the Jewish<\/p>\n
people, someone that's important to some<\/p>\n
of them, but they're also in a<\/p>\n
disagreement about that. In fact, their<\/p>\n
leaders say, \"No, he's not our king. In<\/p>\n
fact, he needs to die.\" Hm.<\/p>\n
So there are a lot of accusations that<\/p>\n
were made against Jesus, about Jesus,<\/p>\n
from their positions of leadership and<\/p>\n
power. And Pilates's heard these. He<\/p>\n
says, \"Don't aren't you going to answer<\/p>\n
these? Like they're making all these<\/p>\n
claims about you?\" And Jesus is silent.<\/p>\n
Right? So Pilate asks further, \"Don't<\/p>\n
you hear those things?<\/p>\n
Aren't you going to defend yourself?\"<\/p>\n
Right? This is a a legal proceeding.<\/p>\n
Where's the defense? Aren't you going to<\/p>\n
answer these accusations against you?<\/p>\n
But Jesus does not respond. He does not.<\/p>\n
In the midst of these accusations made<\/p>\n
against him, he's silent before Pilate.<\/p>\n
Other than this initial statement, you<\/p>\n
have said so, right? He's silent.<\/p>\n
And Pilate's the authority.<\/p>\n
He's the one with the authority to judge<\/p>\n
here, right now in the eyes of the Roman<\/p>\n
Empire.<\/p>\n
So no testimony is given.<\/p>\n
A just and uh a just judgment, a<\/p>\n
righteous judgment and ruling requires<\/p>\n
an understanding of the facts and<\/p>\n
details. Right?<\/p>\n
Has a crime been committed? Has any law<\/p>\n
been broken?<\/p>\n
Is this person standing in front of me?<\/p>\n
Is this person truly deserving of<\/p>\n
punishment or even execution? Is he<\/p>\n
deserved to die?<\/p>\n
But Jesus does not respond. There's no<\/p>\n
there's no response to all of that<\/p>\n
questioning and all of those statements.<\/p>\n
Remember how uh we've talked about<\/p>\n
prophecy in the Old Testament? All these<\/p>\n
centuries of biblical recording,<\/p>\n
scripture, prophets and prophecy made<\/p>\n
about the Messiah. This is part of<\/p>\n
Isaiah 53, chapter uh 53:7.<\/p>\n
And it's talking, and we'll read more of<\/p>\n
it later, but it's talking about uh the<\/p>\n
Messiah figure. And it says this, \"He<\/p>\n
was oppressed. He was afflicted,<\/p>\n
yet he opened not his mouth. He was<\/p>\n
silent<\/p>\n
like a lamb that is led to the<\/p>\n
slaughter. Like a sheep<\/p>\n
that before its sheerers is silent, so<\/p>\n
he opened not his mouth.\" We looked<\/p>\n
again at prophecy<\/p>\n
uh again when we were looking two weeks<\/p>\n
ago as Jesus entered prophecy into<\/p>\n
Jerusalem prophecy about who the Messiah<\/p>\n
would be even saying he's going to come<\/p>\n
in on a donkey.<\/p>\n
So we just look back again to Isaiah and<\/p>\n
we see this unfolding of this is who<\/p>\n
Jesus is.<\/p>\n
In those days uh during the Passover<\/p>\n
festival there was a customary uh<\/p>\n
practice that the Romans had instituted<\/p>\n
um the release of a prisoner and it's<\/p>\n
this is what this passage is all about<\/p>\n
and it was called the pual pel has to do<\/p>\n
with Passover the pual pardon or in<\/p>\n
Latin uh the priv privilegium pal<\/p>\n
uh and that Latin phrase actually meant<\/p>\n
uh the Passover privilege. Okay. So it<\/p>\n
was it was established by Rome by the<\/p>\n
Roman authorities even though they had<\/p>\n
so much power they were so strong over<\/p>\n
the people they were ruling over.<\/p>\n
Remember when crowds come together and<\/p>\n
things get out of hand that can<\/p>\n
sometimes turn the tables. So they had<\/p>\n
this practice where during the Passover<\/p>\n
they would allow the people to choose a<\/p>\n
prisoner to go free. They would allow<\/p>\n
the people to choose someone and that<\/p>\n
person would go free. And it was to<\/p>\n
appease the people. It was to kind of<\/p>\n
give them something. The Passover<\/p>\n
privilege. here's a gift if you will for<\/p>\n
you during this festival.<\/p>\n
So this was put in practice and a<\/p>\n
prisoner uh we learn here about this<\/p>\n
prisoner enters the story. His name is<\/p>\n
Barabus. Now historical accounts give us<\/p>\n
some detail about Barabus. Even from<\/p>\n
this text we learn a little from about<\/p>\n
him. He was a violent rebel. So he had<\/p>\n
been involved in uh insurrection in an<\/p>\n
uprising in the city. people had died.<\/p>\n
Uh he had been at fault in some ways. So<\/p>\n
he's noted even in this text it says he<\/p>\n
was a notorious criminal. So he was<\/p>\n
famous for being a bad guy. Like he was<\/p>\n
he was awful and he was imprisoned. His<\/p>\n
crimes were real and he was an enemy of<\/p>\n
the Roman state. Like he was a known<\/p>\n
enemy and he was incarcerated. So<\/p>\n
remember the Roman Empire was powerful<\/p>\n
and they were bent on keeping their<\/p>\n
power, remaining in their position. Um<\/p>\n
and so anything they did as a show of<\/p>\n
power was to keep that power. Anything<\/p>\n
they did was to strike fear into the<\/p>\n
people. So we know about their execution<\/p>\n
style. One of them was crucifixion. They<\/p>\n
invented it. They used it. It was<\/p>\n
horrible. There's a cross behind me on<\/p>\n
the wall. People of course were nailed<\/p>\n
to that cross and it was put up. It was<\/p>\n
and they were and they would they would<\/p>\n
die usually from exhaustion and it's<\/p>\n
fixiation. They could not breathe. They<\/p>\n
could not push themselves up and<\/p>\n
breathe. It was horrible. Horrible.<\/p>\n
But it also served as a power display<\/p>\n
for Rome. It was essentially like a like<\/p>\n
a horrible, brutal billboard, if you<\/p>\n
will, by the road going in and out of<\/p>\n
the city saying, \"If you defy Rome,<\/p>\n
this is what we do to you. This is what<\/p>\n
happens to you if you defy Rome.\" It was<\/p>\n
horrible. It was horrible. So, as a<\/p>\n
convicted criminal, Barabus would have<\/p>\n
been likely, very likely, awaiting<\/p>\n
crucifixion. He's crossed Rome. He's<\/p>\n
killed people. He's incarcerated. He's<\/p>\n
going to be executed. And even that he<\/p>\n
would be brought up as viable for the<\/p>\n
Passover privilege to be released meant<\/p>\n
that it was likely happening soon if not<\/p>\n
right the next day or that day even.<\/p>\n
So Pilate<\/p>\n
puts the question and the dilemma his<\/p>\n
dilemma to the people.<\/p>\n
He says, \"Who do you want me to<\/p>\n
release?\" So, Barabus has come out and<\/p>\n
he says, \"Who do you want me to<\/p>\n
release?\" Now, when we read the<\/p>\n
scriptures, when we read the Bible, we<\/p>\n
run the risk of missing the depth of the<\/p>\n
text, right? Maybe we've seen some<\/p>\n
things today that we haven't seen<\/p>\n
before. Even as I was preparing to<\/p>\n
preach from this passage, I' I saw some<\/p>\n
things. I was like, \"Wow, I never really<\/p>\n
thought about that to that degree.\"<\/p>\n
There's so much happening in this brief<\/p>\n
passage. And I would encourage you this<\/p>\n
week, even tonight or this week, sit<\/p>\n
with it again and as we move towards um<\/p>\n
Good Friday,<\/p>\n
and allow God to reveal more to you<\/p>\n
through his word. But Pilate asks here,<\/p>\n
whom do you want me to release to you?<\/p>\n
Barabbus<\/p>\n
or Jesus who is called Christ? Now, I'm<\/p>\n
not sure if if Pilate was acknowledging<\/p>\n
Jesus as Messiah here. I don't think<\/p>\n
that's what was happening. But he was<\/p>\n
certainly provoking the crowd. He was<\/p>\n
certainly stirring them up. Here's who<\/p>\n
some of you say he's not, but here I'm<\/p>\n
calling him that. He's definitely<\/p>\n
getting them stirred up.<\/p>\n
He's provoking the crowd. But in verse<\/p>\n
19, it's an interesting line that we<\/p>\n
read. It says, \"Pilot's wife came to him<\/p>\n
and he's actually he's sitting on this<\/p>\n
area called the judgment seat. So he's<\/p>\n
actually serving in a role of judge in<\/p>\n
in you know and at this moment and his<\/p>\n
wife comes to him and she says<\/p>\n
and she speaks of Jesus's what his<\/p>\n
righteousness. She says have nothing to<\/p>\n
do with this man. He's righteous. So<\/p>\n
she's saying to Pilate,<\/p>\n
you cannot justly punish him. He is<\/p>\n
righteous. He's not at fault. And she<\/p>\n
said he probably like well how you know<\/p>\n
she's like I have been tormented in<\/p>\n
dreams today about him like something<\/p>\n
happened with her some supernatural<\/p>\n
thing a dream. So she goes to her<\/p>\n
husband and says do have nothing to do<\/p>\n
with this man. He is righteous. So he<\/p>\n
has essentially this consultant come to<\/p>\n
him and his wife helping to steer him<\/p>\n
hopefully towards a just decision.<\/p>\n
Her statement, of course, absolves<\/p>\n
Jesus. He's not guilty of these<\/p>\n
accusations. He's not guilty of crimes<\/p>\n
against the Roman Empire either.<\/p>\n
But in verse 20, we see the crowd<\/p>\n
stirred up by the religious leaders to<\/p>\n
do what? To push for and to call for,<\/p>\n
cry out for Barabus'<\/p>\n
release.<\/p>\n
In the last portion of our text, we see<\/p>\n
the ultimate culmination of injustice.<\/p>\n
Injustice.<\/p>\n
Maybe you've been feeling that boiling<\/p>\n
up already. But here's where it really<\/p>\n
comes down to it. A notorious and<\/p>\n
convicted criminal is released<\/p>\n
and an innocent man is condemned to die<\/p>\n
in his place.<\/p>\n
Remember the pual pardon allowed for the<\/p>\n
release of a prisoner.<\/p>\n
Pilate could have simply released<\/p>\n
Barabus and Barabus could have simply<\/p>\n
left and been released been you know<\/p>\n
gained his freedom and Pilate would have<\/p>\n
done what he was required to do or what<\/p>\n
he would set out to do. He didn't have<\/p>\n
to do an exchange.<\/p>\n
He didn't have to put Jesus into the mix<\/p>\n
of this deal.<\/p>\n
It's great injustice.<\/p>\n
But Pilate does put that choice before<\/p>\n
the people and they chose Barabus'<\/p>\n
freedom and Jesus's crucifixion.<\/p>\n
So, a prisoner was supposed to be<\/p>\n
released.<\/p>\n
Not one person released and another<\/p>\n
detained, but a person released.<\/p>\n
That's not what happened.<\/p>\n
Pilate knows that calling for Jesus's<\/p>\n
execution is unjust. He's heard from his<\/p>\n
wife. He see he even says in the<\/p>\n
statement why what has he done? What has<\/p>\n
he done? Can you show me what he has<\/p>\n
done that deserves death? Why should he<\/p>\n
die? What evil has he done? Pilate asks.<\/p>\n
So what does he do? Pilate, it's very<\/p>\n
interesting. He he washes his hands. I<\/p>\n
imagine it being a maybe a a basin like<\/p>\n
this. And he steps up to it, right?<\/p>\n
Water. He washes his hands. Washes his<\/p>\n
hands so all the people can see. Imagine<\/p>\n
that. And he says, \"I am innocent of<\/p>\n
this man's blood.\" So he's saying, \"I<\/p>\n
have I have nothing to do with this<\/p>\n
unjust decision that has been made. I am<\/p>\n
removing myself from this.\" But he's the<\/p>\n
judge here. He has the authority and the<\/p>\n
responsibility to be the judge, to make<\/p>\n
a just decision. And yet he removes<\/p>\n
himself from that.<\/p>\n
So Barabus is released. Jesus is given<\/p>\n
over to be crucified.<\/p>\n
Uh as we were discussing this passage<\/p>\n
was was telling me about the the Thai<\/p>\n
word for goat, you know, pet, right? And<\/p>\n
it it's often used as a has a whole a<\/p>\n
figurative meaning in Thai. Uh similar<\/p>\n
to the English idea of scapegoat. You've<\/p>\n
heard that term scapegoat. And we<\/p>\n
understand a scapegoat to be someone<\/p>\n
that takes the blame for another. Maybe<\/p>\n
you've been in experience before where<\/p>\n
something you were blamed for something<\/p>\n
that you didn't do and you even end up<\/p>\n
being punished in some way for that.<\/p>\n
You've been a scapegoat. So we say that<\/p>\n
someone we might even say that someone<\/p>\n
takes the fall for another. Now when<\/p>\n
that happens there's a deflection of<\/p>\n
responsibility away from the true<\/p>\n
culprit right and the blame that blame<\/p>\n
is placed on another person but it's<\/p>\n
blaz it's placed on an innocent person<\/p>\n
that person didn't do it<\/p>\n
scapegoat<\/p>\n
scapegoat's innocent and yet they take<\/p>\n
the responsibility they take the blame<\/p>\n
they take the punishment they take the<\/p>\n
fall it's unjust isn't it unjust and<\/p>\n
sometimes when we hear stories about<\/p>\n
that or see films or books and things<\/p>\n
that oh it gets us right because we we<\/p>\n
we see we see that and the the injustice<\/p>\n
of that we feel it<\/p>\n
now all of this comes scapegoat comes<\/p>\n
from an ancient Jewish tradition of<\/p>\n
symbolically placing the sins of the<\/p>\n
people on a goat and what they would do<\/p>\n
is let that goat go loose in the desert<\/p>\n
and it would die it would perish<\/p>\n
At times they would let that goat go<\/p>\n
loose and they would and they would kill<\/p>\n
it.<\/p>\n
But it would ensure that those sins that<\/p>\n
were symbolically placed on that goat,<\/p>\n
they would not return.<\/p>\n
Those sins had been atoned for. They had<\/p>\n
been taken care of. The blame, the sin,<\/p>\n
the ultimate punishment had been met. It<\/p>\n
was gone. It was done.<\/p>\n
friends, the the passage, this passage<\/p>\n
reveals just obviously the irony of how<\/p>\n
Jesus<\/p>\n
Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Messiah, the<\/p>\n
Holy One, we've been singing about it<\/p>\n
today, came to give his life for us.<\/p>\n
Remember, coming in humility, coming in<\/p>\n
sacrifice for us. He became our<\/p>\n
scapegoat.<\/p>\n
He became our scapegoat in order to save<\/p>\n
us. He died our rightful death, the<\/p>\n
death we deserved.<\/p>\n
The entire gospel of the Christian faith<\/p>\n
is is this is what it's all about. This<\/p>\n
is what it's all about. This is why we<\/p>\n
say it's good news because we can't do<\/p>\n
anything about our sin. Jesus can and he<\/p>\n
did. He did a few verses for us to look<\/p>\n
at in regard to this. In the New<\/p>\n
Testament, Romans chapter 6, the wages<\/p>\n
of sin is death.<\/p>\n
Death.<\/p>\n
Here's the good news part of that. But<\/p>\n
the free gift of God is eternal life.<\/p>\n
How? In Christ Jesus our Lord.<\/p>\n
If you've heard me preach before, this<\/p>\n
is my one of my favorite verses. Second<\/p>\n
Corinthians. Uh it's also on there.<\/p>\n
God made him who? Jesus. To do what? Him<\/p>\n
who had no sin to be sin for us so that<\/p>\n
in him we might become<\/p>\n
the righteousness of God.<\/p>\n
Back to Isaiah the prophecy again.<\/p>\n
Chapter 53 again right before the verse<\/p>\n
we read earlier. But he was pierced for<\/p>\n
our transgressions.<\/p>\n
He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon<\/p>\n
him was laid the chastisement that<\/p>\n
brought us peace.<\/p>\n
And with his wounds<\/p>\n
we are healed.<\/p>\n
All we like sheep have gone astray. We<\/p>\n
have turned everyone to his own way. And<\/p>\n
the Lord has laid on him the iniquity,<\/p>\n
the sin, the brokenness of us all.<\/p>\n
Friends, this is the gospel.<\/p>\n
Jesus the Messiah<\/p>\n
took the punishment for our sin.<\/p>\n
He bore the sin, our sin, and gave<\/p>\n
himself up to death for us. He gave<\/p>\n
himself up for us. He suffered. Jesus<\/p>\n
suffered that we could have peace and be<\/p>\n
restored unto God.<\/p>\n
He was wounded unto death so that we may<\/p>\n
be healed. I was talking to my father<\/p>\n
this morning about this. We were talking<\/p>\n
about this passage and my dad was like,<\/p>\n
\"Yes, we are Barabus. We are Barabus.<\/p>\n
We are Barabus.<\/p>\n
So Jesus's sacrificial death was unjust<\/p>\n
justice.<\/p>\n
Unjust<\/p>\n
justice. How can we say that he was<\/p>\n
innocent<\/p>\n
but took our place?<\/p>\n
That's unjust.<\/p>\n
But it was just.<\/p>\n
How? How is it just? Because Jesus<\/p>\n
received and justly paid the punishment<\/p>\n
for sin, our sin. He paid the price for<\/p>\n
us.<\/p>\n
Jesus died that we might live.<\/p>\n
Jesus died that we might live. We are<\/p>\n
guilty. But in Jesus, we are given<\/p>\n
freedom.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Why would an innocent man give himself<\/p>\n
for us?<\/p>\n
Why would Jesus do this?<\/p>\n
Why would God require this?<\/p>\n
It's because it was the only way. It was<\/p>\n
the only way for our sin to be dealt<\/p>\n
with, for our sin to be atoned for<\/p>\n
without requiring our own death. It was<\/p>\n
the only way. Another had to die.<\/p>\n
There's a quote from CS Lewis and I'll<\/p>\n
leave it up so we can look at it and<\/p>\n
think about it because it's deep, but it<\/p>\n
speaks to this perfectly. And we'll<\/p>\n
close with this. Let me read it to us.<\/p>\n
along these lines with these questions I<\/p>\n
just asked. CS Lewis wrote this.<\/p>\n
But supposing God<\/p>\n
became a man,<\/p>\n
suppose our human nature, which can<\/p>\n
suffer and die, was amalgamated, which<\/p>\n
means combined with, joined with God's<\/p>\n
nature in one person.<\/p>\n
Then that person could help us.<\/p>\n
He could surrender his will and suffer<\/p>\n
and die because he was man. And he could<\/p>\n
do it perfectly<\/p>\n
because he was God.<\/p>\n
You and I can go through this process<\/p>\n
only if God does it in us. But God can<\/p>\n
only do it only if he becomes man.<\/p>\n
Our attempts at this dying will succeed<\/p>\n
only if we men share in God's dying.<\/p>\n
Just as our thinking can only succeed<\/p>\n
only because it is a drop out of the<\/p>\n
ocean of his intelligence.<\/p>\n
But we cannot share God's dying unless<\/p>\n
God dies.<\/p>\n
And he cannot die except by being a man.<\/p>\n
That is the sense in which he pays our<\/p>\n
debt and suffers for us what he himself<\/p>\n
need not suffer at all.<\/p>\n
was innocent.<\/p>\n
He was accused. He answered not to his<\/p>\n
accusers. He was silent.<\/p>\n
Jesus was<\/p>\n
righteous.<\/p>\n
We are not.<\/p>\n
Jesus was sinless.<\/p>\n
We are contemp contempt to die worthy of<\/p>\n
death because of our sin. And yet this<\/p>\n
is the whole crux of the gospel, the<\/p>\n
Christian gospel.<\/p>\n
Jesus did for us what we could not do<\/p>\n
for ourselves.<\/p>\n
And when we turn to him in faith,<\/p>\n
we look to him as our Lord and King and<\/p>\n
God.<\/p>\n
Place our faith in him.<\/p>\n
Yes, we are Barabus,<\/p>\n
but we are forgiven. Yes, we are<\/p>\n
criminals deserving death, but we have a<\/p>\n
king who died for us.<\/p>\n
He says, \"Come to me and find life<\/p>\n
and life eternal.\"<\/p>\n
As we move towards Good Friday<\/p>\n
where we remember when Jesus went to the<\/p>\n
cross and we we look ahead to Easter<\/p>\n
Sunday, remember we know how the story<\/p>\n
ends.<\/p>\n
It's like we've already binged watch all<\/p>\n
of this. We know what happens.<\/p>\n
So, it's it's a wonderful part of our<\/p>\n
faith when we celebrate Jesus's<\/p>\n
resurrection every day, not just on<\/p>\n
Easter.<\/p>\n
But as we move towards Holy Week further<\/p>\n
in to Good Friday<\/p>\n
and Easter Sunday,<\/p>\n
let's remember,<\/p>\n
meditate on this passage, other parts of<\/p>\n
the Gospels, and remember the great<\/p>\n
sacrifice of Jesus. Just sit with it.<\/p>\n
lament over our own sin and and just<\/p>\n
think about the glory of of what Jesus<\/p>\n
has done. Our sin placed on him. Take<\/p>\n
time to to just sit before God<\/p>\n
with that. Not in a self-punishing way,<\/p>\n
not in a self- flagagillating way, but<\/p>\n
in a way that just says, \"Wow, thank<\/p>\n
you.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n
Give me a heart of gratitude.\"<\/p>\n
You know, Jesus gave his life that we<\/p>\n
might have life. life eternal<\/p>\n
in and through him. It was for his glory<\/p>\n
and it's for our good. Let's pray.<\/p>\n
Lord Jesus, we thank you that<\/p>\n
that you gave yourself for us. It was<\/p>\n
the only way.<\/p>\n
And we wrestle with that. We think,<\/p>\n
couldn't there have been something else<\/p>\n
that could have been done?<\/p>\n
But it was the only way. and you walked<\/p>\n
in that way. We're struck by the<\/p>\n
injustice<\/p>\n
that you willfully suffered that we<\/p>\n
would go free.<\/p>\n
Help us<\/p>\n
to meditate on that, on the magnitude of<\/p>\n
that this week, on your wondrous<\/p>\n
sacrifice. Help us even to see maybe new<\/p>\n
facets of your great power, your mercy,<\/p>\n
your grace, your sacrificial love in our<\/p>\n
lives. Maybe maybe we need to just talk<\/p>\n
to someone and say, \"Can I just can I<\/p>\n
tell you about what Easter is all<\/p>\n
about?\" Because it's kind of it's kind<\/p>\n
of crazy<\/p>\n
that God would give himself for us, but<\/p>\n
that's what it's all about. So help us<\/p>\n
this week as we go through this week to<\/p>\n
celebrate who you are, what you have<\/p>\n
done and what you are doing both in our<\/p>\n
lives in this city with our friends and<\/p>\n
neighbors<\/p>\n
because in the resurrection death has<\/p>\n
died.<\/p>\n
And Jesus, we look to you who are ruling<\/p>\n
now and forever. You are the Lord of<\/p>\n
life. Help us. Help us to see that, to<\/p>\n
walk in that. We pray all of this in<\/p>\n
your holy and good name, Lord God. Amen.<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20260401","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QeT_z7-foSM","video_id":"QeT_z7-foSM","video_duration":"42:45","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions\/50"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}