MIDWEEK LENT 4 March 6, 2013 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 19:8-16

MIDWEEK LENT 4

March 6, 2013

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 19:8-16

“THE LAMB CONDEMNED”

1.     By a man who thought he had more power than he did.

2.     By a man who feared men more than God.

3.     Instead of those who think they have more power than they do,

4.     And those who fear men more than God.

John 19:8-16 (NIV 1984) “ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”¹² From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”¹³ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.¹⁵ But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.¹⁶ Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.”

          A few years ago Mel Gibson directed a film called the Passion of the Christ that followed the events of the Passion History you are hearing about in these services. Imagine you are the casting director. That means you are responsible for picking actors that fit the various roles. Who would you pick for Pontius Pilate? What would he look like, sound like? What kind of a man would he be? Think about that as we look further at the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Today we see the Lamb condemned by a man named Pontius Pilate, a man who thought he had more power than he did. “ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” Maybe we should cast Pontius Pilate as Pompous Pilate. A little history. The Roman empire was in control of Israel at the time. Rome’s way of operating was to allow a local government to rule as a figurehead but to have the real power in the hands of their own Roman governors. So there is a King Herod but Pontius Pilate is really in charge—or so he thought. Naturally then when the Jewish religious leaders brought Jesus to him for the death penalty Pilate figured he was in charge. He had the power of life and death over Jesus. But Pilate’s power didn’t come from Rome. It came from God who had instituted government. Pilate just thought he had more power than he did.

          He also feared men more than God. Right before this, the Jewish leaders had told Pilate that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. That’s what Pilate heard that made him more afraid. He didn’t want to mess with God’s Son. But something changed. “From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”¹³ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.¹⁵ But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.¹⁶ Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.” Maybe we should cast Pilate as “no conscience Pilate.” His fear over messing with the Son of God was replaced with a fear of someone else—other people. The Jewish leaders were pressing him. The allegation was that setting Jesus free, doing the right thing, would get Pilate in trouble with Caesar. He feared men more than God.

          Now, if you were the casting director, how would you portray Pilate? What would he look like? Probably not a strong noble looking guy, right? More like a weasely, spineless fearful looking guy. He’s the guy who condemned the Lamb, a guy who thought he had more power than he did and feared men more than God. So maybe this Pontius Pilate guy looks kind of like us.

          See, he’s not the only one who sometimes thinks he has more power than he does. Sadly, if we look in the mirror of God’s laws we find that we do too. One of the most blatant ways that happens is when people in any way practice what’s called works righteousness. That means that you believe and act as though you gain your status with God by what you do. You earn blessings. You deserve His  love. I have the power to make God love me. In its grossest form it shows up in the manmade religions that practice that voodoo of “you do.” You do this you are right with God. It sneaks into the visible Christian churches that teach belief in Jesus and righteous living as the way to heaven, or that teach that you have to decide to believe in Jesus as though you have the power. It shows up when we put ourselves in the way of temptation thinking we’ll have the will power to resist. It spooks around in our hearts when we think or feel we ought to catch the break for all we do for the Lord or are upset over someone else’s blessings because, admit it, they’re not as good as us. Even our best intentions can be turned when we plan the way something is to go and then expect that God has to do it. Why? Because we said so?  People who think they have more power than they do. There is no one who is righteous, not even one,” says God. All your righteous acts are filthy rags,” God declares. Do you believe it?

          And then there is that fearing men more than God. Those times we are embarrassed to stand up for our beliefs and all Bible teaching because it is more important to fit in with people than stand out for God. Kids, every time you give in to peer pressure, when you stand by and say nothing when classmates are sinning, you prove yourself to be a Pontius Pilate. Someone who fears men more than God. Adults, are we different? Do you speak up in your family, to your children and grandchildren when you see them following the ways of the world rather than the ways of the Lord? Why or why not? Is it because you fear men more than God?

          To all of these we fess up and acknowledge we are weak, weak, weak. We have fallen short of the glory of God. But let’s stop looking at Pilate and ourselves. Let’s look at Jesus. How would you cast the Lamb condemned? Maybe like that Lamb, a victorious lamb. Jesus let Himself be condemned. The Father allowed it no  matter what Pilate or the chief priests thought. This was God’s doing. Jesus wanted to be condemned for you and for me. He loves us so. Jesus knows we don’t have the power to earn heaven, God’s love, His blessings. But He wants us to have them anyway so He takes our spot. Jesus knows our weakness. He knows how hard it is and how we agonize later. He loves us anyway. He was condemned instead of us.

          That’s why we love Him. Brothers and sisters, let’s not leave here today feeling sorry for the lamb that wanted to be condemned or pitying ourselves for Pontius Pilate impersonations. Let’s leave with the joy and love that Jesus has for us filling our hearts motivating us to go back out and try again to live for Him, the one who loves and has freed us from our sins by his blood. The lamb condemned—for us. Amen.