4 questions we must ask regarding the rightful king
I. Is Jesus a King?
John 18:33 - Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
A. Old Testament evidence
i. Psalm 2:6-8, 11-12 - But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession… Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
ii. Isaiah 32:1 - Behold, a king will reign righteously and princes will rule justly.
iii. Jeremiah 23:5 - “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.”
iv. Genesis 49:10-11a - The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine…
v. Zechariah 9:9 - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
B. Palm Sunday evidence
Matthew 21:1-11 - When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest!” When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
II. Where Is His Kingdom?
John 18:35 - Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
Pilate’s two options:
1. Jesus is delusional
2. Jesus is guilty
John 18:36 - Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Jesus’s answer: He is sovereign
III. Who are His Subjects?
John 18:37 - Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
A. Rejected by the Jews
John 19:14b-15 - And [Pilate] said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
B. Mocked by the Gentiles
Matthew 27:27-31 - Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
C. Accepted by all who listen to truth
IV. Is Jesus Your King?
A. Jesus’s Question
John 18:34 - Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
Matthew 16:13-16 - Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
B. Pilate’s Response
John 18:38 - Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him…”
John 14:6 - Jesus said to [His disciple], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me…”
C. Your Invitation
Good morning! This Sunday marks the beginning of Passion Week. We’re pausing our study of Ephesians for a bit because Passion Week has started and we want to remind ourselves to look at Christ, Our Foundation
For many of us who are here on this Lord’s Day understand that had Christ not risen from the dead, our lives would have no meaning – no purpose – no assurance of the future – no purpose for existence – “no hope and without God in the world.” – Ephesians 2:12-13
But Christ has come – Christ was crucified – Christ lives – and is coming again. So Passion Week is especially notable in that many a good follower of Christ are mindful of the fact that our eternal redemption was settled by his blood during Passion Week.
But this redemption was a long time coming. So it makes sense for me to do the best I can to take you back a bit through some of the annals of history so that we understand the circumstances by which our Lord stood before Pontious Pilate.
So you will see me do that as we echo OT passages throughout this sermon. But from the outset, I want you to know that Passion week was the outworking of God’s divine timetable at play, and that our Lord was no victim of tragic circumstances. Passion Week was not a failed plot that blew up in the face of Christ.
Pilate had no idea that the Person who stood before him held redemption in his hands.
Redemption was staring Pilate in the face, and he rejected it – he rejected the Christ of his salvation!
And what we are about to read is the answer to what many a prophet saw. In fact, the Apostle Peter wrote about this in his first letter to a persecuted and scattered church prior to the fall of Jerusalem.
1 Peter 1:10-12 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
That is to say, the OT prophets studied their own writings because they wanted to know more about the coming of the King – they wanted to know about the promised salvation revealed to them – but they couldn’t put it all the prophetic pieces together. Just who is this Messiah? When is he going to come
And as far as the angels are concerned, they “stoop down” from heaven, as it were – and watched God’s plan of redemption unfold for God’s people, yet they could never understand the beauty and sweetness of redemption as we would know it – yet they get a front row seat and watch and do the bidding of their Creator.
One writer said that “The fact that angels long to look into things pertaining to our salvation is a poignant reminder of what a precious gift salvation is. May we long for salvation and cherish the wonder of redemption!” (Got questions)
My friends, if the holy angels are so intrigued about the sweetness of our salvation offered only to sinners, why would we be sleepy headed concerning this week of great remembrance for our souls?
The church should be packed on days like this. I wish it were packed every Lord’s Sunday – but we neglect our salvation so – so I pray Passion Week is a fresh reminder of that old rugged cross until my trophies at last I lay down.
And to those who are here today and have yet to receive so great a redemption – we can only pray that you wouldn’t walk away as Pilate did by rejecting Christ as we will see shortly. We pray that today would be the day of surrender for you. We pray that today would be the day of salvation for your soul today, as you bow the knee to Christ today.
Please turn with me to John 18:33-38
John 18:33-38 – 33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.
In this passage, Pilate questions Jesus in an attempt to figure out the man standing in front of Him – and so, by way of application – we want you to see 4 questions we must ask regarding the rightful king
Now, we need to set the stage that leads to Pilate’s questioning of the Christ.
Our Lord has essentially 3 hours left before he’s to be crucified. He’s fully aware that he’s about to drink the divine cup of wrath His Father has prepared for him do drink in order to redeem a people for Himself from out of the world of humanity.
And we find ourselves at the most unjust trial this world has ever known – the trials and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Our Lord had a total of 6 trials. The first 3 trials were religious and the last 3 were civil – all of these trials, by the way, were literally squeezed into one day - Good Friday!
That would be the Jewish Passover week. The religious leaders had to have Jesus killed and crucified before Sabbath. These trials began sometime around 12AM and concluded around 6AM
The reason why we know this is because…
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in Mark 15:25 and Luke 23:44 record for us that Jesus was crucified at the “third hour” – translated – 9AM in the morning, ok?
Now…
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When did Pilate sentence Jesus to death? Well…the answer can be found in John 19:13-14:
John 19:13-14 “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement—but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Look, your King!”
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This means that all 6 trials were done between 6AM-7AM in the morning.
All of them were illegal and pushed through, especially the Trials with Jesus and the religious leaders who wanted him dead.
Right out of the gate, this is setting the stage for the Creator of the universe vs the one whom He created – Pontius Pilate.
Jesus was illegally detained by the chief priests and elders with no formal charges - illegally taken in the middle of the night and privately charged on 3 different occasions, when, according to Jewish Law, you’re not supposed to conduct secret trials at night, and worst of all.
And the ball that got this whole thing rolling was a bribe between the religious leaders and… Judas Iscariot! (Mk.14:10,11;Lk 22:3-6).
And Exodus 23:8 explains that “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.”
We learn from Luke’s Gospel that “the chief priests and the scribes were trying to find a way to put Him to death, since they were afraid of the people.” (Lk. 22:2-3). In other words, they had nothing to go on…until Judas came.
And it was these providential unfolding of pages of events that Christ would so remind Judas and his cohort of evil on the night of his arrest they saying to them that “…this hour and the power of darkness are yours.” (John 18:3; Luke 22:53).
In other words, Judas and the religious leaders were not the ones in control. The One standing before them was – upholding “all things by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3).
So Jesus is taken away illegally – under the cover of darkness…
And the religious leaders walked Jesus through 3 Jewish trials…
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But the trials were a shipwreck..
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because we learn in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus’ accusers couldn’t get their testimonies to agree (Mk. 14:56,59; Deut 19:15-19).
But they couldn’t care less about the truth, and they hurried the trials on through because Christ had to be killed and buried the Sabbath. They could have stoned Jesus – no no – they needed to demonstrate before the eyes of the people that Christ was cursed of God, by hanging on a tree (Deut. 21:23).
And no Messiah of theirs could ever be cursed by God! Being blinded by the reality that…
Acts 2:23 “…this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
Blind to the Scriptures which said that the Christ had to be crucified on a tree, “becoming a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13).
And after they were pushed through they passed their case on to a man named…Pontius Pilate of Rome…
All 3 trials are finished. Now, they are on their way to see a Pilate…but they…
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John18:28b “…and they themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.” (stop)
??? So let me get this right: The religious leaders didn’t want to enter into Pilate’s home because he was a Gentile…and they didn’t want to be…defiled so they could eat Passover…?
Yet taking a bribe – conducting illegal trials – and murdering an innocent man somehow didn’t fit the unclean category…?...but I digress!
Now, you need to know right at the outset that the animosity between the Jews and Pontius Pilate was so great that you can read about it in secular history! But it’s vital that you understand this because our Lord would use this bitterness to bring about Christ’s death which ultimately led to the wellspring of our redemption!
We are now at Jesus’ 4th trial – it’s at Pilate’s headquarters – between the hours of 5AM-6AM –
Jesus is taken into the Roman headquarters…the Jews won’t go inside. And my guess is that Pilate is hopping mad to conduct a kangaroo trial.
Now listen to this exchange, because right out of gate, Pilate is not happy…he’s not happy at all that he has to leave his headquarters to go out to meet the Jews.
John 29-32: “Pilate came out to them and *said, “What accusation are you bringing against this Man?” 30They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.”
They assumed Pilate would have merely taken their word for it that Jesus was a criminal…but Pilate knew better than that – he’s an experienced law enforcement officer…this isn’t his first rodeo…he was also a very shrewd man…
John 18:31-32 “So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 This happened so that the word of Jesus which He said, indicating what kind of death He was going to die, would be fulfilled.”
The history between Pilate and the Jews is filled with so much theatre, that I feel pressed to share a little of it to color our understanding as to why Pilate proceeded with the unjust murder of Jesus Christ…
Pilate wanted to make a strong statement against the religious Jews. They hired and fired their priests in order to maintain gentile control. Rome was the puppet master.
He did not like them at all. When Caesar hired him to govern of all places…Judea – you want to know the first thing he did?
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The first thing he did was to have his Roman troops march right into the city of Jerusalem bearing staffs containing the image of Caesar as God.
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Engraved in the staffs had the 1st and 2nd commandment on them, which read: “You shall have no other gods before me”, and “you shall make a graven image…”
The Jews were so mad that they surrounded Pilate’s house and had a sit-down strike for six days, demanding that Pilate remove the Roman Standards out of the city of Jerusalem.
So Pilate got fed up – he sent his troops and surrounded them, ordering them, or else he’d kill them all. The Jews refused to leave and Pilate was forced to stand down and remove the images
On another occasion, Pilate ordered his troops to place roman shields with the image of Caesar as God on them, and put them into the Temple.
Caesar got wind of what was going on and he ordered Pilate to remove the shields immediately!
It gets worse, people!
Another occasion involved a construction project for Rome - Pilate oversaw the project. Now get this: Pilate ran out of money for the project.
Take a wild guess what he does? He ordered his troops to break in and steal money from the Jewish Temple treasury….I ask you – how do you think that went over with the Jews?
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There was rioting in the streets. So Pilate secretly sent in the troops disguised in Jewish garb to the crowd of protestors, and then when Pilate gave the signal, he slaughtered all of the protesters…it was a bloodbath.
Let me give you one more
Rome was good at squashing insurrections and rebellion against Roman authority. Galilea was a hotbed of violent opposition against Rome.[1]
We’re not sure what happened to catch the ire of Pilate, but we do know that Luke 13:1 records an incident that happened “there were some present who reported to [Jesus] whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.”
I say all of this because I want to you to understand the rising tide of pressure against Pilate’s rule so that by the time we get to the civil trials of Jesus Christ, Pilate was not a popular man by any stretch of the imagination.
And we will see what happens later in this sermon…
Now, enters the confrontation between Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ.
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This is where you ought to ask yourself this eternal question:
I. Is Jesus a King?
John 18:33 – Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
A. Old Testament evidence
Psalm 2:6-8, 11-12 – “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession… Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Take for example Isaiah 52:13-53:12 – these passages are not read today in religious Jewish circles. I can’t quote the whole thing because it’s too long.
But this is the most detailed account of the Messiah called “the servant.”
This passage in Isaiah speaks in the clearest and most detailed way of Messiah of Israel, called the “servant,” who is rejected by Israel but approved in God’s plan as the means of salvation, atonement, and forgiveness for Israel and the whole world.” – William Varner “Passionate About Passion Week”, p. 112)
Isaiah 52:14-15 “Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. 15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.”
In fact this was the same text we read about in the book of Acts with reference to the Ethiopian Eunuch read from that brought about his conversion to Christ.
Acts 8:34-35 “The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
I ask you – is Jesus King?
In Isaiah 53, we read about the suffering Messiah – you could break it down into 4 parts
Isaiah 53:1“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” In other words, it will take revelation from God for people to understand this message of Christ, the suffering servant.
Isaiah 53:2 “For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
Christ had humble beginnings – you wouldn’t think a Messiah to come in this way, and that Christ’s appearance didn’t draw the attention of people.
The expectation in those days would be Christ coming in a majestic display of power – that’s not what happened as Isaiah foretold.
I ask you – is Jesus King?
Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
Christ did not draw the admiration of the religious leaders – in fact – many a religious Jews rejected him.
That’s why Jesus is seen just weeping over the city just prior to his being rejected- he knew what was going to happen – and he wept over the city and said.
Luke 19:42-43 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”
In other words, Christ wasn’t killed for something he did, he was crushed for “us” – “our” sins – he died while bearing our iniquities.
I ask you – is Jesus King?
Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”
During Jesus’ trials, he said nothing before his accusers – not a single word. I ask you – is Jesus King
Isaiah 53:8 “By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
Here you see, a reference to Christ killed by his own people and “cut off out of the land of the living – but then you see something else. He died for the “transgression of my people” – with reference to Israel. They are the ones who should have died for their own sins “to whom the stroke was due” – no – Christ dies in the place of his people.
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned he stood,
sealed my pardon with his blood:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
I ask you – Is Jesus King?
Isaiah 53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”
It was common for the crucified to be buried together. That’s not what happened with Jesus. You remember the story.
Matthew 27:57 “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.”
Do you see how God orchestrates his own story? I ask you – is Jesus King?
Isaiah 53:10 “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
God was pleased to put his Son to death because he already knew the outcome – and after he died “he prolonged his days” – meaning, Christ would come back to life after he dies as a sin offering for his people!
I ask you – is Jesus King?
Isaiah 53:11 “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.”
What’s so fascinating about this verse is that, other ancient manuscripts read it this way: “As a result of the anguish of His soul – he will see light.” In other words, after Christ dies, he will see the light of life.
Is Jesus King?
Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”
In other words, after Christ is resurrected – his reward will be that many will come to believe in Him. He will not be disappointed.
Is Christ King?
Isaiah 32:1 – Behold, a king will reign righteously and princes will rule justly.
Genesis 49:10-11a – “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine.”
Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
And that’s just one passage! And if perchance you want more to wet your theological appetite, I’d suggest you pick up a book by one of my professors, William Varner
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B. Palm Sunday evidence
Upon Jesus’ entrance into the city of Jerusalem, the crowd chants
Matthew 21:1-11 – When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest!” When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:9-11 “10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
A direct reference to Psalm 118:25 – a direct reference to Messiah. Well, if he truly is he Messiah...then
II. Where Is His Kingdom?
So Pilate asks Christ if he is the king of the Jews? Surely, this man doesn’t look like…a King. In other words, there’s no evidence to suggest Jesus fits the part. What Pilate is really asking Jesus is where his kingdom is. Is it in Judea? Where? But our Lord isn’t intimidated by Pilate.
John 18:34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
Do you see how Jesus turned the tables? Now, it’s Pilate who stands on trial before his Creator! In other words, Jesus asked Pilate whether he received his information based on evidence, or hearsay?
John 18:35 – Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
What do I care? I’m a Gentile, not a Jew - it was your own people that brought you to me…sooo, what in the world did you do against Rome?
Even Pilate knew something was off about this case. He’s seen plenty of trials brought before him, but this one didn’t isn’t passing the smell test.
Pilate’s two options
1. Jesus is delusional
2. Jesus is guilty
John 18:36 – Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
In other words, no – Jesus poses no threat. Had the physical Kingdom present, his angels would not hesitate to fight. Think about it:
Just one of God’s angels slew 186,000 Assyrians – that was just…one. So, if the Kingdom were manifestly present, Pilate would have been dead before he hit the ground!
With no evidence, Pilate doesn’t see Jesus as a threat to Rome…
INSERT
So he humors Jesus and talks with him…but
Jesus’ answer: He is sovereign
III. Who Are His Subjects?
John 18:37 – Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
In other words, Jesus’ first mission was spiritual, not political – his purpose was to bear witness to the truth, not a hostile take over of Rome.
Pilate doesn’t see a kingdom – and he doesn’t see army. He thinks Jesus is delusional. But Jesus is the one in control.
John 19:11 “Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
So Pilate wants to release Christ – and then we read this…
John 19:12 “As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him; but the Jews shouted, saying, “If you release this Man, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!”
Uh oh! …The religious Jews know how to manipulate Pilates unpopularity to their advantage. And Christ is thus…
A. Rejected by the Jews
John 19:14b-15 – And [Pilate] said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
B. Mocked by the Gentiles
Matthew 27:27-31 – 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
C. Accepted by all who listen to truth
IV. Is Jesus Your King?
A. Jesus’s Question
John 18:34 – Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
Matthew 16:13-16 – 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
B. Pilate’s Response
John 18:38 – Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him…”
The spirit of the age asks this question all the time – “what is truth.”
John 14:6 – Jesus said to [His disciple], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me…”
I ask you – Is Jesus your King?
C. Your Invitation
1 Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall--
Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all;
Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call!
What will you do with Jesus?
Chorus:
What will you do with Jesus?
Neutral you cannot be;
Someday your heart will be asking,
“What will He do with me?”
2 Jesus is standing on trial still,
You can be false to Him if you will,
You can be faithful thro' good or ill:
What will you do with Jesus? (Chorus)
3 Will you evade Him as Pilate tried?
Or will you choose Him, whate’er betide?
Vainly you struggle from Him to hide:
What will you do with Jesus? (Chorus)
4 Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny?
Or will you scorn from His foes to fly,
Daring for Jesus to live or die?
What will you do with Jesus? (Chorus)
5 “Jesus, I give Thee my heart today!
Jesus, I’ll follow Thee all the way,
Gladly obeying Thee!” will you say:
“This I will do with Jesus!” (Chorus)
[1] Timeline - World History Documentaries, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLmMcLIzn4U
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