Gospels (79) - Matthew 27:11-14, Mark 15:1-5, Luke 23:1-12 & John 18:33-38

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Gospels

Rusty's Notes

JOHN 18:28-32 (Review)
JESUS BEFORE PILATE
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover. (Chagigah)
29 So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?”
30 They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.” (no charge because their primary witness, Judas, was dead)
31 Pilate told them, “You take him and judge him according to your law.” (Pilate was actually giving them permission to override the law the Romans had implemented that year.)
“It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death,” the Jews declared. (They were afraid the multitudes would revolt and cause them to lose their system/jobs.)
32 They said this so that Jesus’s words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die. [1]
 
John 8
3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. 4 “Teacher,” they said to him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. 5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him.
Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. 9 When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only he was left, with the woman in the center. 10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, Lord,” she answered.
“Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”] [2]

• This was 30 AD… the same year that Romans had removed the authority of the Jews to administer capital punishment.
• It was a trap because the Law given to Moses said she had to be stoned but the Roma ns wouldn’t allow it (otherwise Jesus would have been crucified then).
• Jewish Law wouldn’t allow anyone to participate in stoning if they had committed the same sin.
• Jesus, “somehow knew”, that all those who came to stone this woman had committed the same sin.
• Refer to Luke 23:1

 
MATTHEW 27:11-14
JESUS FACES THE GOVERNOR
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. “Are you the King of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
Jesus answered, “You say so.” 12 While he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he didn’t answer.
13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how much they are testifying against you?” 14 But he didn’t answer him on even one charge, so that the governor was quite amazed.[3]

• Who wins? The man who never opens his mouth.
• I said this week that I am posting less and less on Facebook… One of the comments was “why?”
• I could spend the rest of my life defending myself in what I believe, what I do and what I teach.
• No one has time for that.
• If I don’t reply or comment back… I’m rude.
• It’s just easier to keep quiet and deliver truth for those who actually want to hear rather than pick it apart.
• People will always talk about you and accuse you.
• Keep walking by the Spirit.
• Would you rather have yourself or Jesus defending you?
• Then stick to what you know is true.
• Refer to Luke 23:4

 
JESUS FACES PILATE
Mark 15:1-5
1 As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
He answered him, “You say so.”
3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” 5 But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed. [4]
 
JESUS BEFORE PILATE
John 18:33-38
33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

• Nothing mentioned about taxes
• “Are you a king?”
• “Are you a competitor to Caesar?”

34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me?”

• “Are you asking me as a Roman or as from the Jewish leaders?”

35 “I’m not a Jew, am I?”

• “Are you a competitor of my king?”

Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus.

• Yes, He admitted that He is a King;
• but His kingdom (reign) does not come from the authority of the world.
• The Jews were under Roman authority, and Pilate was under the authority of the emperor; but Jesus derived His authority from God.
• His kingdom is spiritual, in the hearts of His followers; and He does not depend on worldly or fleshly means to advance His cause.
• If His kingdom were from the world, by now His followers would have assembled an army and fought to release Him.[5]
• Jesus came to be the king and establish His kingdom on the earth but He was rejected by His own people.
• That would have made John the Baptist… Elijah
• But it didn’t happen and Jesus is declaring His kingdom is NOT NOW.

“If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

• Pilate is processing this statement in light of Sejanus.

“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

• Everyone who is “of the truth” – Who is this?
• Believers
• Does intellectualism cause you to understand the truth?
• Pilate was very intellectual.
• Jesus just said, “I am the King of the Truth.”

38 “What is truth?” said Pilate. [6]

• Pilate was not of the Truth therefore he could not recognize the truth.
• Pilate is looking at the source of truth and asking what is truth?
• Those who are “of the truth” are clued in to what we are teaching.
• Look… when crisis occurs… and it will… I am always going to give the same instruction:
• 1) Keep your mouth shut and seek the wisdom of a small circle of friends you absolutely trust.
• Quit telling everyone your story, trying to get sympathy or someone who will be in agreement with your selfish/fleshly opinion.
• JUST STOP!!!
• 2) Go to the King of Truth (prayer & Word)
• He will tell you everything you need to know.
• Pilate doesn’t want Jesus to win
• Both He and the Jews are going to lose.
• Refer to Matthew 27:12

 
JESUS FACES PILATE
Luke 23:1-12
1 Then their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”

• Charge: Sedition against Rome
• Pilate hated the Jews
• "...Sejanus, who was then in great favor with Tiberius, had made every effort to destroy the whole nation of the Jews from the foundation, and that in Pontius Pilate under whom the crimes were committed against our Savior, having attempted everything contrary to what was lawful among the Jews respecting the Temple at Jerusalem, which was then yet standing, excited them to the greatest tumults." (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History ii, V.)
• On another occasion, Pilate used money from the Temple treasury to construct an aqueduct. When the Jews assembled outside his quarters to protest, he ordered soldiers to dress like the Jews and mingle among the crowd. On his signal, the soldiers drew clubs hidden in their clothes and beat and killed many of the Jews. (Josephus Ant. XVIII, 3.2.)
• Pilate hated the Jews… why would he be OK with one declaring himself “a king”?
• Refer to John 18:33

3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.”
4 Pilate then told the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no grounds for charging this man.”
5 But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he started even to here.” [7]

• Galilee – that was Herod’s territory!

 
JESUS FACES HEROD ANTIPAS
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.

• Pilate doesn’t want to be the bad guy here!

7 Finding that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.

• It’s the Passover – Herod was not a Jew.

8 Herod (Antipas) was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time, he had wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by him.

• Herod wanted to see a magic show!
• Luke 9:7-9 - HEROD’S DESIRE TO SEE JESUS
• Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was going on. He was perplexed, because some said that John had been raised from the dead, 8 some that Elijah had appeared, and others that one of the ancient prophets had risen. 9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this I hear such things about?” And he wanted to see him.[8]
• Herod is not “of the truth”.
• He was wanting to see some amazing things!

9 So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him.

• Again, Jesus used no words to defend Himself.
• Jesus won by not saying anything.
• My flesh would have gone off on Herod.

10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt, mocked him, dressed him in bright clothing, and sent him back to Pilate.

• Abused Him.
• Bullied
• Jesus said… nothing.

12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends. Previously, they had been enemies. [9]

• Herod sensed that Pilate was affirming Herod’s leadership.
• Pilate just didn’t want anything to do with it.
• Herod was ruthless.
• In 39 AD – Herodias, Herod’s wife, suggested that Herod go to Rome to be king.
• Herod listened to her and went to Rome, where they exiled him to France and he died a pauper.

It would benefit you to marry a wise person.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 18:28–32). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 8:3–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 27:11–14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 15:1–5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 378). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 18:33–38). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 23:1–5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 9:7–9). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 23:6–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.