"Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He *answered him, "It is as you say." The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!" But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.
Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. Answering again, Pilate said to them, 'Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?' They shouted back, "Crucify Him!" But Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him!" Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified."
Good Morning my beloved,
A person's name is typically the first thing we learn about someone, it's how we identify them, which can influence our opinions of them, as well as our future interactions. For example, Judas was one of the twelve disciples, but he will forever be remembered as the one who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Peter, also one of the twelve, notorious for blurting out whatever was on his mind without thinking, is often referred to as the disciple with the foot shaped mouth. Thomas, who questioned the credibility of the other disciples who said they saw Jesus after the resurrection, saying, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe," to this day is still used to refer to someone who is a "Doubting Thomas."
In today's passage we'll meet a man named Pilate, the Roman governor appointed to . Pilate had no reason to execute Jesus, except for the fact that he was being blackmailed by the Jews, who had already reported him twice to Caesar and could not afford to be reported a third time because his job was already in jeopardy. It's significant to mention, that immediately after His trial before Pilate, which couldn't have lasted more than two and a half hours, Jesus was led to His crucifiers, which wasn't supposed to happen, because it violated Jewish Law, that mandated there had to be two days between the trial and the execution, and the Romans affirmed it, in the event there was some new evidence might be brought forth or time to allow for final visitation with the family.
While Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin and Pilate certainly played their roll in the execution of Jesus all of their verdicts on Jesus, fulfilling Isaiah 53:7-8, the truth is none of them were the real reason for His death, it is God, Who in accomplishing His divine plan of Redemption through these wicked men, that put Jesus on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, according to His will, therefore, He is the true executioner. The irony is, although they sat in judgment of Jesus, each rendering their verdicts, they actually condemned themselves.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Amen
Today's Message: What's In A Name?
I believe the reason sin is running rampant in the professed people of God, is that a spiritually sick church is trying to cure itself with human reasoning and it's pouring gasoline on a fire, that's already burning out of control. How foolish are we to imagine that human solutions can solve spiritual issues, when the Holy Spirit is the only source of true spiritual transformation! Scripture is clear, anyone who habitually continues to practice sin, according to God's definition not the worlds, will not inherit the kingdom of God.
We have a lot of unredeemed people in the church who are living for pleasure without restraint, denying the Sovereignty of God, claiming, "I can't control my sexual desires, it's who I am, I was born this way!" Listen, we need to understand that every sexual issue is a desire of the flesh, I don't care what it is, therefore, every solution to sexual immorality must come from the Holy Spirit, that's the only way you can conquer the desires of the flesh. Hebrews 4:12,
"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any
two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit,
of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart." You need to understand, if you are born again, your identity is now in Christ, not your feelings, once you realize that reality, you'll know who you are. Who you once were, being born into sin, no longer exists. A true Christian is marked by the new birth, you don't get to pick and choose, that Truth alone should change the way you live.
You cannot live what you do not understand. That's why I believe there are so many Christians today who have no idea how they’re supposed to behave, they are trying to live a life that’s never been defined to them. Before you can exhort people to live a godly life, they must understand who they are in Christ. If they don't really understand that basic principle, they'll end up just living the way they always have, in the same sin. That's why I believe that preaching and teaching the Word of God is so important. It's not enough to just tell people "God loves you," they have to understand how He commands them to live. You have to live in practice what you are in position, holy. In other words, if you are really a child of God, best you start acting like it and means thinking differently about your sin by denying it! Paul writes in Ephesian 5:6, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." You must let the word of Christ dwell in you, that's when the Holy Spirit drives it deep into the believer's heart.
In Matthew 15, Jesus tells salvation is a matter of the heart when He said "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders." Those characteristics belong to the unredeemed world, the spiritually dead, if you are a Christian, you don’t walk like the rest of the world walks, you're living a totally different life, unless you're a professor of faith and not a possessor. Quite frankly, I see an awful lot of those in the church today, shamelessly boasting about their sexual behavior. Flags of any kind do not belong to the true church, it's about the salvation of souls, not political or social issues. 1 John 2:15, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." I tell you this, there won't be any flags in the Kingdom of God. When we come to Jesus Christ, our life is different, our identity is in Christ, not the world. I'm speaking from experience, there’s is a tremendous difference in the way you live. The word porneia means sexual sin of any kind. We live in an age characterized by sexual sin, it is literally running rampant, there's no discipline and self-control, tragically, it's affected the church, there’s no place for that in Christ's Church, I'll tell you this, if you can continue in habitual sexual sin in spite of having a relationship with Christ, don't be deceived, you’ve never really given your life to Christ. The goal for the Christian is to be conformed to the image of Christ, if we’re more like Christ, we're going to be less like the world.
I don't believe the problem is trying to get the world to live like Christians; I believe the biggest problem the church faces is trying to get Christians to stop living like the world. 1 John 5, "The whole world lies in the power of the evil one." Jesus begs the question in Mark 8:36,
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" Those who willfully choose to live like the world, choose to live without God. James 4:4, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." Sin alienates a person from God, cutting them off from Truth and their spiritual life will deteriorate. Believe me, this world is in the business of selling Hell, true Christians don't shop there!
Take out your Bibles and open them with me, if you would, to the fifteenth chapter of Mark, verses one through fifteen. I encourage you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our
minds, may we listen attentively with an open heart. Mark 15:1-15.
"Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He *answered him, "It is as you say." The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!" But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.
Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. Answering again, Pilate said to them, 'Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?' They shouted back, "Crucify Him!" But Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him!" Wishing
to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after
having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified."
Let's look at verse 1, "Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate." You will remember, the Jewish leaders already had Jesus arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the middle of the night, because they were afraid the people will react by starting a riot, having hailed Him as their Messiah on Monday. Knowing that Jewish law requires a trial must be held in the daylight, they held Him prisoner for several hours, having already made their decision to kill Him after their last trial in the early morning hours. Then, wanting to have the appearance of legality, they held a mock trial, once the sun came up. It was a kangaroo court, only the Romans held the power of execution, so He was taken to Pilate between 5:00 and 6:00 AM.
John 18:28-32, tells us "Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you." 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," to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die." Notice they neglect to state the charges against Jesus, that's because they don’t want another trial. They merely want an executioner! In others words, they're saying "We don't need you to judge Him, He's already been found guilty, that’s why we brought Him to you, because you alone have the power to execute Him." They just want Pilate to rubber stamp their decision to execute Jesus. But Pilate being fully aware of Who Jesus was, had a clear understanding that this is a blatant miscarriage of justice.
Meanwhile, Matthew 27 tells us, it is around this same time that Judas was beginning to feel remorse. "Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.
Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself!" And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood." And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me." Judas hanged himself to relieve his guilt, instead he only intensified it. Whatever guilt Judas suffered before he hanged himself, searching for relief from his guilt, it made it permanent. By the way, God can relieve our guilt, however, He does not necessarily remove the consequences of our actions. He should have went to Christ and repented.
Both repentance and remorse come from making poor decisions, however they are two very different emotions, with
two very different outcomes. Remorse, is when we regret a wrong
committed, but not enough to change our ways. Repentance is a much deeper emotion, it's a godly
sorrow, that is the catalyst that brings us to the point of feeling
truly sorry, enough to cause us to change our ways. Feeling remorse is temporary, eventually you go
right back to your old habits, whereas true repentance is life changing.
Now we come to verse 2, "Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answered him, "It is as you say." Keep in mind, Jesus has not been washed, He's standing before Pilate bruised and battered, with spit all over His face, His clothes were covered with blood stains. Our Lord gives Pilate a legitimate answer to a legitimate question, in fact, He gave him an extensive answer. John fills us in the details of the exchange, "Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" 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." 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." 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." I do not believe that Pilate is seriously contemplating what truth is, because no sinner can embrace God's Truth without the Holy Spirit’s enabling, I believe he was being completely sarcastic.
Verse 3, "The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly." They just kept throwing all kinds of charges at Him, none of which were true. They wanted to get rid of Jesus and they were willing to say anything to achieve His execution. Luke says "And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." They're really piling on the charges, after they were so evasive, anyone could get the sense that there's something really wrong going on here. I find it peculiar, these religious leaders were so concerned about ceremonial cleanliness, and being defiled, they wouldn't step foot into the Praetorium, but conveniently they are not the least bit bothered that they're seeking to murder the innocent Son of God. They didn't care, they were out for blood!
Verses 4-5, "Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, 'Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You! But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed." I'm sure Pilate was used to criminals saying, "I'm innocent! I've done nothing wrong, release me."But Jesus did not seek to defend Himself, whatsoever. Jesus didn't need to defend Himself against ridiculous false accusations, He only answered legitimate questions truthfully.
Between verses 5 and 6, Luke 23 tells us they said "But they kept on insisting, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place." When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time."And we all know the story of Herod Antipas, the wicked, incestuous that ordered the murder of John the Baptist, and he wanted to see Jesus for a long time because he was afraid John the Baptist had come back from the dead, which he never did, until now. Luke 23:9-12 says "And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other." Herod Antipas found Jesus guilty of nothing, he confirmed His innocence and sent Him back to Pilate .
Verse 6, "Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested." Luke again fills in the details, Pilate said to them "You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. Therefore I will punish Him and release Him." Obviously, this isn't the conclusion they wanted, they wanted Him dead. Let the record stand both Pilate and Herod knew Jesus was innocent of all their bogus charges. Let's be honest, the Jews hated Roman oppression, if He had really been a threat to Rome, they wouldn't have exposed Him, they would have likely joined Him. It was obvious they despised Him for some other reason.
Verse 7, "The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection." Pilate, realizing the truth was compromised in order to bring baseless charges and condemn an innocent man, he probably thinks this is going to be his way out, Barabbas was a well known insurrectionists, a thief and a murderer. How could they possibly want this guilty man released? Barabbas has not changed, apparently the insurrection was just days before. By the way, Rome had very little tolerance for insurrectionists, so Barabbas was the obvious choice for crucifixion. If Pilate wasn't such a coward, he could have put an end to all this the first time. But he knows he can’t elude the Jews again, so he devises a clever plan, Barabbas was a threat to public safety, a real menace to society.
Verse 8, "The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them." The crowd comes before Pilate, demanding what they're entitled to, I'm sure Pilate thought this was a no brainer, any person with common sense would choose to release an innocent man over a hardened, convicted murderer!
Verse 9, "Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" Pilate presents them with what should have been an easy decision. Pilate gives the people of Israel the choice to stop the corrupt efforts of the Sanhedrin to murder an innocent. By the way, it's worth noting, God always gives us a choice, just as we're about to stray from His path. There is never a more appropriate time for self-examination, to take a spiritual inventory of one’s true condition than when we're given a choice to obey to God or fulfill our own selfish desires. There is no excuse for anyone who knows the Scriptures to make the wrong decision. It is the responsibility of every true believer to recognize their own overwhelming sinfulness, their own spiritual poverty. Each of us are free to make our own choices in life, but it is those choices made in critical moments that make or break you! We don't make wrong decisions by accident, it's because sin is polluting our conscience, that leads us astray. That's why we must be intentional in denying ourselves in making our decisions!
Verse 10, "For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy." Pilate knew the religious leaders hated Him because they were jealous of His popularity, His teaching, so he turns to the people of Israel who had hailed Him as their king and their Messiah when He rode into Jerusalem a few days ago.
Verse 11, "But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead." Matthew tells us that in the middle of the chief priests stirring up the mob to ask him to pardon Barabbas, "While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him." This is another pagan testimony to Jesus' innocence. Luke, the beloved physician and trustworthy historian says, "But they cried out all together, saying, "Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!" But Pilate, wanting to release Jesus still, addresses the crowd again.
Verse 12, "Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?" I hope you don't miss this profound reminder, that God, in His amazing grace, always gives us multiple opportunities to do what is right, to choose righteousness over unrighteous, making the choice even more obvious by contrasting right and wrong. Today, we all face the same the infamous question that Pilate asks the professed people of God over two thousand years ago, "What shall I do with Jesus?" What will you do when the heat is on, will you choose to stand with religious hypocrites, who claimed to serve God and the rest of the corrupt blasphemers or will you choose to stand with Christ, the innocent, sinless Son of God? Make no mistake, your decision will either bring honor or disgrace to the name of Jesus Christ! Let that be etched in your soul, the next time Satan is tempting you to sin, and you want to think casually about your decision!
Verses 13-14, "They shouted back, 'Crucify Him!" Pilate, recognizing his efforts failed again, "Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" "But they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him!" Talk about the ultimate in religious hypocrisy, as they are about to bring their sacrifices before God, to show their obedience to Him, commemorating all God has done for them with a Passover meal, and they're shouting "Crucify Him!" Matthew tells us "When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves." And all the people said, "His blood shall be on us and on our children!" Unbelievable! Pilate may have ceremonially washed his hands in front of the crowd. But washing his hands couldn’t help to remove the eternal penalty of the sin he was guilty of, but Jesus could have.
That brings us to verse 15, "Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified." How often do we go against what we know is right, what Scripture clearly teaches, wishing to satisfy the voices of the crowds of sinners, shouting :Love is love!" I’m always grieved to find out that faithful Christians become full-blown hypocrites, taking a stand against Christ, either in position or by silence, to please immoral pedophiles, homosexuals, transgenders, and those who commits adultery. Make no mistake, given enough time, who and what you really are will be revealed, "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." No wonder Scripture tells us, Judgment begins first in the house of God! That's why it's so important to sit under the teaching of those historically who understand the Word of God and have always been faithful to a right interpretation of Scripture, measuring everything they say against the Scripture. I'm so grateful that the Holy Spirit holds me accountable, expecting me to live out everything I preach, not allowing me to escape anything. Churches also need to hold their leaders accountable, especially with so many arrogant, smug church leaders falling prey to gross sexual perversion with underage males, viewing vile pornography on the internet, gross sexual imposition and who knows what else is going, but I will tell you this, sin on a habitual level is not isolated to just one, sin always manifests itself! The minute any pastor refuses to confront sin, their own or the sin of others, while pretending to honor Jesus Christ, you can immediately know that something isn't quite right! Eventually, truth emerges and hypocrisy will be found out, time and Truth always go hand in hand. You have to ask yourself, how can a man claim to preach the Word of God in his church, lead his church week after week, while he’s engaged in sexual immorality. I tell you how, it goes without saying; he's self-deceived, doing the work of Satan. It's a complete disgrace. I’m never surprised when I see men Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Tony Alamo,
Dave Reynolds, Rory Coyle and others controlled by the flesh, who have a shallow theology and not a true understanding of the Scripture, fall from grace. As I've said before, it's impossible to live what you don’t understand, that's we must never minimize the importance sound doctrine. Today, people act like sin is no big deal, no matter how perverted your sin. If the church doesn’t wake up soon and start holding people accountable across the board, including the church leaders, I’ll tell you this, God's really going to shake things up, I'm just saying God can speak through the mouth of an ass if He has to. The power of the Gospel message is far greater than the messenger.
Dave Reynolds, Rory Coyle and others controlled by the flesh, who have a shallow theology and not a true understanding of the Scripture, fall from grace. As I've said before, it's impossible to live what you don’t understand, that's we must never minimize the importance sound doctrine. Today, people act like sin is no big deal, no matter how perverted your sin. If the church doesn’t wake up soon and start holding people accountable across the board, including the church leaders, I’ll tell you this, God's really going to shake things up, I'm just saying God can speak through the mouth of an ass if He has to. The power of the Gospel message is far greater than the messenger.
The bottomline is, it doesn't matter how well you start, unless you can finish strong, never having brought reproach on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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