MISJUDGING JESUS (2): PILATE

(Luke 23:1-5, 13-16)

September 24, 2017

Read Lu 23:1-5, 13-16 Misjudging Jesus. Jews last week. Today we look at
Pilate who shows when we misjudge Jesus we reject truth, to our great
detriment. Relativism aside: truth matters. It matters if you have a headache
or a brain tumor -- whether your ankle is sprained or broken. And it matters
whether Jesus was just a disillusioned itinerate preacher or God.

Truth is on hard days. Even 54% of believers dont believe in absolute truth.
No wonder our world is morally bankrupt? David Wells says, "This is the
first time that a civilization has existed that does not believe in objective
right and wrong. We are traveling blind, stripped of our own moral
compass."

That was Pilates problem. He refused truth when it stood right in front of
him. No moral compass. And the end was catastrophic for all involved. The
lead-in to our text is Israels leaders have captured Jesus and found Him guilty
of blasphemy for claiming to be God. So now they bring Him to Pilate.

I. The Accusation

First quest: Why is Jesus even brought to Pilate? Jns expanded version helps:
Jn 18:31: Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and judge him by your
own law. The Jews said to him, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to
death. So thats it. The Jews want the death penalty that theyve no authority
to impose. So the whole case lands in Pilates lap.

Problem is they need a charge, but blasphemy wont work for the Romans.
They couldnt care less about that. One god more or less in their pantheon
makes no difference. Without something against Rome, they wont hear the
case. Thus, v. 2: And they [Jews] began to accuse him, saying, We found
this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar,
and saying that he himself is Christ, a king. Thats their accusation --
trumped up charges not even mentioned in their own overnight trial. These are
concocted to incite their Roman overlords.

There are 3 charges one general and 2 supportive. He was misleading our
nation. Misleading () used 7 times in the NT. Four of those
times translated twisted used in Acts 13:8, 10 to speak of seducing
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someone away from the truth of the gospel; used here to suggest Jesus was
seducing Jews away from loyalty to Rome. Two supporting examples. He
forbade paying taxes and claimed to be king -- charges calculated to get
Pilates attention. Of course they were not true! Jesus had never advocated
rebellion against Rome. And taxes? In Mt 17:27 He paid His own, and when
questioned about taxes in Lu 20: 25 He said to them, Then render to Caesar
the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods.

Israels religious elite are lying to bring Jesus down. And nothings changed.
People still misrepresent Jesus to bring Him down -- people who say He was
not God people who say He did not die for the sins of others but only bc of
His own well-intentioned but ill-advised stupidity people who deny that He
rose again. Lies about Jesus have always thrived bc of the stakes involved.

Thomas Jefferson literally took a razor to his KJ NT, cutting all miracles to
create a Jesus in keeping with his worldview. The social gospelists define
Jesus as a social reformer who could be emulated without shaming oneself by
believing in a bodily resurrection and literal 2nd coming. Bruce Barton in The
Man Nobody Knows defined Jesus as a business executive who achieved
market domination with 12 novices so compelling were his organization and
motivational skills. John A. T. Robinson claimed Jesus taught anything done
in love is okay the genesis of situation ethics and moral relativism. Lots of
untruth about Jesus. But defining Him as someone were comfortable with as
opposed to the Lord He really is, doesnt make it so. Truth matters.

II. The Examination

3 And Pilate asked him, Are you the King of the Jews? And he answered
him, You have said so. Lukes making a point. Are you king of the Jews?
Thats what Jesus has been accused of. So good question. But the answer is
vague literally, You say. All 4 gospel have the same phrase. Jesus answer
implied Yes, but in a way that indicated the issue is complicated not
reducible to a strict Yes or No. Why would that be?

Back to Jn 18: 33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and
said to him, Are you the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered, Do you say
this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? [Others, of
course, had said it]. 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the
chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done? 36 Jesus
answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this
world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered
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over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. The issue begins to
come into focus. Jesus is a king but not as charged! Hes not competing
with Caesar. Hes king of a vastly superior kingdom a spiritual kingdom;
not of this world, tho it will one day rule this world. He is a King but not as
the Jews implied, and not as Pilate thought from his frame of reference.
Jn 18:37 Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say
that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come
into the worldto bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth
listens to my voice. 38 Pilate said to him, What is truth? Yes, I am a king.
But not as you infer. Not with reference to this world. Ive come from
outside to bring truth. But Pilate sarcastically dismisses Jesus: What is
truth? Whatever you want it to be. Hes a 21st postmodern century
postmodern transplant.

Pilate has asked the wrong question, bc his whole frame of reference is
limited. He thinks only of this world. He has no category for a kingdom that is
not like Rome. So he cant even ask the right question. Hes only sees half of
reality. Jesus kingdom will one day invade Pilates world, but it doesnt start
there. Jesus kingdom is all-inclusive covering both physical and spiritual
realities. So the answer to the question, Are you a king? is Yes, but not as
a threat to Rome. I am the King of kings who will one day rule in the hearts
of all my subjects, and in their physical world. I am a king like youve never
seen before, Pilate. Thats the truth. Truth has to go behind the scenes of
physicality. Unless you go there with me, by faith, you will be left behind.

See, Jesus comes from behind the scenes. He exists simultaneously in this
world, and the world to come. There are two realms of existence physical
and spiritual. Reality takes both into account. Pilate can only see one. No
wonder he asks, What is truth? He is blind to reality behind the veil of
physical existence. Such a pity blind to eternal realities. And that matters.

Pastor Ken was my hero, and Ellen Froslie typed his weekly sermons. Early in
my seminary days I was asked preach one Sunday night. My first official
sermon. I was overwhelmed when Ellen came to me one day and asked if she
could type up my sermon for me on folded paper just like Pastor Ken
same kind I still use. It was on Micah 6:8. You can look it up.

Ellen and her husband, Bob, later retired and moved to Redding, CA. But Bob
got leukemia. We prayed diligently for them. At one point she wrote a letter:
Bobs improved. His bone marrow count is now normal. But whether it is
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gone or just in remission, we rejoice in this extra time, and thank God that if
the worst happens, it will only be a transfer from here to there. A couple
years later, Bob made that transfer. But see how truth matters? Without
knowing spiritual reality, Bob and Ellen could not have enjoyed now, or had
hope for then. Truth matters. II Cor 4: 18 as we look not to the things that are
seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient,
but the things that are unseen are eternal. Pilate had no reference beyond
now, but thats like going thru life with a spiritual eyepatch over one eye.

III. The Exoneration

This is fascinating. Pilate has no time for Jesus truth. His truth is the sword of
Rome. BUT he does know Jesus is innocent. Fascinating. Ultimate truth
escapes him. But he does know Jesus is no threat to Rome as he tells the Jews
several times. 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, I find no
guilt in this man. Thats not just opinion. Thats a legal verdict in Roman
terminology. Today wed say, Not guilty -- a rare finding at that time.

But the Jews wont have it. They wanted Jesus dead period. 5 But they were
urgent, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from
Galilee even to this place. Galilee! That gave Pilate an idea. Herod Antipas
area and he happened to be in town for the Feast. So Pilate sent Jesus to
Herod, trying to moonwalk out of his dilemma. But back He came, and Pilate
reports in 14c: I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against
him. 15 Neither did Herod. He offered to beat Jesus and let Him go. But the
crowd refused. Their violence increased and they cried for Jesus crucifixion.

So Pilate tried another tack. Custom allowed for release of a prisoner at Feast
time. Pilate offered a vicious murderer Barabbas. 21 but they kept shouting,
Crucify, crucify him! 22 A third time he said to them, Why, what evil has
he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. At least 3 times Pilate
declares Jesus innocence. Luke wants us to see He was railroaded from
beginning to end. This isnt a trial; its a lynching. The official verdict was
the same as Gods verdict. I Pet 1:18-19: We are not ransomed by silver or
gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without
blemish or spot. Lu hammers the point of Jesus innocence bc thats what
enabled Him to die for others. Jesus substitutionary death for sin was only
valid because He was without sin Himself. His innocence was not only
established in the only court that counts Gods court but even in the court
of Rome. Not Guilty was the verdict. He was exonerated. So why was he not
freed?!
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 IV. The Condemnation

V. 23 Pilate gave Him over to be crucified. Why? Pilate had the authority to
release Him, and Pilate loved to tweak the Jews, and Pilate found Jesus Not
Guilty, and even Pilates wife urged His release: Mt 27:19 Besides, while he
was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, Have nothing to
do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in
a dream. With all that did Pilate not say to the Jews, Hes not guilty. Get
out of my sight. Why didnt he do that?

Jn 19:12 answers: From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews
cried out, If you release this man, you are not Caesars friend. Everyone
who makes himself a king opposes Caesar. Therein lies a story. Tiberius was
a dissolute emperor. By 26 AD he semi-retired to a debauched lifestyle on the
island of Capri leaving administrative details in Rome to Sejanus head of
the Pretorian guard. Pilate was a friend of Sejanus, who made him governor of
Judea. But, by Jesus time, Sejanus was on tenuous grounds with Tiberius --
executed in 31 AD. That put Pilate on shaky ground politically. The Jewish
threat was real! And Pilate wasnt going down for a Nazarene carpenter. Pilate
condemned Jesus to buy favor from the Jews, fearing theyd make trouble for
him with Caesar. But in condemning Jesus, he actually condemned himself.
So do all who choose men over God; image over truth; this life over the next.

Years ago a classic study on peer pressure was done. Three lines were drawn
on the board. Then 10 kids were brought in to identify which line was longest.
The experimenter pointed to the line that was clearly the 2nd longest. But 9
kids immediately raised their hands. They were plants, and had been told to
vote for the 2nd longest line. The 10th child was actually the test case. In every
case the 10th child got a look of disbelief but more than 75% of the time,
even tho it was clear the other 9 were dead wrong, the 10th child voted with
the peer group. Such is the power of peer pressure. And such was its power
on Pilate. Mt 27:24: So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but
rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before
the crowd, saying, I am innocent of this mans blood; see to it yourselves.
Peer pressure! If you want THAT to be the truth so be it. But its on you,
not me.

Howd it work out for Pilate? Josephus tells us he was recalled to Rome in
disgrace in AD 37 for his bloody overreaction to a disturbance in Samaria.
From there, prior to his suicide, Chuck Colson references one tradition that
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says Pilate sent his last years in the mountains of Switzerland washing his
hands constantly. When asked, Why? he would reply, I am washing the
blood of Jesus Christ off my hands. Through all eternity he will be doing
that condemned because he denied the truth.

Conc But it doesnt have to be that way. Here is truth. Because Jesus was
accused without defense, we need not be. I Jn 2:1b-2a: But if anyone does
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is
the propitiation (coverer) for our sins. Hed have even covered Pilates sin if
Pilate had asked. Because Jesus was accused, we need not be. And because
Jesus was condemned, we need not be. Rom 5:1: There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Not now, not later, not
ever. Jesus paid your penalty so that you may never be charged and never
condemned. That how much He loves you. Thats the gospel truth.

Contrast Pilate with Don Griffin -- diagnosed with cancer in May a few years
ago. By Nov, he was gone. But he made the most of his time. An email to his
family read: How simple [the truth] is. I cannot save myself. God, thru the
blessed gift of his son Jesus has saved me now. I need only have faith and
not even that faith is of my doing, it is also a gift from God. And all along I
have known that it is this simple. Therefore how particularly ashamed I am
to have not put God at the center of my life.. I am very privileged to have
this disease. God could have snatched me away and sent me to hell, do not
pass go. Instead he has chosen this way to awaken me and, most important,
to give me time to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Pilate didnt
get it, but Don did. Truth matters. This is your time. Dont wait. Come to Him
now. Lets pray.