John 18:28-40 ------ Title: Truth on Trial
Overview of Chapter 18
o 18:1-11: Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus in the Garden
o 18:12-27: Trial Before the Jewish Leaders (Annas & Caiphas)
1. Dean called this the “ecclesiastical trial”
o 18:27-19:16 – Civil Trial
Why did there need to be another trial?
• Why didn’t the Jewish leaders just give their verdict an execute judgment against Jesus?
Situation: Israel under Roman Domination
Israel was under Roman domination. Rome had instituted the “Pax Romana” or the Roman Peace. Rome wisely gave the lands under their rule a certain amount of authority over their own land. The Jewish leaders could hold trials and enforce punishments against criminals without getting the Romans involved. However, they were not allowed to execute a man. The right to enact capital punishment was reserved for Rome. The Jewish leaders of the Sanhedrin didn’t want to toss Jesus in prison, they wanted to kill him. So they needed the involvement of the Romans, and in an effort to have Jesus executed they take him to trial before the Roman governor, namely Pontius Pilate.
Civil Trial, Jesus’ Trial Before Pilate (18:28-19:16)
 18:28-40 (today)
o Questioning by Pilate: Is Jesus a king? & Truth.
o Give Us Barabbas: Pilate gives them an option of setting Jesus free or setting Barabbas free
 19:1-16 (next week)
o Flogging: Pilate has Jesus flogged
o Pilate Bantering with Jews
o Jesus Delivered to be Crucified
 Civil Trial: Last major event before the crucifixion
As we look at John 18:28-40, watch as Jesus shows his glory by responding masterfully to the situation and to Pilate.
John MacArthur: Bring up the question, “Who is really on trial here?”
“In this [trial], which is a very humiliating thing - Jesus [is] taken like a common criminal before His would be executioners…even [in] a situation like this, the magnificence of Jesus Christ becomes very, very radiant, very, very obvious. And we see Him as God … instead of seeing Jesus on trial before Pilate we see Pilate on trial before Jesus.” – John MacArthur

Who was Pilate? And how did he become governor?
o Herod the Great: Ruled Israel when Jesus was born. He is the Herod that tried to kill Jesus by massacring the babies in Bethlehem. Just before he died, he broke up Israel into 3 parts and designated one of his 3 sons to rule over each area.

o Area divided amongst 3 Sons (4 BC):
1. Philip: ruled the area north-east of the Sea of Galilee
2. Antipas: ruled Galilee and some area east of the Jordan
3. Archelaus: ruled over Judea and Samaria
o Herod Archellus: 10 years (4 bc to 6 ad) - over Judea, but he was removed after stirring up the Jews with his divorce and cruelty to the people.
o Governors: Due to Arhcellus failure and the unrest in the area, Roman emperors set up a governor over the area of Judea and Samaria and posted soldiers.

Pilate was the 5th governor over this area: Ruled 10 years (26-36 AD) - Very insensitive to the culture and traditions of the Jews.

1. Roman Standards: He brought Roman standards into Jerusalem. These banners had images of the Roman emperor. The Romans worshipped their emperor as a god, so naturally, the Jews saw these images as idols. Previous governors, out of respect for the Jews, would refrain from using the “standards”.

But Not Pilate: In a display of pride and power, he came marching into Jerusalem flaunting the Roman “standards” driving the people of Jerusalem into a rage. Jews came to protest and petition Pilate to remove the “standards”. He refused. He marched out of town to go back to Caesarea where the Roman seat of government was. A huge mob of Jews followed him to Caesarea. They protested Pilate bringing idolatry into their country…they protested for 5 days until Pilate was completely fed up with them.

2. Face-off in the Praetorium – BEATEN: So Pilate had the Jews come into the Praetorium. He surrounded them with Roman soldiers and told them if they didn’t stop protesting and go home, he was going to kill them all. The Jews stood their ground. They called his bluff and said, “Go ahead and kill us.” Not wanting to begin his reign with massive bloodshed and anger Rome, Pilate caved. He gave in and took down the Roman standards. He began his reign as a beaten man.
3. Water Shortage: There was a water shortage, and so Pilate robbed the temple in order to build an aqueduct. This led to another massive riot amongst the Jews.

4. Jews Protested: Determined not to be beaten this time, Pilate sent soldiers dressed in street clothes amongst the people. They pulled out clubs and knives and started beating and stabbing people to death. This broke up the riot…but made the Jews hate him all the more.

5. Herod’s Palace in Jerusalem: Later Pilate temporarily came to occupy Harod’s palace in Jerusalem. He put up Roman shields with images of the emperor on the walls of the palace. Again, the Jews were infuriated by Pilate’s brash display of idolatry.
6. Jews Appeal to Rome – BEATEN: So the Jews appealed to the emperor in Rome. The emperor heard the Jews and sent word for Pilate to take down the shields. And once again, the Jews had one-upped Pilate.
Luke 13:1 refers to a time when Pilate executed a group of Galileans. To flaunt his arrogance and power, he mixed the blood of these Galilean men in with the blood of the sacrifices they had been making.
Pilate’s Relationship with the Jews was characterized by Animosity and Contention: Pilate became a proud, insecure and cruel man with a great distaste for the people he ruled.

Painting by Antonio Ciseri – called “Ecce Homo” – “Behold the Man”
• Here you see Pilate before the Jews. He gestures to Jesus and says “Behold the Man”, the words taken from John 19:5.
• Most notable face in the picture is the woman on the right. You see her face downcast and she is drawing support from another woman (a friend or servant) as she exits the scene.
• This is Pilate’s wife. According to Matthew 27:19, she had told Pilate through a messenger…
Matt. 27:19 – 19 “Do not have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
• Though she wasn’t actually present at the trial, this picture depicts helps us understand the grief and fear she went through while the trial took place.
• She wasn’t the only one who was afraid.
Pilate was scared as well. The more he found out about Jesus, the more nervous he became.
John 19:7-8: (7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid.)

TRANSITION:
Pilate is one of the great cowards of history: Pilate is afraid of the gods. He’s afraid of the Jews. He’s afraid the Jews will get him into trouble with Rome.
As we go through this historical account of the civil trial of Jesus, pay attention to the interplay between Pilate and the Jewish leaders. You’ll see the Jewish leaders pushing Pilate around. You’ll see Pilate trying to get jabs in at them. And in the midst of this childish bantering and mockery of justice, you’ll see Jesus unshaken, calm, peaceful and full of wisdom.
With that introduction, let’s jump into the text at [John 18, VERSE 28].

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.
• Short Trip to the Governor’s Headquarters: Jesus was taken from the palace of the high priest probably to the former Palace of Herod the Great where Pilate had been temporarily residing.
• Early Morning: The Roman court was open from sunrise to sunset. And the Jews made sure to get Jesus to Pilate at the earliest possible hour. They wanted to get Jesus condemned before too many people figured out what was happening.
• Do Not Enter: The Jewish leaders wouldn’t go into Pilate’s headquarters because they were afraid it would disqualify them from celebrating the Passover. We see their hypocrisy here. They don’t mind fabricating a trial, perverting justice, producing false witnesses and executing an innocent man. But oh no we don’t want to ceremonially defile ourselves. They were more concerned about ceremonial defilement than moral defilement.
• Stumbled over “eat the Passover”: You may be thinking the Passover already happened. Didn’t the Passover already happen?
o Yes, that’s true. Jesus had already eaten the Passover with his disciples. – According to the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), Jesus had eaten the Passover with his disciples Thursday night. It’s now Friday morning, so what are the Jewish leaders referring to when they say they are going to “eat the Passover”.
I’d like to call this the…
• The Passover Problem:
o There seems to be a discrepancy between John and the other gospels as to when the Passover occurred.
o Skeptics are quick to say “Contradiction!!!” Matthew, Mark and Luke say the Passover already happened and John says it hasn’t yet.
o I have a couple explanations, but first you need to understand that “Passover” has 2 possible meanings.

1. Main Passover Meal (Matt 26:17, Mark 14:12+14; Luke 22:8, 11 and 15)
2. The 7 Day Passover Feast (Luke 22:1)
Question: Which were the Jewish leaders referring to?

o There are 2 Explanations based on these 2 meanings. of what the Jews May have been referring to when they said they wanted to eat the Passover:

1. The Jews had missed the main Passover meal: As this theory goes, the Jewish leaders were so pre-occupied with executing Jesus that they missed the Passover meal and still had yet to celebrate it. They were so busy pulling all the right people together, plotting, making plans with Judas, gathering soldiers, getting the troops over to Gethsemane for the arrest, etc. that they had no time to celebrate the Passover meal. And they still planned to celebrate it once Jesus was disposed of.
2. The Jews wanted to continue celebrating the 7 Day Feast of Passover: They wanted to keep celebrating the feast of the Passover. Yes, they’d already had the main Passover meal, but by no means was the Passover celebration over with. In fact, there was a sacrificial meal called “Chagigah” which was to be eaten later that day, the day after the main Passover meal.
Both of these are very plausible explanations as to why the Jewish leaders still plan to eat the Passover.
TRANSITION: For fear of defilement at the time of Passover, the Jews won’t enter Pilate’s quarters, so he goes out to them.
29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
• Pilate’s a Roman, and he knows what is required in a fair trial.
• Fair Trial: Requires that you must first make the accusation and then produce witnesses to back up that accusation.
• Pilate assumes they will begin by stating an accusation against Jesus.
TRANSITION: They dodge the question.
30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”
• We already had the trial: We judged him guilty. That’s all you need to know. Take care of him.
• Self-righteous Indignation: What kind of hooligans do you think we are? Of course he’s evil. Of course he deserves judgment because we’re bringing him to you.
• Subtle Manipulation: The Jews knew what kind of power they had over Pilate. They knew they could get him in trouble with Rome. They knew his career hung in the balance, and so they’re not afraid to make such a bold statement…and to subtly imply that if he doesn’t do what they want, they could make things difficult for him. [VERSE 31]
31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
• Pilate doesn’t see the issue. – They have courts. They can judge him.
• Pilate doesn’t want to have anything to do with this. He’s happy to let them deal with Jesus as they see fit. [continuing in VERSE 31]
The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”
Wanted Jesus Executed
• Death?: Pilate must be thinking, “Who said anything about death?”
• This is the first point Pilate has heard anything about the Jews intention to execute Jesus. When he tells them to go judge Jesus by their own law, he assumes that capital punishment isn’t in the picture.
• At this time, according to Roman law, the Jews were not allowed to enact capital punishment.
History of Capital Punishment in Israel
• OT: According to the Old Testament, God had given Israel the right to execute criminals for breaking certain laws. The Jews would kill a guilty person if he/she was guilty of breaking certain laws. Those laws included…
o Adultery
o Bestiality
o Incest
o Murder
o Blasphemy
o Just to name a few.
Jewish form of execution was through stoning or strangulation.

• Rome Allowed: Even under Roman domination and even during the life of Christ, Rome had allowed the Jews to execute capital punishment.
• Can you see how this presents a problem for God?
If the Jews could have executed Jesus, they would have stoned him. They had accused him of blasphemy and the punishment for blasphemy according to the Old Testament was death by stoning.
God’s sovereign plan was not for Jesus to be stoned by Jews, but to be crucified by Romans.
• But look what God does…
Just before the execution of Jesus, God steps into history and moves upon the hearts and minds of the Romans so they will change the law.
o According to the Jewish Talmud, the Romans changed the law in 30 AD so that the Jews no longer had the right to be able to execute people.
o So it was fresh on the Jewish leaders’ minds that they had lost the right of the sword. So they intended to get Pilate to do their dirty work for them…but Pilate was starting to go soft…his conscience was beginning to get the best of him.
• Pilate doesn’t want to be guilty of executing Jesus. He wants to quickly wash his hands of Jesus:
o Expression: “wash my hands of this” comes from Pilate
o Matthew 27:24: 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 man's blood; see to it yourselves.”
o He says you deal with him yourself according to your law. Later in John 19:6, Pilate says, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”
o Pilate wants nothing to do with this. He’s even willing to go against Roman law and let the Jews crucify Jesus themselves.
So why didn’t they? - (My Theory) They feared the people.
• It’s morning time and Jerusalem was starting to wake up. In the process of executing Jesus, they might have a mob on their hands that would come and overpower them. But if the might of Rome was overseeing the execution, they could be sure that the people wouldn’t try anything that would bring 1000’s of Roman soldiers down upon them.
• Also, I think the Jewish leaders didn’t want the blame. At the end of the day if they got any backlash from the people, they could say, “We didn’t execute Jesus. The Romans did.” … which many Jews say even still to this day.
Greatness of God: We see the greatness of our God as He’s writing history and guiding these historical events.
1. God is sovereign over History.
He didn’t want Jesus to be stoned at the hands of the Jews, but to be crucified at the hands of the Romans, so he moves the hearts and minds of the Roman leaders to change the law just before Jesus’ execution.
 Proverbs 21:1: The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.
• Your representatives, your senators, and even your president… Their hearts are like putty in the hands of your God and he directs them wherever he wishes.
 God is in control of history. Like Don Stenberg loves to say, “History is His Story!” God changed history for his purposes…and he continues to do so at will.
 God is sovereign over history.

2. God’s Word is historically accurate.
 The history of Rome, the history of Israel and the factual details of the Bible are in alignment.
 Harod, Pilot, Annas, Caiphas are all real people. The accuracy of the political leadership of time as well as the Jewish law and the Roman law mentioned in the scriptures is confirmed by the historical and archeological records of this time period.
 Pilate is mentioned by all four canonical gospels, Philo of Alexandria, Josephus, Tacitus. Also, an archeological find called the Pilate Stone mentions that Pontius Pilate was prefect of Judea.
Pilate Stone: In 1961, this stone was discovered in Caesarea, which was the primary headquarters of Pilate during his reign. The translation from Latin to English for the inscription reads: To the Divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum...Pontius Pilate...prefect of Judea...has dedicated [this]

And even a little detail like when the Jews can or can’t utilize capital punishment becomes very critical to the story and substantiates the historical accuracy of the Bible at the same time.

3. God Keeps His Promises.
 And keeps control of history in order to do so.
• You may remember that… At the time of Jesus’ birth, God moved Rome to require a census in order to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5:2. Jesus was NOT supposed to be born in Nazareth. He was supposed to be born in Bethlehem.
• Here, at the time of Jesus’ death, God moves Rome again to change the law. To take the right of execution away from the Jews. So that Jesus will not be stoned or strangled by Jews, but he will be crucified by Romans.
 According to the prophecies, Jesus needed to be crucified:
• Gal. 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’”— Here Paul is quoting from Deuteronomy 21.
• Psalm 22:16-18: states that his hands and feet would be pierced (and people would cast lots for his clothing)
• Isaiah 53:5: – says that he would be pierced for our transgressions
TRANSITION: Jesus himself had prophesied that he would die by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. So when the Jews protest saying we’re not allowed to put someone to death, John points out that this fulfills prophecy. [VERSE 32]
32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
Jesus Predicted he would die by crucifixion:
o John 3:14: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
o John 12:32: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
o Matt. 20:17-19: The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.
TRANSITION: The Jews are adamant to Pilate, “Jesus needs to be executed and YOU need to do it.” Pilate realizes he’s not going to get off so easy. [VERSE 33]
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
• Comical: Pilate must find this comical. He sees this humble, quiet man with no soldiers of his own and no followers and he thinks it ridiculous that anyone would claim this man was any sort of king.
• “Are you the king of the Jews?” - Improper Question: No accusation has been made. No witnesses have been produced. According to Roman law, like we have here in the US, a man did not have to self-incriminate; Jesus didn’t have to testify against himself. So Pilate shouldn’t have been asking him to do so. Jesus didn’t have to answer his question.
• So, perhaps in order to not give in to this injustice, Jesus replies to Pilate with a question. [VERSE 34]
34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
• Jesus has to deal very carefully with this accusation of him being a king. H can’t just simply say yes or no.
o Yes: To simply say yes would be to admit to being an insurrectionist, an earthly king who was looking to gather soldiers and take up arms against Rome.
o No: To say no would be to say that he was NOT a king in any sense of the word. If Jesus is anything, he is a king. He is the king of kings and the lord of lords…the creator of the universe…and the true monarch over all the true children of God. As William Hendriksen states, “Jesus is the real king of the real Jews.” He won’t deny this truth.
o So, Jesus doesn’t respond with a yes or a no, but rather with questions.
“Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
• Let’s get everything on the table.
• Have I been accused of making myself out to be a king? And if so, who’s accusing me?
• Are you accusing me of making myself out to be a king?
• Has someone else accused me?
• Who is my accuser? And what is the accusation?
• Jesus stays cool. He plays by the rules. And, in so doing, he makes it clear that… This is a kangaroo court. This is not a fair trial, but this is a mockery of justice.
• Pilate is frustrated. The Jews have dumped this on his lap. Jesus isn’t making this easy. Pilate just wants out. He wants done with this mess. He responds…
35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”
• Just tell me what you’ve done and let’s get this over with.
• Pilate again prods Jesus to self-incriminate. And again, Jesus doesn’t give in.
TRANSITION: The Jews, Pilate, and Jesus all know that the accusation that Jesus was an insurrectionist vying to overthrow Rome was completely ludicrous. Jesus acknowledges this obvious fact.
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 over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
• Pilate, you don’t have to worry about me leading any kind of insurrection. I have no military. I have no arsenal. I have no one fighting for me… At least no one fighting in a physical sense.
• My kingdom is not of this world.
• BUT… It’s as if Pilate didn’t listen to hardly anything Jesus said. All he heard was “my kingdom”. Pilate thinks that Jesus may have just self-incriminated.
37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?”
• So you admit it. You are saying you are a king.
• Again, Jesus doesn’t self-incriminate.
Jesus answered, “YOU say that I am a king.
• Let me tell you what I am. Let me tell you why I came.
For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
• Jesus turns the tables and makes his accusation against Pilate. “You are not on the side of truth.”
o Jesus is so polarizing: He continually divides people into 2 camps.
 Light and darkness
 His sheep and not his sheep
 Wheat and Tares
 Good soil and the bad soil
o And right now, only hours before his death, Jesus continues to highlight the two camps. There are those who are…
o Of the truth… and those who are NOT of the truth.
 And you can tell the difference between the 2: Those who are of the truth listen to Jesus’ voice. Those who are not of the truth do not.
TRANSITION: And Pilate, continuing to be frustrated with the whole situation responds to Jesus with “What is truth?” and he goes outside to the Jews.
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews…
• Pilate understood pragmatism. He was a practical man. He understood how to kiss up to Rome and how to pacify Jews in order to keep his job. But this idea of absolute truth was foreign to him. A truth that was true whether or not it was practical. A right that was right whether or not anyone agreed.
• Jesus spoke of “the truth”. Not a truth as if his truth was one amongst many. But the truth. He put himself and his words up as the standard by which all ideologies would be judged, the measuring stick by which truth would be determined.
• Pilate had never heard anyone talk like this… What kind of man was this?
o He claims NOT to be an earthly king, but a king from another world.
o He claims not to just have some good ideas, but to have THE TRUTH.
o He’s a king with no army.
o He’s meek, gentle and quiet as a lamb, and yet there are people outside screaming, angry and filled with fierce hatred because of this man.
o When Pilate says, “What is truth?”
 Reaction: There’s an edge in his voice. He’s reacting against Jesus accusation and against the idea of absolute truth.
 Admission: Pilate is admitting, “I don’t get it, Jesus. I don’t understand you at all. I’m totally confused by you. I know earth. I know this world. I know nothing of kings from another world. But you’re saying you’re not of the earth. I know crowns and soldiers and weapons, but you don’t fit into any of my categories. You puzzle me.”
o Pilate didn’t understand Jesus, and it unnerved him. It made him uneasy…so he says, “What is truth?” [continuing in VERSE 38]
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.”
• Ironic: Pilate seems to not understand truth at all, but something not of this world has pricked his conscience.
• Statement of Truth: This man is innocent.
• Pilate is trapped! – He knows Jesus is innocent and he doesn’t want to execute him. He doesn’t want to please the Jews, but he doesn’t want a riot on his hands either. He knows that his career is hanging by a thread. If he doesn’t pacify this angry mob of Jews, he may end up unemployed very quickly.
• Like a drowning man who pops his head up for one last breath, Pilate declares Jesus innocence, only to immediately drop below the waters of darkness and pragmatism as he looks for a practical way to wash his hands of Jesus.
• So, Pilate comes up with a solution…a compromise…a trick that should help the Jews calm down and get him out of this mess.
[VERSE 39] Pilate speaking to the Jews…
39 “But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
• YOU have a custom: During the Passover, the Jews had a custom that they would ask for one prisoner to be released. And, the governor, if he wanted to score points with the Jews, would comply and release someone.
• In the Jewish “Mishna” Peshahim 8,6, it’s recorded that
o The Passover lamb may be offered “for one whom they have promised to bring out of prison.”
• Pilate treats Jesus as if he’s already been pronounced guilty…ironically he does this right after he has declared Jesus to be innocent.
• Jesus vs. Barabbas: The other gospel accounts state that Pilate actually brings Barabbas out to show the juxtaposition between Jesus and this true criminal.
• Enter Pilates Head:
o Pilate thinks: If I set Jesus up next to an obviously evil, terrible man, the Jews will realize that their passions have gotten a bit out of control, and they’ll realize that Jesus really should go free.
 Parent’s Trick: How do you calm a kid who’s having a tantrum? You give him a choice. You lay options before him. Would you rather share that toy with your sister or would you rather go to bed early? All of a sudden, the kid has to stop screaming and think about the decision must be made. If the kid isn’t too hysterical, he’ll calm down and say, “I’ll share the toy.”
o But Pilate doesn’t realize how completely mad with hatred these Jews have become. They don’t stop to puzzle the question. They don’t calm down…and say, “Hmmm… Jesus or Barabbas? I was thinking of getting rid of Jesus, I guess Jesus isn’t so bad. Barabbas is a total thug. Our streets won’t be safe if he’s on the loose. Now that you put it that way, Pilate, maybe we should let Jesus go free. --- That’s what Pilate expects.
o Poor Tactical Move: Pilates pride and hatred of the Jews causes him to make a poor tactical move. He mocks the Jews by calling Jesus the “King of the Jews”. This stirs up their anger against him all the more. Pilate is looking for a way out, but he can’t resist throwing a little mockery in because he hates the Jews so much.
o Underestimates: Also, Pilate underestimates the influence of the Jewish leaders and the emotional energy of the crowd.
o Break in the Action between verses 39+40 - Messenger: Matt. 27:19-21 tells us that at this very crucial point a man comes to Pilate with message from his wife. The message is about a disturbing dream she has had about Jesus. While Pilate is dealing with the messenger, this gives the Jewish leaders time to stir up the crowd to pick Barabbas and ask for Jesus to be crucified. [VERSE 40]
40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
• Driven by the will of the Jewish leaders, the crowd calls out for Barabbas to be set free.
• They condemn the one that came to give and set free the one who came to take.
• Matthew: "notorious prisoner"
• Mark and Luke: one involved in a riot
• John 18:40: “bandit”, which can mean robber. Also, this is the word the historian Josephus uses to refer to an insurrectionist
• Robber: Barabbas was thief. Perhaps, there were even people in the crowd who had been robbed by him.
• Murderer (Mark 15:7): Barabbas presented a serious threat to the physical safety of the people. But the Jewish leaders saw Jesus as a greater threat…a threat to their power, their influence and their whole way of life.
• Insurrectionist: Interesting…
o The Jews bring charges against Jesus that he’s a king who will lead an insurrection against Rome. They act as if their true concern was for the security of Rome and that the community would be peacefully subject to the emperor.
o But: They show their complete hypocrisy in choosing to set Barabbas free. They accuse Jesus of being an insurrectionist when he’s not, and they set Barabbas free who is a true insurrectionist.
o When they choose freedom for Barabbas, they make it absolutely clear:
 They weren’t after justice.
 They just wanted Jesus executed.
 Like Dean said last week: This wasn’t a trial. This was a murder.
 They’re interests were not that of Rome, nor those of God. They simply wanted to maintain their own positions of power and influence in the Jewish community.
 Jesus was a threat to them because people were following him. People were listening to him. He was the voice of truth. And the voice of truth is a very grave threat to those who propagate lies.
 The Jewish leaders were losing their influence, so they determined that something had to be done about it. Jesus had to be taken out.
o Barabbas’ Name – 2 parts:
 Bar: son of
 Abbas: Father. You’re familiar with Jesus and Paul using the term “Abba” to refer to God as Father.
 So Barabbas name means son of the Father. How ironic that Barabbas is set free and the true Son of the Father goes to die in his place.
o The innocent dies in the place of the guilty
 That’s the gospel!
 We the guilty go free. And Jesus goes to the cross to die in our place.
Who are you in this story? (4 Points of Application)
1. Let us not be cowards like Pilate, but stand for the truth.
(Stand on the side of truth, pay careful attention to listen to the Words of truth and put your trust in the king of truth, the king who comes from another world.)
2. When what is practical is at odds with what is right, let us choose what is right.
3. Let us not be self-righteous like the Jews, but admit our sin.
4. Let us see ourselves standing in the shoes of Barabbas.
(We are the guilty who have been justly condemned. But Jesus takes our punishment and sets us free!)