Week 28, John 18:28 19:16. Hook. Main Point: Jesus is the one who is rejected. Main Application: In rejection, find identification with Christ.

Transcription

1 Week 28, John 18:28 19:16 Hook Main Point: Jesus is the one who is rejected. Main Application: In rejection, find identification with Christ. Discussion Activity: Have your class break into groups of six or eight. In their groups, ask them to answer the following questions: When in your life have you felt the most accepted? Where were you? Why did you feel that way? When in your life have you felt the most rejected? Where were you? Why did you feel that way? When you were rejected, how did you respond? If you could go back, would you change your response? Does rejection necessarily mean you are wrong because you were rejected? Does rejection necessarily mean that others are wrong because they are rejecting?

2 John 18:28 19:16 Book Main Point: Jesus is the one who is rejected. Main Application: In rejection, find identification with Christ. Text Summary: The Jews bring Jesus before Pilate and for these several verses, Pilate dialogues back and forth with the Jews and then with Jesus and the cycle continues. The Jews bring accusations against Jesus, trying to get Pilate to sentence Him to death, which He ultimately does. John 18:28 40 (Read) Sub Application: Maintain integrity when falsely accused. Jesus is brought before Pilate. After Jesus hearing with the Jewish officials, He is led to Pilate. In this scene, the Jews stay outside, as verse 28 says, in order that they not be defiled. So Jesus enters and the Jews stay outside. From here on, Pilate moves back and forth talking with Jesus and talking with the Jews. He asks the Jews what Jesus has done, and their response is that He is evil. They explain that clearly something is wrong with Him or they wouldn t have brought Him. There s a sense here that something would be wrong with them if they simply brought an innocent person to Pilate. The problem isn t with them; it s with Jesus. He s clearly evil. The immediate response is not a statement of the charge but an accusation of Jesus being a criminal or literally one who does evil. 1 Because of that, there s such irony playing out here. They don t have any accusation or evidence, just that He is evil. Their case is weak. Pilate wants to let them do what they want. Why get him involved? Even at this point, Pilate is unclear on his role and why they have brought Jesus to him. But they can t do what they need/want to do. They want Him dead. They don t want a trial. They want an execution. And they don t have the ability to do this. The picture is becoming clear to Pilate. For these Jews, there s also a cultural aspect to this. They say in verse 31 that it is not lawful for them, that Jews wouldn t complete such a task. You see, [crucifixion] was looked upon by Jews with horror. Execution on a cross was considered to be the same as hanging, for which Mosaic Law enunciated the principle Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God s curse (Deut. 21:23, Gal. 3:13). If Jesus had been put to death by the Sanhedrin, stoning would have been the likely 1 Gerald L. Borchert, The New American Commentary: John Broadman & Holman: Nashville, 2002, 239.

3 mode of execution, since it is the penalty specified in the OT for blasphemy, the most common charge against Jesus in John. 2 Verse 32 could refer to John 3:14 or 12:32, but there could have been some Old Testament reference behind it, such as the Deuteronomy 21 passage. The idea is that Jesus had to be cursed and that He would be raised. After their response, Pilate goes back inside to talk to Jesus. He wants to hear from Him. They enter into kingdom talk. The language is very political. The charge against the King of the Jews was His stirring up rebellion and going against the Roman government. Pilate wouldn t have liked this. But Jesus says it s not about the political realm here. It s beyond here. In all of this, He does not deny being a king, but He denies being the king Pilate is thinking of. Pilate goes out before the people again, but they demand Jesus be crucified and Barabbas set free. Barabbas, who has been found guilty of theft, is set free and Jesus, the innocent, takes his place. On multiple levels, here is Jesus death in place of those who are guilty. What about the Jews accusation shows that they don t have exact evidence against Jesus? Why does verse 35 show that Pilate is not interested or invested in what s going on? What is his response to Jesus? What about Jesus ultimate purpose is shown in the substitution of Jesus for Barabbas? John 19:1 16 (Read) Sub Application: When rejected, maintain strength in knowing that God is in control. Pilate questions Jesus and gives Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate finally gives the Jews what they want and dresses Jesus as a mock king. He flogs Him and puts a purple robe on Him and a crown of thorns. They mock Jesus as Pilate presents Him to the people. Pilate gives Him over to the people but they have more to say about Him. After this, they bring another accusation. He s the Son of God. This follows in their pattern of bringing faults against Jesus. He s evil. He s a king. He s divine. They want to make sure something sticks. But in it, Jesus remains silent. Pilate asks Jesus but Jesus remains quiet. Pilate doesn t like this at all and tries to tell Jesus that he, Pilate, has power. But it means nothing to Jesus. Jesus speaks to the fact that Pilate is not in control at all. Jesus explains that whatever power Pilate thinks he has is granted to him solely by the Father. Pilate, in verse 12, then tries to set Jesus free. But This does not mean that Pilate had a full 2 Andreas Kostenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary On the New Testament: John. Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, 2004, p. 526.

4 grasp of what Jesus was saying; it means that Pilate was convinced that Jesus had not done anything worthy of death. 3 And in his attempt to free the innocent Jesus of Nazareth, the Jews shout that freeing Jesus would go against Caesar. They persuade Pilate by leveraging his desire to be in good standing with Caesar, to keep his name clean. This is the last thing Pilate wants, to have Caesar thinking Pilate is noncompliant. So Pilate submits to Caesar, but truthfully to the will of the people. Why did Jesus remain silent in verse 9? When is it right not to obey an authority? What was the cause of Pilate s fear in verse 8? What was the last straw for Pilate? What was it that the Jews brought to him that ultimately forced his decision? 3 D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1990, p. 602.

5 Week 28, John 18:28 19:16 Took Main Point: Jesus is the one who is rejected. Main Application: In rejection, find identification with Christ. Lesson Activity: In the course of someone s life, rejection and betrayal are inevitable. Jesus shared in John 15 that if the world persecuted Jesus, it would persecute His disciples. However, Jesus has overcome the world. Despite the fact that believers know that rejection, betrayal and persecution are inevitable, it can be easy to allow those events to truly shape one s identity. On a sheet of paper, ask your class to write down five to 10 life events that shaped them. Some of these may be positive (like the birth of children) while others may be negative (like the rejection of a family member). After your class has written their life events, ask them to prayerfully analyze how they have been shaped. It is likely that several attendees in the class have experienced deep rejection and allowed those events to define them. Challenge your class members to keep this list to themselves and take the next week to pray that God would help them to be completely defined in Christ; that they would ask God to remove any hate, doubt or insecurity that might remain from a past rejection. Lesson Conclusion: Jesus was blameless and yet He was betrayed and brought before Pilate for punishment. His own people handed Jesus over to the government and demanded the blood of an innocent man. Challenge: Rejection can shake confidence, create sensitivity or callousness, and become a defining marker in someone s life. For those in your class who are walking through rejection, encourage them to look to Christ, to identify with Him. Jesus was rejected and God s plan was

6 fulfilled. Jesus knew that what was taking place served a greater purpose. Do not allow the rejection of man to become more significant than the acceptance of Christ Jesus.