“Here Is Your King” [Matt's Messages] ~ Matt Mitchell

“Here Is Your King”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

November 10, 2024 :: John 18:28-19:16

The title of this message comes from the mouth of Pontius Pilate in chapter 19, verse 14.

We’re going to see that he didn’t really mean it. Pilate didn’t really believe that Jesus was the king or he wouldn’t have sent Jesus to the Cross!

But you and I know that Jesus is the King and a king like no one else.

So as we look intently into this passage, we can actually see our King for Who He really is, at least glimpses of it.

And one thing we will see is that He is a king Who was on trial. Jesus is a defendant here. He has been arrested, interrogated, and slapped around. But Jesus is a defendant unlike any defendant anyone has ever seen before or since.

He is a defendant who doesn’t defend Himself.

And, in fact, He seems to be in charge of His own trial!

Last week, we saw that Jesus doesn’t act like a criminal. He acts like a regal king.

We said, “Who is really arresting whom?” Because Jesus takes the initiative, “Who is it you want?” “Well, that’s me.” “I am He.” And they all fall back. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” And they do!

And then we said, “Who is really interrogating whom?” Because when the high priest starts asking Jesus questions, Jesus starts asking them back! “Where are the witnesses? What kind of a monkey trial is this? Why did you strike me? What have I done wrong?”

Who is really on trial here?

We have reached the day of the crucifixion. Good Friday. We’re in that part of the Gospel that we often focus on in the Spring as Easter approaches.

But it’s just as appropriate to focus on it now as Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming because this is why Jesus came and this is the thing we have the most to be thankful for.

This unjust trial. This mockery of justice. This cruel and inhumane punishment. This tragedy means our salvation. That’s why Jesus allowed Himself to go through it.

Last week, we saw Jesus be arrested and taken to the Jewish high priests (the shadowy “godfather” high priest Annas and then his son-in-law the official high priest Caiaphas). Both Annas and Caiaphas have condemned Jesus. And at the same time, his disciple Peter has denied Jesus three times. The rooster has crowed. And now the high priests are sending Jesus from their Jewish jurisdiction on to the Roman governor with a desire for him to execute the defendant.

And, spoiler alert, that’s exactly what happens. They get what they want. Look at verse 28.

“Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.”

What an ugly sentence that is! What an ugly farce this all is. The Jewish leaders want to maintain their “ritual cleanness” while they offer up their rightful Messiah for crucifixion!

There’s an interesting dynamic that goes on here as the story toggles between inside and outside. Jesus is inside with the Roman governor. He is innocent and at peace. The Jews are outside, angry, and pretending to be clean. The Roman governor shuttling between the two is a man named, “Pilate.”

P-I-L-A-T-E. To some of you exercise nuts, that looks like “pill-aht-ay.” To some of you phonics folks, it looks like “Pi-late” which is the worst way to get some pie. Unless it’s for breakfast I, for one, want my apple pie to be hot.

But traditionally, we pronounce this name, “Pilot,” and it’s the Pilate that we mentioned in Article 4 of our EFCA Statement of Faith during our Worship in Unity. It’s the same Pilate named in the Apostles’ Creed.

This is a person in the history books. Pilate was the governor appointed by the Roman Emperor over Israel from AD 26 to 36. And he was a very weak man. On paper, he was the most powerful man for hundreds of miles. And he had plenty of Roman authority at his disposal. And yet, he is weak and ineffectual. And he ends up doing what he doesn’t want to do. The Jews play him like a fiddle.

First off, he comes outside to them. Pilate plays along with their pretending to be clean. He leaves Jesus inside and goes out to meet the Jews outside. V.29

“So Pilate came out to them and asked, ‘What charges are you bringing against this man?’”

That’s a pretty straightforward question. Pretty basic. But notice their answer. It’s feisty and manipulative. Verse 30.

“‘If he were not a criminal,’ they replied, ‘we would not have handed him over to you.’”

“Don’t ask us what He did. Just trust us. Let’s not get into a big thing here. Just trust us and kill him.” Verse 31

“Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.’ ‘But we have no right to execute anyone,’ the Jews objected.”

Pilate clearly does not want this case. He wants the Jews to handle their Jewish problems on their own Jewish terms. But the Jewish religious leaders don’t just want to punish Jesus. They want Him killed.

And they are not supposed to do that. By law. (Doesn’t mean that they don’t do it from time to time. Mob justice. Stoning. Like they will do to Stephen.) But they aren’t supposed to do executions. That’s up to their Roman overlords. And they want Jesus dead so bad, and they want Him to die in the worst possible way–by Roman crucifixion.

But guess what? That’s the way Jesus has already chosen to die. That’s why Jesus is going to die by crucifixion. Look at what John says about all of this in verse 32.

“This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.”

I have five things I want to point out about King Jesus in this passage today, and this is the first one.

“Here is your king...”

#1. WHO SPEAKS THE FUTURE INTO EXISTENCE.

Look at verse 32 again.

"This happened [what happened? The Jews petitioning the Romans to execute Jesus] so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die [crucifixion] would be fulfilled."

All of these terrible machinations against Jesus happened so that Jesus’ prophecy would come true!

What did Jesus say about how He would die? Remember what He said in chapter 3 about the snake in the wilderness?

“So the Son of Man must be lifted up.”

“Lifted up.” He said something similar in chapter 8 and chapter 12.

Jesus didn’t just know that He was going to be crucified. He chose it. He didn’t like it, but He chose it. This is how He said it was going to happen. He wasn’t just going to be stoned or stabbed. He was going to be lifted up.

Look what Jesus did for us! Look Who is really in charge here.

Our King speaks the future into existence. Last week, we said that He was an undeniable prophet. What He says will happen is what happens. “This happened (v.32) so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was go

So Pilate goes back inside. And he plays the “tough guy.” Verse 33.

“Pilate then went back inside the palace [only one Jew in there], summoned Jesus and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’”

Pilate knows what’s up. He knows that Jesus is being accused of leading a rebellion. He knows about the ride into town on the donkey. He knows that the Jewish religious leaders hate Jesus. He wonders if Jesus is truly a threat. “Are you the king of the Jews?” Yes or no?

How would you answer that question? Jesus answers it with another question! Verse 34.

“‘Is that your own idea,’ Jesus asked, ‘or did others talk to you about me?’”

Who is really on trial here?

That’s a feisty answer from our Lord. He basically asks, “What do you mean by ‘king?’ What kind of king are you worried about? Is this your own question or are you being manipulated, Mr. Roman Governor?”

Pilate doesn’t like it one bit. Verse 35.

“‘Am I a Jew?’ Pilate replied. ‘It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?’”

“Why are you here in front of me? How should I know? Do I look like I know what’s going on?”

Do you see how weak he is? Which of these two men are defending themselves and their actions? Which of them seems at peace and which is jumping up and down? Verse 36.

“Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.’”

“Here is your king...”

#2. WHO BRINGS A KINGDOM FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

Jesus says that He does have a kingdom, but it’s not the kind of kingdom that is worrying Pilate. He’s not bringing a military kingdom through guerrilla warfare. His kingdom isn’t coming by the edge of the sword. Just like he told Peter when Peter tried that by attacking Malchus earlier that morning.

Jesus’ kingdom is here, but it’s not from here. It’s from above! It’s from heaven. And it comes, first, by changing hearts.

Now, that’s not say that it doesn’t affect everybody’s life. Pilate’s kingdom will be affected by Jesus’ kingdom, but not because Jesus’ servants have taken up swords.

And one day, “The kingdom of the world [will] become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

But it starts small like a mustard seed. And then it grows and it grows and grows until “it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches” (Matt. 13:32).

But this kingdom starts in hearts.

Has is started in yours? Are you a citizen of the kingdom that is not of this world?

It’s the same idea, I think, as what He just was praying hours ago for us as His disciples, that we would be in the world, yes, but not of the world. So that the values of the kingdom that comes from another place would be our values and characterize our lives.

Did you live differently from the kingdom of this world this last week?

In how you did your job?

In how you lived with your family, in your neighborhood?

In how you voted or didn’t vote according your conscience?

In how you related to those who didn’t vote like you did?

In how you loved your brothers and sisters in Christ?

In how you prayed for Jesus’ kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven?

In how you talked to your friends, neighbors, co-workers about Jesus?

Did you tell someone about Jesus’ kingdom that is here but is not from here? And is coming here fully one day soon.

Jesus says to Pilate, “Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of threat. My kingdom is not of this world.”

And what did Pilate hear? “Just the word ‘kingdom.’” Verse 37.

“‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’”

“Here is your king...”

#3. WHO WAS BORN FOR TRUTH.

Do you see how this fits with Christmas?

Why was Jesus born? Well, for a lot of reasons that I’m sure we’ll be talking about over the next two months, but one that He knew and said on the day He died was that He was born on Christmas day to “testify to the truth.”

His kingdom is characterized by truth. It is the kingdom of truth. Jesus not only speaks the future into existence, but He only speaks what is true. And everyone who is on the “side of truth” listens to Him.

But look at the sad thing that Pilate says back to Jesus in verse 38.

“‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked.” Oh, man, that is sad. Pilate is dismissive at best, and I think, probably disillusioned and depressed. He doesn’t know what truth is any more.

You ever feel that way? Up is down and down is up. 2+2 is 5. Good is evil and evil is good.

It was Pilate’s job to decide what was true in this case. But he doesn’t care. Not enough! He runs from the truth.

“What is truth?” he says. And he walks out.

What would have been better is if Pilate asked the question, “Who is truth?” Not just “What is truth?” but “Who is truth?”

Because Truth Himself was standing right before Pilate! John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

Everything He say is how it is! There is no falsehood in Him. There is no trickery. There is no bait and switch. Jesus is not a con-man. Anything He says will happen will happen. And whatever He says is true is what actually is.

So for example, our memory verse right now. John 16:33.

“I have told you these things [everything in the Farewell Teachings], so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33 NIVO)

Pop quiz. If Jesus is telling the truth, then will we have trouble in this world? Yes, we will. Trouble, tribulation, persecution, oppression. Cancer. Conflict. War. We will not have it easy.

Anyone who tells you that everything will great, is lying to you. Because the One Who is Truth says that in this world, we will have trouble. But He also says that He has overcome the world. That’s true, too! And because of that, we can take heart.

But Pilate is not listening. He has turned up his nose about the truth, and he’s turned on his heel and gone back out to the Jews.

But notice that he tries to get Jesus off! This is the place where Jesus almost goes free. And, of course, He should have if there was any justice. Look at verse 38.

“With this he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him.”

Wow. I think that Pilate does know what’s true. Jesus is no earthly threat to Rome. He’s going to say this three times. Just like Peter denied Jesus three times, Pilate is going to say “I find no basis for a charge against him.”

“Here is your king...”

#4. WHO WAS INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES.

Jesus should be released. It was obvious to Pilate. And he thinks it should be obvious the Jews, too. This has gone too far.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that right about this point in the day, Pilate tried to foist this problem onto Herod who was also in the city for the Passover. But Jesus wouldn’t even speak to Herod. And though Herod mocked and ridiculed Him, he sent Jesus back to Pilate also with no basis for any charges against Him (see Luke 23).

So Pilate offers a way out to the Jews. He pulls out a custom they have practiced from time to time of releasing a prisoner at the Passover festival. Kind of a celebration in amnesty.

He probably thinks he’s come up with a perfect solution for all. Jesus goes free. Pilate is seen to be wise and gracious. Those who would be rebels don’t have a martyr in Jesus to rally behind for their cause. And the Jews don’t get their hasty hands dirty with blood. Look at verse 39.

“I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?’ They shouted back, ‘No, not him! Give us Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.”

We’ll come back to Barabbas himself in a minute.

But it’s clear that the Jews did not want a way out. They wanted Jesus dead. And they got what they wanted.

This next part becomes increasingly hard to read.

If we get the picture of what happens, it should make us both incredibly mad and incredibly sad. Chapter 19, verse 1.

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.”

Here’s what that means:

“Jesus was stripped, tied to a post or thrown to the ground, and beat with flagella–leather whips to which were attached pieces of iron, bone, or spikes, which would shred the skin, often leaving it hanging on the victim’s back in strips. Unlike the thirty-nine maximum lashes prescribed by Jewish law (Deut 25:3), the Romans did not limit the number of lashes, thus leaving the victim helpless to the cruelty of the supervising soldiers” (Edward W. Klink III, John: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, pg. 776).

Often this first flogging would be the lightest one, the later one would be much worse.

But, remember, our King is innocent! Pilate just said that He was innocent. And he has Him flogged.

I think, actually, this first flogging was a weak way of trying to help Jesus. See how weak Pilate is? He had the authority to dismiss the charges and set Jesus free. But he didn’t think he could pull it off. So he’s going to make Jesus look ridiculous and humiliate Him in the hopes that that will be enough punishment so that he doesn’t have to make a hard decision. V.2

“The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they struck him in the face” (vv.2-3).

They made wreath of thorns and put it as mock crown on His head. And they pressed it down so that He bled from His scalp. It hurt. And blood started to cover his face. And they put a royal purple robe on Him. He is royalty! But they mocked His royalty. And they yelled in His face and they hit Him. They hit our innocent King. Blood everywhere.

Look at verse 4. “Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, ‘Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.’”

Second time he says it. “This man is innocent. He’s inside. I’ve humiliated Him. I’m going to bring Him outside. You can see what’s happened to Him. But I have to say it again. He is innocent as far as I can tell. Okay. Bring Him out.” Verse 5.

“When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’”

Can you see it in your mind’s eye? Can you see how terrible He looks? Can you see how they have tried to shame and humiliate Him? I think that Pilate is trying to engender sympathy for Jesus. He’s maybe trying to get the Jews to pity Him. “Look at this sad thing. Here is the man. He is harmless.”

And you, I say, “Yes, He is the man! He’s the man that Adam should have been. He’s the man that David should have been. He’s the man that can fix everything for all of humanity. In fact, He’s doing it right now in front of us.”

But that’s not what the Jews said. Look at verse 6.

“As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!’ But Pilate answered, ‘You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.’”

Third time! Pilate is so frustrated, isn’t he? How about that petulant, “You take and crucify him”? They can’t do that! He doesn’t want to do it.

But they insist that he do it. Verse 7.

“The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.’ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. ‘Where do you come from?’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer” (vv.7-9).

The Jews insist that Jesus has blasphemed the name of God by saying that He is the Son of God. And Jesus DID say that He was the Son of God! He said it and shown it in so many ways in the Gospel of John.

But it’s only blasphemy, if it’s false. If I said I was the Son of God, it would be blasphemy. But it’s not blasphemy if it’s true! And Jesus is the King of Truth!

And this freaks Pilate out. We learn in the other gospels that Pilate’s wife had a difficult dream about Jesus that caused her tell him to leave Jesus alone. Pilate was scared stiff that he might be executing a supernatural person. He pulls Jesus back into the palace and just about screams in His face, “Where do you come from?”

But Jesus says nothing. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a [innocdent] lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isa. 53:7).

And that freaks Pilate out even more.

Can you see how this is “the Weak versus the Meek?” Pilate has never seen a defendant like this before. Normally, they are doing everything they can to get out of their predicament. Making every argument. Every defense. This is a defendant Who doesn’t defend Himself.

And it freaks Pilate out. V.10

“‘Do you refuse to speak to me?’ Pilate said. ‘Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?’

Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’” (vv.10-11).

I think He means Caiaphas or He could mean Annas or Judas or even Satan. The point is that Jesus doesn’t think much of Pilate at all. He is weak and sinful, and bears guilt for what he does. But he isn’t as powerful as he thinks. The only reason he has power in this situation is because power has been given to him “from above.”

Which is important for everyone who is in authority for a time to remember. Whether your name is Biden or Harris or Trump or Vance or Mitchell or put in your name there.

Whatever authority on earth we are granted “from above” is temporary and limited, and we will have to give an account for how we used it. I don’t want to be in Pontius Pilate’s shoes for what he did with his.

He tried, weakly, to get Jesus released. Verse 12.

“From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, ‘If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.’”

They play Pilate like a fiddle. They know what he cares about and that is staying in power. And staying in Caesar’s good graces. So, even though Jesus is innocent, and these people are supposed to be under Pilate’s authority, Pilate ends up doing what they want! V.13

“When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.

‘Here is your king,’ Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’

‘Shall I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked.

‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus” (vv.13-16).

Pilate loses the tug of war. The other gospels tell us that he tried to symbolically wash his hands of the whole thing, but, of course, inaction is action, too. He handed Jesus over to be crucified.

That question that he asks them, “Shall I crucify your king?”

Man, what a thing to say! And they refuse to receive Jesus. “We have no king but Caesar.” They refused their Messiah. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11).

They rejected Jesus even though He was innocent of every charge. And Jesus was crucified.

We will talk more about that next week, but we have one more thing from this passage to remind ourselves about our king.

Even though He was innocent of every charge, He took our place.

“Here is your king...”

#5. WHO TOOK YOUR PLACE.

What Jesus went through, the flogging, the humiliation, the execution? That is what you and I deserve for our sins. And He chose to do all of that out of love for you and me.

Like Barabbas, right? From the last few verses in chapter 18? Barabbas was a bad guy. He was a traitor and a domestic terrorist. He taken part in a rebellion. Barabbas deserved to die. But that day, he went free.

Do you know what his name means? “Bar” is son and “abba” is father or daddy, right? So he was “Son of the Father.” Maybe his father had been a rebel, too. But isn’t it ironic that the True Son of the Heavenly Father took the place of the one named “son of the father?” So that the guilty one gets grace and goes free!

That’s a picture of the gospel.

That’s a picture of what animates us here as a church.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:5-7).

Jesus is a king like no other.

He speaks the future into existence.

He brings a kingdom from another world.

He was born to testify to the truth.

He was put on trial as a defendant, but He was innocent of all charges. And yet He did not defend Himself.

Instead, He took our place.

Don’t reject Him. Receive Him.

“Here is your king!”