Pilate's Reckoning with Jesus

I do want to invite you to turn in your Bibles to John chapter 18. For our time of study and God's word, this morning. we are doing a study through the Gospel of John, and as we continue in our study of the Gospel of John, we come this morning to John chapter 18 verse 28. And my goal this morning is to try to cover verses 28 through 40, and the title of the message this morning is Pilate's reckoning with Jesus.

Pilate's reckoning. With Jesus. In our passage today, we are going to meet a man named Pontius Pilate. A Roman governor, who did not want to meet Jesus and he didn't wanna have to render any legal decision about Jesus.

He would have preferred for others To figure out what to do with Jesus, and he actually even tried to push Jesus off on others to figure out what to do with him. But Jesus was thrust upon Pontius Pilate, leaving him with the unwanted opportunity to reckon with Jesus and arrive at some decision. About this man who has been brought before him. And maybe there are some of you in this room who feel Somewhat the way that Pontius Pilate felt.

Because you really don't want to deal with Jesus. Right now Because you have too many other things that you think are more important at the present, and the last thing you wanna do is deal with Jesus. Or maybe you are overwhelmed with all the squabbling. And the rival truth claims that abound in our world today, and you have become cynical about whether it's even possible to know what's true.

Anymore. If you are feeling in either of these ways or someone who is, then I think you are set up to get a lot out of our passage that we'll be looking at this morning. As we pick up in verse 28 of John chapter 18, we should remember that Jesus has been arrested. And brought before Anna, who was the former high priest of Israel and the father-in-law of the present high priest of Israel whose name was Caiaphas.

And we have seen how Anna questioned Jesus in the hopes of finding something. Against Jesus that would justify their arrest of him, but Annas, we saw 3 weeks ago, got nothing from Jesus along those lines. So at his wits' end, we were told the following in verse 24. Look at the text.

So Annas sent him, so Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas, the high priest. What follows in verse, verses 25 to 27 is the story of the second and the third of Peter's denials. But as far as what happens to Jesus, the next thing we're told is found in verse 28, which is where we're going to be picking up. In our study of John this morning.

And the way we're gonna break down our study, and I hope you have a hard copy of the notes with you as we'll observe 4 developments in John's account of pilot's reckoning. With Jesus. Four developments in John's account of Pilate's reckoning with Jesus. And the first of these developments, let's word it this way, is the Jews, and when I say that the Jewish leaders bring Jesus to Pilate for execution.

The Jews bring Jesus to Pilate for execution. Observe what happens in verse 28. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas. Into the praetorium.

The statement of John ought to surprise you a bit. Verse 24, as I just read a moment ago, tells us that Anna sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas, the high priest. And now here we are told they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the praetorium, which means that John tells us nothing about what happened at Caiaphas's place. And this is likely because John has read the other Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

And he's content with what those gospel writers reveal and John has nothing new to add to what these other gospel writers have described that happened at Caiaphas's place. The other gospel writers tell us that it was in that meeting before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. that many false witnesses were brought. Forward to testify against Jesus.

But unable to Find any consistent eyewitness testimony against Jesus. We are told, for example, in Mark chapter 14, Verse 60 through 62 that Caiaphas approached Jesus and he said to Jesus in verse 21 of Mark 14, are you the Christ? The son of the blessed one. And Jesus said, I am, and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

Jesus says, and upon hearing this answer from Jesus, Caiaphas tears his clothes. And said to his colleagues on the Sanhedrin, and we read this in Mark 14:63, what further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. How does it seem to you?

And Mark tells us in Mark 14:64 that they all condemned him to be worthy of death. And it's at this point that we learned from the other gospel writers that the fury. Of hell begins to spew forth from the darkened souls of these men. Upon Jesus.

In Mark 14:65 and elsewhere, we are told that they began to spit at Jesus and to blindfold him and to beat him with their fist while he was blindfolded and they were saying to him, prophesy and tell us who hit you. You, Christ. And then after that, Mark's Gospel tells us that the officers received him with slaps in the face. It is at this point that John picks up the narrative here in John 18, and he says in verse 28, then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium.

The Praetorium would be the headquarters where Pilate, Pontius Pililate lived and conducted his job as governor whenever he would be staying in the city of Jerusalem. This would be the place where Pilot would deal with cases like what he is going to be confronted with right now. So John says in verse 28, then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the praetorium. Look at the next words, and it was early.

Like probably somewhere between 6 and 7 a.m. On this Friday morning. And notice John's comment about the religious scruples of these men who bring Jesus to Pilate. In verse 28, John says, and they themselves did not enter into the praetorium so that they would not be defiled but might eat the Passover.

How ironic that these Jewish leaders would be so concerned about being defiled by entering a Gentile's residence. When they have already entered into the greatest evil deed in the history of the world. Talk about straining at a gnat. And swallowing a camel, right?

They are afraid that they might contract some defilement from pilot's place when in fact they are the ones who are contaminating pilot. With this despicable evil that they are now involving him in. In the end, it will be Pilate washing his hands. From the defilement of what these men will be pressuring him to do with Jesus.

According to verse 28, these men did not want to be defiled because they wanted to eat the Passover, which could be a reference to the actual Passover meal. Or to any of the meals associated with the feast of unleavened bread, which was often lumped together with the Passover. These are religious meals that they wanted to, to enjoy. They planned on eating in these meals this very night.

So they refused to enter Pilate's residence so as not to make them unclean. And render them unable to eat. This meal of the Passover. And because of their refusal to enter the praetorium where the Gentile pilot was, pilot now has to go out to them.

So look at verse 29 where it says, therefore Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this man? Now, Pilate no doubt had some awareness of the religious leaders beef with Jesus. He may have actually been the one to grant permission for his soldiers to be involved in arresting Jesus or at least he was made aware that one of his commanders had given the command for Roman soldiers to be Involved in Jesus' arrest. According to Matthew 28 or 27:18, Pilate knew that the Jews had handed Jesus over to him because of envy.

And Pilate doesn't seem too troubled with that. He can live with that, but it seems that he's going to do his part. Or at least make an effort to ensure that they have a legitimate legal charge to bring against Jesus, whatever their real motive was. So we asked them in verse 29, what accusation do you bring against this man?

And notice, guys, their sophisticated and legally airtight response. In verse 30. They answered and said to him, if this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. How's that for legal reasoning?

They're saying to Pilate, the fact that we're bringing him to you should be enough for you to know that he has committed a capital crime. We are bringing him To you to carry out the death sentence against him. And the proof of his worthiness of death is the fact that we have brought him to you. Imagine someone trying that in a courtroom.

Today Actually outside of a courtroom, what these men are doing is how our world operates even today, especially in our culture. A Christian might make or take a stand for Christ or for Christian morality, and the mob of this world responds with Rage and hate. And people think, man, that Christian must have done something really, really bad. To provoke such a response from These people The mob of this world never wants anyone to question their own actions.

They just want people to look at their actions, their rage. And even their hatefulness and think, wow, Christians must really be horrible people to provoke such a response. This is the way these religious leaders want Pilate to think about Jesus, which is why they say to him, look at the text, if this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. Well, Pilate obviously doesn't like the response of these men at all because it reveals that they have no compelling legal charge about any Roman law that Jesus has violated.

They got nothing to bring to Pilate at this point about Jesus. So observe Pilate's response in verse 31. So Pilate said to them, take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. If you men can't give me a way that this man has violated some Roman law, then you deal with him yourselves, is what he is saying.

Now, one might expect that this is a dream come true for these religious leaders to have Pilate giving them permission to do whatever they want with Jesus. The problem is that these men are cowards. They want Jesus dead, but they don't want to be the ones who kill him. Because they feared the Jewish people who held him in high esteem.

So in the middle of verse 31, the text says the Jews said to him, we are not permitted to put anyone to death. What they're saying to Pilate is by our Jewish law, this man should be put to death. But according to Roman law, we're not allowed to carry out the death sentence upon him. We're not allowed to carry out the death sentence ourselves, so we're asking you to put him to death for breaking our law.

And what they're saying here actually has some basis in truth. The Roman Empire usually allowed for conquered peoples. To operate by their own local customs and laws and even gave them the right to punish criminals. But when it came to carrying out the death penalty, Only Rome was allowed to do that.

So essentially what these Jewish leaders are saying to Pilate here is this. If you hand this man back over to us, we would want to carry out the death penalty on him. And according to Roman law, we can't do that. Which is why we have brought him to you, so that you can have him put to death.

Now, these Jewish leaders are Evil men. With the evilest of intentions, and they are under the sway of Satan. In this awful moment, and yet God is still on the throne. And is using their evil intentions to bring his perfect will to pass.

Observe what John says in verse 32. These Jewish leaders say what they just said. John says to fulfill the word of Jesus, which he spoke, signifying by what death he was about to die. This was definitely not their intention, the intention of these men, but it was God's intention.

Think about it guys, if the Jews had been the ones to carry out the death sentence upon Jesus, they would have stoned him, right? And this was not how God planned for Jesus to die. Throughout his ministry, Jesus repeatedly promised that he would be lifted up in his death. Speaking of the manner in which he would die by crucifixion, which was a Roman practice.

So we observe here that even as these enemies of Christ are Engaging in evil against the Lord Jesus, God. is superintending through their evil deeds to make sure that His will will come to pass and that Jesus will die in a very particular way as foretold by Jesus. These men are opposing Christ right now, yet they are unwittingly furthering the very purpose. Of Christ to die on a cross.

So that through his shed blood upon that cross, he can give forgiveness to sinners like you and me. And I want us to just take a moment and draw some encouragement from what John says here in verse 32. Guys, no matter what the enemies of Christ may do against us and against the cause of Christ, in the end, they will only serve to further God's sovereign purposes. Amen.

God is the ultimate judo expert. Who can harness the evil intentions of evil men and use their very own intentions against them. And bring his will to pass even through them. This was true in John 18.

It was true in John 19, when evil men crucified Christ and thereby fulfilled scripture. And it is still true today. So let the enemies of Christ do their worst against us, and they will, they will only further God's plan. Well, given the actions of these Jewish leaders, Pilate is now stuck with having to reckon with Jesus, and That's what he now does, which brings us to the 2nd development in John's account of Pilate's reckoning with Jesus.

2, Jesus tells Pililate the kingdom over which he rules. Jesus tells Pilate. The kingdom over which he rules. Observe what happens in verse 33.

Therefore, Pilate entered again into the praetorium and summoning, and summoned Jesus and said to him, are you the king of the Jews? The fact that Pilate would ask this question reveals that he has some awareness of the Jewish leader's reason for arresting Jesus. Pilate seems to understand that the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus because they viewed him as some wanna be Messiah King. Of the people of Israel.

So Pilate point blank asked Jesus, are you the king of the Jews? And he's not asking this question because he genuinely wants to know if Jesus might actually be the king of the Jews. He's asking this question at this point to get Jesus to reveal. His own self perception in a way that gives Pilate insight into why these Jewish leaders want Jesus dead.

Observe how Jesus responds to Pilate's question in verse 34. Pililate has tried to put the spotlight on Jesus, but Jesus flips the script and turns the spotlight on the Pilate. Look at the text, verse 34, Jesus answered, are you saying this on your own initiative or did others tell you about me? Essentially Jesus is saying to Pilate, are you asking this question out of your own personal desire to know for your own spiritual benefit?

Because you wonder if it might be true that I am the king of the Jews? Or did somebody tell you these things about me such that it would cause you to ask me if I am the king of the Jews? In other words, where is your question coming from? Jesus is asking.

Pilate is clearly taken aback by Jesus' question here. He definitely does not like how Jesus is getting so personal, so quickly with him. In his own mind, Pilate is the questioner here, not Jesus. And Pilate is not accustomed to people he questions responding to him in this way.

Observe Pilate's response in verse 35. Pilate answered, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priest delivered you to me. What have you done?

Getting that spotlight back on Jesus as quickly as he can. Pilate is saying what I think of you as a potential king of the Jews is irrelevant. I'm not a Jew. So where my questions are coming from should not be important here.

What's really important here is that your own nation's leaders have delivered you to me. So what have you done that would cause them to bring you to me? For a death sentence. Like this Well, as for what Jesus has done, he has claimed to be.

The Christ, the Messiah, the Messiah King. We saw how he did that at Caiaphas's place. So Jesus right now, talking to Pilate circles back to Pilate's earlier question about him being a king. Observe Jesus' response in verse 36.

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. Now the fact that Jesus here speaks of a kingdom and calls it my kingdom is tantamount to him admitting to Pilate that he is indeed a king. If you have a kingdom, You are a king, right? And yet, what kingdom is this over which Jesus rules?

Jesus says to Pilate, look at the text, my kingdom is not of this world. Literally, he's saying my kingdom doesn't originate from this world, which means it originates from where? From heaven. And the proof that his kingdom is not of this world is found in what Jesus says next.

In verse 36, where he says, 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. And saying what he says here, Jesus is not trying to say that his kingdom has no bearing upon this world. In fact, in the years And decades to come, Jesus' kingdom is going to be turning the world upside down. But what he's saying here is that his kingdom doesn't need the people of this world to usher it in with a violent revolution in which people fight.

With swords and with spears, with weapons. With earthly physical weapons. His kingdom will come to earth one day, and when it does, it will come from heaven, and it will come in the Father's good time. In the meantime, his kingdom does not operate by the rules of normal earthly kingdoms.

That's what Jesus is saying. You guys will recall that a few hours prior, Peter pulled out his sword and tried to keep Jesus from being arrested, but Jesus told him to put his sword away. Because for now, Jesus must drink the cup of suffering. And death that the father wants him to drink, and when the time comes for his kingdom to come in power and in glory, it will be ushered in from heaven and not from earth.

And I ought to take a moment to say that Jesus' words here have profound ramifications for us today, giving us a little bit of insight into how we as Christians are to engage the world of our day for the kingdom of Christ. What Jesus says here releases us from the burden. of having to pull out our guns. And swords and knives and seek to establish the kingdom of Christ upon the earth.

Christ's kingdom could never ever be ushered in that way anyway. For what would result would not even be his kingdom. His words also release us from the mistake of resorting to the conniving political tactics of this world in order to advance the kingdom of Christ. In fact, when we as Christians stoop.

to using the sinful tactics of this world to somehow further the kingdom of Christ, we've already lost. Because we've allowed the world. To shape us into its mold. How does the kingdom of Christ come?

Well, in a most unusual way, right here in John's Gospel, it is God's plan that Jesus be handed over to Pilate, so that he might then be handed over to the cross upon which he will die to bring salvation. To sinners from every tribe and tongue and nation, so that he might then one day on the other side of that cross, usher in a kingdom from heaven that will be populated by people who have been saved through his blood, who have confessed their sins and repented and believed in Jesus and received the forgiveness of sins through him.

And those saved persons will gather in churches, and they will walk in love, and they will proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus and Jesus alone. These saved persons will not fight with swords.

But with love Sacrificial love and with truth. That comes straight from the lips of Jesus Himself. Which leads us to the 3rd development in John's account of Pilate's reckoning with Jesus. Number 3, Jesus tells Pililate the king he is.

Jesus tells Pililate the king he is. Observe what happens in verse 37. Pilate clearly understands the thrust of what Jesus has said about his kingdom. So, look at verse 37, therefore, Pilate said to him, so you are a king?

Notice that Pilate is not limiting Jesus' kingship to the Jews anymore. He's asking Jesus if he is a king, period. Observe Jesus' reply here in verse 37. Jesus answered, bingo.

That's the Greek, but it's translated this way. Jesus answered, you say correctly that I am a king. Jesus is agreeing with Pilate and confirming that he is in fact a king. But Jesus is a most unusual king, the likes of which Pilate has never seen before.

Jesus continues in verse 37 and says, 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. Jesus is saying two things here. First, he is saying, I have been born and I have come into the world to be a king.

And second, he is also saying, I have been born and have come into the world to testify to the truth. And putting the two together, Jesus is saying, I have been born and I have come into the world to be a truth speaking king. who testifies always to the truth. Evidently there is such a thing.

As the truth. In other words, the ultimate truth. And Jesus has come to bear witness. To that ultimate truth.

Jesus has not come into the world to speak lies. He has not come to just say whatever it is that people want to hear. He has not come to say what is popular or to say whatever it is that the religious leaders want him to say. He has not come to say things that will generate the largest following and the quickest amount of time, nor has he come to merely utter fluffy truisms about things that really don't matter.

He has come into the world in order to testify to the truth. The ultimate truth that all people everywhere need to hear and give heed to. And interestingly, Only certain people, Jesus says, are able to hearken to his voice. Observe what he says at the end of verse 37.

Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Those who are of the truth or those who are born out of the truth. In other words, it's those people who have been regenerated by the spirit of truth, who are able to respond to the truth that Jesus speaks. This was the case with all of us in this room who have believed in Jesus for salvation.

God's spirit, the spirit of truth regenerated us in such a way that when we heard the truth of Christ, our souls wonderfully resonated. With that truth, and we responded in faith to the voice of Jesus calling us. And here Jesus says to Pilate, I speak only the truth, knowing that those whom the Father has chosen. And whom the Father has caused to be of the truth will actually hear my voice and believe in me and follow me, and I am content with that, Jesus says.

And I want us to learn something this morning from Jesus' example. Just as Jesus spoke the truth, you and I should do the same. Our calling from God is not to say the popular things. According to the conventional wisdom of our world today.

But our calling is to speak what the truth. If we speak the truth, then those who are not of the truth are gonna despise what we say and they're gonna hate us for saying it. But those whom God regenerates. will resonate with that truth, and they will believe and they will be saved.

And you and I will never know who those regenerated persons are if we stop speaking the truth in order to maintain acceptance. From the world Are we willing to pay the price for speaking the truth so that those who are of the truth will be able to hear that truth and be saved. Jesus was. Jesus has just told Pililate that he is a king who testifies to the truth.

And that those who are of the truth hear his voice. So Jesus has been speaking to Pilate of truth. And we Might be asking at this point of the narrative, is Pilate of the truth? Or not Well, let's see Observe Pilate's most famous response in verse 34.

Pilate said to him, What is truth? What is truth? In one of his works. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

speaks about this moment. And says, and I quote, Must I add that in the whole New Testament, there appears but a solitary figure worthy of honor. Pilot Whose noble scorn enriched the New Testament with the only saying that has any value, what is truth? The philosopher Nietzsche.

Literally viewed this scornful question by pilot. To be the greatest thing said on the pages of our New Testament. Now at first blush, one might think that Pilate is asking this question out of a genuine hunger to know more and to know what the truth is, but you and I know that he's not because he immediately walks away from Jesus after asking the question. As we're going to see in the next verse.

Plus, keep in mind that Jesus has just told Pililate that he is a king. who testifies to the truth. And those who are of the truth can hear him as he testifies to the truth. If Pilate is really of the truth, he would conclude from Jesus' words what the truth is.

He would conclude that the truth is anything that Jesus speaks. Right? Yet instead of believing what Jesus has just said, Pilate scoffs and says, what is truth? In the mind of Pilate, Jesus thinks he speaks the truth, but Pilate sees the religious leaders who claim that Jesus speaks lies and they want him dead.

So what is the truth here? Whose truth is really true in this situation? In asking this question, Pilot is also saying, what is the significance. Of truth After all, in a Roman world where power is the primary virtue.

Who needs truth. Of what value is truth. Who needs it anyway? Clearly Pilate's question is a dismissive question of scorn being asked by a man who doesn't realize that he is staring in the face.

Of the greatest truth speaker who ever lived. And who is the truth himself. Normally, if you really want an answer to a question that you ask, you would stick around and wait for the answer, right? But this is not what Pilate does, for in verse 38, the text says, and when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no guilt in him.

Pilate certainly doesn't believe in Jesus by any stretch of the imagination, but he finds nothing against Jesus that would merit any death sentence being Passed down upon him. And in a flash of courage, he's not afraid to say that out loud. He goes out to where these Jewish leaders were gathered and announces to them all, I find no guilt in him. What he's saying is I find no legal cause for putting this man to death.

And this brings us to the 4th development in John's account of Pilate's faithful reckoning with Jesus. Number 4, Pilate offers to release Jesus to the Jews. Pililate offers to release Jesus to the Jews. If Pilate truly had a fully formed spine.

He would tell the Jews right now that he was releasing Jesus and they're gonna have to live with that. But Pilot doesn't do that. Always the politician Pilot comes up with a brilliant idea. Observe what he says in verse 39.

Speaking to the Jewish leaders, he says, but you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you wish then that I release for you the king of the Jews? The Passover was a festival in Israel when the Jews celebrated their deliverance from the land of Egypt. So not surprisingly, the Passover.

would be a time when nationalistic fervor would be at fever pitch and when the Jews would be most resentful of Rome. And want to be freed from Roman oppression like they were once freed from the oppression of Egypt. It would be during this time that Pilate would pardon a Jewish prisoner and release him back to the Jews. This was a politically shrewd.

Gesture Designed to throw the Jews a bone. And to keep their tempers cool during a time when 100s of thousands. Of pilgrim Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover and the feast of Unleavened bread. So given that practice, Pilate hits upon an idea.

Jesus is now a prisoner in his own custody. So Pilate says to the Jews, essentially, how about I release for you this man, the king of the Jews. If these Jewish leaders agreed To this release, then Pilate would hand Jesus over to them and then the Jews could do anything they please with Jesus, even if they wanted to put him to death themselves. But I actually think pilot is very likely.

Hoping that these men would follow his own lead and be forgiving of whatever it was that Jesus had done. He was willing to let Jesus go, so why shouldn't they? After all, this is the Passover. Let's be conciliatory and do the peaceful thing.

How do the Jews respond? Look at verse 40 So they cried out again, saying, not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. The word translated robber here literally speaks of a thief.

But the gospels revealed that Barabbas was no petty thief. We learned from Mark 15:7 that Barabbas had been in prison with the insurrectionist who had committed murder. So this man, Barabbas was a revolutionary. He was a terrorist against Rome who was complicit in murder, and this is the man that these Jewish leaders are asking Pililate to give to them instead of Jesus.

Essentially they're saying give us a man. Pilot who views Rome as the problem. that we need to be delivered from And don't give us this Jesus who preaches against us and tells us that we are the problem. And talks to us like we need to be saved from our own sins.

Quite emphatically, these men are saying give us Barabbas. So that you, Pilate, can keep Jesus. And be the one who puts him to death. Well, this story is definitely not over, but we're gonna have to stop here for today.

And Lord willing, we'll pick up here next Sunday. But as we wrap up this morning, I, I want us to ponder a few things. First of all, I want us to just ponder Pilate's repeated attempts to get rid of Jesus. He's got a Jesus problem and he can't get rid of him, but he tries.

He first tried to give Jesus back to the Jewish leaders to deal with according to their own customs and laws, so that he wouldn't have to deal with Jesus. Second, he tells Jesus that he's a Gentile and shouldn't be bothered with whatever issues the Jewish leaders had with him. And third, Pilate offers to let Jesus go free. As a Passover gesture of peace toward the men who brought Jesus to him and whereby Pilate can hand Jesus over to them and be done with Jesus.

Clearly, Pilate does not want to deal with Jesus, yet Jesus stands before Pililate on this occasion as a problem that won't go away. And Pilate's eternal fate will hinge on what he does with Jesus in this moment. Pilate served as governor of Judea from AD 26 to AD 36, about a decade. Yet 2000 years later, Pilate is pretty much only remembered for what he did with Jesus on this.

Friday morning. Pilate doesn't realize it right now, but this is truly the most important moment of his life. And this moment came to him on a Friday morning in the person of Jesus Christ. And I wonder what you're going to look back on.

And see what the most important moment. Of your life I can tell you right now, it will be the moment when you decided what you would do with Jesus. It might even be this moment. Right now, this very morning, when Jesus is being put before you.

In this service What will you do? With Jesus In this most important moment of his life, Pilate waved Jesus off with a question, what is truth? The Jewish leaders showed their rejection of Christ by wanting Jesus dead. Pililate rejected Christ.

With a cynical question that he never bothered sticking around to get an answer to. Oh, pilot Honestly view Jesus as harmless enough. He definitely doesn't agree with the men who hate Jesus and who want Jesus dead. But neither does Pilate believe in Jesus as the truth-speaking king that he is.

Pilate sees the conflict between the leaders and Jesus and he hears Jesus talking about what a truth speaking king he is, and Pilate waves Jesus off. With the dismissive question, what is truth? As one writer, Michael Bauerlein, who's a senior editor of First Things magazine, He writes about this question of Pilate and Michael Bauerlein says these words and I quote, Pilate is a cosmopolitan showing his superiority over the partisan bickering. In front of him.

He doesn't attack Christianity, he transcends it. While everyone else in the drama is committed to the outcome, Pilate stands apart, a disinterested observer. An anti-dogmatist who is wary of truth seekers and religious types, unquote. And the apostle John.

Quotes, Pilate's cynical question. To remind you and I. That one of the ways that people reject Christ. is with a cynicism.

That believes it's impossible to know what's really true. Yet John wants us to know the dangers of this cynicism. Because of Pilate's cynicism and refusal to take sides on this matter before him, a grave injustice ended up being done under his watch, for which he will be forever liable. Part of John's point and including this episode in his gospel is to show us that to take no sides with regard to Jesus is to take a side.

One can think that Jesus is harmless. One can think that Jesus is an innocent man just like Pilate did and still be complicit in his death. So be very careful about asking the question, what is truth? When you are standing in the presence of the one who is himself the answer to that question.

There is a time to ask questions and there is also a time to realize that the answer to your questions is standing right in front of you. But maybe this question of Pilate, what is true? is in your heart this morning. And it won't go away.

Maybe you once believed something to be true and you found out later that that was a lie. Maybe you have been burned one time too many by truth claims that are out there that you later discovered to be lies and you've decided, what? I'm never going to get burned again. I want you to know this morning that even the notion That the truth is unknowable.

Is itself a belief. That will surely leave you getting burned again. I also want you to know that however many times you may have been burned before, that still does not absolve you of the responsibility to look honestly at Jesus and figure out the truth about him. Maybe you hear people of different religions arguing over what they think is the truth.

The Muslims say one thing and the Christians say another and the Hindus and the Buddhists say something vastly different and the atheists say things very different, and they're all convinced that they are right and that they are speaking truth. Maybe you look at the political wars that are being fought today between the left and the right, and every side claims to be speaking on the side of the truth. And maybe you Just find yourself waving it all off with the question, what is truth?

And maybe you take a little bit of pride in being above the fray.

Regardless, I'm here to tell you this morning. That there is nothing more important than you deciding what you will do with Jesus. And engaging earnestly. In the pursuit of truth about him.

One day, I know you're gonna have clarity about Jesus, you will one day stand before him, and you will bow and you will confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. But in the here and now, I challenge you to reckon with Jesus and decide what you're going to do with him. And in your pursuit of the truth about Jesus, I would actually encourage you to ask some of the questions that Pilate asked in our passage today. But ask those questions with a humble heart that is open to the answer.

Pilate asked Jesus, are you the king of the Jews? The answer is, yes, he is. Pilate said to Jesus, so you are a king? And the answer is yes.

He is a truth speaking king whose kingdom is not of this world and whose voice can only truly be heard by those who are of the truth. Pililate asked Jesus in our passage today, what have you done? And you should ask that question regarding Jesus also and then read the Gospel of John, which tells you what Jesus has done. Telling you about the miracles he performed and the words that he spoke.

About himself. And about us and about his father. Telling people that he is the bread of life, the good shepherd, the way, the truth, and the life. And that he is the only way to the Father.

He told people that he is the light of the world and that he is the great I am. Jesus always spoke the truth every time he opened his mouth. So that those who are of the truth could hear his voice. And be saved And here Jesus stands before Pililate on this.

Very day Ready to perform his greatest work. Of surrendering himself to death upon a cross so that he can give salvation to sinners like you. And me. So just as Pilate asked what is truth?

Go ahead, ask that question. What is truth? And then realize that Jesus is the answer to that question. Just as Pilate had to reckon with Jesus on a Friday morning, 2000 years ago.

I urge you to reckon with Jesus today and let him reckon with you. Believe in him and call upon his name as your Lord and Savior. And as your king. If you do that, I promise you, you will never be burned by Jesus.

You will never hear anything from Jesus, but the truth. And you will find yourself no longer asking. What is truth? Instead, you'll be asking, what is not to love?

About the truth That Jesus speaks. And the truth that he is. Let's pray together Lord, I pray that if. There are any in this room this morning that You are reckoning with right now that you would help them to faithfully reckon with Jesus.

And bring them. To face And you Most holy Son. I pray that you would help us as your people to Speak your truth. Far and wide.

And wherever we go. That you would give us the backbone to continue to speak truth in a culture that increasingly hates to hear that truth. Help us to Speak the truth of Christ, knowing that. There are Many who may hate us, but there are people out there who It's hearts you are touching, Lord.

Who you are regenerating and causing to be of the truth, who will resonate with the truth we speak and be drawn to the savior and be saved. I also have to say to you, Lord, in front of this congregation that in many Ways I am too much like Pilate. While I would never out loud ask what is truth. There's something of the spirit of that question.

In my heart every time I turn away from you, Lord Jesus. And fail to believe the truth that you have spoken. And when I turn to other things other than you to be the ultimate truth and the ultimate satisfying fountain. Which can satisfy my deepest hungers.

I'm asking that you would help. Me and help all of us to truly look at the Lord Jesus who stands before us. And say, from the bottom of our hearts, we know that he is the truth. And we know that every word he speaks is the truth.

That we can bank not only our eternal destinies upon. But we can also bank this hour of our lives upon. Whom we can bank upon in this moment of temptation. Or trial And may we, Lord, be nourished by this truth, satisfied with the truth of Jesus Christ.

Refreshed by this truth, strengthened in the truth of Jesus. And that we as a congregation, Lord, would go forth and Speak this truth of Christ to a lost and a dying world that needs to hear. And in this way, Lord, as we live lives of sacrificial love and proclaiming the truth of Christ. May we advance your kingdom.

One soul at a time, not with swords, but with truth and with humility and with love. All the while looking for the day, Lord Jesus, when you return from heaven. At your second coming. To deal the ultimate blow against your enemies and to establish your kingdom forever.

It is to you that we look. It is for you that we desire to live. And it is in your name, Lord Jesus, that we pray. And all God's people said, Amen.