John 19:1-16 Power Given
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
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.”
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, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 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?”
11 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.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
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). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
15 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.
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
<<prayer>>
Justice Gone Wrong
In the spring of 1912, a father and son fishing along the Warrior River in Blount County, Alabama, noticed a bone protruding from a bluff. Clearing away the soil, they uncovered what appeared to be the remains of an adult and a child. As news of the discovery spread, a number of area residents, presuming the remains to be ancient, visited the bluff in the hope of finding Indian relics.
When no relics were found, speculation started that the remains were not Indian but those of Jenny Wade Wilson and her nineteen-month-old child, both of whom had disappeared after she divorced Bill Wilson about 4 years earlier. The local prosecutor was sufficiently impressed by the rumors to obtain a grand jury indictment charging Bill Wilson with the murder of his ex-wife and child.
While Bill was in jail awaiting trial, another inmate claimed he had heard him tell a relative during a visit, "If you tell anything I will tend to you when I get out." Other witnesses came forward claiming that after the divorce Bill vowed to kill Jenny if he ever saw her again. The prosecution was weakened, however, by the testimony of its own medical expert, Dr. Marvin Denton, who acknowledged that it was unlikely, although perhaps not impossible, that the skeletal remains from the bluff could have deteriorated to the extent they had in just five years. Furthermore, Denton acknowledged, the skull of the child had second teeth, which usually do not develop until about age four.
The defense case, in contrast, was strong. Six witnesses, including Jenny's sister, testified that they had seen Jenny at various times several months after she should have been dead, assuming the prosecution theory was correct. The defense medical expert, Dr. J. E. Hancock, testified that the teeth in the adult skull were those of an elderly person and that a nineteen-month-old child would not have second teeth.
Nevertheless, the jury found Bill guilty, and Judge J. E. Blackwood sentenced him to life in prison on December 18, 1915.
After the trial, further doubt was cast on the verdict when the curator of physical anthropology at the Smithsonian Institute examined the bones from the bluff and declared them to be very old skeletal parts of four or more persons. Judge Blackwood concluded that justice had miscarried, but he no longer had jurisdiction of the case. Thus, he asked the governor to grant clemency effecting Bill's release. Before the governor took action, however, Bill's appellate lawyer located Jenny and her child, now 11, living in Vincennes, Indiana. She returned to Blount County on July 8, 1918, and the same day, after authorities confirmed her identity, the governor granted Bill a pardon. (http://www.law.northwestern.edu/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/alWilsonBSummary.html)
Sometimes the courts get it wrong.
From Joseph in the Old Testament who was sent to prison on the basis of lies from Potiphar’s wife, to the innocent women done in by medieval witch trials, to the modern prisoners being exonerated by new DNA tests; we don’t have to go far to find examples of innocent people wrongly convicted. And, of course, we have famous examples like the O.J. Simpson case where--by all appearances--a guilty man was set free.
Try as we might to do what is right, “human courts have an uncanny knack for turning justice completely on its head.” (John MacArthur, The Murder of Jesus, p. XIII)
Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the trial that led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Never has there been a more innocent defendant than the sinless Son of God. And yet He was cruelly treated, brutally beaten, and sentenced to die a horrible death by a man who believed in His innocence. At the same time, Barabbas, a murderous, thieving insurrectionist was set free. This was the greatest miscarriage of justice the world has ever seen.
And what I want do as we continue to work our way through the story of Jesus’ passion is focus today on this question: Who killed Jesus? As we look at the passage I just read I want us to try to get to the bottom of who is responsible for Jesus’ death. I want us to think about why Jesus ended up on that cross.
The text suggests three parties who bear responsibility:
The JRA
The first group I’ll call the Jewish Religious Authorities. These are the chief priests and their officials who show up in verse 6 or our text:
6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
Now, it is a sad fact of history that over the years the Jewish people have borne the brunt of the blame for Jesus’ death. The expression “Christ killers” has been used by anti-Semitic zealots and hate-mongers. And unfortunately, the charge of killing Jesus has frequently been used to justify everything from hate crimes to the Nazi holocaust. This is a terrible travesty. There is no room for any sort of racism for those who love Jesus.
And yet, while it makes absolutely no sense to blame an entire ethnic group for something that took place long before any of them were alive, there can be no doubt that those Jewish Religious Authorities who were present in Pilate’s courtyard that day—as well as the Jewish crowd that gathered and shouted “Crucify! Crucify!”-- bear some responsibility for Jesus’ death. To say that those Jews who were there contributed to Jesus’ death is not the same as saying that all Jews for all time are guilty.
So who were these Jewish Religious Authorities, and why did they want Jesus dead?
“Chief Priests and officials” is John’s way of referring to the Jewish religious establishment of the day. Remember, Israel was an occupied nation at the time. They were part of the Roman Empire. Normal practice for Rome was to force conquered peoples to convert to Roman religion—emperor worship. But they made an exception for Israel because the Jews were a uniquely religious people. So while these Jewish Religious Authorities had lost their civil power, they continued to influence the customs and faith of the people.
One of the priorities of these officials, then, is to maintain peace with Rome. They were fearful that if some sort of popular uprising took place against Rome, the empire would come in with its military might and then completely take their religious freedom away.
And, of course, as Jesus grew more popular and attracted larger and larger crowds, that is exactly what they were afraid would happen. In John 11:48-50 the High Priest uses this line of reasoning when he explains why something must be done with Jesus:
“If we let [Jesus] go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” Then one of them, named Caiphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
But that wasn’t all these Jewish Religious Authorities had against Jesus. They also took issue with the things He said. He criticized the Pharisees for exalting tradition above Scripture. He said that they cared more for rules than for persons, more for ceremonial cleansing than actual moral purity, more for laws than love. He had even called them out as “hypocrites,” “blind leaders of the blind”, and “whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean” (Matt. 23:27).
Most outrageous of all, though, He made claims of being Lord of the Sabbath, to know God uniquely as his Father, and even to be equal with God. To an observant Jew, that was the worst offense of all. It was blasphemy.
And so, when they first bring Jesus to Pilate—because Rome has the power of execution while they do not—they originally framed their charges against him in political terms. “He claims to be the messiah, another king, and thus he is a threat to Rome.” But verse 7 of our text makes it clear that their concerns were more religious than political:
7The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."
But there is perhaps an even more fundamental reason these authorities wanted Jesus dead. It isn’t spelled out in the gospel of John, but Matthew gives us this important insight:
[Pilate] knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. (Matt. 27:18)
Envy. These Jewish Religious Authorities envied Jesus. They envied the ease with which He talked about God. They envied His popularity among the crowds. They envied His spiritual authority. And they were afraid. Afraid that they would lose their influence and their authority. That they would lose what they believed to be their exclusive access to God.
The first answer to our question—who killed Jesus?—is this: Jesus was killed by Jewish Religious Authorities who envied and feared Him. Jesus was killed because they felt threatened by Jesus.
Lest we are too quick to condemn these people, however, we must realize we are capable of the same feelings toward Jesus. John Stott writes:
The same evil passion influences our own contemporary attitudes to Jesus. He is still, as C.S. Lewis called him, ‘a transcendental interferer.’ We resent his intrusions into our privacy, his demand for our homage, his expectation of our obedience. Why can’t he mind his own business, we ask petulantly, and leave us alone? To which he instantly replies that we are his business and that he will never leave us alone. So we too perceive him as a threatening rival, who disturbs our peace, upsets our status quo, undermines our authority and diminishes our self-respect. We too want to get rid of him. (The Cross of Christ, p. 54)
The Coward
But, of course, it was not the chief priests or the Pharisees who drove the nails into Jesus’ hands. For that, they needed the Romans. Thus a second party to bear responsibility for Jesus’ death is the Roman governor Pilate.
I talked about Pilate some last week. He was appointed procurator of Judea by the Emperor Tiberius in AD 26. He was an efficient Roman administrator who had a reputation for cruelty and violence toward those he governed.
He was not popular among the Jews. And as we saw last week He was cynical—even agnostic—about matters of religion and the true identity of Jesus.
But one other thing is clear about Pilate in the gospels, and especially our passage in John: He did not believe Jesus was guilty.
You see this several times in Pilate’s interview with Jesus. The first is at the end of the previous chapter. After saying “What is truth?” Pilate goes back to the Jewish Religious Authorities and says: “I find no basis for a charge against him.” Then he offers to follow custom and release one prisoner for the Passover holiday and gives them a choice between Jesus and the murderer Barabbas. (18:38-40)
Clearly he’s hoping that they will choose Jesus and he’ll be able to release him as an act of clemency rather than having to pursue justice. But, of course, much to Pilate’s chagrin, the crowd chooses Barabbas.
So, next, Pilate tries half-measures. He has Jesus whipped with a scourge and humiliated with a crown of thorns and a purple robe. According to Roman law, a guilty verdict wasn’t necessary to inflict a beating.
But this isn’t just a private show for a sadistic Pilate. As it turns out, Pilate orders the scourging with the hopes of getting Jesus released. Verses 4 and 5:
4Once 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." 5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"
Pilate was hoping that by displaying Jesus in such a pathetic way—with His back torn open and the blood running down his brow—the Jews would pity Him and consider it punishment enough. But, of course, it wasn’t. Satan had such control of them that when they saw him battered and bleeding they yelled, "Crucify! Crucify!"
Still, Pilate does not give up on Jesus' innocence. Unnerved by the idea that this might be the Son of God (v. 7-8) he practically pleads with Jesus to give him some reason to release Him (v. 10). When that doesn’t work, John tells us Pilate kept trying to get Him released. Verse 12:
12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free.
But the Jewish Religious Authorities are relentless, and they appeal to Pilate’s sense of job security. The rest of the verse:
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."
It’s at this point that Pilate caves. The threat that Caesar might find out he let a potential rival go free becomes more important to him than the idea that an innocent man might die. John doesn’t record it, but Matthew adds the powerful detail that he washed his hands in front of the crowd and declared, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.” Then he sits down at the judgment seat and, before his hands are even dry, gives in to the crowd’s demand for a crucifixion.
The second answer to our question—who killed Jesus?—is this: Jesus was killed by Pilate who chose to do the easy thing rather than the right thing. Jesus was killed because Pilate was a coward.
Before we point our accusing fingers at Pilate, we must recognize how prone we are to the same sort of thing. How often do we do what is easy rather than what is right? How often do we hide our belief in Jesus rather than risk embarrassment by telling His story? How often do we go along with the crowd rather than take a stand? How often do we take the lazy route, the half-hearted route, the sinful route, rather than do the hard work of following Christ?
From Above
So Jesus’ death was a gross miscarriage of justice carried out by envious religious officials and a cowardly civil authority. Jesus died as the result of wicked men acting in a malicious and evil way.
But that is not the full Biblical explanation for the death of Jesus. For there is a third party responsible for Jesus’ death. And this third explanation of Jesus’ death causes me to tremble, because the Bible tells us it was God who put Him on the cross.
The key verse here is verse 11. As Pilate gets nervous about the possibility that he is dealing with the Son of God he pleads with Jesus to say something. He says, in essence, “Don’t you know who you are dealing with? I’m the guy with power. I have the power to set you free or order your death.” Here’s Jesus’ answer:
"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."
Jesus says: There is only one true power in this universe. I wouldn’t be here if God didn’t put me here. You wouldn’t be able to touch me if God didn’t want you to touch me. He’s allowed you to be in the position you are in, Pilate, but don’t think you are calling the shots.
Now, we need to be careful here. Some people have characterized the idea that God planned for Jesus to go to the cross as the “worst sort of divine child abuse.” When Jesus says that the one who handed me over to you is “guilty of a greater sin” He’s not accusing God of sin. Rather, He’s saying that because of His connection to God, those who are religious, that is Caiaphas and the others who sent Jesus to Pilate, should recognize Jesus and thus bear greater responsibility for what is about to happen.
But the idea is still clearly here that Jesus would not be going to the cross if God didn’t will it. The Bible wants us to understand that this is all a part of God’s plan. In fact, that’s the third answer to our question—who killed Jesus?—Jesus was killed by God the Father as a part of His good plan to deal with our sin. Jesus was killed to save us.
This is a remarkable, incredible testament to God’s sovereignty. Weeks later, when Peter speaks to the crowd at Pentecost he says:
This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. (Acts 2:23)
It’s not a question of whether sinful men or divine plan are responsible for the cross: the Bible affirms both. Humans are culpable, but God is still sovereign. John MacArthur writes this:
Here was the most evil act ever perpetrated by sinful hearts: The sinless Son of God—holy God Himself in human flesh—was unjustly killed after being subjected to the most horrific tortures that could be devised by wicked minds. It was the evil of all evils, the worst deed human depravity could ever devise, and the most vile evil that has ever been committed. And yet from it came the greatest good of all time—the redemption of unnumbered souls, and the demonstration of the glory of God as Savior. Though the murderers meant evil against Christ, God meant if for good, in order to save many. (p. 7)
Octavius Winslow, a 19th century preacher, put it like this:
Who delivered up Jesus to die? Not Judas, for money; not Pilate, for fear; not the Jews, for envy;--but the Father, for love! (quoted by Stott, p. 61)
Why did the Father send the Son to the cross? Why was the Son willing to go? Because by dying there the sinless Savior took the punishment our sins deserved so that God could be perfectly just while still being perfectly merciful in offering us salvation.
And so, in that sense, we could say that it is you and I who killed Jesus. It was for our sin that he went. As we have seen, we are not so different from the Jewish Religious Authorities. We have plenty in common with Pilate. Had we been in their place, we would have done what they did. We still do. Hebrews tells that whenever we sin we “are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” (6:6)
The old negro spiritual asks: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” And our answer has to be yes. Because it was for our sin that He went. It was to pay our debt that the Father sent Him to die. One of the songs that has become popular in the last few years puts it well: “It was my sin that held him there, until it was accomplished.”
John Stott writes:
Before we can begin to see the cross as something for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)…On the human level, Judas gave him up to the priests, who gave him up to Pilate, who gave him up to the soldiers, who crucified him. But on the divine level, the Father gave him up, and he gave himself up, to die for us. As we face the cross, then we can say to ourselves both ‘I did it, my sins sent him there’ and ‘he did it, his love took him there.’ (59-60, 61)
And so, our take away this morning is that Jesus’ death was the greatest miscarriage of justice in history. Sinful people with cruel intentions put Jesus on the cross. And we are not so different from them.
But at the same time, Jesus’ death was the greatest sacrifice ever made; the purest act of love ever carried out. Ultimately, Jesus’ death was for our good, to cancel our sins, to make a way for us back to God.
