John 19:1-16 Dispel Delusion

Theological Proposition/Focus: Indecision about Jesus is a decision against Him; we must confront His identity and our response each day.

Christ Focus: This passage foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, illustrating His role as the suffering servant who fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah. Christ's trial serves as a pivotal moment in salvation history, where He willingly steps into judgment to bear the sins of the world.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: This passage encourages Christians and seekers alike to confront their beliefs about Jesus, reminding them that indecision about Him is a decision against Him. It serves as a call to deepen one's faith and commitment in the face of societal pressures.

Introduction

Image: Indecision can be worse than making a wrong decision.

Turning base to final in an airplane cannot be done lightly.

When preparing to land an airplane, indecision can be detrimental. As an aircraft turns onto final approach, it is lower to the ground than the altitude at which normal maneuvering is conducted. Often an inexperienced pilot will notice they are lower to the ground and make shallow turns. This indecision in making strong control inputs will often result in overshooting the final approach path. This results in what is called chasing the path as the pilot oscillates back and forth trying to get lined up. This puts the airplane in what is probably the most dangerous way to approach a landing: an unstabilized approach.

This is only one example; there are plenty of other scenarios where failure to make a decision turns into disaster.

The trial of Jesus reminds us that God's plans are different from ours, and we must dispel the delusion that we can get away without making a definitive decision about Jesus.

Setting the Stage:

John's Gospel includes a great many details about the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. John 18 includes extensive details of Jesus' arrest and the initial trials before both the Jewish and Roman leaders. But one thing is clear when we look at the Jewish trial: the trial was a makeshift trial to support a verdict that had been long ago decided.

As John 18 draws to a close, we begin to see that the Romans have a problem. Jesus doesn't fit nicely within any of their usual ways of handling things. Jesus does not fit the mold; He has done nothing wrong, and yet the people want Him destroyed.

The result of this conflict is ironic, as Pilate proclaims Jesus innocent in John 18:38 only to keep Jesus under arrest in verses 39 and 40.

We see all sorts of contrasts:

The powerful governor acts weak and without backbone.

The religious priests act contrary to their religious rules.

The only people I really see acting as I would expect are the gullible masses who turn on Jesus at a whim, calling for the release of Barabbas.

As chapter 18 comes to a conclusion, we are forced to ask the question: "Pilate, what will you do with Jesus?"

Body

Sovereign or Sham — Jesus is either King of creation or a liar (1-5).

Maybe Pilate thought a simple flogging would appease the Jews (1-2).

In John's Greek text, it does not say that Pilate had Him flogged but rather that Pilate flogged Jesus. It is probably not the case that Pilate did the work but rather that Luke wants us to see that Pilate is completely responsible for this act. We are going to see that Pilate is attempting to remove himself from any guilt, but it simply is not possible. Pilate is going to be forced to deal with Jesus, even if he does not want to.

Flogging does not mean that Pilate believed Jesus was guilty. In fact, there are known instances of individuals who would have an innocent man flogged simply for causing the inconvenience of disrupting the normal flow of public order..

The flogging here is likely very brutal. Jews limited flogging to 39 lashes, but the Romans had no such custom, and this was a Roman flogging. Everything about the text drips with the cruelty of Roman soldiers who have been turned loose to have their fun. Even had the crucifixion never occurred, Jesus would have been publicly shamed, broken, and could have even died from the flogging itself. This is nothing short of brutal.

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't want to grant someone's request but you also didn't want to deny the request, and so you suggested some sort of compromise?

Luke 23:13-16 teaches us that Pilate figured that a simple flogging would appease the Jews.

Luke 23:13-16 NIV

Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."

But as we read in Luke 23:18, "But the whole crowd shouted, 'Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!'" That was not the case.

Pilate's efforts were met not with voices of support but with voices of dissent.

You see, it should not surprise us they were met with dissent; no matter how you look at it, the claims Jesus made were extraordinary claims.

But everyone knew that the claims of Jesus were extraordinary (3).

The mockery of the soldiers reaches a climax as they approach Jesus, probably bow before Him, and proclaim, "Hail King of the Jews," a phrase that would emulate the sort of statements that were normally given in worship of Caesar. The difference is that instead of the customary kiss, these soldiers complete the act with an insulting slap in the face.

But we should not be surprised by even this, for Jesus is nothing short of King, and it was no secret that there was something special about Jesus. While there was much that Jesus kept on the down-low, He did not hide that He was special.

• Matthew 25:31-34 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 'Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'"

• In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus describes Himself as the Son of Man who will sit on His glorious throne, judging the nations. He calls Himself the king:

• John 12:12-15 "The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!' Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 'Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.'"

• Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem fulfills Zechariah 9:9, where the Messiah is prophesied to come as a king riding on a donkey.

• Luke 19:11-27 "While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: 'A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' 'But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' 'He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money in order to find out what they had gained with it. The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' 'The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' 'His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'…"

• In the Parable of the Ten Minas, Jesus describes a nobleman who goes to receive a kingdom and then returns, a clear allusion to His own role as the coming King.

Anyone paying attention would have known that Jesus was making extraordinary claims about Himself.

Pilate thought that he could avoid making a decision on who Jesus was (4-5).

With the flogging complete, Pilate emerges to present Jesus to the crowd.

The word we translate as "look" in verse 4 is significant. The word is used to draw our attention to what follows, and what follows is a declaration of innocence. This is incredibly important because it reminds us that Pilate could not find any reason to view Jesus as anything but innocent. Consider this: if you were under a lot of pressure to find someone guilty of something, you would be able to do it. The fact that Pilate cannot find Jesus guilty of anything is incredible.

At this, Jesus emerges dressed in what the soldiers had used as a royal costume for their time of sport. I am sure Jesus aptly fits the description of Isaiah 53:2-3 "He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem."

Then Pilate makes the bold declaration, "Behold the man," or as the NIV states, "Here is the man." Pilate's statement is meant to convey the pathetic individual he sees who is nothing like a Roman king. Pilate has taken a position on Jesus, declaring him innocent but also declaring him nothing more than a man. In so doing, I think that Pilate thought he was avoiding any real stance; but when it comes to Jesus, no stance is a stance, and Pilate took the wrong stance.

Misguided Mindset — Wrong priorities result in a wrong view of Jesus (6-12).

Prioritizing personal power inevitably results in rejecting Jesus (6-7).

John tells us that when the Jewish leaders saw Jesus, they responded with a call for crucifixion. Pilate, to his credit, again states that he sees no guilt in Jesus, but by this time, Pilate's backbone is completely broken, and he tells the Jewish leaders to take care of it themselves. The key thing here that we need to do is look carefully at the power dynamics taking place within these two verses.

Let's start by looking at the prioritization of power by Pilate.

Pilate, as the Roman governor, held ultimate authority over legal and military matters, including the power to execute criminals. However, he was also under pressure to maintain order and avoid uprisings, as his position depended on appeasing both Rome and the volatile local population. I want us to understand that everything Pilate does in this passage is an attempt to maintain his status and his power. Pilate's chief concern is not justice; it is power. In fact, if you look at Pilate's answer to the chief priests, you will see that Pilate is even willing to give up his own responsibility to execute criminals in order to maintain his power! What happens is that Pilate ends up being the governor under which Jesus was executed.

Now I want to look at the Jewish leaders.

The Jewish leaders, particularly the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, had significant religious and social influence but lacked the authority to carry out capital punishment under Roman rule. This created a delicate power struggle—Pilate had the legal right to condemn Jesus, but the Jewish leaders manipulated the situation by framing Jesus as a political threat, declaring that He claimed to be a king in opposition to Caesar. The Jewish leaders wanted power so badly that they ultimately demanded the crucifixion of Jesus, shouting an imperative command: "Crucify!" to the Roman governor.

Finally, I want to look at the power dynamics of the Jewish Law.

Likely thinking about Lev. 24:16, the Jews made a claim that according to Jewish Law, Jesus deserves to die. Remember that Pilate has already declared Jesus innocent, and leading up to this point, the Jews had been very careful not to tell Pilate why they thought Jesus was deserving of death. Consider John 18:30 "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you." Now the Jews ask for something incredibly significant. The Jews ask for the Roman Empire to curtail to their religious Law, that is, they ask for Roman power to submit to Jewish Law.

The entire text drips with power plays, and as everyone vies for their piece of the pie, the result is that all parties end up rejecting the God of the universe. If you make power your priority, you are going to find yourself on the wrong side of Jesus.

Prioritizing personal pride inevitably leads to missing the obvious (8-10).

As the story continues, the conversation moves back inside, and now Pilate has something significant to deal with: "What if this is all true?" I want us to understand the significance of Pilate's question. I think this is probably the first time that Pilate has considered the religious impact of what is happening. Ironically, this pagan leader is more willing to consider the truth of Jesus than the people who had been looking for Jesus all their lives.

How could this be? Personal pride, arrogance, and fear all play in. Pride was rampant among the religious elite; we can see this in passages like

• John 5:44 "How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?"

• John 9:39-41 "Jesus said, 'For judgment, I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.' Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, 'What? Are we blind too?' Jesus said, 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.'"

The religious leaders could not see what Pilate was now beginning to see. But again pride comes into play. Pilate asks Jesus the question, "Where do you come from?" This is probably tantamount to asking Jesus, "Are you God or man?" Jesus responds with silence. Why? Because Pilate should have known from all the evidence already presented, and Pilate had already passed judgment that Jesus was a man. The answer to Pilate's question was above Pilate's pay grade, and Pilate's response shows the pride problem yet again.

Pilate proclaims to Jesus, "Don't you know who I am?" Pilate had the opportunity right here to have turned his fate around, and instead, he took offense that this beaten, bloodied man would dare remain silent.

Prioritizing personal preservation inevitably leads to poor decision-making (11-12).

In Matthew 16:24 "Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'" This reality is hard to swallow, but it is true. If you try to hold too tightly onto your preservation, you will end up making bad decisions.

Here we see that Pilate realizes he might be making the mistake of a lifetime, but he is too concerned with his own immediate preservation, and the Jewish leaders know exactly what button to push. So Pilate opts to preserve his own position, and while the text tells us that he knew what to do and even looked for an opportunity, he wasn't ready to do what was needed.

Here is the thing that I want us to consider as we wrap up this section of text: everyone involved knew what was right, but no one involved was willing to risk the status quo in order to do what was right. I find this in my own life and the life of so many so often.

Example: Someone is working themselves to death, and they know it, but they are comfortable, and to reduce to a reasonable level of work might cost them; it might change their lifestyle, and so they don't do it. Kids are so involved in sports and activities that they don't even have time to rest and are running ragged, but to change would require them to give up something, and so they continue. A family never has time to be a family, but to make time would require individuals to sacrifice, so they just can't.

As I watch people, what I consistently notice is that people have terrible priorities, but most people are unwilling to take a step back and really consider their priorities. None of us are looking at the crucifixion of the Messiah as the result of our misplaced priorities, but most of us are crucifying our spiritual health, families, and physical health on the cross of our priorities.

Faithless Folly — Denying Jesus results in deep delusion (13-16).

Pilate could not escape responsibility for accepting or rejecting Jesus.

In the text, we read that after receiving nothing short of a political threat from the Jews, Pilate brings Jesus out for a final judgment. It is interesting in that John does not actually tell us who sat down on the judgment seat—presumably Pilate—but the Greek allows for either. It is feasible that in one final mockery of the Jews, Pilate placed Jesus on the judgment seat and offered the Jews their rightful king.

What I see here is a profound effort by Pilate to avoid taking responsibility for the final decision. Pilate thought he could avoid taking a stand, and in so doing, he took a stand.

Pilate's words, "Shall I crucify your king?" make it clear. Pilate is responsible; he was deluded to think he could wash his hands of it.

The Jews in their arrogance sacrificed that which they had hoped to preserve.

Recall that the Jews had sought to preserve their power. In John 11:49-50 "Caiaphas, 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.'" The Jews longed to hold onto their power.

But look at what their denial got them. John 19 closes out with the Jews proclaiming that they have no king except for Caesar. They have sold out.

One final observation: John 19:14 tells us that all this took place the day of preparation at about noon. Not Friday, but Thursday, at the time when the Jews were getting ready to slaughter their Passover lamb, God was about to present His own lamb.