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The Truth Through Trials (Luke 22:63-23:25 April 10, 2011)

When you share the gospel, what are the essential truths that the person you are sharing with has to believe in order for them to be saved? For example, is it enough to simply tell them they have to believe that Jesus died for us – or do they have to believe some truths about Jesus and about His death? Our passage this morning is crucial because I want to suggest that it makes very clear that who died and the type of death Jesus died is crucial to the plan of God in salvation – and the gospel requires us to have at least a basic understanding of who died and what happened through His death. We are in the gospel of Luke and back in Luke 9:7-62 –Jesus told His disciples what the basic gospel was. He told them that they had to believe that:

He is a crucified Messiah who calls crucified disciples. But now, as the cross looms large – it becomes clear that Jesus wants His disciples to understand more fully what a crucified Messiah is. In the sovereign will of God – this understanding comes through the various trials of Jesus that led to His crucifixion. The trials displayed for all the world to see – just who it was going to the cross. What we will see this morning is that the various trials of Jesus show that the One who is crucified is:

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Saviour, Sinless, Substitute The trials of Jesus leading to the crucifixion of Jesus show who He is and how His death saves. The One who died on that cross was: Saviour – The Messiah – God in human flesh – prophet, priest and King – the Son of God. Only God Himself – the second Adam could die for sinful men. Sinless – Only One with no sin of His own could pay the penalty for sinful men. Substitute – The glory of the cross is that when Jesus died – He died for us. As well as who Jesus is, central to the plan of salvation is not just that Jesus died – the way He died is crucial. If Jesus died from disease, or natural causes – His death would not pay for sin. If Jesus died of meningitis or drowning – His death would not atone for your sin. He had to die as – a Saviour who was sinless and our substitute. The trials of Jesus make this clear. Remember that the leaders of the Jews had been seeking a way to kill Jesus – but they were reluctant to act because they feared the people. However, the betrayal of Judas gave them an opportunity to arrest Jesus away from the eyes of the people. He was first taken to a secret trial with Annas – the High Priest. When you put all of the gospels together we find that the trials of Jesus basically fall into two parts – the religious – before the leaders of the Jews and the civil – before Pilate and Herod.

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The leaders of the Jews would have liked to have the authority to sentence Jesus to death – but they had no right to do so. Rome had decreed that only Roman officials could pass the death penalty. That is what they leaders of the Jews had to then send Jesus to Pilate. While it was flawed and corrupt, the Roman legal system in the time of Christ was based on a set of laws laid down around 450 BC – known as the Twelve Tables. And of relevance for us is the law found in Table IX:

Article 6. Putting to death of any man, whosoever he might be unconvicted is forbidden.

In other words – to take the life of a man required convincing guilt that he had committed a crime worthy of death. Under Roman Law, in provinces like Palestine – capital cases – cases involving the death penalty were decided solely by the governor – in this case Pontius Pilate. It was his duty to determine if the facts showed that a man was guilty and deserved death. Pilate was legally obliged to pass the penalty of death only if the evidence clearly showed a man was guilty. Before we look at His trials – let me ask you – what is the purpose of trials and the legal system? Why do we have courts and trials and evidence displayed in full view of the public? Trials are meant to display for all to see who is on trial and what they have done and what their punishment should be. The trials of Jesus focussed on who He was and the fact that no sin could be found in Him. With that background – look with me at Luke 22 beginning at verse 63. Luke 22:63 to Luke 22:3:

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.” Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and

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saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”

When you read the gospels we find that the religious trial of Jesus is actually in two parts. A secret night time trial with Annas – the Jewish High Priest. This is detailed in John 18 – there behind closed doors, this man decreed that for the good of the nation – Jesus must die. Luke doesn’t record this secret trial. Nor does he record other aspects of the trials found in other gospels. What he does is to record the events that declare who Jesus is. First he shows that:

The One who is crucified is Saviour. Luke records Jesus being questioned about who He is. He is asked – are you a prophet? – are you the Christ? – are you the Son of God? – are you the King of the Jews? In every case those asking don’t really believe it – they ask either to mock or to find a way to condemn. But through their words – Jesus is shown to be the one true Saviour. First we see the men holding Jesus blindfolding Him – beating Him and asking, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” Tell us who hit you? Many of the people believed Jesus was a prophet. These soldiers mocked Him – if you are a prophet – you would know who it is who struck you. The irony is that these very events proved Jesus was a prophet. In Luke 18:32 He had said that He would be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. Also in the passage right before this – we saw Peter denying Jesus three times just as He had prophesied.

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This was one of the marks of the Saviour – a prophet like Moses. These events served to underscore who Jesus was. Jesus is then brought before the Sanhedrin. They don’t come with an accusation. Instead the very ones who had been blaspheming Jesus seek to accuse Him of blasphemy. They ask Him, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” Their understanding of Messiah was so skewed. It was political and national and of this world. If Jesus had said He was the Messiah – they would have laughed. A bleeding, helpless man could not be the Davidic King of Israel. But under their blasphemy laws, such an admission would be enough to sentence Him to death. It would also be enough to accuse Him before Pilate – this man sets Himself up as Christ – the King – a threat to Caesar. But Jesus was the Messiah. A crucified Messiah. A Saviour of souls. If He told them this, they would not believe. And if He asked them – was He the Messiah, they would not answer. They still feared the people. Instead Jesus made this statement, “From now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” You ask if I am Messiah – from this point on – all will know _ I am He. Jesus makes it clear – He is Messiah. He uses the title – Son of Man – from Daniel 7 – where the Messiah is given all authority, glory and power – He reigns with the Ancient of Days – He judges those who oppose Him. Jesus may be a battered, bleeding man – about to be killed. There is no kingdom now. But through His death and resurrection He will be shown to be the Son of Man – the true Messiah – One with God Himself. In Jewish thought – the idea of anyone enthroned with God was blasphemous. They were close to the admission they wanted. So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” Are you claiming an equality with God? And he said to them, “You say that I am.” You have said it! Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

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We need to understand that this trial works on two levels. The Jews wanted some blasphemous admission that they could use to justify their actions to the people – and they needed some charge to take to Pilate. They needed to accuse him of wanting to be a King who threatens the rule of Caesar. Jesus’ words were enough to accuse Him of blasphemy. In John 19:7:

The Jews said, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

But they never listened to those words. The One they were condemning was the Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God – God in human flesh – the Saviour – the one way of salvation. But they had their charge to bring to Pilate. Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” The Jews had a charge to take to their people – blasphemy. But they knew this wouldn’t get you killed under Roman Law. So here is the Catch 22 for the Jews. They want Jesus dead – but to kill Him they have to find a crime punishable by Roman Law – and they know full well that Jesus has done nothing worthy of death under Roman Law – so they came up with this ridiculous charge. He misleads our nation and forbids us to give tribute to Caesar, and says that he himself is Christ, a king. When you read John’s account there is a fuller version of what went on here. Basically the Jews thought that Pilate would not put up a fight and do as they asked.

We are the leaders of Israel. We have our reasons for wanting Him dead – just trust us on this – OK?

But Pilate isn’t happy being a rubber stamp. He has to justify putting a man to death. So he says:

If want Him dead – give me a reason to kill Him – tell me what crime He has committed. I’m not a rubber stamp for getting rid of your enemies. If you won’t give me a crime that fits our law – a crime that I can judge Him guilty on – then you take Him and judge Him according to your Law.

They had given Pilate no reason – Roman or Jewish – why Jesus should die. So Pilate says – look – if this man has broken some Jewish Law – find some Jewish penalty. Ban Him from the synagogue. Declare Him unclean. Don’t bother me. But if you want Him dead – give me a real crime.

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Pilate said – Go and judge Him by Jewish Law. The Sanhedrin are saying – we have done that. Our Law says Jesus is guilty because He claimed to be the Son of God. But what is the truth? What did the Law really say about Jesus? In John 5:39 Jesus said:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.

The Law, the Scriptures actually testified that Jesus was the Son of God. They just didn’t want to believe it. It is at this point that Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” They say you make that claim – do you? The Jews had tried to find a crime that Pilate might agree deserved the death penalty. Their solution was to say – this man claims to be the King of the Jews. Pilate is intrigued and asks, “Are you the King of the Jews?” You this battered, bleeding man, hated by the leaders of your nation – are you a King? And Jesus answered him, “You have said so.” John says that:

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. 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.”

I am a King – but not like a human King. I don’t have an army in this world. I don’t plan on opposing Caesar. My kingdom is spiritual – not worldly. I am no threat to Caesar. Yes – I am a King. But not a worldly King. I didn’t come to overthrow Caesar. I came to lead men to the truth and save them. This whole exchange – these trials show that the One who died on that cross is:

Saviour – The Messiah – God in human flesh – prophet, priest and King – the Son of God. Only God Himself – the second Adam could die for sinful men.

It is incredible – Jesus prophesied, performed the miracles of Messiah, fulfilled the Scriptures of Messiah – He was the King of Israel and the Son of God.

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These trials showed that – but none would even give thought to the fact that He might be who He said He is. There are many in our world – perhaps some here this day – who hear that Jesus is God, Jesus is Saviour – but they will not heed His words. Look at His life, His miracles, His words, His death, His resurrection, His church. He is who He says He is. He is Saviour – the One way of salvation. But there is a second truth that these trials show. This is that the One who died on that cross is:

Sinless Throughout the Old Testament – the sacrifice for sin was to be a lamb without spot or blemish. In Isaiah 53:5 we are told:

He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

A man who had any sin against God was guilty before God. He had His own sin to deal with let alone the sins of others. Only a spotless Lamb – One without sin could be the true sacrifice. Notice how these trials declare that Jesus was sinless. Luke 23:4:

Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”

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Pilate could read men and see motives. He knew Jesus was not a political threat. He knew Jesus was innocent. So Pilate declared – I find no guilt in Him. In fact in the gospels, three times – Pilate declares – I find no guilt in Him. One thing this trial shows for certain is that Jesus is innocent – without sin. The Jews had kept their eye on Jesus for years. They had searched His life for any dirt. And before Pilate they had to admit – no dirt – none at all. The leaders of the nation could find nothing with which to accuse Jesus except to say – He claims to be the Son of God. What if it were us on trial? What if Big Brother – the Government – the Australian Federal Police – wanted some dirt on us – to sully us – to get rid of us? Truth is we all have skeletons in the closet. Some of us have skeletons that barely fit in the cupboard – others have more discreet sins. But we all have dirt we wouldn’t want spread out for all the world to see. Jesus had none! The leaders of the Jews were getting desperate. Verse 5:

But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

The Jews weren’t going to let this go – but Pilate had a way out – Jesus was from Galilee – send Him to Herod. Verses 6-12:

When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

Herod was pleased to see Jesus. He had heard about Him. He had heard stories of His miracles and hoped to see one.

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The leaders of the Jews accused Him – but there was nothing He was found guilty of. Herod found nothing to condemn Him. He sent Him back to Pilate. Verses 13-16:

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.”

I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.

Several trials and this is the result – innocent. No Jew, no Roman, no kangaroo court has found any stain against Him – I will release Him. He is a man without sin. Qualified to bear the sin of others. Hebrews 4:15:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Only one without sin can bear the sin of others. These trials show Jesus is indeed qualified to be the Lamb of God. Finally, we move to a passage that shows us what happened on the cross.

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The leaders of the Jews heard Pilate’s words and understood that this would undermine their plans. John tells us how they responded:

“If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

The Jews we worried Jesus would escape. They put Pilate on the spot. Any man who claims to be a King is a threat to Caesar. Let Jesus go and He may well raise up an army to oppose Caesar. See how pleased the emperor is with you then. Pilate tried one last tack. John 18:39 says Pilate replied:

But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?

Why did Pilate do this? Why not just say – this man doesn’t deserve death – now get out of here? We don’t know all the reasons. We know God is involved. We know that the plan of God is for Jesus to go to the cross not get released. But from a human standpoint – Pilate was in a difficult situation. On the one hand – he didn’t like being used to settle Jewish squabbles over the Law – especially when it involved him putting someone to death. But on the other hand – Pilate had to work with the Sanhedrin. The people listened to them. They wielded a huge amount of influence. So Pilate looked for a way to get the Jews to agree that Jesus isn’t a criminal deserving of death. There was a custom whereby Pilate would release one prisoner at Passover time as a gesture of goodwill. Pilate had another man in custody – Barabbas. But this leads to the final truth. The One who is crucified is:

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Substitute Luke 23:18-19:

But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.

Barabbas had been tried and convicted of rebellion and murder This was a man guilty of a serious crime. Barabbas had caused a rebellion – he had murdered. He was a real threat to Caesar. He was guilty and deserving of death. Jesus’ had not caused a rebellion or murdered. He was innocent. If they were serious about stopping a rebellion – stopping a threat to Caesar – then release Jesus. Barabbas is the dangerous criminal. But the Jews weren’t serious about the charge. They just wanted Jesus dead. Verses 20-25:

Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

Pilate’s little charade had backfired. The Jews chose Barabbas. He still had to deal with Jesus. A man of integrity would have said – I find Jesus innocent – release Him.

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But Pilate is a political beast. John 19:4-5:

Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!”

Behold the man! Is this the man you think is a threat to me – to Caesar? You want me to kill this man because he is a threat to the empire? You can’t be serious! Look at Him – bleeding, mocked – He is no threat. You say He is a threat to empire. I say He is no threat to the empire.

He doesn’t look like a King men will flock to and join in rebellion against Caesar. But Pilates pleas were to no avail. Finally we read this. John 19:14-15:

And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

We have no king but Caesar. Our King is not the Messiah but Caesar. What a damning indictment. This is the choice all men must make. Who is your King? Is it Jesus – the Sinless Son of God – or not? Jesus was the true King. And the Jews – the leaders of the nation – the ones entrusted with pointing people to Jesus – cry – This man is not our King – Crucify Him! Our King is Caesar! The Scriptures were crystal clear – the only true King Israel had was God Himself. God granted the Kings in the line of David limited authority to represent Him. But the Scriptures are clear – Israel had no true King but God and His Messiah. To claim a pagan as King is to deny the God of Israel and the hope of Messiah. With that – Pilate capitulated. If these Jews claimed Caesar as King – Pilate would crucify the King of the Jews.

So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. Barabbas goes free and Jesus goes to the cross.

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Barabbas becomes a metaphor for us. The one who is clearly guilty is freed and the One who is clearly innocent takes his place. Through the trials – Jesus was shown to be Saviour and Sinless – and now He is shown to be Substitute. 2 Corinthians 5:21:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Barabbas was guilty – he deserved death but lived. Jesus was innocent – He deserved life but died. In Barabbas and Jesus we see the essence of the gospel. The great exchange. Leviticus 17:11 tells us:

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

Back in Genesis 3:15, God promised a Redeemer. As Scripture expands on this promise we find that what we really need is to be redeemed from our sin. The wages of sin is death. Our sin is such an affront to a holy God – our eternal lives are forfeit because of our sin. The question that arises is this. What can pay the penalty for our sin? There are hints that develop throughout Genesis – in particular Genesis 22 – the sacrifice of Isaac – where God provides a ram in place of Isaac as a sacrifice. There is further development in the accounts like the Passover in Exodus. But when we reach Leviticus we find that God declares that the blood of an animal – its death – taking its life – shedding its blood – atones for our sin. Now, any thinking Jew has to ask the question – how can this be so? I steal, I lust, I lie – then I buy a lamb and sacrifice it and my sins are washed away. We know from the writings of the rabbis – they wondered – how does this work? I sinned – how can an animal’s life pay my penalty? But, the men and women of faith simply trusted the word of God.

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Then, finally the answer came in Jesus Christ. Finally, after many centuries – one day by the Jordan River, John the Baptist pointed and cried – Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Now the picture becomes clearer. The sacrifice of animals was a picture – leading to the Lamb of God – Jesus. Hebrews 9:28:

Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. The key to the atonement is our union with Jesus. Scripture teaches that when we come to Christ – we become united with Jesus forever. We are in Him – He is in us. What happens to Him happens to us. In my mind – I picture myself being placed inside Jesus – covered by Jesus. This means that when the wrath of God falls on Jesus – my sin is punished. When Jesus hung on the cross – I hung there in Him. As His blood was poured out – as His life was given up – my sin was paid for. Galatians 2:20:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. As Jesus was crucified – I was there. And as Jesus died and was raised – I died to sin and was raised to newness of life. His innocence – shown on trial – becomes mine – so at the great trial – the Great White Throne – I will be found innocent. Colossians 2:12:

Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Romans 6:6:

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

The result is that Jesus shed His blood to pay for my sins. His life for my life. 1 Peter 2:24:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.

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God’s justice is satisfied – blood is shed – life for life – and since we are in Christ – His blood pays for our sins. Only the Sinless Saviour could be the Substitute. Perhaps some here this morning are not Christians. For you – the great question is this – what can wash away your sin? What can make you right with God? What can give you hope and a future? We are all like Barabbas – guilty – deserving death. We face a choice. Accept that Jesus is the Saviour, the Sinless One who died as our Substitute. Claim Him as your King. And in the cross we have the great exchange. He takes the dirty rags of our sin and gives us His spotless life – a life without blemish. Or we can be like the Jews – reject Jesus and then we face God in our sins. But the wages of sin is death. On our own – it will us who will pay the penalty for your sins. Yet if you are in Christ – His blood – His life – His death on the cross – avails for your sin. Jesus cries. Trust Him. Join Him. This day – follow Jesus and let His blood avail for you. The Sinless Saviour will be your Substitute. Brothers and sisters – those in Christ – there is a message for us too. Sometimes we Christians take the great truths of the faith lightly. The trials show just how great our sin was. It took the death of Christ to pay for our sins. And one day when we stand on trial before the Great White Throne – and the books are opened – the Lord Himself will look at our life and see the righteousness of Jesus and declare – I find no guilt in him. That is our gospel – that is our glory.