Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to the Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew chapter 27 and part of
verse 2. Matthew 27 verse 2. They led him away and delivered
him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Reading from verse one, when
the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the
people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And when
they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to
Pontius Pilate, the governor. What a solemn account that text
is. the Jews, the Lord's own people,
taking and binding our Lord and delivering him to Pontius Pilate,
the governor. We read in our reading the account
in John of more enlarged account than we
find in Matthew, but the account of our Lord before Pilate. We know of the importance of
that time, that time that he was led unto judgment. And those things that were done
and said at that time is what is upon my spirit to bring before
you this evening. And I desire to bring it before
you in a way of three points summed up in three headings.
And the first is the Jews' choice. That is the Lord's own people's
choice. And then secondly, our Lord's
testimony, Christ's testimony at this time before the judgment. And then thirdly, Pilate's actions
and words, not all the things that he said to and fro, but
those of which are prominent. Of course, we have the interrogation
going backwards and forwards, but we may summarise those things
that were done by Pilate. Our text speaks first of what
the Jews were doing. They were bringing the Lord unto
Pilate. Of course, the Romans were over
the Jews at that time, and yet here we have a very clear choice
of the Jews to really divulge themselves of what they were
allowed to do of themselves and to give the authority over to
a secular power, over to the Romans of another nation. And it is a solemn choice that
they actually made and yet we find again and again that It
is rehearsed that this was indeed their choice. We have the pilots
saying to them, that take him, judge him according to your law. If they were given the opportunity,
you've brought him to me, but are you really sure about this?
You take him, you deal with him, according to your law." And again
they reinforce their choice that they would have Pilate, and they
give the reason why. Because they say, it is not lawful,
this is in verse 31 of chapter 18 in John's Gospel, the Jews
therefore said unto him, it is not lawful for us to put any
man to death. that the saying of Jesus might
be fulfilled which he spake, signifying what death he should
die. And of course the scriptures
are very clear. Cursed is everyone that hangeth
upon a tree. And the description, especially
in Psalm 22, written those thousand years before our Lord came, give
such a vivid description of the crucifixion and may we really
notice in this that that which was appointed by God and we know
it is from eternity but for us sometimes it takes our attention
more when it's put into years. To think a thousand years before
our Lord was to suffer, that already it is appointed, already
it is described exactly how he should suffer, and the picture
there of his bones all out of joint, his tongue cleaving to
his jaws, The dogs or Gentiles compassing him about, assembly
of the wicked in closing, piercing hands and feet. I may tell all
my bones, they look and stare upon me. They part my garments
among them and cast lots upon my vesture." And so important
to realize that David, who the Jews knew that the Messiah should
be the son of David and to see a psalm as this, of David, so
clearly pointing to that which they were doing and fulfilling
that which was written of him. The scriptures show the very
real history of the children of Israel and of David as king. And as we have in Peter, we have
not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto
you the power and coming of our Lord. No, it is making known
what has been foretold a thousand years before and bound up in
the history of a nation which is indisputable, the men, of
David's men, his mighty men, all those that served under him
and the history of Israel and bound up with that, is such a
prophecy pointing to this, that his own people should make this
choice and be emphatic. They'll hand over to the Romans
that he should then be crucified and put to death. So this was
then their first choice, and it was their choice, even though
it was God's appointment. They remember that. Peter, when
he charged them with Christ's death, he says that though he
was delivered by the determinate counsel and full knowledge of
God, ye have taken him by wicked hands, crucified and slain. The Lord testified that it was
those that had delivered him unto Pilate that had the greater
sin, because Pilate could do nothing but what was appointed,
the power that was given him of God. And so the sin of the
Jews is laid bare there. May we never think, well, we're
going to sin that grace might abound, Or we're going to think
we know what the scriptures foretold, and so we are going to shape
our lives to fulfil that, even if it means going against the
clear, revealed will of God. If they had have realised, really
realised, who our Lord was, they would have never acted in this
way. But they did not. They did not
know him, and so they crucified him. But their guilt was still
the same, and they fell under it under Peter's preaching at
Pentecost. So their first choice then was
to bring the army for Pilate. But that then was reinforced
again because we have their choice again set before them in wanting
to have Barabbas instead of our Lord. And this is in the 40th
verse of chapter 18. Then cried they again, saying,
not this man, but Barabbas. Now Pilate said to them, he said,
you have a custom that I should release unto you one of the Passover. Will you therefore that I release
unto you the king of the Jews? Then they cried, then cried they
all again saying, not this man, but Barabbas. Okay, most solemn
choice reinforcing again their hatred, their enmity against
the Lord Jesus Christ. But at the same time they bring
really an illustration here, shall we say, of a sinner being
set free and Christ in his place. One of them was to suffer. It should have been Barabbas.
He was the robber, he was the murderer, he was the guilty one. But instead it was the innocent
one. We don't suggest that the Lord
Jesus Christ actually put away Barabbas' sin, but we do set
before you this choice of Jesus instead of a sinner. And really that applies for all,
especially God's dear people, that that substitution that Abraham
saw with his son Isaac taken off the altar and the ram put
in his place, that that is central to the Gospel, it is central
to the whole teaching of our Lord, that it should be the Lord
that should bear the sins of his people and that his people
do not bear the sins that they have committed. Sin must be put
away, it must be punished, it must be dealt with. Either we
suffer for our own sin or another suffers for us. And it is vital
for us that we, as convinced as guilty sinners, view in the
Lord Jesus Christ, it is Jesus in the sinner's place. And certainly those lines of
the hymn writer describe what is happening here. And the Jews,
they choose this. They say, we have Jesus of Nazareth
to be crucified and to let go this one that was guilty. So we have these two principal
things that was right the way through this account where Pilate
tries again and again to release Jesus, tries to get the Jews
to change their mind, but prevails not against them. Their choice
that Pilate is the one that deals with the matter so that he is
crucified, and their choice that none other should stand in the
way, that he should and truly he went as it was determined. And the very efforts, you might
say, of Pilate was seen in reinforcing the purposes of God. But I want to then look at, in
the second place, Christ's own testimony that Christ testifies
of. He testifies firstly of his kingdom,
that is a kingdom that is not of this world. In verse 36 we
read our Lord saying, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom
were And so here's a reason why. Why he was delivered unto the
Jews. If his kingdom was of this world,
then would his servants find. But it was not. It was of that which is to come. The dying thief, he saw, he knew
this. He said, Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom. Now Lord said to him, verily,
verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with me in
paradise. When we view our Lord in this
place, We think of the Apostle Paul's
words, and he said, this world, the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world. The world does not want Christ. They did not want him. The Lord's dear people, they
want Christ. want the people of God. It is
a two-way thing and is a blessed token in that
where we join of the Lord and that our faith looks for a city
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Those
that declare plainly that they seek a country, those that say
that they are strangers and pilgrims in this world. They join with
the Lord and his testimony and have respect unto what he testified
in this judgment, that his kingdom is not of this world. Yes, we
know, our Lord also said, the kingdom of God cometh not with
observation, it is within you. That is the kingdom of God's
grace. But God's children, this is not
their rest, it is polluted. And so our Lord must go through
the cross and enter into his kingdom. So before Pilate, he
gives testimony of this, that his kingdom is not of this world. Many times was the question asked,
aren't thou a king then? was that he was usurping Caesar. He was making himself to be a
king. The Jews objected very much when
it was written over top of the title, Jesus of Nazareth, the
King of the Jews, on his cross. They said to Pilate, write not
the King of the Jews, but that he said, I am King of the Jews. But Pilate answered, what I have
written I have written. And so we have established by
our Lord of that kingdom which is above. Then we have the purpose
and reason for which he came and was born. In verse 37, chapter
18, We Pilate saith unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered,
Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for
this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto
the truth. Every one that is of the truth
heareth my voice. And we think of the words of
our Lord prior to this to his dear disciples, I am the way,
the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by
me. And the Lord testifies here at
the end of his time upon earth as to why he came. The angels,
they proclaimed it at his birth, on earth, peace, goodwill toward
men. And when he was 12 years of age,
he testified, wished he not, that I must be about my father's
business. But here we have, right in the
judgment and before Pilate, that our Lord sets this forth why
he was born, not just to give an example, not just to show
men how to live and what to do and how to act, but that he came
so that he might be brought before the judgment, and that he might
be judged there, and that he might there in that place receive
that which his people were due, that he might be then brought
forth to suffer in their place. In the garden, when they came
to take him again, he had restrained his disciples. Thinkest thou not that I could
pray the Father, presently give me twelve legion of angels? But
how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled? This was the end. Calvary, this was why he was
born. to bear the sin of many, to suffer
in the place of his dear people, to bear the wrath of God against
sins that were not his own. It is a vital testimony that
our Lord made at this juncture, this very time. Then we have the Lord's silence. In this we refer back to the
Gospel according to Matthew chapter 27 and verse 14. Or verse 13,
Pilate said unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they
witness against thee? And he answered him to never
a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. Of course
it was foretold in Isaiah that he is led as a lamb before her
shearer's his tongue so he openeth not his mouth. There he is silent
before those accusations and it links in for the cause and
the reason why he was born. Sometimes we might be accused
of things that We have not done at all. And yet we know in our
hearts that there may be things that we have done that if our
accuser knew about them, they'd have a lot more to say than they
are saying. And that makes us hold our peace. Those people especially know
what this is. When they know what they really
deserve and what is in their hearts how they have sinned against
the Lord. But for our Lord, they were accusing
him of many things, false things. Pilate was able to see through
that. We mention that in a moment.
But the Lord held his peace. Because unlike you and I that
would think and remember things that we had done and said and
what we were verily guilty of, Our Lord knew for whom he stood. He knew what sins that he was
bearing that had been laid on him in the garden of Gethsemane
and brought forth to the judgment hall. Pilate couldn't see them,
but the Lord knew them, and he was to be judged here. And the
important judgment was, this is the cause he came into the
world, Outwardly it could not be seen and testified that he
was not guilty, but inwardly the whole scripture testifies
thou hast laid on him the iniquity of us all. He bore our sins in
his body on the tree and in the judgment here he bore the sins
of his people and so he is silent. What if he had testified that
there was no cause of death in him? Pilate could say that. He could see no cause. But for each of the dear people
of God, though they know there is no cause in the spotless Lamb
of God, they see the cause in the Lord bearing their sins.
and suffering in their place. And so when the Lord is silent,
the Lord would say nothing at all to take away any thought
in the people of God that he was not bearing away their sin. Sometimes there's a powerful
voice in the silences of the Lord when he is preparing them
for the time that he'd be taken from them. And he says of that
which he is going before to prepare a place for them. He says, in
my father's house are many mansions. This is John 14 verse 2. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And so his silence. If it were not so, I would have
told you. Because he hasn't told us. Because
he was silent. then it was so. He was going
to prepare a place for them. And so the Lord's silences are
not always a mark against us. Both that regarding the mansions
prepared and the Lord's silence before the judgment are both
causes of great consolation, encouragement for the people
of God. The Lord willingly bearing his
people's sin and to say nothing to suggest that it was ever otherwise. But then we have our Lord speaking
to Pilate, testifying of where the power was, the authority
was. In chapter 19, John 19, verse
11, Pilate before that had said to him, knowest thou not that
I have power to crucify thee and have power to release thee?
And our Lord made this so powerful statement Thou couldest have
no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above."
And really we may say that in all of the dealings of secular
powers in this world, they can have no power at all except it
were given from above. It was given Pilate in this time
the power to make the judgment that he should be crucified.
Pilate, he tried and tried and tried to stop the Jews in their
purpose, but he couldn't do it. And they prevailed and our Lord
was crucified. Pilate would make out that he
has the power Our Lord says, no, you don't. You have the power. It is given you. You are the
governor. You're in that position. But
I am a power above you. And those things that you do, they
are in my hand, not in your hand. And we should always remember
that. God uses men, secular powers, to bring about his will and his
purpose. It doesn't, again, as we said
regarding the Jews, it doesn't take away the guilt of Pilate
in a most solemn, really, discharge of his office in a way that was
really very scandalous. to be able to pronounce one innocent
and no cause of death and yet have him scourged and crucified. But may we remember our Lord's
words concerning the power that he has and governs over men and
the rulers of this world. No wonder it is said in Romans,
who so resisteth the power resisteth also the ordinance of God. But then we have the third. We have that which Pilate spoke
and his actions. We have in the first verse of
John chapter 19, that Pilate therefore took Jesus
and scourged him. most solemn thing to do, to one
that he had already pronounced and said that there was no fault
in him. And yet when we think of Psalm
129, the flowers ploughed upon my back, again foretold a thousand
years before. the sufferings not just upon
the cross but at the hand of Pilate and his soldiers here
in the Judgment Hall. A preparation for the crucifixion
was scourging and to reduce really the strength of those to be crucified
to very, very low already and as part of the crucifixion. And
Pilate pronounced and presided over that, even over one he pronounced
to have no fault. In verse six, we read the chief
priest, therefore the officers saw him, they cried out, crucify
him, crucify him. And Pilate saith unto them, take
ye him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. In another account,
Pilate washes his hands of the matter. Pilate warned of his
wife to have nothing to do with this righteous and just man. And he seeks to get out of the
position that he is in and not take any responsibility for it. But the record is still there.
And that which he did, a most solemn witness against him, and
yet, such a fulfilling of the Word of God and the sufferings
of our Lord. We have in verse 5 a beautiful
word, we've sung of it really, in our middle hymn. Pilate saith
unto them, this is when they are mocking him, coming forth
with a crown of thorns and purple robe, Pilate saith unto them,
under them, behold the man. Behold the man. Behold the man
as a real man, the God-man, the man that was suffering, the man
that was to be crucified and slain. An emphasis, really, that
here is God, manifest in the flesh and in the position and
in the body that was so vital for him to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself, a real man and yet truly God. And so right before the judgment
here, testified by Pilate, behold the man. May faith be joined
with this word for us each. And in all that is set before
us in these accounts, we behold the man, Christ Jesus. very sweet and precious, should
the spirit impress it upon our hearts that this is the man,
the real man, and with wounds still gaping wide, yes, he is
in heaven as a lamb that hath been slain, but a real man appearing
there for us. Then we have in verse 14, another
behold, again coming from the lips of Pilate, and he saith
unto the Jews, Behold your King, behold your King. We mentioned
before how that he put over the top of them the cross, Jesus
of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, the King of kings and Lord
of lords, the eternal King, the King that had been looked for
through all the generations, all the ages, that he should
come and that we're so worshipped by the shepherds, worshipped
by those who brought the gifts before him, the gold and myrrh
and frankincense, and yet here he is again to be led forth to
be crucified and testified. This is the King. This is King Jesus. This is he
of which they hailed coming into Jerusalem, Hosanna to him that
cometh in the name of the Lord. There's many things that were
done here in the judgment that really put the crown on the head
of the Lord. And yet the Lord used his ancient
people, the Jews, in all of their malice and hatred He used a Gentile,
a Roman, to execute the judgments that had been foreordained and
appointed. And our Lord stood and he testified
that he was in control. God was in control. The sacrifice
was a freewill offering. It was to take away sin. This
was all to be enacted in this surroundings, with all of these
things happening, we might think, well, if we're to truly have
a blessing, it would be in nice surroundings. We might think
if the son of God is to come upon this earth, then everything
would be ready to receive him, not have a wicked king like Herod
on the throne. or of our Lords to be crucified,
that it should not be in the midst of a baying rabble to make
thee one offering to put away sin, that surely it should be
some great occasion to offer such an offering. When we think
of the Passover offerings by Hezekiah, by Solomon, They were,
in one sense, joyous occasions, great state occasions. All the
people joining in and all rejoicing and glad. But when the great
antitype comes and it actually happens, what all of those put
forth, then we don't find the rejoicing, but the cry, away
with him, away with him, crucify him. But it didn't take away
anything from what was done. and what was accomplished here.
Some of us have had some very sweet blessings in the midst
of suffering for the name of our Lord. When we have been mocked
also and ridiculed and the Lord's dropped in his sweet word and
blessed us in the midst of those that have hated us for Christ's
sake. And what a picture we have here
that should be an encouragement to all the people of God, encouragement
in this world of tribulation, in the path that we are to walk.
If they have done, said the Lord, these things in a green tree,
what shall be done in the dry? But those blessings that were
done here, eternal blessings, and those blessings to accompany
the people of God as they did the Apostle Paul and the martyrs
and all that have gone before us. as they have viewed the Lord,
and they viewed that kingdom that is to come, and that they
valued that and sought that, and they've seen their sins laid
upon the Lord, and that has been what they've trusted in as they've
entered into eternity. Well, we've only just poorly
perhaps set these things forth, but may it be a meditation to
look at this portion and the Gospels that bring together the
happenings before Pilate at the Judgment. And the Lord help us
to meditate upon it, to look upon it, at all the teaching,
all the instruction that is brought to such a small, small compass,
you might say, just a few chapters in the Word of God. and yet gather
together all of the prophecies and all of the types and all
of the shadows and bring about that one sacrifice that is so
vital for you and I. Tis Christ that died, yea rather,
is risen again. Without the shedding of blood
there's no remission of sin, but here is. the judgment that
brought him to shed his precious blood on Calvary's tree. The Lord add his blessing. Amen.