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Please turn with me in your Bibles
to John's Gospel, John chapter 18. John chapter 18, specifically
verse 37, Jesus gives a purpose for the incarnation, or the royal
purpose of the incarnation. He says, with reference to his
kingship, he says, for this cause I was born. I want to investigate
this in its context, so I'll begin reading in verse 28 of
John's gospel, chapter 18. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas
to the praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves
did not go into the praetorium, lest they should be defiled,
but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them
and said, What accusation do you bring against this man? They
answered and said to him, If he were not an evildoer, we would
not have delivered him up to you. And Pilate said to them,
You take him and judge him according to your law. Therefore the Jews
said to him, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,
that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spoke,
signifying by what death he would die. And Pilate entered the praetorium
again, called Jesus, and said to him, Are you the king of the
Jews? Jesus answered him, Are you speaking
for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning
me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief
priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? Jesus
answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were
of this world, my servants would fight so that I should not be
delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from
here. Pilate therefore said to him, Are you a king then? Jesus
answered, You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I
was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should
bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth
hears my voice. Pilate said to him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he
went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault
in him at all. But you have a custom that I
should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore
want me to release to you the king of the Jews? Then they all
cried again, saying, not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas
was a robber. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father,
thank you for the written word, and thank you that it does inform
us concerning the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And in
this we rejoice, in this we give praise to you. And our God, we
ask now that you would encourage us with the scriptures by the
presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, having forgiven
us of all of our sins and all of the darkness in our hearts.
We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, it is important for us
to understand sort of the timeline or the various events that occur
with reference to our Lord's passion. There is initially an
informal examination before Annas. The Sanhedrin then formally decides
to send Jesus to Pilate. The Jews do not possess the authority
to engage in capital punishment. They have to get Pilate to sign
off. They have to get Pilate to give
the kill order with reference to our Lord Jesus. We then see
Jesus before Pilate. Pilate, when he finds out that
Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate passes the buck and sends Jesus
to go see Herod. Jesus goes to see Herod, and
then he comes back and appears a second time before Pilate.
Ultimately, Pilate does give the execution order, and as we
know, Jesus is crucified. So it's important for us to see
that particular procedure and to locate now, with reference
to that sort of timeline, this is when the Jews initially deliver
Jesus up to Pilate in order to have him sanction the death of
our Lord. I just want to briefly consider
a few things with reference to the Jews before Pilate in verses
28 to 32, and then we'll spend the bulk of our time with the
king before Pilate in verses 33 and following. But note in
the first place the hypocrisy of these Jews. Again, I'm not
saying they're hypocrites because they're Jews. I'm simply saying
that these Jewish people that should have affirmed the true
religion and should have conducted themselves in an honorable way,
should have received their Messiah, have nevertheless turned their
backs on him and are seeking now to deliver him up to be crucified. They, like the Sanhedrin later,
would rage against the Lord Jesus Christ. They would plot to kill
him, and they do engage in that by soliciting the efforts and
the betraying capabilities of Judas. But look at their hypocrisy
in verse 28. They led Jesus from Caiaphas
to the praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves
did not go into the praetorium, lest they should be defiled,
but that they might eat the Passover. This is a great example of that
tithing, the mint and the anise and the cumin, but neglecting
the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith.
They want to maintain ceremonial cleanness by not entering into
this Gentile's palace, but they're in the very act of crucifying
the Lord of Glory. That's typically where Pharisaic
religion, or a legalistic religion, or an external only religion
will lead. There'll be a fastidiousness
about tithing, mint, anise, and cumin. There'll be a fastidiousness
about not defiling ourselves so that we can eat the Passover
by not going into this Gentile's palace, but all the while they
neglect justice, mercy, and faith. They want to destroy the Lord
of glory. They want to crucify Jesus of
Nazareth. They want to see this man dead.
Notice as well their utter disregard or disdain for the law of God. They operated, or allegedly were
supposed to operate, according to the law as it's revealed in
the Old Testament. Well, the Old Testament law is
very specific and very conspicuous about what we call due process. There's laws of witnesses, there's
laws of evidence, there's testimony, there's all sorts of things that
must take place before someone is ultimately deemed a criminal
and given a particular punishment. Notice how these men respond
when they are asked by Pilate concerning the charge. Verse
29, Pilate then went out to them and said, what accusation do
you bring against this man? Notice in verse 30, they answered
and said to him, if he were not an evildoer, we would not have
delivered him up to you. They don't answer the question.
They don't give a charge. They simply state their conclusion. They are begging the question. It's always easy to prove your
point when you assume you're right. If he weren't an evildoer,
we wouldn't even be here. Yeah, but you didn't answer.
What has he done? Now, I know that they charge
that he was an insurrectionist, basically. They allege that he
forbade paying taxes to Caesar and all that sort of thing. But
in this particular instance, I think it's telling that they
engage in this issue of begging the question when it comes to
a capital crime. And then Pilate, verse 31, says,
you take him and judge him according to your law. And therefore the
Jews said to him, it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.
That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke,
signifying by what death he would die. So you see, essentially
they need Pilate. Pilate is functioning as a puppet
in this particular section. Pilate is working for these particular
Jews that want to see Jesus murdered. They want to see him crucified. Now let's look secondly at the
king before Pilate in verses 33 and following. Note the issue. This is the rub. Verse 33, Pilate
entered the praetorium again, called Jesus and said to him,
Are you the king of the Jews? Now, in order for them to secure
the death penalty for the Lord Jesus, they had to make Jesus
a threat to the Roman Empire. If we read the gospel narratives
accurately, we'll know that Jesus and the religious leaders butted
heads theologically. They butted heads with reference
to the Old Testament. They butted heads with reference
to the Messiah. They expected Messiah to come,
but when He came, they rejected Him. But when it comes time to
gaining the sanction of Pilate so that they can execute Jesus,
they have to make the crime something that affects Pilate. Pilate doesn't
care about their theological debate. Pilate doesn't care about
whether or not the Messiah is, according to Jesus, Jesus, or
according to these men, someone else. Pilate cares about somebody
asserting himself to be a king, and thus engaging in an overthrow
of the Roman Empire. That is what would make Pilate
act, and these Jews know that, and this is specifically how
they have structured the debate so that Pilate will come down
upon Jesus. Now Jesus asks for clarification
according to verse 34. Jesus answered him, Are you speaking
for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning
me? Is Pilate genuinely interested? Is Pilate only functioning as
a puppet for these particular murderous Jews? A.W. Pink said,
sent to be the governor of these Jews, they nevertheless compelled
him to be their slave, the executioner of their wrath. See, I don't
think Pilate really understands what's going on in this narrative
one bit. I'm sure this is not a task that
he welcomes, a task that he embraces. Three times, and once at least
in our particular passage, but three times in the parallel in
Luke's gospel, when Jesus is before Pilate, Pilate says, I
find no fault in him. He's a guiltless man. Remember
Pilate's wife, according to Matthew, says, have nothing to do with
this man. I had a dream about him, and
it troubled me, and I would urge you and encourage you, like Gamaliel
this morning, I want you to stay away from him. I don't want you
to have any truck with him. I don't want you to do anything
with him. But Pilate is smack dab in the middle of it, and
the Jews are leveraging him now, specifically against Jesus, so
that he'll execute the Son of God. Now notice, Jesus' response. Well, first, verse 35, Pilate
answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief
priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? I think
this is a bit of contempt. I think Pilate here is speaking
contemptuously of the situation. I think Pilate understands, I
know Pilate understands, that they have delivered him up because
they envy him. They delivered him up because
of a theological debate. They have delivered him up because
they are infuriated against him and because they hate him. And
so Pilate essentially says, am I a Jew? Your own people delivered
you up. And then he asks him again, are
you a king? Now, Jesus responds to this question in a twofold
manner. In the first place, it's negative.
And in the second place, it's positive. Verse 36 is negative. Verse 37 is positive. But in
verse 36, he gives us a bit of description of the kingdom that
he has specifically. And then verse 37 describes himself
as a king, how he functions as a king. So let's look specifically
now at verses 36 and 37. Jesus answered, my kingdom is
not of this world. So how does Jesus answer? He
answers in the affirmative. Are you a king? He says, my kingdom
is not of this world. So he's saying yes. In the next
verse, he will say, you say rightly, that I am a king. For this cause
I am born. He never shrunk back from declaring
that truth. But in verse 36, he says, my
kingdom is not of this world. Now, I think people have abused
this text. I would suggest that Christ's
kingdom includes this world, but Christ's kingdom does not
originate from this world. There's a difference there. You
see, some would suggest that the kingdom and the reign of
the Lord Jesus Christ is strictly spiritual. That's not the case. In the book of Revelation, in
Revelation chapter 1, Jesus is called the ruler over the kings
of the earth. Jesus was over Nero. Jesus is
over Donald Trump. Jesus is over Prime Minister
Trudeau. Jesus is over all authority in
heaven and on earth. But in terms of the kingdom,
it doesn't originate from this world. In other words, what Jesus
is telling Pilate is that my kingdom is not a threat to the
Roman Empire. My kingdom is not about sedition
against Rome. The Jews made it that way so
that Pilate would give the kill order, but Christ is alleviating
that concern with Pilate. My kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom includes the world.
It does not originate in the world, as Ryles says, belonging
to, dependent upon, springing from, connected with. Please
understand that Christ has all authority. Christ is over all
things. When Christ says, my kingdom
is not of this world, he doesn't mean that it doesn't include
this world. Psalm 103 speaks of Yahweh's
sovereignty ruling over all. I referred to Daniel chapter
4 this morning and Nebuchadnezzar's confession. God rules over all
the inhabitants of the earth and no one can stay his hand
or say, what doest thou? The Lord Most High affirms the
reality that he possesses a kingdom. but he also affirms the reality
that that kingdom is no current threat to the Roman Empire. In
other words, Jesus is not there to take up arms against Rome
and to gun people down. In fact, he says as much in verse
36. He says, if my kingdom were of
this world, my servants would fight. so that I should not be
delivered to the Jews, but now my kingdom is not from here.
It is intriguing because Christ here, at least by implication
or inference, affirms the reality that earthly kingdoms do fight. There are times when one kingdom
takes up arms against another, but Christ says, my kingdom is
not that way. If my kingdom originated from
the earth, if my kingdom posed a current threat, I say current
because through the preaching of the gospel and through the
expansiveness of the gospel, ultimately all kingdoms will
fall, but it's not through military might. It's not through guns
and tanks and helicopters or any other sort of thing, but
rather it is through the vehicle of truth, which he will appeal
to in verse 37. He says, if my kingdom were of
this world, there'd be no argument, Pilate. You'd be done. I don't
know if he was saying it quite like that, but that's the implication. If my kingdom were of this world,
my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to
the Jews. In other words, if I was just
an earthly king, if I was a rival kingdom, my soldiers would be
called up and they would have put you down. I would have never
been delivered to the Jews and everything would have continued
or would have been in my favor. But now my kingdom is not from
here. So Pilate then cross-examines,
again, this is the point, are you a king then? Now this is
the positive affirmation. And as I said, I believe it gives
us instruction concerning the king. The end of the sermon tonight,
I'm gonna make a comparison. I think that what we find in
verses 36 and 37 is very similar to what we find in the prophet
Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7. Chapter 9, verse 6, you have
a description of the king. And in verse 7, you have a description
of his kingdom. Here you have a description of
his kingdom in verse 36. It's not from this world. And then you have a description
of the king in verse 37. So note in the first place his
affirmation. He says, you say rightly that
I am a king. Now, I would imagine this would
have perplexed pilot, because how do we typically sort of picture
kings? Crowns, scepters, robes, attendants,
pomp, show, secret service, guns, protection, security, all that
stuff. Limousines, black SUVs. We have this conception of what
a king looks like. Jesus didn't look like that,
did he? I mean, he'd already been with
the Sanhedrin where they laid blows on his face. He'd already
had a sleepless night. He'd already had his time in
Gethsemane. He'd already sweat drops of blood,
according to Luke's gospel. He'd already been through the
ringer, and now he's standing before Pontius Pilate, who asks
him, are you a king? And he says, you have said rightly
that I am a king. It's like that story, or rather
that account, of the thief on the cross. I think I've mentioned
before that Calvin says that's one of the greatest expressions
of faith in all of the Bible. Remember, that thief on the cross
says to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Now we're familiar with the passage,
we've read the passage, but have we contemplated the passage?
Jesus is on the cross, Jesus is being crucified, Jesus is
being counted as a common criminal, and yet this thief is able to
look beyond the blood, look beyond the gore, look beyond the suffering,
and say, Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. Again,
it's something that we would never conceive that this is a
king when he's dying on the cross in the manner in which he did.
But back to our text, you say rightly that I am a king. Now
notice, for this cause, I was born. He was born to be king. Now, there are statements like
this that sound like it's the only cause. It's not the only
cause, but in this particular context, it's what Jesus wants
to communicate to Pontius Pilate. We know that he's not only a
king, but he's a prophet. We know that he's not only a
prophet and a king, but he's also a priest. Christ has all
these several offices, but specifically and conspicuously on display
here is his kingship. And notice, as I said, for this
cause, I was born. I've always suspected that people
really like Christmas, non-Christian people, really like Christmas
because the Savior's in a position of disadvantage. The Savior's
a baby in the manger, and I think that carnal man likes that. I
think carnal man likes the reality that he can tame the baby in
the manger. The carnal man likes the reality
that he's weak, and that he's helpless, and that he's defenseless. Carnal man doesn't ever think
in terms of John 18, 37, for this cause, I was born. Now, this is a reference obviously
to the incarnation. John is not absent of the references
to the incarnation, but with reference to the birth of Jesus,
this is the only reference in John's gospel. Matthew and Luke
give us detailed information concerning our Lord's nativity.
Mark doesn't. Mark gets right to the earthly
ministry of Jesus, the ministry of Jesus going and doing and
healing and all those sorts of things. But Matthew, Luke give
us these detailed descriptions concerning the nativity. John
doesn't. John gives us the theology. John
tells us in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with
God and the Word was God. And then dropping down in John's
prologue to verse 14, he says, the Word became flesh. The Word
became flesh and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. That's incarnation. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes
He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. That's the movement in John 1
verse 1, John 1 verse 14. But this is a reference specifically
to his birth. And notice what Jesus says, For
this cause I was born, to be a king. to be that one in Revelation
chapter 19, verses 11 to 16, to be that King of kings and
that Lord of lords. Augustine comments on this particular
text. He says, whence it is evident
that he referred to his own temporal nativity, when by becoming incarnate
he came into the world, and not to that which had no beginning,
whereby he was God through whom the Father created the world.
As he says, it's his temporal nativity, it's the incarnation,
it is the second person of the Trinity taking on humanity, identifying
with us, taking on himself all the essential properties and
common infirmities of our humanity, yet without sin. Did you see
that? He says, for this cause I was
born. So at this time of the year,
I typically like to think of the kingly reign of our Lord
Jesus. He was a baby in the manger.
That is the glory of the incarnation, that the second person of the
Trinity would do that for us, that for us men and for our salvation,
he would come down from heaven, that he would impoverish himself
through the addition of our humanity. That is glorious. It is wondrous. It is most excellent. But it's
also the case that he was born to be a king. This is conspicuous
in Luke chapter 2. I'm sorry, Luke chapter 1. You
can turn there. Luke chapter 1. Luke 1, 26, now in the sixth
month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee
named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph
of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary, and
having come in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored
one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women. Interestingly,
that phrase is also applied to Deborah, I'm sorry, to JL back
in the book of Judges. JL, remember Mrs. Tentpeg, who
drove it through Cicero's head? She was pronounced in the Song
of Deborah as one blessed among women. Verse 29, But when she
saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what
manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, Do
not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son,
and shall call his name Jesus. Notice, he will be great and
will be called the son of the highest. And the Lord God will
give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over
the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be
no end. While the manger may bespeak
in the minds of carnal men a position of disadvantage, for this cause
I was born, Christ says, to be a king. Back to John chapter
18, notice the method of conquest utilized by our Lord in the administration
of his kingdom. Verse 37, you say rightly that
I am a king, for this cause I was born, and for this cause I have
come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone
who is of the truth hears my voice. You see, Christ's kingdom
does not originate from the world. If it did, his servants would
fight. But his kingdom originates from
heaven, his kingdom includes the earth to be sure, and the
vehicle or the instrument of his conquest is the truth of
his word. We need to see and appreciate
the problem that the Jews had is that they utterly rejected.
They were looking for the kind of king, the kind of Messiah
that would subjugate the Roman Empire. They already demonstrated
this in their conduct in John chapter 6. At verse 15, after
Christ multiplies the bread and feeds the multitudes, what do
the people do? They try to take him by force
and make him a king. You see, Christ's kingdom is
not of this world. Christ's kingdom is not advanced
by men in military armament. Christ's kingdom is advanced
by the truth, and this is what he emphasizes. Remember, he bears
witness to the truth. In fact, go back to John 1, 14
to 18. John 1, 14 to 18, to see that Christ bears witness to
the truth. John 1.14, And the word became
flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John bore witness of him, and cried out, saying, This was he
of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before
me, for he was before me. And of his fullness we have all
received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Now, brethren,
please do not misunderstand this statement. John is speaking covenantally. He's not saying there was no
grace and truth at the time of Moses. He's not saying there's
no law at the time of Jesus. But if we look at the old covenant,
it's a covenant ultimately of law, and we see in the new covenant
a covenant of grace. Doesn't mean there's no grace
in the old. Doesn't mean there's no law in the new. But in terms
of these general overarching categories, Moses' covenant was
a covenant of law. Grace and truth comes through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice in verse 18, no one
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is
in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. You've probably
all heard the word exegete. If you've heard that word, no,
don't raise your hand. But you've all heard that word, exegetical.
It's right here. He has exegeted the Father. No
one has seen the Father except the Son, and the Son has declared
Him. The Son has expounded Him. The
Son has exegeted Him. Jesus is able to say to the disciples
in John 14, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. It doesn't
mean the father has hair. It doesn't mean the father has
feet. He is saying that I and the father are one. Christ bears
witness to the truth. Christ demonstrates in John 14
that he himself is truth. So back before Pilate, he is
highlighting that he is not a threat to the civil order in terms of
what Pilate is expecting or in terms of the debate as the Jews
had shaped it. Jesus, humanly speaking, in terms
of earthly kingdoms, is no threat whatsoever to Pontius Pilate
or the Roman Empire. But Jesus rather advances his
kingdom by the truth. Let me just stop there for a
moment and encourage all of us to read our Bibles, to study
theology. Because if we are adherents of
the kingdom of Jesus Christ, if we are subjects to the kingship
of Jesus Christ, and his vehicle to promote not only the advance
of his kingdom, but also the stability and security of his
kingdom is through his truth, then his loyal subjects ought
to be people of the truth. Notice in John 18 verse 36, if
my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight. Everyone
who hears the truth hears my voice. Brethren, we're loyal
subjects. And if it was an earthly empire,
we would fight on his behalf. Then we will certainly love the
truth in his behalf as well. C.H. Spurgeon said, our Lord
in effect tells us that truth is the preeminent characteristic
of his kingdom and that his royal power over men's hearts is through
the truth. Yeah, and that's something I
think we hear a lot. I know we hear it a lot, because
I say it a lot. Believe it or not, I kind of
know what I'm saying. I don't just get up here and
tune out. I know what I'm saying. It's all calculated. There's
a reason. There's a method behind the madness. Brethren, it isn't
something that we just imbibe because we're reformed. Something
we imbibe because we're loyal subjects of the kingdom of Jesus
Christ. We love the truth. We're like, you know, the man
in Proverbs. We buy the truth and sell it not. It's something
we traffic in. It's something we delight in.
It's something that makes us happy. It's something that stabilizes
us. It's something that promotes
security in our lives. The hymn by Isaac Watts, he rules
the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the
glories of his righteousness. And with reference to this method
of conquest by the king who wields the sword of truth, notice that
his subjects, everyone who is of the truth, hears my voice. Some suspect or some observe
that perhaps, even here, our Lord Jesus is opening the door
to Pilate. I'm not suggesting that he's
an Arminian. I'm not suggesting that he doesn't
know what the final disposition of Pilate's soul is. But brethren,
this is a wonderful admission by Jesus to Pilate at this time
of crux. Everyone who is of the truth
hears my voice. Pilate, you should listen. These
Jews should listen. Everyone who is of the truth
should listen. They should hear my voice as
it comes through the word of the living and true God. So you
see, he talks about his kingdom in verse 36. He talks about himself
as the king in verse 37. And notice Pilate's response
in verse 38. Pilate said to him, what is truth? And when he had said this, he
went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault
in him at all. Now, this particular statement
by Pilate, whenever I pondered it, has always perplexed or puzzled
me. How did he say it? Exegesis doesn't
give us tone. I think that's the problem sometimes
with emails or Facebooks or Twitters or whatever. We don't get what's
behind a statement. We don't know how to interpret
something. We can't see somebody's face.
We can't hear the inflection in their voice. And sometimes
statements in scripture are like that. When Pilate says, what
is truth? Is he searching? Well, what is truth? Does he want to know? Is he craving this idea? I kind
of used to lean that way, but as I've reflected more upon it,
he doesn't wait for an answer. He just wanders off. I don't
think he is after the truth. It's probably a shrug. It's probably
a, what is truth? As he wanders off. I mean, Pilate
himself is caught up in a very unique situation. He knows that
this is a guiltless man. He knows that it's out of envy
that the Jews delivered him up. He knows, ultimately, that he
has to give the kill order. On one, he has said three times,
I find no guilt. I find no fault in him. He's
had his wife come to him after this troubling dream, where his
wife has even said, have no truck with this man. Have nothing to
do with this man. Pilate's conscience is affected
at least to the point where he washes his hands, where he tries
to rid himself of what is ultimately great blood guiltiness for giving
the killed order for Jesus Christ. Now, notice the text and the
specificity of it. I find no fault in him at all. Now, you might be able to charge
us or say that with reference to a particular crime. I find
no fault in him with this particular crime. But could you say it at
all? I mean, Pilate didn't shock and
jive with Jesus a whole lot, but this much he knew, this was
an innocent man, specifically of this charge. And in Pilate's
mind, at least the way that he phrases this in other stuff as
well, I find no fault in him at all. There's nothing in him.
necessitating capital punishment. There's nothing in him necessitating
imprisonment. There's nothing in him necessitating
the payment of a fine. There is nothing wrong that he
has done, which I think underscores all the more the culpability
of Pilate in this kangaroo court. You see, brethren, when men know
certain things and they know what's going on is wrong, they
need to stop it. Now, obviously, we have the decree.
Obviously, we have the sovereignty of God. Obviously, we have playing
out before our eyes all that the Father had determined before
to accomplish, according to the apostles in Acts chapter 4. But
the fact is that just because somebody knew better, but they
still acted, that's sort of doubly wicked. It's kind of like Ahab
and Jezebel. Ahab was basically bossed around
by Jezebel. You say, well, you know, the
poor fellow, he married poorly. He sure did. I mean, here's the
woman of the year for hell, essentially, is what you have with Jezebel.
There's that bit specifically in 1 Kings, after the death of
Naboth for his vineyard. You see, Ahab might have thought,
well, it was really Jezebel. It was really that woman that
God had given me. You didn't stand up to her. You
didn't stop her. You see, crime is as criminal
when good men know what's happening and they don't try to stop it.
I know that's been said in history by other men a whole lot better
than me, but the point holds with reference to Pilate. What
is truth? And when he had said this, he
went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault
in him. Now, Pilate, I think, is still
swinging for the fences here. He knows that Jesus is guiltless. He knows that Jesus is not worthy
of capital punishment. And so he proposes this amnesty
agreement. He proposes this deal with the
Jews concerning the Passover costa. Verse 39. Perhaps Pilate
is foolish enough to think, well, I've told them that I find no
fault in him at all. I am the one adjudicating this
particular situation. That should have some traction
with them. They should be affected by that.
So perhaps in Pilate's head, he's thinking, this is a slam
dunk. They're going to ask for me to release Jesus because Barabbas
really is a criminal. Barabbas really is a wretch. Barabbas is really a murderer. Now, the text says that he's
a robber, but in our studies in Matthew, I hope I showed you,
it's not just robbery, insurrectionist, murderer, terrorist. Remember,
there was going to be three crucifixions that day. The man on either side
of Christ and the man Barabbas in the middle. Probably because
Barabbas was the ringleader. I mean, of the three of these
guys, the two on either side were probably his goons. Barabbas
was the notorious wretch. So Pilate's probably got it in
his head. If I offer up Jesus or Barabbas, I mean, any thinking
man would say, give us Jesus. Any thinking man would want Barabbas
to go to that cross. Anybody with half a clue or any
desire for the good of the empire is going to say, crucify Barabbas. So perhaps that's what's in Pilate's
head as he comes in verse 39. And he says, but you have a custom
that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you
therefore want me to release to you the king of the Jews?
See, Pilate underestimates what Jesus knows all too well. In
John chapter 3, Jesus tells us something about men. He says
that men hate the light. Men don't want to come to the
light lest their evil deeds be exposed. Jesus, according to
John's gospel, knew what was in man. Jesus, according to John's
gospel, knew specifically what Nicodemus was after. Jesus, knowing
what was in man, knew specifically what was the condition of that
Samaritan woman in John chapter 4. Jesus knows us, but Pilate
didn't. So he asks, do you want therefore
for me to release to you the king of the Jews? Now notice
in verse 40. Then they all cried again, saying,
not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Again, the semantic range of
that particular word far exceeds somebody who takes money from
others by force. That's what a robber does. I
mean, that in and of itself is no small crime. I mean, that's
the difference between robbery and burglary. Robbery is actually,
you know, assaulting somebody or actually using violence to
get their stuff. Burglary doesn't necessitate
that. Burglary simply means to deprive somebody of their goods.
There's maybe no threat to their person. Robbery always implies
or infers or has within it this idea of violence or physical
threat. So even that is bad, but the word is a lot bigger
than that. These men were rebels to the
Roman Empire. These men were rebels against
the civil state. These men were the kind of people
that should have been put to death by Pilate. That's what's
happening. Before we leave into some conclusion
or some concluding thoughts, just consider what's happening
here in verse 40. Some have recognized the emblem
involved. the emblem involved, and they
all cried again saying, not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas
was a robber. You have the doctrine of substitution. Now, observing that emblem doesn't
necessitate that Barabbas went to heaven. But the theological
point is that the just went to the cross. The unjust one was relieved from
that. Barabbas goes his merry little
way, and the righteous one ultimately goes to the cross again. It doesn't
necessitate the reality that Barabbas is saved, but we ought
to think substitution. We ought to see Jesus in the
place of in this particular instance. Not necessarily for Barabbas,
but for us. John Gill says, who Barabbas
was an emblem of God's elect in a state of nature released
and set free when Christ was condemned. With reference to
the statement of these particular Jews, when they cry again saying,
not this man but Barabbas, John Chrysostom said, oh, a cursed
decision. They demand those like-mannered
with themselves and let the guilty go, but bid him punish the innocent. D. A. Carson, thus at the instigation
of the chief priests who normally had nothing to do with zealots
and others interested in armed rebellion, the crowds call for
the release of a man who has committed murder in his struggle
against Rome while condemning a man falsely accused of being
a danger to Rome. See, it's a tragedy what occurs
at this particular level with reference to Jesus the Messiah. Well, In conclusion, I had mentioned
that this text is parallel, not verbally, not linguistically,
but at least conceptually with what we find in Isaiah 9. In
chapter 9, verse 6, it announces the description of the king,
and in verse 7, it highlights the description of his kingdom.
I'll just remind us of what the text says there. First of all,
with reference to him as king, it tells us that he would be
a child born. It tells us that he would be
a child born. What a wonderful statement, you
know, 700 years prior to the incarnation of our Lord. The
people of God were taught to look for this child born. You see, they were not taught
this only here in Isaiah 9, 6. They were taught this in Genesis
3, 15. Deliverance had always been by the seed of the woman. Deliverance had always been promised
by the seed of the woman that would crush the serpent. So he
would be a child born. Secondly, he would be a son given
to us. I mean, the association of that
language ought to sound alarm bells off in our head. God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. 2 Samuel
7, in that Davidic covenant, when God says that from your
line a son will be raised up for me or to me, that he will
build a house for my name. So the Son given. Notice, he
is the universal sovereign. That's what it means. And the
government will be upon his shoulder. It's the kind of language that
is indicative of reign and of rule. The government will be
upon his shoulder. The government of all things,
we learn from Matthew 28, from Ephesians 1. We learn the government
for all things is all things, and it's laid upon the shoulder
of our beloved Savior. goes on to speak of him as the
one who is wonderful. Intriguingly, this is how Manoah,
the father of Samson, addresses the angel of the Lord. The angel
of the Lord identifies this way as one that is wonderful. He is also referred to as counselor. And Isaiah 11 tells us that He
is equipped with the Holy Spirit. He speaks the words of truth
and wisdom. He is our counselor. As well,
He is mighty God. Mighty God. Jehovah's Witnesses
are crazy. They say, well, He's mighty God,
but not almighty God. as if there are, you know, sort
of two. A mighty God, little G, and a mighty God, big G. Their theology is absolutely
abhorrent, it is heretical, and it is not consistent with what
the Scriptures declare. He is mighty God, and He is everlasting
Father and Prince of Peace. Now, with reference to Him being
Father, I thought the father was the father. I think everlasting
father refers to his relationship to his people, to the church,
as the mediator of the new covenant, as the prophet, priest, and king.
John Owen made the observation that the same person should be
the mighty God, and a child born is neither conceivable or possible,
nor can be true, but by the union of the divine and human natures
in the same person. In other words, you cannot say
this about anybody apart from the hypostatic union, the union
of the two natures in one person. And then note with reference
to his kingdom in verse 7. The kingdom was established at
his first coming. It doesn't say that right there.
We'll see what it says in just a moment. But that passage in
Luke 1 tells us. Acts 2 tells us when Jesus assumed
the throne of David. It wasn't at his second coming.
It was at his first coming. It was at his ascension. It was
at the resurrection and the ascension on high. Where does Christ sit?
At the right hand of the Father. on the throne of David, and his
kingdom will have no end. Now, with reference to the prophet
in Isaiah 9, 7, we see the kingdom was established at his first
coming, and the kingdom will increase in influence and peace. Of the increase of his government
and peace, there will be no end. Brethren, that ought to encourage
us. That ought to strengthen us. that are to help us because
at times it doesn't always look that way. I referred to Elijah
this morning when Elijah was lamenting that he alone was faithful
to the God of heaven and earth. And the Lord says, I have 7,000
knees that have not bowed the knee to Baal. See, brethren,
at times we're not always assured that we're on the winning team,
but the Bible always assures us that we're on the winning
team. And 9-7 tells us of the increase of His government peace,
there will be no end. That doesn't mean that all of
a sudden, wow, Boom! This imposition of this glorious
kingdom. The kingdom parables suggest,
or tell us rather, that the growth in the kingdom is not that sort
of imposition, but rather it's like a mustard seed. Rather,
it's like the man who plants a seed and doesn't even realize
it, but up comes this wonderful plant. The kingdom of God, in
those kingdom parables, Christ sort of makes sure that we understand
not to look for this top-down imposition, but rather gradual
growth. And this is assured by the prophet
Isaiah, under inspiration of the Spirit. Notice that the kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom. We saw that in Luke, upon the
throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish
it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even
forever. It is an everlasting kingdom.
Turn to the prophet Daniel for just a moment. Keep your pen
or your pencil there in Isaiah, but go back to Daniel chapter
2. We'll rather go forward to Daniel chapter 2. Remember, Daniel
is explaining the vision, the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had,
and essentially it concerns world empires. There's a bit of variation,
a bit of difference, a bit of sort of the way that persons
would structure or see the kingdoms. I take it as Babylon, Medo-Persian,
Greece, and Rome. And notice down in verse 44,
and in the days of these kings, The kings he's just been speaking
of, Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece, Rome. In the days of these kings,
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be
destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people.
It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and
it shall stand forever. Intriguing. At the time of the
Roman Empire, that's when Christ establishes his kingdom. Go back
for just a quick moment to verse 35. Verse 35, and the stone that
struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole
earth. Nebuchadnezzar has this dream of this image, and it's
basically these world empires, and it's this one small stone
that strikes this image, and the small stone that struck the
image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. I
think there's illusion there. It may not be as clear as other
passages, but Genesis 3.15. We got the seed of the woman
crushing the serpent. We see the seed of the woman
crushing the kingdoms of the serpent. So back to Isaiah 9.7,
the kingdom as well is ordered with judgment and justice. The kingdom is ordered with judgment
and justice. The passages of Scripture are
replete. The Lord Christ administrates
His kingdom via truth. And then finally, with reference
to the kingdom, notice at the very end, it says, the zeal of
the Lord of hosts will perform this. We need to appreciate and
we need to understand and we need to praise God that it's
not us, Not our zeal, but we should be zealous. It's not our
activity, but we should be active. It's not our conduct, though
we should have good conduct, that advances the kingdom of
Christ. It is the zeal of Yahweh of hosts that shall perform this. And in his wisdom and in his
kindness, he sent the son of his love to be born of a woman,
to be born under the law, to redeem those under the law. The
vehicle by which his kingdom is advanced, secured, stabilized,
is the truth. If you have not believed that
truth, believe that truth. Do not be a pilot and say, what
is truth? Shrug it off and go on your merry
little way, but rather embrace the truth, which is Jesus Christ
the Lord, and come to know everlasting life. Well, let us pray. Our
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for our Lord
Jesus Christ and for this clear testimony concerning the royal
purpose of the incarnation. For this cause, I was born. May
we see him as the King of Kings. May we see him as the Lord of
Lords. May we see him, yes, as our prophet and as our priest,
but as well as our King, the one who rules us, the one who
defends us, the one who governs us, the one who protects us,
the one who advances his kingdom by the truth, And God, may we
indeed marvel at the glory and the majesty of our beloved Savior.
Go with us now and help us to honor you in this coming week.
Help us to bring praise to you. Bless again those struggling
physically and watch over your people here. And we ask this
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.
