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in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 
27. Matthew chapter 27, we're considering 
Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate. The section is in verses 15 to 
26. This morning we're going to take 
up 15 to 23, and God willing look at the remainder part next 
Sunday. I don't want to rush through 
that question of responsibility that is raised in verses 24 to 
26. But as I said, we're going to 
look at verses 15 to 23, Christ before Pontius Pilate, but I'll 
begin reading The chapter at verse 1, when morning came, all 
the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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. 
Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been condemned, was 
remorseful and brought back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief 
priests and elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent 
blood. And they said, what is that to us? You see to it. Then 
he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and 
went and hanged himself. But the chief priest took the 
silver pieces and said, it is not lawful to put them into the 
treasury because they are the price of blood. And they consulted 
together and bought with them the potter's field to bury strangers 
in. Therefore, that field has been 
called the field of blood to this day. Then was fulfilled 
what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took 
the thirty pieces of silver, the value of him who was priced, 
whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them 
for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me. Now Jesus stood 
before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Are 
you the king of the Jews? Jesus said to him, It is as you 
say. And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, 
he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, Do you 
not hear how many things they testify against you? But he answered 
him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. Now 
at the feast, the governor was accustomed to releasing to the 
multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time, they 
had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they 
had gathered together, Pilate said to them, whom do you want 
me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ? 
For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy. While 
he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, 
Have nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered 
many things today in a dream because of him. But the chief 
priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should 
ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered 
and said to them, which of the two do you want me to release 
to you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate said to them, what then 
shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said 
to him, let him be crucified. And the governor said, why, what 
evil has he done? But they cried out all the more, 
saying, let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could 
not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he 
took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, 
I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to 
it. And all the people answered and 
said, his blood be on us and on our children. Then he released 
Barabbas to them. And when he had scourged Jesus, 
he delivered him to be crucified. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for the written word, and certainly 
what is written here is truly amazing, that the Son of God 
would go through such things to save His people from their 
sins. We know it to be the truth, we know it to be prophesied in 
the Old Testament. We know that in the fullness 
of the time, you sent forth your Son, born of a woman, born under 
the law, to redeem those under the law. And He became a curse 
for us. so that the curse of the law 
may no longer fall upon our heads. We rejoice in the gospel of free 
and sovereign grace. We rejoice in your goodness and 
in your kindness. We rejoice in the fact that you 
have forgiven us, that you have given us a righteousness that 
avails with you. We know it's not because of our 
works, it's not because of our merit, it's not because of anything 
good in us, but everything good in the Savior, everything good 
in the Son of God, everything good in this One who remains 
silent before His judge, before His accusers, this One who went 
to the cross, this One who fulfilled all that the Father gave for 
Him to do, this One who does indeed display a resolute determination 
to save, to the uttermost, all who draw nigh unto God through 
him. We ask that you would encourage 
our hearts this morning, that as we look at Christ displayed 
in this passage, our hearts would be drawn out in love and worship 
and adoration. God, for sinners who are still 
in their sins, we pray that today would be the day of salvation. 
May they see indeed the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
and may they by your grace taste and see that the Lord is good. 
May they come unto you, may they believe on Him, may they look 
and may they live. And just forgive us now for our 
sins and our transgressions, cleanse us in the blood of Christ, 
and fill each and every one of us now with your Holy Spirit. 
And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we have 
been considering the passion narrative of our Lord Jesus, 
if you just remember back in chapter 26, Jesus stood first 
before the Jewish Sanhedrin, the high court of Israel, the 
religious leaders who made up the Sanhedrin at that particular 
time accused him of blasphemy. The decision is made to deliver 
him up to Pontius Pilate because the Jews at that time had no 
authority to impose a capital sentence. They wanted to destroy 
Jesus, but they didn't have the authority to destroy Jesus, so 
they deliver him up to Pontius Pilate. We see that there in 
chapter 27, verses 1 to 2. Matthew then gives us the record 
concerning Judas Iscariot in verses 3 to 10, and then the 
narrative returns to Christ before Pontius Pilate. Notice in 11 
to 14, last week, we considered the interrogation of Jesus. Pilate is a Roman magistrate. Pilate had been in this job for 
about 10 years total, probably about six or seven at the time 
he heard this particular case, and he was seasoned in this, 
and he knew there was a proper procedure, and Roman prefects 
or Roman judges didn't want to send a man to the death penalty 
or impose the death penalty if it wasn't not in fact due process. So he levels the charge or he 
asks the question, are you the king of the Jews? Christ answers 
in the affirmative. Then the religious leaders who 
are accompanying this, the Jewish leaders, begin to level several 
accusations. Christ remains silent in accordance 
with the prophet Isaiah chapter 53 verse 7. Christ demonstrates 
through this silence this resolute determination to do the will 
of his father. He is going to go to the cross. 
He is going to undergo all that has been prophesied. He is going 
to undergo all that is being imposed upon him because this 
is the purpose for which he came. He didn't come in the first place 
to start a new religion. He didn't come in the first place 
simply to teach us how to live toward one another. He came in 
the first place to save His people from their sins. He came in the 
first place to live, to die, and to be raised the third day 
so that everyone who looks to Him in faith will have everlasting 
life. This message scandalized first 
century Jews. This message appeared foolish 
to first century Greeks. And I suspect it is still a scandal 
and it is still foolishness to those who are outside of Jesus 
Christ. But today we know, along with 
the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1, Christ is both the power and 
the wisdom of God. We understand why he went through 
this. We marvel and stand in awe when 
we consider the great lengths with which our Savior went in 
order to save us from our sins. So Jesus faces His accusers. Now notice in verses 15 to 26. I'll just give you the two final 
heads. First, we have the attempt to 
grant amnesty to Jesus by Pilate in verses 15 to 23, and then 
the section ends with the sentencing of Jesus by Pilate in verses 
24 to 26. But as I said, we'll take up 
those latter verses, God willing, next week. So we're going to 
look at this attempt to grant amnesty to Jesus by Pilate. As 
I've already alluded to, Pilate was a man who wasn't sinless. He wasn't holy, he wasn't harmless, 
he wasn't a godly man, but nevertheless he was a Roman judge. And as 
I demonstrated last week, even by appealing to Festus' words 
in the Book of Acts, it was not customary for these Roman judges 
to just rubber stamp death penalty cases. And we actually observe 
here in this passage the sort of difficulty, if I may, that 
Pilate undergoes. Now, there are some who Christianize 
Pilate. I'm not doing that. There are 
some who Christianize Pilate's wife. I probably won't even do 
that. But brethren, we have to understand 
the unique position that he is in. He knows that Christ is innocent. He knows that Christ is not guilty 
of the charges that have been offered. He knows that the motivation 
behind the religious leaders is not because they saw Jesus 
commit blasphemy or that Jesus is a competitor to the Roman 
crown. They hand him over because of envy. So Pilate is in a very 
difficult and very precarious position, and I will suggest 
as we move through the exposition that he actually abdicates his 
role. He puts the decision concerning 
amnesty into the hands of the people. This just further demonstrates 
his cowardice, it further demonstrates his gutlessness as he proceeds 
in this whole matter. So I want to look at five things 
this morning. First, the custom concerning 
amnesty in verses 15 to 17. Secondly, the motivation of the 
religious leaders in verse 18. The warning by Pilate's wife 
in verse 19. Fourth, the demand of the multitudes 
in verses 20 to 22, and then some cross-examination by Pilate 
in verse 23, but let's look first of all at the custom highlighted. Notice in verse 15, now at the 
feast, this is Passover, the governor was accustomed to releasing 
to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. Now, I suggest 
that Pilate shouldn't have given this decision to the people. 
Pilate could have just as easily made this decision on his own. 
He probably no doubt thought that the people would, of course, 
choose Barabbas. When he sets before them the 
two options in verse 17, he probably thinks that it's a no-brainer, 
that the crowd will choose to release Jesus and keep Barabbas 
incarcerated. I think that we see with Davies 
and Allison that we learn that Pilate's title is ironic. The governor here leaves the 
governing to others. But notice as well the options 
given by Pilate in verse 16. It says, and at that time they 
had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Now your margin may 
say some manuscripts say Jesus Barabbas. Some of the manuscripts 
do contain Jesus Barabbas. Now, not many to be sure, but 
it was a very old reading at the time of origin. And Origen 
died in about 254, 256. And Origen made the statement 
that many manuscripts do not contain the name Jesus Barabbas, 
which at least implies some manuscripts did. And if indeed the word is 
in the original, we have Jesus Barabbas. Jesus Barabbas. Barabbas 
means son of the father. So you've got this notorious, 
vicious Jesus, son of the Father, and then you've got the glorious, 
holy, wondrous Jesus, the son of the Father. And there's a 
juxtaposition here. And certainly as Pilate presents 
the two, again, he's not thinking theology, he's not thinking in 
terms of variant readings that may arise, but he is setting 
before them a notorious prisoner, a man that is indeed a wretch, 
a man that is indeed a very vile and wicked man. We ask the question, 
how vile is he? We often consider the fact that 
the scriptures testify that he was a robber, that he was a thief. 
In fact, John 18.40 refers to Barabbas as a robber. Now, we need to understand something 
about that term, robber. A famous dictionary defines it 
this way. It can mean robber, highwayman, 
or abandoned. It can mean somebody who thieves, 
who commits acts of theft, but it also means revolutionary, 
insurrectionist, or guerrilla. Guerrilla doesn't mean the big 
simian creature that beats on his chest. Guerrilla, G-U-E-R-I-L-L-A, 
typically someone involved in an independent movement that 
engages in warfare, that engages in military-style fighting. And 
so this word bears this significance I'll submit in this passage. 
Mark 15.7 tells us they had committed murder in the rebellion. Luke 23.19 says concerning Barabbas 
who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made 
in the city and for murder. Consider as well that neither 
theft nor even violent robbery would be considered capital offenses. 
So that Barabbas is in a situation equitable to what Jesus Christ 
is facing in terms of an imposition of the death penalty, it is suggested 
here that Barabbas was indeed a whole lot worse than somebody 
who goes down to Walmart and shoplifts. He was a vicious, 
vile criminal. Carson says neither theft or 
violent robbery was a capital offense, but insurrection was. The term, this particular Greek 
term, was used by Josephus for those who fought against the 
Roman occupation. You've heard of the zealots. 
In fact, one of Jesus' disciples was a zealot. We hear the word 
zealot and we typically think it means somebody who's full 
of zeal, somebody who's full of earnestness, somebody who's 
full of a lot of excitement. But zealot in this particular 
context meant someone that was akin to A revolutionary, somebody 
that didn't like the Roman government, somebody that was subject to 
them and wanted to see them overthrown. That's what a zealot was. So 
I've always been intrigued by Matthew and Simon or Judas the 
zealot. The name has escaped me. Which 
one? Simon? Yes, Simon the Zealot 
and Matthew, the man who had been a government official in 
terms of taxation. How they got along together could 
only be by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
But that's probably what we're dealing with. And brethren, I'll 
suggest this is probably one of the reasons why at least some 
of Israel wanted to see Barabbas released. See, the Jews would 
see him, or at least some of the Jews might see him as a bit 
of a hero, a revolutionary. He wants to stick it to the man. 
He wants to put down the Roman government. Again, I think it's 
outlandish to consider the fact that these wicked people would 
side with a violent revolutionary, an insurrectionist, over the 
Son of God. We ought not to forget that, 
but just trying to flesh this out. France says he would have 
been a freedom fighter to the Romans, an insurrectionist, but 
to the Jews, perhaps a patriot. Now something else we ought to 
observe before we leave this particular point concerning the 
nature of his crimes, we ought to consider the other participants 
in his crimes. I've already read for you Matthew 
15, 7. When it speaks of Barabbas, it 
says they had committed murder. in the rebellion. Matthew 27, 
38. You can probably just glance 
over there from where you're at. Matthew 27, 38. Then two 
robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and another 
on the left. The same Greek word here, robbers, 
bandit, highwaymen. or it may contain the idea of 
revolutionary insurrectionist guerrilla. I suggest that Barabbas 
was planned on, or it had been planned on, to crucify that day. He would have been in the center 
of these two other insurrectionists, these two other revolutionaries, 
these two other men. They were friends, they were 
companions, they were cohorts. There were going to be three 
crucifixions on that particular day. Davies and Allison say Pilate 
had already made ready crosses before he passed judgment upon 
Jesus in that, after the amnesty, Jesus was nailed to a cross originally 
intended for Barabbas. Now note the question in verse 
17. So setting up the stage, looking 
at the custom, verse 15, giving the background in terms of the 
options, verse 16. Now Pilate in verse 17, when 
they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, whom do you want 
me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ? 
Now again, it should be a no-brainer, shouldn't it? I think the internet has helped 
us to reduce filing cabinets, or it's on its way to completely 
getting rid of filing cabinets. Used to be that if you saw something 
interesting in the newspaper, you would clip the article, you 
would write it down, and you'd put it in your files. Boy, with 
a web browser, you can save anything and everything, right? One of 
the things I save, and you're going to probably go, that's 
weird and wacky, is violent crime. Not on a regular basis, but just 
atrocities, crimes that just make somebody hang their head 
in shame that they're part of the human race. Got a particular 
file for abortion. You know, again, on your web 
browser, you can just save whatever it is you want. We come across 
some pretty horrific things in this world, don't we? I mean, 
probably just in this past week, you've seen many a story that 
makes you hang your head in shame, that you're part of the human 
race, along with some other gorilla, G-O-R-I-L-L-A, like that, who 
performs such things. This is a dark time in our history. 
Our fellows act in this passage in a most horrific and terrible 
way. The worst time in our history. 
Because whatever crimes I may save in the web browser, whatever 
crimes you may say, wow, that's just terrible. Jesus was wholly 
harmless and undefiled. He had done absolutely nothing 
wrong. There was no reason whatsoever 
they should have engaged in this pursuit. So Pilate asks the specific 
question, do you want a violent revolutionary that's a danger 
and a threat to the city? Do you want one that's notorious, 
that works in concert with at least two others for the overthrow 
violently of the government? Or do you want Jesus? Again, 
it seems like a no-brainer. It seems like something so obvious. 
The notice, the motivation of the religious leaders. Verse 
18 is a bit of an aside. It sort of breaks up the flow 
of the narrative. Therefore, verse 17, when they 
had gathered together, Pilate said to them, whom do you want 
me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ? 
Verses 18 and 19 are Matthew's sort of commentary or theology 
with reference to the whole situation. But you could just as effectively 
take 18 and 19 out, and the passage would keep flowing. It's the 
reason why Matthew wants us to spend a moment, to consider this, 
to think through the implications. So Pilate understands what's 
happening. He understands what's going on with reference to Jesus. 
But Matthew, the omniscient narrator, tells us what Pilate understands 
concerning their wretched hearts. Now, I don't think this required 
any special knowledge on Pilate's part. I don't think the Lord 
visited him by an angel to give him this insight. I don't think 
he read it in his fortune cookie that morning. I don't think he 
had to go to a fortune teller to try and figure out what's 
driving these religious leaders. It was obvious. The man that 
was standing before him, silent, was indeed innocent. Pilate confesses 
that three times. And Luke, he confesses it three 
times, not for a total of six, but he confesses it three times. 
And John, and I suggest that he confesses it several times 
in this very narrative. He knows that Jesus hasn't done 
anything wrong. He knew that the Sanhedrin had 
found him guilty of blasphemy. He knew that the Sanhedrin had 
indeed shaped the charge so that it would be political in nature. 
He knew that they had shaped it in such a way by framing it 
in terms of the question, are you the king of the Jews? He 
knew what was driving these religious leaders at this particular time. 
The religious leaders would ultimately use this as leverage in order 
to manipulate Pilate to condemn Jesus to death. So the governor 
here knows that their motivation isn't the blasphemy charge. Isn't 
this what sinners do? We hide our sin under some pious 
thing. Well, I was vicious and unkind 
and ungodly to that person because I'm maintaining the glory of 
God. Wow. Yippee for you. Do you see what they're doing, 
brethren? We have heard the blasphemy. 
He deserves to die. That's not what they're concerned 
about. In John 19, at verse 12, when 
they tell Pilate, any man who sympathizes with a rival to Caesar 
is no friend of Caesar. That's what they say to Pilate. 
You talk about giving pressure to a Roman governor, they said 
that. If you make yourself a friend 
of him who says that he's a king, then you're no friend of Caesar. 
And then in 1915, you know what these Jewish leaders say? We 
have no king but Caesar. It's not Christ's blasphemy that 
bothers them. It's not Christ's challenge to 
the civil authority in Rome. It's Christ's popularity that 
really bugs them. This is power religion at its 
finest, exhibiting itself and its stronghold. This is the essence 
of cultism, maintaining social control over others by trying 
to weed out the field of any competitors. Notice, this is 
what Matthew says, Pilate knew, and we don't have any reason 
to suggest again that it was some extra special knowledge 
that Pilate received. It was just the reality. This 
wasn't the first time Pilate had stood in court. This wasn't the first time Pilate 
had seen proceedings. He was wise enough to know what 
was happening. He knew that they had handed 
him over because of envy. It wasn't Christ's blasphemy, 
nor his alleged threat to Caesar, nor his alleged threat to the 
political order that motivated the religious leaders, but their 
own envy, their own rivalry, their own pettiness. Again, he 
blasphemed. He's making himself out to be 
the king. See, we'll do that, won't we? We'll take what appears to be 
pious to try to mask the wretched motivation of our own hearts. 
Instead of just being honest, yeah, I'm an envious rival, you 
know, having wretch that wants to maintain control on people. 
And on one sense, not that I'm saying that's a good thing, that's 
not a good thing, but at least it's a lot more honest to say 
it in such a way. We don't like the threat that 
Jesus produces when the multitudes follow him. We were moved to 
indignance when he entered into Jerusalem and the crowds were 
saying, Hosanna to him. This really bothered us. No, 
that's not what they do. They're not honest men. They're 
not faithful men. They're not good men. They are 
slimy men. They are wretched men that, in 
the guise of prosecuting him for blasphemy, are using that 
as a mask to mask their wicked hearts of envy toward the Son 
of God. Listen to Davies and Allison 
again. The real motive for handing Jesus over is here uncovered. Not offense at blasphemy, but 
desire for power over the populace. The leaders of Jerusalem were, 
so Matthew implies, threatened when significant numbers gave 
heed to Jesus instead of them. Their envy came from thirst for 
power. You all see that, right? What 
does this do? Yeah, it further exacerbates 
the guilt of the Jewish leaders. It shows what drove these men. 
Remember last week, I had a bit of a tirade. We're not supposed 
to be anti-Semitic. We're not supposed to judge animosity 
to Jews based on this passage. But I also suggested there's 
another extreme. By kowtowing to certain people, 
we don't actually preach the reality that these guys bear 
a lion's share of the guilt, humanly speaking, in delivering 
up the Son of God to crucifixion. It was envy that drove them to 
this. Garden variety, wicked, green-eyed 
envy. If ever there's a lesson in scripture 
that we ought to moralize or take from this, we ought to guard 
against envy. See, their jealousness to maintain 
the dignity of the name of Yahweh. He has committed blasphemy, let's 
get rid of him. It's a sham. Their jealousness 
to protect Caesar and the civil order was a sham. They didn't 
like the fact that Jesus was taking followers away from them. 
They didn't like the fact that Jesus was more popular than them. 
They didn't like the fact that Jesus was being praised with 
hosannas while they themselves are getting all upset and indignant, 
according to Matthew 21. Now notice, thirdly, this warning 
by Pilate's wife, verse 19, while he was sitting on the judgment 
seat. That's an intriguing thing. The timing couldn't be better. 
He's sitting on this judgment seat. This is the language of 
formality. This is the actual procedure. This is the actual courtroom. 
If it was in our situation, he would have already entered. Everybody 
would have rised. They would have all sat down. 
He would have taken his seat at this particular time. Court 
was in session. It was an official proceeding, 
and note what happens while he's in session. His wife sent to 
him saying, have nothing to do with that just man, for I have 
suffered many things today in a dream because of him. Now there 
are several other instances of dreams occurring in Matthew, 
Matthew chapter 1, and then several times in Matthew chapter 2, in 
terms of the birth narrative of our Lord Jesus. God communicates 
via dream. Now, it doesn't say here that 
God communicated to her by a dream. Those other dreams typically 
specify that it came from the Lord. So there's some question, 
was this supernatural? Did God give her this specific 
dream? I don't know. But what I know 
is that the message of her dream was absolutely spot on. Notice, 
she sends to her husband who's in court, have nothing to do 
with that just man, for I have suffered many things today in 
a dream because of him. She declares Christ's righteousness. He's a just man. Isn't this one 
of the primary emphases of Matthew's gospel? Isn't this how the gospel 
starts in Matthew chapter three? We see Jesus go to John the Baptist 
to get baptized and the Baptist says, no, I shouldn't be baptizing 
you. You should be, I shouldn't be 
baptizing you. You should be baptizing me. And 
Jesus says, permit it. For we must fulfill all righteousness. See, that's a vital requirement 
in terms of the gospel. We are unrighteous. We are ungodly. We are unholy. So one must take 
our place, not only in the cross to satisfy divine justice, but 
one in obedience to the Father's law. And this woman understood 
that. This woman says that. This woman 
says, have nothing to do with that just man. She recognizes the precarious 
position that her husband is in. I'm sure he heard a lot of 
court cases in his 10 years on the bench. He had never heard 
one like this. He had never seen one like this. 
If you or I were framed for a particular crime and we were hauled before 
the judge, he wouldn't see us as wholly harmless and undefiled. 
We may not have committed that crime, but we've committed something. 
You can't say that with Jesus. You can't say that with this 
one. And this woman, this Gentile 
woman, again, it exacerbates the guilt of these Jewish leaders. 
Everybody recognizes Jesus' righteousness. Judas says he's innocent. This Gentile woman says he's 
innocent. Pilate says he's innocent. And yet these Jewish leaders 
lead the crowds to cry out, away with him, away with him, crucify 
him. This woman confesses the righteousness 
of Jesus Christ upon which you and I hang our souls. Have nothing 
to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things today 
in a dream because of him." John Calvin comments on Christ's righteousness, 
His innocence, His justness. He says, God the Father took 
many methods of attesting the innocence of Christ that it might 
evidently appear that He suffered death in the room of others, 
that is, in our room. You hear what Calvin says? At 
the Passion Narrative, there are all these voices declaring 
the righteousness of Christ. You know what you're supposed 
to ask? Why? Why did it happen? Why if he's 
righteous? Why if he's just? Why if he's 
innocent? Why if he hasn't ever done anything 
wrong? Is he going through this? And 
when you ask that question, you've opened the door to hear the glorious 
gospel of Jesus Christ. He went through that because 
we sinned. He went through that because 
we have violated God's law. He was silent before Pontius 
Pilate because we use the tongue to blaspheme. We use the tongue 
to curse. We use the tongue to lie. We 
use the tongue to murder. We use the tongue to cheat. So 
Christ, in that sublime silence, stands before not only the judge, 
but his accusers. So if you ask the question, why 
are all these different voices proclaiming the innocence of 
Jesus Christ, and yet he goes through this? The answer is simple. He went through this because 
it was the plan and purpose of God Most High in order to save 
His people from their sins. He went through this to rescue 
us from our transgression, and our sin, and our rebellion, and 
our raised fist at God Most High. He went through this and did 
it justly, righteously, and innocently, such that when by God's grace 
we look to Him, that righteousness becomes ours. Calvin makes the 
comment in another place. I'll quote it, God willing, next 
week. What kind of conscience or what kind of peace should 
this passage afford the conscience of those who are in Christ Jesus? 
There's no double jeopardy, brethren. If Christ has indeed secured 
our salvation, this passage ought to afford us a great degree of 
comfort. Not comfort in a sick, sadistic, 
twisted way. Oh, look at him die there with 
all the gore. No. but in the proper understanding 
that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we 
might become the righteousness of God in Him. In other words, 
we rejoice, we confess, we delight in what He did at this particular 
point. As I said, the gravity of the 
guilt of the Jewish leaders. Frantz says, the innocent intervention 
of Pilate's wife serves only to deepen the guilt of the Jewish 
leaders. Even a Gentile woman can see that Jesus is innocent. Now, let's look fourthly at the 
demand of the multitudes. In the first instance, we have 
this persuasion by the religious leaders. Don't miss the juxtaposition 
or the contrast. Pilate's on his judgment seat. Pilate's wife sends a message 
to do what? To persuade him, to turn him, 
to change his mind. And while Pilate's wife is engaged 
in that particular activity, what are the Jewish leaders doing? 
They are seeking to persuade the multitudes. They are seeking 
to change their minds. That popular favor that Christ 
enjoyed when he entered into Jerusalem, they got to root that 
out. They got to get that out. They've 
got to manipulate this crowd in such a way that they not only 
say, release to us Barabbas, but destroy for us Jesus. That's what these men are busying 
themselves with. This crowd had once supported 
Jesus in the triumphal entry in chapter 21. We know as well 
that the religious leaders had once feared the crowd because 
they did support Jesus. Remember, this was one of the 
things that kept them back according to 26.5. We can't do it during 
the feast. We have to do it stealthily. 
We have to do it privately. We have to do it away from the 
rank and file because it will cause an uproar. The city has 
received him as a prophet. The city has received him. He 
wandered into the city full of a donkey. We can't just go and 
violently grab him and take him off the streets because then 
the crowd will turn against us. This is what drove their bargaining 
betrayal with Judas Iscariot. What's Judas' promise? Judas 
promises, I can take him for you in a private place so it 
won't draw attention to the crowd. They don't care anymore, do they? 
They don't care anymore. Again, brethren, this is the 
darkest chapter in human history. You say, oh, what about Adam 
and Eve, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus? Notice these men. are now calling upon the crowd 
that Jesus must be destroyed. Verse 20, the chief priests and 
elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas 
and destroy Jesus. See, the issue of amnesty hasn't 
been settled yet. We've seen the costume, we've 
seen the motivation of these men, we see the warning of Pilate's 
life, but the answer concerning amnesty hasn't been given yet. 
As far as Pilate's concerned, this is still up in the air. 
Who do you want, Jesus or do you want Barabbas? Which son 
of the father do you want? The son of the father of the 
devil or the son of the father God? Which is it? So while they 
are engaged in this or while Pilate is asking this question, 
what is the Jewish leaders doing or what are they doing? They're 
stirring up the crowds. Ask for Barabbas. Ask for Barabbas. Ask for the notorious vile rebel. If there had been some in the 
populace that saw Barabbas as a hero, as a patriot, as an advocate 
for Jewish rights, certainly the Sanhedrin shouldn't have 
seen him that way. Certainly, the Sanhedrin would 
have a vested interest in Barabbas going to the cross. I mean, Barabbas 
was a wretch. And yet they're persuading the 
multitudes to ask for his release and to send Jesus to his destruction. Notice very specifically in verse 
20 that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. Chamberlain says, during the 
interval in which this Gentile woman seeks to influence her 
Gentile husband, the Jewish leaders act to persuade the Jewish crowd. Matthew's writing here is brilliant, 
too, by the way. Sometimes we just read through 
verses and we don't stop to consider, hey, this is happening here. 
This is happening simultaneously, but in a different sort of locale. 
Pilate's wife is concerned with getting Jesus let go. The Jewish 
leaders The men who had the Old Testament Scriptures, the men 
who were studied in the Old Testament Scriptures, the men who should 
have seen him as the messianic character from those Old Testament 
Scriptures, they are now calling upon the crowd to cry out for 
his destruction. Notice the demand of the multitudes, 
verses 21 and 22. The governor returns, or we return 
to the governor, asking the question. The governor answered and said 
to them, which of the two do you want me to release to you? 
They said, Barabbas. Listen to C.H. Spurgeon. The 
Lord of glory had been sold by Judas for the price of a slave, 
and now a robber, a murderer, and a leader in sedition is a 
greater favorite with the people than the prince of life. I remember many, many years ago 
hearing a series of sermons by Andy Hamilton on sexual purity 
in a sensual age. Very good messages. But as he's 
mentioning one particular sin, he says, you know, that the Bible 
has to tell us not to engage in this particular sin, ought 
to cause us all to hang our heads in shame. You get that as parents 
sometimes. You actually have to tell your 
kid not to do such and such? Come on, you should be ashamed 
of yourself. I shouldn't have to tell you 
that. The Bible shouldn't have to command us certain things, 
but that it does ought to embarrass us because it's in us to do those 
certain things. You know, we can sit on our moral 
high ground and on our moral high horses and say, those Jewish 
leaders are terrible. That Pontius Pilate is terrible. 
That crowd is terrible. Brethren, I don't know that we 
would be the three or four isolated individuals from the crowd with 
our sign saying, no, free Jesus and send Barabbas to a cross. It's an arrogant position to 
maintain. Well, I would have been different. 
I would have handled it differently. Well, perhaps you wouldn't have 
been the conniving Jewish leader here. You may not have been the 
screaming Jewish multitudes here, but you could have been the passive, 
spineless, wimp Pilate who allows it to happen. See, there's two 
kinds of evil, and I think Pilate definitely displays this. There's 
the kind that actually goes out and perpetuates a crime. There's 
the kind that goes out and actively commits a horrific act. But then 
there are those who have the power to stop it and they don't. They don't stop it. They allow 
it. In fact, again, we might say 
that passivity is even worse. I think I mentioned to you 1 
Kings 21. We learned that Jezebel incited 
Ahab to do much of the evil that Ahab did. The biblical author's 
not telling us, well, as a result, have favorable views of Ahab. 
No, the biblical author is saying to us that not only is Ahab a 
wretch for participating in crimes, but he's a further wretch for 
submitting to his wife. For letting a woman, and again, 
you're gonna go home and say, Butler sounds very anti-woman 
and very chauvinistic. Just indulge me for a moment. 
Letting a woman tell him to go and kill Naboth so he can increase 
his land holdings. When the scriptures indicate 
that somebody incited them, they're still guilty. They're still wrong. We have it in the crowds as well. 
What does Jesus say in Matthew 15? If the blind leads the blind, 
then only the one who leads them falls into the ditch? I think 
that's how we understand it. You can't blame them because 
they got caught up in this cult. You can't blame them because 
they were incited to it. You can't blame him for engaging 
in this homicidal act because his parents didn't hold him when 
he was a baby. Brethren, I'm not suggesting 
that there's external influences, that there's no influence that 
external things have on a person, but we're very desirous in our 
day and age to let everybody off the hook. The Bible doesn't 
do that. You can't do that this morning. 
I wouldn't have done that. I would have been the lone voice. 
Spurgeon asked the question, wasn't there anybody in the crowd 
that would stand up for him? Not one person who had seen him 
heal, who had eaten his food. would see and heard what he had 
done. There was not one person. No, the text is conspicuous. 
Here are our fellows. Give us Barabbas. What do you 
want me to do with Jesus? Pilate then asks, notice in verse 
21, what then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They 
all said to him, let him be crucified. Now, Pilate had lesser forms 
of capital punishment that he could inflict. Whipping, in some 
instances, would kill a man. type of whipping that's administered 
to our Lord Jesus here, oftentimes made it such that the victim 
wouldn't be on the cross as long. As a general rule, you're not 
fit and healthy to stand on the cross after you've been scourged 
within inches of your life. So there were other forms of 
execution that were available to Pilate. But notice what they 
go for. Notice what they say. Notice 
what's in their hearts. Let him be crucified. See, that's 
man's view of God. We have this delusion that I'm 
an okay person. If I met this Jesus, I'd listen, 
I'd follow. No, you wouldn't. You would join 
the angry mob who says, let him be crucified. What does John 
tell us? The light came into the world, 
and what did the darkness do? Oh, we thank you for coming and 
illuminating our way. No, the darkness hates the light. Darkness doesn't want to come 
to the light. Why? Lest its evil deeds be exposed. This is man in sin. Let him be 
crucified. They don't, or Pilate at this 
point doesn't realize that the crowd is not just pro Barabbas, 
but they are certainly and definitively anti-Jesus. This got out of hand for him. 
Again, you're gonna go home and say, brother's pretty sympathetic 
toward Pilate. Not at all, at all whatsoever. But man, what 
a terrible day to be a Roman prefect. You think your job's 
hard? Do you think you got a tough 
one coming tomorrow? You think that 3 o'clock appointment 
is going to be difficult? Man, this guy, I don't know how 
he did it. Notice, they demand that the 
Lord of glory be crucified. This has been the expressed desire 
of the Jewish leaders in chapter 12, chapter 21, 26, and it's 
now realized through the crowd that they had persuaded. Now 
let's look finally at the cross-examination by Pilate in verse 23. So he 
hears their cry, he hears what they say, let him be crucified, 
and then verse 23, then the governor said, why? What evil has he done? See, I don't think Pilate's just 
rubber stamping an execution here. I don't think he's just 
rubber stamping this and saying, okay, just let it go, I don't 
care, whatever you do. He is acting the part of a Roman 
prefect at this point. He says, why, what evil has he 
done? The question is necessary to 
validate a capital sentence. What happens to Pilate if he 
sends a man to the cross that was innocent? Pilate gets fired. That's what's driving Pilate. 
I'm not suggesting he's got some extra noble thoughts here. He 
doesn't want to lose his job. Pilate was notoriously wretched 
to the Jews himself. So some have suggested that the 
character of Pilate recorded for us, not only in the pages 
of the New Testament, but in outside sources as well, doesn't 
really fit with what we have in terms of Pilate here. You 
would think that Pilate, this enemy of the Jews, would be salivating 
at the thought of getting Jesus sent to the cross. No, Pilate's 
a politician. Pilate understands consequences. Pilate knows that whatever decisions 
he makes here on this Friday is going to affect whether or 
not he comes back to work on Monday. As far as Pilate's concerned, 
he needs proof. Pony up! Set forth the evidence! You're calling out for crucifixion, 
which is the highest form of capital punishment, and you haven't 
provided one iota of proof yet? And isn't that what this demonstrates 
as well when Pilate says this? We've already seen the Jewish 
leaders before Pilate in his court in verses 11 to 14. In verse 12, a couple of those 
men from the Sanhedrin served as accusers. It was court. It was official. This was witness 
testimony. They were saying what Jesus is 
guilty of. But it didn't convince Pilate. 
This crowd has said, give us Barabbas, but crucify Jesus. It hasn't persuaded Pilate. Listen to Matthew Henry. He says, 
it is much for the honor of our Lord Jesus that though he suffered 
as an evildoer, yet neither his judge nor his prosecutors could 
find that he had done any evil. I think that's brilliant. It 
is much for the honor of the Lord Jesus that though he suffered 
as an evildoer, yet neither his judge nor his prosecutors could 
find that he had done any evil. He had heard his wife's warning. 
He had heard the accusations made by the leaders. He had heard 
their allegations voiced over and over again, and yet his conscience 
was still not captive. When they cry out for the form 
of punishment that they think is fitting for the Lord Jesus 
Christ, let him be crucified. He says, why? What evil has he 
done? You know what I think? I think 
that Pilate is witnessing resolute determination. Yes, we see it 
in the sublime silence of the Son of God as he stands before 
Pilate in 11 to 14, but we see an alternate form of resolute 
determination now. It's not Christ's. Though Christ 
has it, it's theirs. What's happened? The governor 
is gone. The mob rules. Terrible situation. It's a horrific situation. Law, order, jurisprudence, due 
process, all gone. Now it's just the angry voice 
of a mom. And this is their response. Why, 
what has he done? But they cried out all the more 
saying, let him be crucified. You've got to hear that in contrast 
to the cries in chapter 21. Popular opinion has shifted radically 
for the son of God. It goes from Hosanna to the son 
of David, to away with him, away with him, crucify him. They had 
been shaped and molded, to be sure, by the Jewish leaders, 
but they're culpable, they're responsible. If the blind leads 
the blind, then both fall into the ditch. Maybe there's a lesson 
here for all of us that we ought to be very careful before we 
jump on another person's bandwagon without hearing the requisite 
proof. It has been my experience that 
we oftentimes neglect Proverbs 18, 17. Pilate isn't neglecting 
Proverbs 18, 17. That text says the first to plead 
his cause seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him. Why don't we pay attention to 
that latter part? Why do we hear one report, we 
jump on the bandwagon? Pilate at least had the wherewithal 
to say, why? What evil has he done? No, he 
doesn't quell the crowd, he doesn't stop the crowd, he doesn't hush 
the crowd. He essentially empowers the crowd 
to carry out their vicious, vile, wicked will. But it is intriguing, 
why? What evil has he done? Show the 
proof, demonstrate the evidence, put him at the place of the crime. 
If he can't do that, he doesn't deserve it. Does this have sway 
on the minds and the hearts of these people? No. They cried 
out all the more saying, let him be crucified. The multitude ignores Pilate's 
demand for proof. They just ignore it. They don't 
even say, what evil is he doing? Well, he did this, that, and 
the other. I mean, at least the Jewish leaders in verse 12 brought 
allegations and accusations. The crowd's beyond this. Mob 
rules. They can taste the blood. They 
want His blood. They want to see the Son of God 
crucified. Not because of any redemptive 
privilege. In verse 25, some have read it 
that way. It is not that way. His blood 
be on us in terms of forgiving us. And Clinton, no. As well, 
I don't think it's a self-malediction. May what happened to him happen 
to us. No, I think they're just assuming 
responsibility in verse 25. And that responsibility is visited 
upon them in AD 70. But at this particular point, 
let him be crucified. The multitudes ignore Pilate's 
demand for proof. Just like the religious leaders 
denied or ignored Judas. What happens when Judah says 
he's innocent? Who cares? I know that sounds pretty low-level 
to say it that way, but that's what they said. We don't care. See to it yourself. Deal with 
it yourself. The fact that the man is innocent, 
as you claim, or the thought that he might be innocent, that's 
not going to stop us. You ought to see depravity. You ever meet 
with somebody in your workplace? You meet with a neighbor, you 
meet with a friend, you meet with a pal, you say, well, I 
just think man is essentially good. Take him here. Man is not 
essentially good. Man is rotten to the core. The 
heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. 
That's Jeremiah's indictment. Paul says, all have sinned and 
fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous. There 
is not one. There is none who seeks after 
God. He crowns it in Romans 3.18 by 
saying, there is no fear of God before their eyes. Man is not 
essentially good. If you're operating under that 
delusion this morning, man, I call you to reconsider. This is what 
man is. Man doesn't care about proof. 
Man doesn't care about evidence. Man doesn't care about facts. 
Man doesn't care about jurisprudence. Man doesn't care about due process. 
Man only cares about killing Jesus at this instance. The multitude 
cries out all the more for his crucifixion. This, I suggest, 
parallels Christ's resolute determination. Jesus had it, they had it, and 
they are going to see to it that Christ is crucified. Well, in 
conclusion, I've already started to touch on this, the depravity 
of man. I can only imagine someone outside 
of our church and maybe someone inside of our church would say, 
what an unhappy thought for a beautiful sunny Sunday at noon. You should 
be scaling down now thinking in terms of, you know, benedictions 
and doxologies and pot roasts and cakes and naps and all that 
sort of thing. Nobody wants to hear about the 
depravity of man. I know we don't, but we need 
to, don't we? It's only when we recognize what 
the problem is do we value the solution. We see the depravity 
of the Roman governor. He does attempt to grant amnesty 
to Jesus because he knew he was innocent. Some might see this 
as nobility on the part of Pilate. I don't. I see it as further 
demonstrations of his cowardice, of his passivity, of his limp-wristedness 
when it came to this whole affair, that he willingly, by his passivity, 
gave up Jesus to crucifixion. The knowledge that the religious 
leaders handed Christ over because of envy, Imagine that. You're a judge and you know what's 
driving this whole affair. And you just watch it play out 
before your eyes and you never intervene. The neglect of his 
wife's intervention. I mean, man, as a general rule, 
if your wife gives you this kind of warning, you probably should 
listen. Now, she may be nutty and has dreams that are odd. Of course, value it, weigh it, 
survey it. But in this instance, it was 
bang on. The recognition of the resolute 
determination of the multitudes. He has this in verse 23. And 
then ultimately, the deliverance of Jesus to crucifixion without 
any proof of his wrongdoing whatsoever. Isn't that how verse 26 ends? 
Again, we'll see it in more detail next week. And when he had scourged 
Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. If you were just reading 
this for the first time, what would you say at that point? 
You'd probably say, why? You had no knowledge of Christianity. You had no knowledge of the gospel. 
You had no knowledge of the passion narratives. You start in chapter 
one. You see this man who only goes about doing good. You see 
this man who teaches wonderful truth in the Sermon on the Mount. 
You see this man who heals people. You see this man who feeds people. 
You see this man who raises people from the dead. You see this man 
who only ever goes about doing good. So again, no consciousness 
whatsoever of gospel, no consciousness of Christianity whatsoever. You're 
reading this court case now with a bit of interest because this 
intrigues you. What's going to happen? Why is 
he even here? Why has it gotten to this point? And after all 
of this, verse 26, it says that Pilate delivered him to be scourged 
and crucified. What is the normal response from 
any sane individual? Why? Why did this happen? because God is in the heavens 
and he does whatever he pleases and this was the purpose and 
sovereign plan of God to save his people from their sins. Isn't 
that beautiful? Last week I said that the courtroom 
is conspicuously pilots according to Matthew's scripture here. He's called governor several 
times. He's called a pilot several times. All eyes are on him as 
he enters into this place. But John 19, 13, Jesus says, 
you'd have no authority over me whatsoever unless it had been 
given to you from above. God's in control of all this, 
even the wicked acts of men. He takes a crooked pilot, crooked 
religious leaders, crooked crowds, and he makes something beautifully 
straight out of it, namely the salvation of our wretched souls. C.H. Spurgeon says, he who has 
power to prevent a wrong is guilty of the act if he permits others 
to do it, even though he does not actually commit it himself. 
Cicero, a Roman politician and lawyer, he said, there are two 
kinds of injustice. The first is found in those who 
do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from 
injury when they can. That's Pilate, brethren. He's 
totally depraved. Secondly, we see the depravity 
of the religious leaders. We already know that they have 
delivered up Jesus to Pontius Pilate so that Pilate can give 
the capital kill order because they don't have that particular 
authority. They are motivated not by a desire or a commitment 
to old covenant law. The prohibition against blasphemy 
means nothing to these men. For all of their posturing, notwithstanding, 
when they in the Sanhedrin say, he's committed blasphemy, he 
is worthy of death. They don't care about that. They 
don't care about the name of God. They don't care about the 
honor of God. They don't care about Rome. They don't care about 
Caesar. They don't care about Pilate. 
They care about their power. It's sickening, disgusting as 
it's displayed here in verse 19. He knew they handed him over 
because of envy. They persistently urged the multitudes 
to side with their decision. Brethren, they're successful. 
For you and I to persuade someone to come to Jesus, we need the 
supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The devil's already got 
it in the bag. It's quite easy to persuade men 
to oppose Jesus. It's quite easy to persuade men 
to deliver up Jesus. And in this instance, it was 
quite easy to get this rabble to cry out, crucify him. They manipulate Pilate in order 
to carry out their design. John 19, 12, From then on Pilate 
sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, If you 
let this man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes 
himself a king speaks against Caesar. I believe that their 
guilt or their wickedness or their sinfulness is compounded 
by Pilate's attempts to not crucify him. Another thing, you have 
no consciousness of the Christian gospel, no understanding of Christianity, 
you're reading this, you'd be saying, man, these guys are bad. This Roman judge, whose job it 
is to do this, is extremely reluctant and is looking for any way possible 
to let this Jesus go, and they keep pushing. They're like that 
kid that you've told no, and he says, but, but, but, why, 
why, why? Don't ask again. That's what 
we have in the text. Ryle says, the behavior of Pilate 
afforded the chief priests and elders an occasion of reconsidering 
what they were about. The difficulties he raised about 
condemning our Lord gave time for second thoughts. But there 
were no second thoughts in the mind of our Lord's enemies. They 
pressed on their wicked deed. You see what he's saying? They 
didn't just wander into Pilate's judgment seat and say, hey, we 
think the guy ought to be crucified. All right, let him go. No, there's 
attempt and attempt and attempt made by Pilate to not see him 
crucified. They had just shut their hearts 
to it. And then we see the multitudes. 
They want a murderous rebel. They allow themselves to be persuaded 
by murderous rebels. You see, brethren, they're at 
fault when they say, you know, crucify him, let him be crucified. We're not supposed to let people 
influence us to do evil. Again, in our, you know, victim 
mentality, day and age, a guy can do horrific things. Well, 
you can't blame him because, you know, he didn't get a pony 
when he was 15. We don't like imposing guilt on anybody. So 
we can't blame these multitudes. It was the Jewish leaders. These 
multitudes should have said no. Why is that not an option anymore? Why is it not an option to say 
no to somebody who tries to induce us to commit evil? This is just 
basic garden variety ethics. It ought not to be the champion 
of morality that does say no to the crowds. That's our job. We're supposed to resist evil. 
They should have resisted evil. They allowed themselves to be 
manipulated by the murderous religious leaders to commit a 
moral atrocity. They unhesitatingly request crucifixion 
for Jesus. When asked to give proof, they 
cry out all the more, not with proof, not with evidence, but 
with, let him be crucified. Ryle says, let us never be surprised 
at the wickedness there is in the world. Let us mourn over 
it and labor to make it less, but let us never be surprised 
at its extent. There is nothing which the heart 
of man is not capable of conceiving or the hand of man doing. Again, that's not 1215, gonna 
go home and eat a burrito kind of thought that we like to entertain, 
but I think Ryle's right on. There's nothing in our hearts 
or there's nothing outside of the purview of the wickedness 
of man. Look at abortion. I mean, murdering 
babies in their mother's wombs for convenience and cash? People actually question depravity? There's professing Christians 
that haven't got on board with total depravity. You've seen 
the abortion mills. You've heard of euthanasia. Persons 
in their weakest and most vulnerable state, let's kill them. This 
is barbarism. This is vile. This is wretched. It's horrific. The situation facing us today, 
not just out there, those wicked barbarians, but right in here, 
is depressing. You get that ethos from Paul, 
don't you, in Romans 7, the old reading, not the newer one. The 
good that I want to do, I don't do, and the evil I don't want 
to do, I find myself doing. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who 
will deliver me from this body of death? See, brethren, not 
only would I reject the concept that you shouldn't preach this 
at 1215 on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I think it ought to 
be thought on, meditated upon, and contemplated by all of God's 
people pretty regularly. You need to understand what you're 
capable of, and you need to pray for the grace to restrain you. 
You need to see with the hymn writer, prone to wander, prone 
to leave the God I love. Because it's in that state that 
you'll cry out for grace. It's in that state you'll say, 
wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of 
death? It is in that state you will acknowledge your absolute 
dependence upon Jesus and side with him in John 15 when he says, 
apart from me, you can do nothing. Not only is it not the case that 
we shouldn't consider sin, we ought to consider it a whole 
lot more. Because finally, when we do, 
it shows us the beauty, the glory, the excellency, and the majesty 
of Jesus Christ. All the more, doesn't it? This view of our sin, this view 
of our depravity, this view of what we are capable of, and then 
realizing He went through this to save us from our sins. The 
innocence of Christ is conspicuous throughout this passage. The 
innocence of Christ is continually placed before us. The justness, 
the righteousness of Christ is constantly displayed here. I 
think it's Matthew's way to show us the just stands for the unjust. Not Pilate, not Barabbas, as 
some have argued, but Jesus does this for his elect. Jesus does 
this for those who believe. Jesus does this for all that 
the Father had given him. And when we see sin and all of 
its grotesqueness, it ought to send us to Christ and appreciate 
him in all of his beauty. to realize that at one point 
we may have been standing right there saying, away with him, 
away with him, crucify him. But at this point now we say, 
we are thankful that he was crucified, not because we lusted for his 
blood, but we are thankful that through his blood we have everlasting 
life. We praise him for that ministry 
of mercy. We praise him for that resolute 
determination. We praise him that he did not 
shrink back. We praise him that he underwent 
this on our behalf. And if you're not a believer 
here this morning, I'll end as I always do, believe. Look to 
him. Trust in him, he is the holy, 
harmless, undefiled one. He is the one in whom alone there 
is forgiveness, the one in whom alone there is righteousness, 
the one in whom alone there is salvation. Don't tarry, don't 
wait, don't resist, don't say no. See yourself as a guilty, 
vile, helpless sinner and see Christ as the one who is altogether 
lovely, who is chief among 10,000 and who has the power to save 
to the uttermost everyone who draws nigh unto God through him. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you for what Jesus went 
through on our behalf. We thank you for deliverance 
and for salvation and redemption and reconciliation and all the 
language that the Bible applies to this great transaction. For 
God, we are desperately sinful and wretched and vile. We rebelled 
against every one of your laws. We lack conformity unto every 
one of your laws. We resisted you every step of 
the way. that through the life and the death and the resurrection 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, you have saved us. May this cause 
us to worship, may it cause us to praise, may it cause us, if 
we are not converted men, women, boys, or girls, to flee to the 
Lord Jesus, to believe on Him, to look and live. Go with us 
now, we pray, and we ask in Jesus' name, amen. We'll close with 
a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.