30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 23 01-05 THE KING AND HIS KINGDOM 07 Luke 23 02-05 The evil in man
📖 Luke 23:1-5
Sat13Nov2021 – The evil in man - Luke 23:01-05 - THE KING AND HIS KINGDOM (07) - Bible reading: John 19:1-4
We can live the abundant life that is pleasing to Jesus as we live enclosed in the Holy Spirit.
Luke 23:2-5 And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." (3) Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered him and said, "It is as you say." (4) So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man." (5) But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."
We will now look at Pilate’s judgement. I said earlier that Pilate declared, explicitly, that he found no fault in Jesus at all. Yet, he approved Jesus to be put to death on the cross.
How did this evil deed take place and what do we understand about man’s depravity?
Pilate gave the verdict of NOT GUILTY to Jesus, three times, in the gospel of John. The judge gives the verdict, three times, that the accused is not guilty and then sentences the accused to death by crucifixion.
John 18:38 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 .
John 19:4-6 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him." (5) Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!" (6) Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him."
What do we learn?
Pilate understood the kingdom of Jesus. He understood that the kingdom of Jesus would in no way be a threat to the authority of Rome but something good for the public.
Romans 14:16-18 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; (17) for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (18) For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Since the influence of the kingdom of Jesus was goodness, Pilate did not find any fault in Jesus. The Jews were accusing Jesus of being a troublemaker. Pilate saw through the accusation of the Jews against Jesus.
Pilate was correctly exercising the role of the leader of a government, as laid out in scripture.
Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (2) Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Pilate was doing what was right when he declared that he did not find any fault in Jesus.
Though Pilate had made the biggest blunder of his life by not submitting to the lordship of Jesus, yet, Pilate, till this point, was being correct in his handling of the trial of Jesus. This is till the end of John chapter 18
From the start of John chapter 19, something strange begins to happen.
After the judge had made a statement that he did not find any fault in the accused, we find Pilate, the judge, had Jesus beaten and humiliated by his soldiers.
John 19:1-4 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. (2) And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. (3) Then they said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands. (4) Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him."
These verses do not make any logical sense. Pilate was feeling the pressure that the Jews were laying heavily on him and he was swayed.
The Roman soldiers scourged Jesus, which included physical lashing and being beaten. They pressed a crown of thorns into his head and then they put a robe on Jesus, hailing Him as the King of the Jews. All of these were the physical, mental and emotional torture of the worst kind. All of these were done under the sanction of Pilate. Pilate brings Jesus in front of the crowd, having undergone severe torture, and then tells them that he does not find any fault in Jesus.
I feel like screaming at Pilate. “Pilate, are you sane? You are saying that Jesus has no fault in Him, then why have you tortured Him?”
The answer friends is what must confront us alongside the love of God. This is man’s deplorable state, yet God loves man, who is appallingly wicked. The Lord goes to the cross on our behalf.
Matthew 27:24 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."
This was the fourth occasion in which Pilate affirms that he finds no fault with Jesus but yet he has Jesus, crucified
This shows the total evil of the situation. We had earlier seen the wickedness of the Jewish leaders. We now see the maliciousness of the Gentiles. Both Jews and Gentiles are sinful before God.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Thought to ponder
The trial of Jesus, with the Jews and with the Gentiles, reveals the bankruptcy of man. It also reveals the glory of God.