"Are You the King of the Jews?"

Cody Hale

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Matthew 27:11–26

Jesus’ trial

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Jesus is the true King rejected by his people so that He might save them.

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Introduction

After his aside to show us the outcome of Judas, Matthew brings us back to the bigger picture. The Sanhedrin has met together and decided that Jesus must go, and He must go in the most drastic terms necessary. This is what John meant when he wrote: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” They didn’t have the authority to carry out the death penalty, but that had not kept them from being overcome in a fit of rage and stoning a person to death, as we have seen. But, they wanted more than that for Jesus. They wanted Jesus to be dealt with publicly and officially. They wanted Jesus to die on a tree, which Deuteronomy teaches us is a mark of a cursed man. And so, they bring him outside of the house of their Roman governor, Pilate, who is in town to keep an eye of the rowdy Passover festivities. They are careful to present Pilate a case that he will care about. They don’t tell him that Jesus is a false prophet or a blasphemer. They tell him that Jesus is a self-pronounced King, a threat to Rome’s peace try to start a political revolution. And so, with Jesus standing before him and with an angry mob pushing in upon them, Pilate asks him a question that was the difference between life and death, a question that meant everything then and means everything now: “Are you the King of the Jews?” In order to understand all that is behind that loaded question, I want to approach our text this morning with three questions of our own.

John says of Jesus in : “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” At the very outset of his Gospel, John tells the Christmas story like this: “The King left his Throne to dwell among his very own people, and his people rejected him.” This wasn’t some marginal nation who worshiped the sun. They were his people whom He had loved and whom He was coming to deliver. And, they rejected him. This morning, we’re going to be onlookers to the trial of Jesus, and we’re going to see Jesus’ very own people lobbying for his destruction. We’re going to see them going to the tyrants of Rome and asking, “Will you murder our King?”

God’s Word

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“Are You the King of the Jews?”

What Will You Do with the “Word of God”?

Jesus Believed and Obeyed the Scriptures

v. 11 “You have said so” First, I want to ask you: What will you do with the “word of God”? At first glance, you may wonder what this question has to do with our text, but, beneath the surface, this is the question that every, single one of them is facing. There are a lot of charges being leveled against Jesus. Pilate is asking him if he believes himself King, the priests and elders are shouting accusations, and the mob is sentencing him, all at the same time. But, Jesus speaks only once. Jesus only acknowledged the charge that was true. Jesus believed He was the Messiah. This can’t be understated. Jesus believed that He was the Son of God sent from God to save the people of God. Jesus believed that He was the only way to heaven. Jesus believed that his sacrifice was necessary as a satisfaction of the wrath of God. That is, Jesus believed that He was who the word of God said that He was. Here is Pilate wanting to acquit him. Looking for any excuse to let him go. Hoping to find a good reason. In fact, Pilate declares Jesus innocent three different times. Jesus likely could have talked his way out of execution. Yet, Jesus only answers the one charge that will condemn him. Putting him in perfect alignment with the word God gave to Isaiah about the Messiah: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Jesus was in alignment with the word of God and obedient to its path, even though that path was costly, filled with suffering, and would ultimately lead to death. How did Jesus give credibility to himself as Messiah? He did so by pointing to the word of God and showing how perfectly He fulfilled every iota.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

APPLICATION: Jesus believed that the Scriptures “verified” him and that He “verified” the Scriptures. On the day of his resurrection, He will meet two disciples face-to-face, and He will walk them all the way through the OT to show how it is about him and is fulfilled in him. Jesus isn’t doing all of this by the seat of his pants, and He isn’t simply figuring this out as He goes. He is the Word of God alive in human flesh, and He is living in perfect obedience and fulfillment to all of it. So, I want to ask you two questions: 1) Do you believe that Jesus is who He believed that He was? Jesus believed that He was the Son of God sent from God to save the people of God. Jesus believed that He was the only way to heaven. Jesus believed that his sacrifice was necessary as a satisfaction of the wrath of God. Jesus wasn’t a philosopher. He wasn’t a philanthropist. He didn’t come to add a fresh perspective on spirituality. If Jesus is right, He is the gate by which we can enter and have eternal life. 2) Do you hold the same view of God’s word that Jesus held? If you say ‘yes’ to the first question, then ‘yes’ is the only rational answer to the second. If Jesus is the Living God incarnate among us, if He is the gate to eternal life, if He is truly the holy God, then whatever He believes we must believe. Whatever He thinks, we must think. So, is your view of God’s word formed by your opinions, your logical conclusions, your self-seeking justifications, or is it formed by Christ and the Holy Spirit in you?

The Gentile Responds, The Priests Manipulate

yet he opened not his mouth;

v. 19 “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” But, I think Matthew wants us to see more than just Jesus’ view of God’s word. He wants us to see the view of God’s word that is held by Israel’s priests and elders, the spiritual leaders of Israel. He contrasts the priests and elders with a pagan, a Gentile, someone they considered unclean and unfit for God. Pilate’s wife is an unexpected player in this whole drama. For much of time, it was taboo for a governor like Pilate to take his wife with him on location. But, the law had just changed to allow it, and God uses her for his purposes. She sends word to Pilate that she has had a dream that caused her ‘suffering’ and that in that dream she became convinced of Jesus’ innocence. She warns Pilate not to have anything to do with Jesus and this scheme as a result. She’s trying to protect her husband. This word ‘dream’ pops up six times in the book of Matthew, and all five of the other occurences are God speaking to someone through a dream. So, she, even though she is likely unable to process it as the Lord God speaking, she was able to realize that something bigger was going on, and she, an unclean Gentile, responds to a single, momentary dream by faith and belief, declaring Jesus innocent. Now, contrast that with the priests and elders of Israel. They were the teachers of the Law. They were the ones charged with helping the people of God stay true to the word. They had 1500 years worth of Scriptures testifying to the coming of Christ and to the integrity of the Christ. They were the ones who were looking for the Messiah. They were the ones God had revealed himself to. Yet, they ignored the testimony of Scripture, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the authoritative testimony of Christ himself, and instead manipulated the Scriptures to condemn Christ. They used the very word of God that pointed to Jesus to call for Jesus’ death and to turn his people against him. Pilate’s wife “responded” to God’s word while the priests “manipulated” it.

APPLICATION: Do you trust the word of God as much as this unbelieving woman, or do you manipulate it to serve your own agenda like the priests and elders of Israel? They knew what it said. They had much of it memorized. And yet, they manipulated it to their own gain and their own comfort, all while this Gentile woman took it at face value and responded. Are you manipulating the Scriptures to self-medicate your disobedience? Are you manipulating the Scriptures so that your habits are okay, your selfishness is bearable, and your unfaithfulness is excused? Or, are you ready to respond to whatever God has to say? Are you ready to do whatever He says? Are you searching every corner of your life so that you might correct any place that is out of alignment? What will you do with the word of God?

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

Which “Jesus” Will You “Choose”?

v. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” The second question I want you to consider is: Which “Jesus” will you “choose”? Pilate has sized the situation up pretty accurately. He realizes that Jesus is not a threat to Rome, and in some of the other Gospel accounts, we even get a more thorough dealing of Pilate trying to find a way to release Jesus and pacify the Jews at the same time. Pilate had already been on Emperor Tiberius’ bad side because of mishandling a situation with the Jews, and he desperately wants to avoid another situation like that. So, he wants to find a way to release a man that he knows us not guilty, while at the same time pacifying the Jews. Pilate wants to pacify both his wife and the Jews and hopefully with his career still on track! So, he devises what he must’ve thought was a brilliant scheme. He’ll make it the Jews’ idea to release Jesus. It was a custom of the time for him to release one Jewish prisoner every year in celebration of the Passover. It’s likely they already had the man selected for release, when Pilate decides to give them another choice — Jesus. After all, Jesus had just come into town on Sunday to great fanfare and to people crying out, “Hosanna! Glory to God in the highest!” Surely, if he put it up for a vote in the crowd, the crowd would choose to release Jesus rather than a convicted criminal. So, he gives them the choice between a man named, Barabbas and Jesus. But, behind the scenes, the priests and elders have been ‘persuading’ the crowd to call for Barabbas, and they do. When he asks them what he should do with Jesus, they cry out: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” It’s a long way since ‘Hosanna’ on Sunday.

so he opened not his mouth.

A Face in the Crowd

APPLICATION: They were as “close” to the Gospel as they could be, yet they were “blind” to it. They had the very Son of God before them as one of them, yet they were to murder him. That sounds just like the Bible Belt South, doesn’t it? We have churches on every corner, but the word of God is dusty and strange to us. People who actually attempt to apply God’s word to every situation of their lives are weird to us. We have professing Christians who practice very little actual godliness. God is alleged to be our top priority, yet our actual time with God says something different. We’re like the leaders of Israel that crucified Jesus. The gospel is all around us. The truth about Jesus is all around us. Eternal life is all around us, but we’re blind to it. God has brought his glory into our midst, but we’re content with just being normal -- with just blending in to our world, with just being a face in the crowd. That’s how much Jesus we want. That’s how much of God the leaders of Israel wanted. Just enough to blend in with the cultural expectations. Just enough to be godly enough for people to like us but not so godly that others might think we’re weird. And so, with every day of just trying to blend into the crowd here, we blend in with the crowd that day, shouting “Crucify him! Crucify him!” with our lives.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

A king or the King?

Your translation may have Barabbas’ first name listed, so you may see it there in the pages. Many of our oldest manuscripts have it, and do you know what it is? Jesus. His name was Jesus Barabbas. He was a political insurrectionist, a revolutionary that had sought to overthrow Rome by force. He had killed so that Israel might live free. He was famous, it says, for trying to overthrow the rule of Rome. It’s likely that he was even more popular in this part of Israel than Jesus himself. He was what they wanted from the Messiah. He was a political force willing to seize control of Jerusalem by bloodshed and to establish an independent kingdom once again. Barabbas “was” what they wanted Jesus “to be”. His plan was to kill for Israel’s freedom, and Jesus’ plan was to die for Israel’s freedom. He wanted David’s throne established in Jerusalem, and Jesus wanted to ascend the Davidic throne in a New Jerusalem. He wanted to overthrow the tyranny of Rome, and Jesus wanted to overthrow the tyranny of sin. And so, the question that Pilate posed to them and that today faces us is a poignant one: Which Jesus will you choose? Will you choose the Jesus that you wanted, or will you choose the Jesus who is God? Will you choose the Jesus that will make your life better on earth or the Jesus that gives eternal life? Do you want a king, or do you want the King?

The Jesus You Expected or the Jesus Who Is?

APPLICATION: This morning, which Jesus will you choose? Do you want the Jesus like you expected? Do you want the Jesus that makes your life more comfortable on earth? Are you insisting on a Jesus that will make your marriage easy and life prosperous? Are you insisting on a Jesus that will grant you salvation from hell while demanding nothing from your life? Are you looking for a self-help coach or a Savior? Are you looking for a grandpa or a God? If you find yourself following a Jesus that’s just like you expected and let’s you live the life that’s most comfortable for you and that doesn’t actually expect you to follow him, you are not worshiping the true Christ. You are worshiping a manmade idol. You are worshiping yourself. You have merely Christianized your own selfishness. The real Christ leads you to a cross. The real Christ demands all of your life. The real Christ calls you forward in obedience. The real Christ calls for you to live day in and day out in such a way that you would fall apart without him? Do you want a king, or do you want the King? Which Jesus will you choose?

How Will You Respond to Jesus?

Envious yet Self-righteous

v. 18 “For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.” The final question I want to ask you is: How will you “respond” to Jesus? Pilate recognized the response of priests and elders himself. He saw through their charade. The priests and elders were “envious” yet “self-righteous”. This is by Pilate’s own objective assessment. They had titles of authority, but Jesus had real authority. They were properly credentialed, but Jesus was anointed. They considered themselves to be experts in the Law, but Jesus always had the clearer insight, the better explanation. They wanted power, but Jesus had power. And, they couldn’t stand any of it. They were green with envy. And so, they aimed to present themselves as more spiritual than Jesus, more biblical than Jesus, and more devout than Jesus. In fact, presenting themselves as the saviors of Israel they would ultimately slay the Savior of Israel. Their envy was clothed in the rags of self-righteousness.

APPLICATION: Will you respond to Jesus in envy camouflaged as righteousness? Do you want the control over your life that only Jesus deserves? Do you want to live in a way that is different than Jesus would have you? Do you pretend as though you have a better way of honoring God with your life than the path Jesus has charted?

Amazed yet Unchanged

v. 24 “when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing…he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.” Pilate responds in a way different from the elders and priests. Pilate is “amazed” yet “unchanged”. Verse 14 says something that is really remarkable. It says, “But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.” It says that Pilate was ‘amazed’ by Jesus. This is the very same word that is used by Matthew throughout his gospel to describe the responses that people have when Jesus performs a miracle. Pilate recognized that something remarkable, supernatural even, was happening right in front of him. He had overseen the trial of hundreds of people. They are always declaring their innocence and pleading their cases. But, not Jesus. Though Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, Jesus wouldn’t plead his case. Pilate recognized that Jesus was making a choice. He was choosing to be scourged. He was choosing to have the flesh torn from his back and the hair ripped from his face. He was choosing to be humiliated and mocked, spat upon and cursed. He was choosing to suffocate on a used cross. Jesus was choosing to die at the hands of his own people, and the very thought of it amazed Pilate. Yet, Pilate was unchanged by his amazement. He came into his interaction with Jesus as an ambitious, cruel, self-serving man, and he left his interaction with Jesus as the very same man. He was amazed, but he was unchanged.

APPLICATION: Oh, how many in our day could be described the same way! How many in our day have a moment in which goosebumps are raised on their arms and tears are brought to their eyes in amazement of Jesus! They recognized that they’re in the presence of something remarkable, supernatural even. Yet, they leave unchanged. Maybe in a moment of passion, they raised their hand or they signed the card. They agreed to baptism. But, they came in as an ambitious, self-serving person and they left as an ambitious self-serving person. They came as a person in love with their sin, and they left as a person in love with their sin. That day, Jesus had come to Pilate at his judgement seat so that he might judge for life or for death. Yet, one day, he was to crumble before Jesus at his Judgement Seat where he would be judged for life or for death. Jesus really was the King of the Jews, and he found Pilate with an allegiance only to himself. How will He find you? How will you respond to Jesus?

Discussion Questions:

How did Jesus verify the Scriptures, and how do the Scriptures verify Jesus? What is Jesus’ view of the Scriptures?

Looking at the difference between Pilate’s wife and the leaders of Israel, how can you know if you trust the Scriptures?

How can someone be close to the gospel and blind to it? How can we help?

What are some manmade versions of Jesus we might be tempted to choose? How do we combat our desire to change Jesus to fit our imaginations?