Are you responsible to love as your King loves?

The King – Part 1
(John 19:1-3, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, May 30, 2010)

19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.

Then Pilate took Jesus... (1)
The Roman governor has already delivered his official opinion after questioning Jesus: “I find no guilt in Him.” Despite this, he consents to Jesus being beaten. Would this satisfy the crowd associated with the religious leaders of the Jews who hated Jesus without a cause? Might the beating of Jesus be enough punishment to make this problem go away?

What about those who witness Him being treated with disrespect. Will they flinch in their murderous plot when they begin to see Him suffer? There is no sign of shame on the part of the accusers of Jesus. If a beating was supposed to satisfy the hatred against Him, it has not worked.

Nothing will stop this cross. The wheels of divine justice are turning. Jesus will suffer. By His stripes, by His facing the fists and lashes of men, we will be healed. This is for your happiness.

And the soldiers... (2)
Man is fearfully and wonderfully made. He has such potential for good. But the hands that could lift up a fallen child to give comfort or supply bread for the hungry are also capable of fashioning a wreath from the branches of a thorn bush, pressing into the head of the Redeemer, and mocking His title as our King. Give Him a robe of royal purple and everyone can laugh.

It must have seemed absurd to those who were part of the military might of that day that this broken weak man would be called a king. Was He there just to be the suffering object of their entertainment for a few hours, or did they treat Him in this way to make Him an example to other despicable people who would dare to think of themselves as someone of significance? Who can understand the cruelty of man? Yet this is the treatment of the Messiah that we were prepared for. How? When Job told us wretched people spit at him, when Joseph had to go so low before he was made second to Pharaoh in Egypt, when the prophet Jeremiah was lowered into a well to die in the mud, when someone built a gallows fifty cubits high for Mordecai the Jew in Persia, when Isaiah wrote poems about a suffering Messiah, and when David was given a song about the cross 1000 years before it happened, we were warned about something like a crown of thorns.

“Hail, King of the Jews!” (3)
But the soldiers who treated Jesus so poorly had something to say as they mocked Him. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

The Bible speaks of kings of many other lands before we every hear of even the possibility of a king of Israel. Israel's God was the ultimate King over His people, just as He was the King of all Creation as he rested on the seventh day. God selected judges who would be saviors of the people when the nation faced great trouble, but the people wanted a king like the ones other places had, and they eventually demanded that. God gave them Saul, the king they wanted, but then He chose young David to be king, the same David who wrote that song about the cross 1000 years before His descendant Jesus died there for our sins. Jesus was the final King of the Jews.

About 500 years even before David, God had revealed to Israel in the Law of Moses that Israel would have a king. He gave several rules for the one who would be the King of the Jews. See Deuteronomy 17:14-20. 1. The Lord would choose the king, not the people, and not any man who thought that he would make a good king. 2. The king of the Jews would have to be an Israelite. That way the people could not give themselves over to some impressive foreigner who claimed to be able to protect them. 3. The king could not use his office for himself, surrounding himself with lovers and possessions. He was to be a servant of the people and especially a servant of God. But one final requirement is most unusual. 4. The king had to write out for himself his own personal copy of the Law of God under the oversight of the Lord's priests. He could not put it away in a closet as a relic. It had to be with him, and he had to read it all the days of his life. This is the way that the king was to remember to fear and to follow God. The king had to obey not only the ceremonial details of worship, but more importantly the most significant matter of the Law, the imitation of the love of God. This way of the Word would guard the king from the temptation to lift himself up in pride over the rest of the people.

On that day when they pressed a crown of thorns into Jesus' head, the soldiers did not understand the weight of their words. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they slapped his face.

What do you expect from a king? Mockers looked at Jesus, and the idea that this despised and beaten man could ever be a king was a joke to them. He had nothing that they expected from a man of power. But He had everything that God revealed to be necessary for a King of the Jews.

1. God chose Jesus to be King. He was conceived in the womb of a poor virgin who came from Nazareth, but was a descendant of King David. The Lord's chosen King actually came from heaven as the eternal Son of God who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He demonstrated that He was the true Sovereign in His deeds of resurrection power. The crowds wanted to take Him by force and make Him their king, but they did not understand Jesus or His kingdom.

2. Jesus was a Jew. He did not come from the superior powers of the world, but was part of the Lord's subjugated people. He was born under the Law as a Jew, and He lived as a Jew. He had no intention to establish His kingdom by going to the more impressive nations of the world and gaining their support. He knew that God was King over His people forever, and He was establishing His Kingdom on earth through the building of His church. This worshiping community of faith would be the new Israel. To say, as the Apostle Paul does, that Jesus is the Head of the church, is nothing more than saying that Jesus is the King of true descendants of Abraham, the King of true Jews gathered from both the circumcised and the uncircumcised.

3. Jesus did not come making a claim of royalty in order to gratify Himself. He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. He did not gather wives, horses, houses, gold, jewels, or any of the things that worldly kings surround themselves with as a mark of their greatness before others. He came to reclaim His people through willingly giving Himself as a sacrifice before God for the people who would be His subjects forever.

Most of all, 4. Jesus loved and obeyed the Word. He came in person as the Love of God taking upon Himself the costly justice of God. He knew the Word as the One who is the Word. By the sincerity of the cross, He proved that His love for God and man was more than idle talk. The one who was treated so ruthlessly by the spiritually blind, is the only one who can make the blind see. Do you see who He is? He is the King of the Jews. Receive His love, inherit the kingdom that He has won for His beloved people, and follow this great King. Jesus is your King. Do not mock Him or strike Him with your hand. Take up His Word, and serve Him in love.

Application: Are you a follower of the King of Jews, the King of suffering love? Are you willing to be responsible for the happiness of someone else in this world when your flesh fears an assault against your own dignity?

1. Why would Pilate have flogged Jesus?
2. How are we to understand the behavior of the soldiers toward Jesus?
3. Is Jesus the King of the Jews?
4. What does it mean to follow a king who suffered so deeply for us?

Making the innocence of Jesus manifest to all

“What accusation do you bring against this man?”
(John 18:28-40, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, May 23, 2010)

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Then they led Jesus... (28-32)
As we continue on the road to the cross, the ironic victory of God that looks so much like a defeat, we are moving now from the seat of Jewish religious power to the civil authority of the Roman empire and her governor. Besides Jesus and His mother, Pilate is the only human being who has made his way into the creeds of the church, immortalized in the phrase, “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” We start in verse 28 at the point of intersection between Jewish and Roman power, and it is not a very comfortable meeting.

The delegation of Jewish leaders and their officers have led Jesus early in the morning from the house of Caiaphas, the Jewish priest, to the headquarters of the Roman governor. They need to come to the Romans for a variety of reasons, yet they can only go so far. They cannot go in with the Gentiles. According to their traditions that would make them unclean. Here we have the collision of a subjugated power with their masters. Yet the servants consider their masters to be ceremonially beneath them. But Roman power is necessary in order for the goals of the priests to be accomplished. This is an odd situation. Everyone considers himself superior to the others. Yet there is one who is above them all. He is the prisoner. His purposes will be accomplished.

Going to the Romans was necessary. The Jewish authorities would be more than happy to have the civil rulers be the ones who put Jesus to death. The Empire gave the Jews a measure of freedom but that freedom did not extend to the taking of a man's life. Beyond any purpose of the Jewish leaders, God had a purpose in Jesus dying at the hands of Gentiles. Jesus had said earlier that the way he would die would involve being lifted up. This pointed to a Roman penalty, the cross, as did the expression in Psalm 22:16, “They have pierced my hands and my feet.” The involvement of Gentiles in the death of Christ was also a fulfillment of Psalm 2, where the rulers of the earth, and not just of the Jews, are against the Lord God and His Anointed, the Christ.

So Pilate... (33-38a)
To bring all this about was not an easy project. The civil authorities did not initially want to have anything to do with this prisoner of the Jews. Pilate was interested in Jesus, at least interested enough to privately question this man who fellow Jews accused of being a challenge to Roman authority. Pilate asks Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus asks Pilate a question that draws attention to the source of the accusation. This did not come from Pilate's own mind, but from the leaders of the Jews, the chief priests who have delivered Jesus into the hands of the Romans. They are the ones who are making this disingenuous claim that Jesus is a secret insurrectionist who is challenging Roman authority.

Is Jesus a threat to Roman order? Only in so much as Jesus is a threat to all order that would attempt to defy Him. He is above Roman rulers, because His kingdom is not of this world. At His resurrection, Jesus will be recognized by the Father as the true Son of God. This Son is above all earthly powers according to Psalm 2. His kingdom is not from the world. His reign will not stand against decent Roman order. His followers will be good residents of the Empire unless Rome demands that good subjects turn against the higher authority of God. People will be able to give to Caesar what is Caesar's provided they are first able to give to God what is God's. If Rome, or any other state, insists that to be good subjects one must defy the Law of God or worship the emperor as a god, they will find that Jesus will defy them in that idolatrous claim.

Jesus, His kingdom, and His gospel will be a challenge to every person, every societal structure, and every religious society who cannot make peace with the plain fact that Jesus is Lord. Over the centuries of New Covenant life He will build His Kingdom of willing subjects. Jesus will not use the sword to coerce converts into saying things that they don't believe. The power of Christ is much stronger than that. From His throne in heaven He will use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to change lives. Far from forcing unwilling people to believe and obey, Jesus will free lives from the bondage of unbelief and disobedience, so that the service that they render to Him as King will be a willing act of worship. This is why Christ has come: to be the Truth of a new kingdom. He is the voice of God that is heard by all who are of the Truth. Pilate cannot understand the truth that Jesus speaks of because He cannot understand Jesus Himself.

After he had said this... (38b-40)
He does know this crucially important and necessary fact: Jesus is not guilty. Pilate testifies to the Jewish leaders who are waiting to see if their plans will succeed, “I find no guilt in Him.” Not only that, Pilate wants to use the Passover custom of releasing one prisoner to the people in order to be done with this entire troubling situation. Surely the people will ask for the life of the innocent man Pilate has taken to calling by His title, “the King of the Jews.”

Psalm 2 says, “Why do the nations rage?” We might expect that Gentile rulers would hate the King of the Jews, but what about Jewish crowds that had seen evidence of His miracles and had so recently been shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” Or are those Jews gathered here now just a group who have always been in league with the priestly powers who insist that Jesus be kept in Roman hands, and that a robber named Barabbas be released? Either way, Jews and Gentile are hearing that Jesus is “not guilty.”

If Jesus is the King of Israel, the Israel gathered there in the presence of Pilate does not seem to want to own Him as their King. They despise Him. Yet He is the King of some chosen Israel of God. Though the priestly rulers envy Him, reject His understanding of His Kingdom, are threatened by His insistence that their view of the Law is wrong, and resent His claim to be the true Son of God who is equal with the Father, He will always be the truly righteous King of the Kingdom. And He will be lifted up to die for the sins of guilty Jews and Gentiles.

Despised and rejected by His own nation, a prisoner who has been handed over to the Romans, this innocent Man who will die on the cross for our sins. Jesus is beginning His reign. He was born to be our King, but His Kingdom is not of His world. We have become His willing subjects through repenting of our sins and believing in His Name. Own Him forever as your glorious Lord. There is no accusation that can be justly brought against Him. Through this strange collision of hostile powers, this fact has been manifest to the world. This was God's plan in this strange meeting of Jews and Romans.

Application: Have you given the fact of Christ's full innocence careful enough consideration?

1. Why was it necessary for the Jews to bring Jesus to the Roman governor?
2. How would you describe the interaction between Jesus and Pilate?
3. What kind of King is Jesus, and over what kind of kingdom does He reign?
4. What are the various reasons that the crowd yelled for Barabbas?

Matt Parks on Hebrews 4:12-13

“Exposed before the Word”

(Hebrews 4:12-13, Preaching: Elder Matt Parks, May 16, 2010)

Hebrews 4:12-13 – 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Introduction
Most of Hebrews 3 and 4 is a meditation on several verses from Psalm 95. That Psalm begins with a boisterous call to worship the God is who above all gods, the ruler of all creation: “4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Before abruptly transitioning to the warnings that are quoted by the author of Hebrews, David redoubles His call by describing God’s special care for His people: “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (v. 7). Worship the King of all the earth! Worship the One who is your shepherd! When we answer this call and come together in covenant assembly – even as we are doing now – we do so with the expectation that not only will we speak words of praise to God, but that He will speak words of truth to us. There is nothing that we need more than to hear His voice. Today. There is no hope for peace, no hope for rest, no hope for salvation from the punishment that we have deserved if we harden our hearts against the Word of God. If, for some reason, we will foolishly insist that we will judge the Word of God, that we will decide if it (or He) is reliable or helpful, whether we ought to heed it (Him) or can safely ignore it (Him), we will find, instead, that it (He) judges us. The words of the Scriptures, recorded in Psalm 95, Hebrews 4, or anywhere else in the Bible, are powerful beyond our control. They are powerful, ultimately, because they are united to the One that they call the Word of God, Jesus Christ Himself, Lord of all the earth.

Living and active (12a)
The meditation on the power of the Word of God in our passage this morning follows the author’s instruction in verse 11 that we “strive” to enter God’s rest, “so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” The Israelites of the Exodus generation had disobeyed God by not believing His word. They refused to enter the Promised Land and therefore failed to enter God’s rest. Verses 12 and 13 give us good reasons not to make the same mistake – not to underestimate the word of God. Taken in all their fullness, they provide a frightening warning that God is not to be trifled with.

The most controversial interpretive question for this passage shows up in its first phrase: “the word of God.” The best minds of church history have divided over whether the primary reference is to the Scriptures or to Jesus Christ (for example, John Calvin believed the former; the eminent Puritan John Owen the latter) – and for good reasons. The immediate context has been the application of a passage from the OT Scriptures to the Hebrew church, but the book opens with a memorable passage on Christ as the final Word. The language of these two verses also seems most easily suited to the personal Christ. On the one hand, this has meaningful implications for how we think about what it means for the “word of God” to be “living and active” and all the rest of the attributes spoken of in this passage. On the other hand, it would be unwise for us to separate the word of the Scriptures from Jesus Christ in any meaningful way. As we’ve already said, the power of the Scriptures is the power of Christ, working through the Holy Spirit. It is important for us to consider how strong this identification is in the Bible. We perhaps remember the opening words of John’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Perhaps even more helpful is a passage from Revelation 19: “11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” It is striking that when Jesus Christ comes in judgment, sharp sword in His mouth, He is called by the name “The Word of God.” It was this passage that convinced John Owen that this phrase should always be translated in the New Testament in reference to Christ unless the immediate context obviously forbids it. Whether or not we are equally convinced, it is the clear testimony of the Bible that when we are confronted by God’s word we are confronted by God Himself.

Throughout this passage, the author chooses his words most carefully – there are at least four words that appear only here in the New Testament, including several of the key terms that are used to describe this Word: living, active, sharp(er), piercing, and discerning. He starts with the most fundamental – “living and active.”

We recall, once again, that the author of Hebrews repeatedly encourages the original recipients of this letter not to give up on their association with the church of Christ. If they were looking for an excuse to justify this, they might have “reasoned” this way: Jesus is no longer on the earth. We do not really know what has become of Him. Some say He rose from the dead, but perhaps He is just dead after all. Or, if He is alive – and now in heaven – perhaps He has nothing to do anymore with events on the earth. In either case, there is no need unnecessarily to offend the Jews who have rejected Him by making Jesus the focus of our worship and ministry. None of this should be in the least degree persuasive. It is all plainly contradicted over and over again in the New Testament (and the Old). But the heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9). And so the author of Hebrews again exposes the lie. Jesus is not dead: the Word of God is living. Jesus is not disengaged: the Word of God is active. How do we see that He is living? How do we see that He is active? Among other ways, we see both in the power of His word and Spirit to transform lives. Can a dead Word turn the Peter who denies Jesus three times into the Peter who preaches boldly less than two months later at Pentecost? Can an inactive Word confront a Pharisee raging against the church and turn him into the apostle Paul? What about our own lives? Why do the words recorded by shepherds, fig tree-dressers, and fishermen burn within us, while the best efforts of the world’s great novelists, playwrights, and philosophers are so comparatively weak?

Sharper and piercing (12b)
We could easily imagine the author’s testimony to the vitality and energy of God’s Word introducing a message of encouragement for those facing persecution. Whatever the apparent power of the forces arrayed against you, remember that the Word of God, the reigning King and coming Judge of the universe, is living and active. There is nothing wrong with this as an application of these words, but it is not the principal point the author is making here. Instead, as we’ve seen for two chapters, the author is intent on warning his readers about the dangers of unbelief – the dangers of ignoring the Word. This becomes all the more clear as he continues to describe the “Word of God” in the second part of verse 12.

In the first place, we are told that it is “sharper than any two-edged sword.” The word translated “sharper” is not the normal word used in the New Testament for cutting objects. Rather, it is a special word used only here that emphasizes the ability to cut with a single stroke. What can a sharp two-edged sword do? It can cut through the thickest, hardest object. It can pass through the most well-constructed armor. A two-edged (literally two-mouthed) sword is sharp. The Word of God is sharper. Jesus Christ, by His word and Spirit, can penetrate a heart of thickest, hardest stone. Whether in mercy or in judgment, He cuts through our every defense.
The cut of Christ cuts deeply and precisely: “piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow.” This passage has been used by some to suggest a more complicated picture of our human nature than a two-part combination of body and soul. It is evident, however, that the author’s point here is not to give a precise description of the mysteries of human life. Rather, he continues to extend his description of the power of the Word of God. Think of two things of that are carefully hidden and apparently inseparable. Who can even find them, much less divide them? The answer is the Word of God. He is able to get in between things that can’t really be separated. He is able to penetrate things that aren’t able to be seen – and go all the way through. Whether it is the spiritual – soul and spirit – or the physical – joints and marrow – Jesus Christ pierces all with His word and Spirit.

Discerning (12c)
This sharp and piercing Word is “living and active” in another way. It is “discerning” or “able-to-judge.” The ability to judge requires profound knowledge and wisdom. It is one of the tragedies of life under the sun that the human judge, no matter how careful and well-intentioned, will always make mistakes – judging some to be guilty who are truly innocent and others to be innocent who are truly guilty. The judgment of the Word makes no such mistakes. While the accuracy of the judgment in a courtroom relies so heavily on the quality of the witnesses and other evidence that is available, the apostle John testified concerning Jesus that He “needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:25) Jesus has the knowledge and wisdom necessary to judge the most important matters accurately every time – a person’s true spiritual condition. While we struggle to understand or explain the outward behavior of ourselves and others, He knows “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The fact that God is interested in the “thoughts and intentions of the heart” should not surprise us. As Jesus explains in the Sermon on the Mount, the law of God is not just about our actions, but also our thoughts and desires. But even then, this was nothing new. How many times in the Old Testament does God decry the hypocrisy of His people who offer the appointed sacrifices of Old Testament worship with hearts that are far from Him? We know this – but how seriously do we consider it? How often and how carefully do we confess the sins of our thoughts and intentions? How much is there remaining within us that worries only about the eyes of men, rather than the penetrating gaze of God? What causes me shame? Is it the knowledge that others have observed me in my sin? If so, then perhaps I have forgotten that God sees what no other man does.

We think that our thoughts are private. We rarely even consider the mixed quality of our intentions. Jesus knows all these things. And yet in another way, we are not surprised by this. We have felt the conviction that comes in reading His word as the Spirit searches and examines us. Perhaps we have tried to resist this or even run away from it, but it is all in vain. The Scriptures are able-to-judge; Jesus is able-to-judge.

The only other place in the New Testament that the word translated “discerning” is used is in 1 Peter 4. Peter begins that chapter with the command: “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (v. 1-2). In order to escape sin, we need to think like Christ – we need to be discerning ourselves, our judgment guided by the Word and Spirit.

Naked and exposed (13)
If we have any remaining thought that our secret sins are truly secret, verse 13 should convince us otherwise. It begins with a plain statement: “no creature is hidden from his sight….” We are reminded that God is the maker of all things. He is the One Creator; the rest are His creatures. He sees all that is done by each creature. If this is true of His creatures in general, how much more so is it the case with those who are a part of His church, who are the objects of His special care and concern? The word translated “creature” was used by Jewish rabbis of this period as the name for pagans who had converted to Judaism. All those who, in Christ, are a “new creation” must be especially aware of the God’s power to see all that they do, think, and say.
How do we appear before the eyes of God? “Naked and exposed.” Both of these words emphasize our vulnerability before God – our lack of covering or protection and, as we will see, are frightening in their implications. We, however, recall that there was a time when being naked before God was not so frightening. In Genesis 2, Adam and Eve were naked but not ashamed. It was their sin in the next chapter that caused them to seek cover, to hide from God in the garden and to cover themselves physically before the one who knew their sin inside and out. In the Old Testament prophets, the exposure of nakedness is commonly used as picture of God’s judgment against proud and rebellious sinners. It emphasizes the loss of security for those who are being judged. The word translated “exposed” reinforces this and adds another dimension to the picture. It is a word used to describe the animal or enemy whose head has been pulled back in preparation for slaughter. It describes a person at the point of greatest weakness, completely in the hands of and at the mercy of the one whose sword has been bared and prepared to strike.
The language here is almost shocking. If we did not know it as the word of a merciful, covenant-keeping God, we might despair. We must take this warning seriously. We are without protection or defense in ourselves before God – and it is to Him that “we must give account.” The final phrase of this verse is very difficult to translate. Literally, it means something like: “to Him who is the Word to us.” The use of the word “Word” reminds us again of John 1 and Revelation 19 and the fact that Jesus is the One before whom we are “naked and exposed,” and to whom we must give an account for our lives. He sees all our sin in all its depth. There is no hope for us that He will not know. There is no idle thought or hidden intention that He has not searched and understood.

We must, by this point, be longing for Gospel hope and encouragement. And, of course, it is not far from us. It is perhaps because the author is so aware of how hard chapters 3 and 4 bite that he moves, beginning with the next verse, into an extended meditation on the excellence of Christ as our great High Priest, the One who can sympathize with us in our weakness. Of course, we can also look back a few verses and remind ourselves of the promised rest that remains for the people of God – a secure hope for deliverance from the trials of sin that we experience in this life. Even more, consider the suffering love of Christ on the cross in the context of this passage. He was naked and exposed before the world in His crucifixion. But it was not ultimately to Roman or Jewish authorities that He had to give an account. He was naked and exposed before the Father and HE WAS NOT ASHAMED. No matter how deeply the Father looked, there was no sin in Him, even in the thoughts and intentions of His heart, but only perfect purity and holiness. When His hands and side were pierced, when the judgment of the Father for our sin came upon Him, He suffered not for His sake, but for ours, so that in Him, He might judge us righteous. The perfect purity that we need is ours as soon as we give up on trying to supply it ourselves and recognize that Jesus alone is our righteousness. If we will submit to the piercing power of the Word, we will find more than the painful consciousness of sin – even the all-surpassing joy of true forgiveness.

Application
As we consider the implications of this passage, consider the experience of the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 32: “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” For a time, the Psalmist fought against confessing his sin, but it would not do. He could pretend it didn’t exist or try to rationalize or justify his actions. He could ignore the sleepless nights and the tension in his chest. But neither his consciousness of sin nor the physical effects of his guilt would go away – and, at some level, he knew that they never would. The Word of God, after all, is living and active. There was only one thing to do: surrender – give up on every attempt at self-righteousness, acknowledge his nakedness, and bare his neck before the sword of the Lord. And what happened? Because Christ was pierced with that sword in judgment, the Psalmist was cut to the heart for healing. Thus, the Psalmist knew the blessedness, in a most intimate and even physical way, of the one whose “transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” How did he respond? The rest of the Psalm is an appeal to others to pray to the Lord at a time when he may be found, to recognize His saving power for His people, and to reject the folly of the stubborn horse or mule that refuses to submit to its master. There is no reason for anyone to suffer what the Psalmist suffered when Jesus Christ has already suffered the full penalty for the sins of His people. The Psalmist then closes with a call to worship: “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” And so we are back to the message of Psalm 95 that the author of Hebrews has been pressing upon us so earnestly: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts….” Do not run away from the word of the Scriptures and the living Word and Spirit that empowers it. Rather, worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Praise Him boldly and confidently in Christ. Acknowledge your sin; rejoice in its forgiveness. Rest in the fact that, if you are in Christ, you will be acquitted in the day of judgment and then serve the Lord in His church with all the strength that our gracious God provides.

Sources: John Calvin, John Owen, Matthew Henry, Rick Phillips; consultation with Pastor Magee

Questions for reflection and discussion:

1. How do I see the power of God’s word in my life and over the history of the church?
2. How can I rejoice in God’s perfect knowledge and perfect judgment of all things?

Any reason that Jesus has offended you?

“Why do you strike me?”
(John 18:12-27, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, May 9, 2010)

12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

...Has Jesus offended you? Is there any excuse that would justify a bad attitude toward Jesus?

So the band of soldiers... (12-14)
It has come to this. The great Messianic King is being arrested by a band of soldiers. They did not need to restrain Him in any way, since He was completely resolved to do what He came to do, to drink the cup that the Father had given Him. This is the long expected Son of David. Israel had been waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises to David given 1000 years before this point, that David would have a very special descendant. God would be to Him a Father, and He would be to God a Son. God had promised, “I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:13). Did anyone imagine that it would happen this way?

They arrested Jesus and bound Him. They brought Him to the ones who had been behind this plot, a number of the religious leaders in Jerusalem who were determined to be rid of Jesus. John had recorded some of their deliberations in a previous passage in this gospel in response to the overwhelming and very public miraculous sign of Jesus calling His friend Lazarus back to life after four days in the grave. At that time, Caiaphas had spoken an amazing statement of the gospel that had strangely won the day for their murderous plans (Read John 11:47-53). It was this same Caiaphas that enters into the story again in today's passage. Judas had done his awful part, and soldiers had brought him as a prisoner to a relation of this leader of the Jews with the office of priest. Jesus is the Lamb that will be slain, and there is a priest seeking His death.

Simon Peter followed (15-18)
Peter had followed Jesus, and “another disciple” who manages to have Peter brought into the interior courtyard. There Peter is challenged by a servant girl, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” Peter says, “I am not,” and with these words denies Jesus. Peter had been through so much with His great friend. He had seen so much of the power of Jesus in these amazing resurrection signs that He performed. Peter had also been used Himself already as an agent of a kingdom that He did not understand. Yet it was Peter who spoke for the whole group at a time when so many were going away. He said, “You have the words of life.”

Jesus is the Word of life for us, and it has now come to this point where the Word must die the death that we and Peter deserve. Peter has never really given much indication that he has understood this matter of the death of Jesus. Now He denies the Lord of glory. He lies. He claims that he is not associated with Jesus. It is a sad moment, and one of the sufferings of Christ. How many Old Testament passages prepared the Lord for this, like this from Psalm 38:
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,
and my nearest kin stand far off.
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek my hurt speak of ruin
and meditate treachery all day long.
And now it is happening. Peter denies that he is a disciple of Jesus, and he stands by the fire and warms himself with the others.

The high priest then questioned Jesus (19-24)
Next we turn our attention to the priest investigating Jesus. Remember that these men have come up with a plan to make themselves look like innocent bystanders and protectors of righteousness in Jerusalem. Do you see how the storyline goes? “We did not grab Jesus. One of his own disciples brought the guards to get him. We are just here to do what God has called us to do, and Jesus has been brought to us, and now the high priest is simply attempting to investigate a man who may pose some secret danger to the nation.”

Jesus will not play along with this fiction. He is not a secret insurrectionist. He has been teaching openly in synagogues and in the temple itself. Many people have heard His words. If the high priest is actually investigating Him in order to discover something about the teaching of Jesus and His disciples, he can simply ask any of the people there. In reality, that is why they are all there. They do know about Jesus, and they have heard, and very often have understood, and understanding Him they have opposed Him. His forthright response is not received happily. Jesus is slapped. But has He done anything worthy of punishment? Not in the least. He is the sinless Lamb, and the long-expected King of the Jews. Why should anyone strike Jesus?

Now Simon Peter (25-27)
The passage closes not with the physical assault of one of the officers, but with a continuation of a different kind of injury, as Peter denies Jesus again. Where would the church be if we were left to our own wisdom and strength? For three years Jesus has invested His life in twelve men. One betrayed Him, one denied even being with Him, the rest are scattered. These men need the power of God, the power of One who says to those who would be offended by Him, “If I am wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if I am right, why do you strike me?”

We are often curious about the motivation behind all of our strange acts of sin and rebellion. What was Judas thinking of when he gave in to the idea of betrayal? Why did Peter decide that it was necessary to deny the Lord who loved Him? We're curious, and we can only guess as to the motivation of why any of us do what we do? Why did someone slap Jesus? Did that make it easier for the next person to hit him? Does any of this speculation really make a difference? Is there some answer to any of these kind of questions that will take away the guilt of sin, as if a good excuse explains all of this? We don't even know why we do what we do, but there is certainly no excuse that can justify our rebellion or that can justify us.

Jesus did not do anything wrong. He did not deserve abuse. Did He, the Son of God, come to earth to be slapped by an officer who protects the dignity of a brutally corrupt and depraved high priest. Sin deserves death. Our best excuses cannot take away our guilt. But there is one thing that does take it away. One man came who did not deserve to be struck in the face, and He faced something far worse than what any man could do to Him. This is worth thinking about. The love of God, the cross of Christ, the power of the Spirit, and the hope of the resurrection; these bring us comfort that could never come from an excuse.

1. What is the meaning of the earlier statement by Caiaphas concerning the death of Jesus?
2. What makes Peter's denial of Jesus such a sad offense?
3. Why was Jesus slapped by an officer in the presence of the high priest?
4. What do we learn about Peter and about Jesus from Peter's denials of the Lord?