Getting into the details...

“They Divided My Garments”

(John 19:23-24, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, August 1, 2010)

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things,...

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus... (23-24)

As we move ahead in John 19 to the details of the death of our Redeemer, we pause to note a couple of facts concerning His clothing. This would seem to be insignificant, giving everything that is taking place here, if it were not for the simple fact that these very details were recorded about 1000 years earlier in what may be the most amazing psalm in the Bible, Psalm 22.

This mystery of Psalm 22 is a difficult one for the person who has no place for a God who knows and plans the future and who has the power to bring about His plans down to very minute details. Who wrote this psalm, and what did he think he was describing? When Jews sang or read this song over the course of the centuries that followed its authorship, what did they think they were singing about? The details included are specific, and they defied any credible explanation until they actually happened. Add to this, that some of the people who are key to these details are not devout Jews who want to make it look like Jesus is the Messiah. They do not decide to “fulfill” Psalm 22 by making it happen. They are Jews who are not at all interested in Jesus being seen as the Messiah, and soldiers who have no interest in honoring the man they are crucifying, and no reason to know anything about Psalm 22.

Just think about a few of the facts contained in this psalm, looking at verses 16-18:

16 A company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet —

17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;

18 they divide my garments among them,and for my clothing they cast lots.

Christ, Himself insists that we view His death through the lens of this psalm, since from the cross He cries out its opening words, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” The psalm not only describes in subtle language a man dying from crucifixion, it also speaks of a man who God lays in the dust of death, but who God then hears as that Man cries out to Him, and who then is given life again. Most importantly the psalm gives details of what this crucified One would accomplish, bringing the praise of the nations to God, including those who had already died, and those who had not yet been born. King David, any other king, or any other person on the face of the earth, could never have fulfilled this psalm. This psalm can only be about Jesus Christ.

There were many Jews and Gentiles who were there at the cross. Only one Man understood what God had planned, and what Christ would accomplish according to the words of this ancient Hebrew song: the Victim, the Man on the cross, Jesus. No one else had a clue what they were really doing. They had no reason to want to make Jesus appear to be the hero of Psalm 22.

Certainly the four soldiers did not know the real significance of their actions. They took His garments. That's part of what they received as those who did this work. He was left with nothing. They took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They were able to divide the outer garment, apparently along the seams. But they were left with the tunic, the garment nearest the skin, which was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, and they did not want to ruin it, so they cast lots for it – some method of randomly determining who would get that one piece.

This was to fulfill the Scripture... (24)

It was only then that one of the little mysteries of Psalm 22 came to light, when the event described 1000 years before in the psalm actually happened. The psalm had seemed to teach two irreconcilable things about the clothing of this victim who would be treated so badly, but who would somehow bring the eternal praise of all the nations to Almighty God. First 22:18 said that some unspecified people “divided my garments among them,” suggesting that there was something for everyone. But then it said “and for my clothing they cast lots,” suggesting that one person got everything according to the luck of the draw.

Now, that mystery was solved, but only as the soldiers unknowingly did what the Lord had tucked away a millennium before in David's psalm. The outer garment was divided into four parts without the destruction of the total value. Each man had a fourth of the value. But the other garment could not be divided that way without reducing the value for everyone. Therefore they cast lots for that undergarment, and the Scripture was fulfilled.

So the soldiers did these things (24)

The men did what they did, as far as they knew their own minds, for economic considerations. They were not Jewish scribes. They were soldiers trying to do what made sense. But do you see how God brought all of this about so that we would see that long before a baby was even born to Mary in Bethlehem, the Lord already knew what would happen to that Man's clothes on the day when He came to die for our sins.

People do what they do for their own reasons. They make their choices according to what seems best to them at any moment based on whatever logic they may or may not be able to express. But God, who gave us the Scriptures, works out even the smallest details of His holy will. Jesus suffered. He was stripped of even basic human dignity. He would soon die. Yet His cry would be heard. He would be the King of the nations, and He would praise the Name of His Father in the heavenly assembly together with an innumerable host of people purchased by His blood.

Application: Think about these additional words from Psalm 22:19 “Come quickly to my aid.” Was there ever a man who needed God more than Jesus on that cross? If He was to fulfill Psalm 22, He not only had to do the suffering part, “they have pierced my hands and my feet,” He also had to find some way to do the victory part, v. 21, “You have rescued me,” and v. 27, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.” When you have lost everything, so that someone else takes from you even the garment next to your body, where do you find the power to do anything good? How do you save the world when you are naked and dying on a cross?

So Psalm 22:19 says, “Come quickly to my aid.” There is something very moving in those words. Do you feel them? Can you relate to them today. “Come quickly to my aid.” God heard the cry of His Son, and God the Father, God the eternal Son who cannot die, and God the Holy Spirit, picked up again the life that Jesus laid down for you and me. He knows how to come to your aid. God knows and plans the future, down to the details. And He will bring them about.

1. What did the soldiers do with the garments of Jesus?

2. What were their reasons for their actions?

3. What was God doing in these same events?

4. What is the significance of this detail in the account of the death of Jesus?

What kind of King is Jesus?

The King – Part 7

(John 19:16-22, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, July 25, 2010)

19:16 … So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

So they took Jesus... (16-18)
The idea that the God of the Jews, the Messiah, the King, would be an important person, even a Savior, for people who were not Jews, the Gentiles, is not just a New Testament idea. When those who work for a group like Wycliffe Bible Translators pray and labor so hard to see the Bible translated into all the languages of the world, they are part of the fulfillment of a passage like Psalm 100 that begins with these words: “All people that on earth do dwell, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.” People all over the earth need to know the truth about God so that they can worship Him. They need to hear His Word spoken to them in their own language, and they need to sing to Him in the only language they know.

Jesus is not just a Savior for one ethnic group, as if He died to rescue Europeans or Americans, which would be a very strange idea for a man who grew up in the Middle East. Jesus is a Jewish Messiah, but the Jewish Messiah came to save all kinds of people. In John 19, He was taken by Jews and Romans who would soon crucify Him, but it was our sins, the sins of people from all over the world, that brought Jesus to Golgotha, the Place of a Skull. He came to that place bearing His own cross, but it would be our sins that He would carry away there. He was identified with sinners on His right and His left. There the Jews and Gentiles, as representatives of all of us, crucified Jesus Christ. Can it actually have come to this point? Yes, it has. Something that started with the sin of Adam in one garden so long ago has led us to the death of the Son of Man here at Golgotha. Look at what has happened to what was once Paradise! And the second Adam and Son of God was willing to come here to redeem us and to restore the earth.

Pilate also wrote an inscription... (19-20)
Pilate has written a title, which should be a description of a crime, and has placed this on the cross. It reads, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” This is not right as far as the leaders of the Jews are concerned. It is not a crime at all, and could be confused as just a strange statement of fact. “This is the man who is known as Jesus of Nazareth.” That was His hometown. “He is the King of the Jews.” The Jews are God's chosen people. Jesus is their king.

What is Pilate doing with such a strange statement? For those who disown Jesus, who have utterly rejected Him as a false Messiah, this could easily be taken as an insult against the whole Jewish nation. Is Pilate taking a swipe at the people? “This is the kind of king you would have. Here he is, rejected, beaten, crucified, and very soon he will be dead.”

This would be bad enough if it were just a private comment tucked away in a government file. It would be unacceptable to the Jews since it is not actually saying that Jesus was guilty of anything. But this message is displayed in a place where many people see it. It is written three times for any one who would want to know who this miserable man is. Do you know the speech of the local people of Palestine? It is written for you in Aramaic. Are you a government official who communicates regularly in the language of Rome? You can read it in Latin. Are you part of the mass of people who do business throughout the known world in the language of commerce and culture? Read the words in Greek. Everyone, everywhere, high and low, in all the languages that Pilate could use, read this non-crime about a man in whom Pilate found no guilt. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. But His hands and feet are pierced with nails in fulfillment of Psalm 22. He is suffering in front of everyone, literally taking a place with the wicked in His death, just as the Jewish prophet Isaiah had said.

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate... (21-22)
The chief priests, the religious officials of the Jews, are not pleased with Pilate's words. But he will not change them. It is as if God is now working through this man who had argued for the innocence of the disowned man that the Jews wanted the Romans to crucify. Their plan worked, but they don't like these words. Yet somehow God has spoken. His words seem to touch the whole world. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” And Pilate will not change these words.

Application: First a fact- Christians are those who receive Jesus as King. But what kind of King do have in Him? This is the question we have been trying to answer over these seven sermons.

You have the kind of King who was willing to look embarrassingly ridiculous, to be utterly disgraced, when he came to seek your best happiness. He had a crown of thorns and a purple robe and they mocked Him. You have a King who was willing to lose rather than win, to face extreme injustice, because that was what was necessary for your shalom, your peace. Your King was willing to be shown the worse disrespect, even from people He came to save. “He came to His own, and His own would not receive Him.” They were shouting for His crucifixion. Your King, the King of the Church, faced Judas, Pilate, the chief priests, and the cross as something that had come to Him from above. He was able to trust God in the very worst of times in order to achieve what grace required. He was utterly dedicated to this. When the Son of God came to love you by dying in your place, He was unwilling to be distracted in the least from His task. Pilate was distracted by the mere mention of Caesar, but nothing would distract Jesus.

Your husband, the King of the Jews, did not abandon you when loving you became difficult. He kept on loving to the point of death. Many men are willing to abandon those who disappoint them. Most think that it is part of being a man to be detached emotionally. If you disappoint them, they will just decide to ignore you. This is survival, yet it is very different from Jesus. The cross is the moment of God's greatest attachment to His church. He will not let go of her as He faces the wrath of the Almighty. He says, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.”

This is your King. This is Christian love. This is Christian faith. To many it will look like something to runaway from. To those who have received Christ as King, it is the wisdom and power of God. May the Lord help us to receive the love of a King who will not abandon us, and to imitate a love that is not quick to give up on those we are called to love.

Finally, this King is known by many former enemies and strangers. The story of His cross, and all of His Word from both testaments, should be translated into every language and proclaimed for everyone to hear. There is no other King like Jesus. The glory of His love is worthy of the praise of all people who dwell on this earth. Do not be ashamed to sing to Him and to serve Him.

1. What details does John include in his account of the crucifixion of Jesus?
2. What is the significance of the inscription chosen by Pilate?
3. Why are the chief priests concerned about the inscription Pilate chose?
4. What kind of king do we have? How does John 19 help us to follow Him?

Is THIS Your Decisive Moment?

The King – Part 6
(John 19:14-16, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, July 18, 2010)

19:14 … He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Introduction – Christian preaching should always be a “Behold your King!” moment.

He said to the Jews... (14)
Tradition tells us that King David was the author of the 23rd Psalm. Scripture records for us in 2 Samuel 5 that the Lord had spoken these words to King David before he was actually king over Israel: “You shall be shepherd of my people Israel.” Other passages make it clear that in the mind of God there is this connection between being a king and being a shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He is also the true King of Israel. The idea of the dying Shepherd who saves us and leads us to heaven to be with Him is really the same as the dying King who saves us and leads us. The Shepherd is the King; the King is the Shepherd.

David was the premier royal placeholder for the coming Shepherd of Israel. As the Man who was a living icon of the coming divine King, this David, this psalm-writer, this great poet of God wrote words so moving that people still use them at many Christian and Jewish funerals even to this day. This man David who was anointed by God's prophet as king wrote this concerning the One he understood to be his king: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Somehow that helps people when they say it. It helps to know that through life's lowest moments, God is leading you “in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.” It makes a difference if you believe in your day of suffering that “surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,” and that when my body is too tired to keep on going, it makes a difference if I believe that the Lord has actually prepared a place for me in heaven, and that “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

I wonder what Jesus thought about these words when Pilate, who had by now decided to give in to the crowd, said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” Yes, here is the true Shepherd of Israel. And yes, He will lay down His life for the sheep. Take a look at your King, and see the fullness of love in His willingness to die the death you deserved. Behold, your King!

They cried out... (15)
The Jews did not want to own Jesus as their king, especially at this moment. People want a king to fight their battles and to lead with strength, provided that the direction he goes in meets with their approval. Jesus has led in the direction of obedience to the Law of God. More pointedly Jesus has led in the direction of the love of the cross, the most costly display of love ever known. There have been other deaths that involved more obvious torture. What made this one so bad is the disparity between the perfect righteousness of the victim and the spiritual and physical penalty He endured as the target of the justice of God for us, yes, for the sins of all who would believe out of the entire world, past, present, and future. That disparity of the suffering of hell for the one who deserves the highest heaven is what makes this willing death the greatest display of God's love. By that cross those who were rightly condemned to the Lord's torment have been granted instead every heavenly blessing in Christ.

Well, the people in Jerusalem that day wanted nothing of this “Behold your King” declaration. They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” This undoubtedly seems shocking to us, no matter how many times we hear it, but then John has been preparing us for this wrenching situation of a sad rejection of the Messiah since the opening chapter of his gospel. Remember what John wrote? “He came to His own, and his own people did not receive Him.”

When this final moment of Pilate's verdict and of Jewish rejection of the Christ came, how far were they all from receiving Jesus as their King? It seems that they were as far as they could possibly be. Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

This was a sweeping rejection of Jesus. The Jews are owning Tiberius Caesar as king rather than Jesus. Why? Because the mention of Caesar had earlier moved Pilate to go along with them. They profess their approval for Tiberius as their chosen king in order to further solidify the governor's determination to allow them to have their way with Jesus. They are willing to profess their subjection to Tiberius in order to express their extreme insubordination toward the true Messiah. Tiberius may not be great, but better to pretend to bow to Him if it means that you thereby receive permission to crucify the Shepherd of Israel.

So he delivered Him... (16)
They got what they wanted. Some would change their minds in just fifty days when Peter preached at Pentecost. Then they would be cut to the heart by Peter's preaching, and they would say to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter would tell them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

That's what would happen in about fifty days. But not today. Today they would get their way in their desire to stand against Jesus, and to reject Him as King. Today Pilate would deliver Jesus over to them to be crucified. This is a decisive moment. The decision is made and confirmed. Jesus is delivered over to the hatred of His own people. They can do with Him what they like.

Application: Is there a turning point for you here in your acceptance of the Shepherd of Israel. What do you want people to understand about your faith when you die? They may very well recite the 23rd Psalm. Do you want them to understand something about your faith in those words? What do you think of Jesus? When He came to His own, His own people did not receive Him, but to all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.

It is of such importance to you, and to all who love you, that you not be turned away from Jesus Christ by something less than Him. Keep the main issue of Christ in your mind right now. It is not first what you think of the Bible, what you think of the church, what you think about your family or people of faith who may have annoyed you. It is not first what you think about Israel, America, politics, tradition, culture, or even any moral issue. The main issue is the one that Jesus of Nazareth brought before His friend Peter at any earlier point in another gospel: “Who do you say that I am.” Do not shout out, “Crucify Him!” See Hebrews 6:6. Receive Him.

The King is presented before you today at a decisive moment of judgment. Pilate has spoken. The Jews have said what they had to say. But what do you say? This was a turning point, and everyone there went the wrong way that day but Jesus. He moved toward the fullest love as your Shepherd. I want to own Him until the day I die and beyond. “The Lord is my shepherd.” Who is your shepherd? Who will you own as King? Jesus is presented before you. Behold your King!

1. How is it that Pilate is presenting Jesus to the Jews as their king?
2. How does the reaction of the Jews to Jesus match John's prologue (1:11)?
3. How could it be that the Jews would own Caesar as their king?
4. How do these verses function as a decisive turning point in our movement toward the cross?

Talking to Your Soul

Help for the Downcast Soul
Psalms 42 and 43
Rev. Stephen C. Magee, Preaching, First Congregational Church, Merrimack, NH

Psalm 42
Talking to your soul...
There are times when a worshiper needs to have a good long talk with his own soul. The mind and heart of even a very godly man still need plenty of correction and redirection. This addressing of the soul is an important companion to a life of communion with God. We need to tell our souls to remember what we have learned from the Word and to trust in God as we turn away from lies.

This need is not only for people that live far away from the presence of God who have not yet developed the best habits of devotion and obedience. It is also and especially for those who have a strong desire for the Lord and for heaven. The man who loves the Lord the most can easily become especially discouraged with his life under the sun. He wants to be with God. His soul is thirsty for the living God. The worshiper who lives on the periphery of the Lord's congregation fits in better with a worldly world, ...that is until misery strikes too close to his own heart.

For the man who has found the Lord to be a very present help in a time of trouble and who has discovered the truth of the kingdom of heaven and tasted some of the blessings of the life to come, his longing for the Lord becomes like the thirst of an animal that is looking for a flowing stream somewhere so that he will not die. He is not satisfied with vague feelings of the presence of God. He wants to go where God is. He says this: “When shall I come and appear before God? When can I see His face?”

This is not just a spiritual curiosity. Some people are interested in all kinds of spiritual things, much the same way as people are history buffs or others are always ready to hear what is going on in the world of sports or entertainment. Someone like that thinks that spiritual experiences are his life, but only the way that a hobby is life to a person who is very intent on it. No, the experience of the person who has some reason to intensely long for God and for heaven is different. He has tears. He grieves about it. Even the biggest sports fans are not saying that their tears have fed them day and night while they waited for opening day. But the true worshiper is waiting for his ultimate opening day in heaven, and he grieves. He longs to be with God where God is.

Some people find this intensity of longing for the Lord and for heaven to be very unattractive, and there is no doubt that many people are showy and annoying with their faith. Yet a strong desire for God's eternal purposes to be accomplished can hardly be sinful. It is virtuous longing. Yet the problem with even the best virtues in a world of evil is that sin clings to them. That's why we need to talk to our souls about this. Setting your heart on things above is a virtue. Giving in to faithless depression about your life on earth is not. This temptation to unbelief or despondency is made worse when there are people around you who do not understand what the big deal is, and who see this as something to laugh at. If they say to you all day long, “Where is your God,” how do you take that?

Keep on praying to God, but you also need to talk to your soul. You might think that good memories of God's blessing and favor will help you through a rough time. If someone has suffered a great loss or is just very low, eventually good memories may feel good, but not necessarily today. Good memories can hurt... “I was at the front of the line as we walked toward heaven. People were shouting with joy and singing praise. But now those days are no more, and I feel so low.” The good memory alone does not heal the wound. It may make it feel worse.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
You need a conversation with your soul. You need to be honest and say some things to your heart that only you can say. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” That's a good start. You admit the truth, and you wonder why. Of course, you probably know why. You don't like God's providence for you. If you are Job, you don't like the disrespect that people are showing you. You don't appreciate the presumption that your tragedy is a sign of secret sin. You are in pain with a very debilitating medical condition, your wealth has been stolen or destroyed, all your children are gone, you don't know why all this is happening, you hate your life, and you can't decide whether you want God to come near to you so that you could talk this out with Him, or go far away from you so that you can have peace. That is why Job, a man who loved God and loved heaven, was so downcast.

That all may sound like a very negative list to consider, but it is an honest answer to the question, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” That is not a bad place to start, but it is a very dismal place to finish. Here's where you want to head: 1. Hope in God, and then 2. I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

1. Hope in God.
1. Hope in God. Job went as far as he could go in his honest reflections on his own life and the human condition, which is another way of talking about life in a world of death, or life where heaven has not yet fully arrived on earth. He needed a prophetic Word and a visit from the Almighty Himself to redirect him in a better way. When God comes at the end of the book, God talks about God. This is something that does not necessarily work if other people try to be God. When they talk about God, it may just be annoying. Either God must talk about God through His Word, or you need to have that serious talk with your own soul. “Soul, hope in God.” Be redirected.

2. I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.
2. I shall again praise him, my salvation (literally: the salvation of my face) and my God. Your face may need some salvation, but you don't want to wear a mask. You need help on the inside. You are headed toward the praise of God. Jesus faced trouble worse than Job to make this happen. He was brought low. A tsunami of divine justice broke on His sinless head. He felt abandoned by God, and His adversaries taunted Him. People who should have loved Him treated Him with the worst disrespect. He secured a place for you in the eternal praise of the Almighty. Because of Him, you will praise God again. Keep that in mind.

Psalm 43
Unhappy providences...
Is it sinful for a person to be dissatisfied with God's providence in his life? No, God is not satisfied with some of God's providence. For example, God is not satisfied with the persecution of His church.

Even though Christ has accomplished our redemption through His obedience and His atoning death, even though He is reigning already at the right hand of the Father, even though Jesus has all power and authority, we do not yet see everything in submission to God. The pathway of God's providence leads to the perfect Grand Finale. God will unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:10). We are waiting for that Grand Finale to come at the return of Christ.

But today there are many providences that happen according to the unfailing decree of God, that will not be in perfect accord with His Law. For today, we still pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When we see oppression, poverty, disease, death, and every evidence of sin and misery around us, we know that this is not the final chapter in the good plan of God. There are many actions that cry out to God for some better end. God was not happen with the murder of Abel. Abel's blood cried out to God from the earth. It demanded divine vindication. Every injustice must be made right or we have not yet reached the fulfillment of the Lord's glorious plan.

The worshiper of God who is hated and abused by men looks for that future better day. He may have a little bit of God's justice even now, but we are seeking more than that, and so is God. Deceitful and unjust men crucified Jesus. In the centuries before and after that key event of all human history, Israel and the church have faced unjust assaults from men and angels. Surely the Name of God's Son and the people who are His bride must one day be defended. Most of all, God must glorify His own holy Name.

The mind of Christ...
For now, though we experience deep mourning and may even feel as if we have been rejected by the Lord, we continue to take refuge in Him. Though our greatest hopes will only find their complete expression when all of God's good plans have been fulfilled, we still have immediate needs today. We are human beings, creatures with bodies that are suitable for the mortal world in which we now live. We need food, shelter, useful labor, the company of friends, hope for the next generation, health, peace, and so many other good gifts that come to us from our heavenly Father. Yet even if we seem to lack one or more of these blessings during some brief season in our journey toward the world of fullest joy, we can still rejoice in the Lord if we are able to have the mind of Christ.

The Apostle Paul had this mind. He faced sufferings beyond what we have experienced, but he said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). His advice to the church is powerful in every age: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Send out Your light and Your truth...
We will only have this mind of Christ through the Word and Spirit of God. This is why the true worshiper urgently pleads with the Lord for divine light even more than any immediate improvement in his circumstances. If he is going to move further toward a vibrant hope in God, and a living awareness that he will soon praise God in a place of perfect light, then he must have the Word.

The Lord must send forth His light and truth from above. These will lead him away from a fascination with his disappointments, and toward the Lord God Almighty and a life of perfect worship and steadfast love. The light and truth of God will take him out of the disappointing spiral of downcast thinking. They move him on to the holy hill of God that people of faith have sought for centuries; not a place in Jerusalem, or a favorite church building, but a city that is above, a Paradise that will soon come down from on high as the new heavens and the new earth.

The Word of God will lead us to that place. It is a place of exceeding joy. There the blood of Christ speaks a better Word than the blood of Abel, a Word of forgiveness, restoration, and liberty. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” Hear the Word of light and truth. Hope in God. Hope in Him through the most severe affliction. You shall certainly praise Him forever. He is your salvation and your God.

False strategies for happiness... But what will you do when the worst happens?
This is the way to talk to your soul: “Soul, hope in God based on the work of Jesus Christ. Soul, the joy of heavenly worship is your destiny.” Of course, there are other alternatives that are popular. 1. Here's a guy with no arms and legs. He's happy. Why can't you be? 2. Think happy thoughts and all will be well. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... 3. Life is governed by Murphy's Law. Embrace negativity. You'll never be disappointed, and you will appear lighthearted and clever to others. 4. Pretend. A good mask in public can save you from unnecessary embarrassment. 5. Be right. It is more satisfying than being happy.

These methods will not see you through a truly serious trial. Jesus did not take the debt of your sin on the cross so that you could pursue happiness in any of these ways. His plan is the only healthy way. Take in the light and truth of His Word and have a serious conversation with your soul. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Love is vigilant.

The King – Part 5

(John 19:12-14, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, July 4, 2010)

19:12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.

From then on... (12)

We have been following John's account of Jesus' suffering as He moves toward the cross in order to face the punishment that we deserved. What has happened so far? We think of Judas betraying Jesus, and Peter denying Jesus three times. The high priest and related Jewish officials and officers have been doing what they planned to do, while trying to appear innocent of any malice. But we have especially been following the story of Pilate, the Roman Governor, since the leaders of the Jews have brought Jesus to his headquarters hoping to present Him as a man who must be put to death because He has made Himself a king and even the Son of God, and is therefore a threat to Roman order.

Pilate is an interesting character. He has heard the vague accusations of the Jews, coupled with their insistent demands that this man be put to death. The governor has consistently attempted to have Jesus released, declaring him to be innocent three times, yet the Jewish leaders continue to press for His death by crucifixion. During these strange proceedings Pilate has taken Jesus inside his headquarters for more private questioning. This Roman official seems genuinely perplexed by what is taking place. He wants this problem to go away. He hopes to satisfy the anger of the Jewish officials by beating and humiliating Jesus in front of them, but this is unsuccessful.

The governor is increasingly concerned about the identity of Jesus. In particular, he is concerned by this title, “Son of God,” used in one of the Jews' accusations against Him. Meanwhile, Jesus Himself is not attempting to be released, and is not trying to win any favors from Pilate. This is all very disconcerting to the man who believes that he is in charge of these proceedings. Jesus tells Pilate that any authority that the governor has, comes from above, that is from God. He then calmly speaks not as the accused, but as the Judge of judges. He says that the Jewish leaders have greater sin in what is transpiring than Pilate does. Pilate is hard to figure out. There can be no doubt that all of this is troubling him. Jesus has no guilt. Pilate has guilt. The Jewish leaders have more guilt. You and I have guilt too, guilt that requires the death of someone innocent.

We are told that from then on Pilate sought to release Jesus. He was trying to release Him before, but it has not been working. The Jewish leaders are insistent that Jesus must die. Jesus is not trying to be released. He is ready to face the horror of the cross. He has no friends or followers who are pleading for His life. Only one man is trying to let Jesus go: Pilate. He wants Him to be released because Jesus has no guilt, and he does not want to be responsible for the death of an innocent man, especially one who may have come from a place where higher beings dwell. Could He be a “Son of God” whatever that phrase means? The governor is the only one speaking up for Him that day, trying to get Jesus released. He does not want Jesus to die on his watch.

“If you release this man...” (12-13)

The Jewish leaders have Jesus right where they want Him. They were able to put together a workable plot with Judas. Jesus was successfully arrested. They have put together the religious case against Him as a blasphemer, and they are satisfied that they can make a civil case that Jesus is a threat to Roman order, and that He must be put to death. They have come so far with their plans and faced absolutely no opposition from any sympathetic crowds or from any loyal disciples. There is only one more approval necessary for complete success. But that one man, Pilate, is looking like he might end up being a problem. He is obviously trying to get Jesus released, and the Jews cannot allow that to happen.

They are not about to let everything unravel here before their eyes. They will say what they need to say. They will not let Jesus slip away. They must see His death, so they cry out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” They know something about Pilate. They know that the governor does not want to face any problems with Rome. Jesus had told Pilate that the governor's authority had come from above. Pilate surely agrees, but they have different definitions of “above.” The above that Pilate especially does not want to have any trouble with is the capital of the empire.

This tactical move by the Jews wins the day for those who want to be rid of Jesus. If Pilate was concerned about an innocent man who takes the title “Son of God,” if that caused him to be afraid for a moment, that moment has now passed. Pilate has been effectively distracted into a pathway of injustice by something more important to Him than any ultimate Judge of judges.

God loves justice. He cares about the bodies and property of people as well as their souls. He is never content to have His church ignore the cries of those who are being unjustly put to death in a system of public wickedness. He calls us all to an understanding of justice that is motivated by His love, and is not easily distracted. Pilate was distracted by fear, and so he quickly took the bait that was cast out to him by enemies of Christ who wanted to see both justice and love fail.

“So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.” This is it. They said the word: “Caesar.” Pilate does not want any trouble. He will be done with this by yielding to evil men.

Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover... (14)

On that fateful day when people were betraying, denying, entrapping, and generally giving in to injustice, envy, and malice; on that day when there was so much going on that was illegal, offensive, insulting, and threatening, on that date when Pilate was distracted, the Lamb of God would not be distracted. John writes, “Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover.” John reminds us about the Passover week because Jesus is the willing and resolute Lamb of God.

The blood of the Lamb was very important on the first Passover. When God was coming in judgment upon the firstborn of Egypt, there was only one symbol given that would keep His wrath from taking the lives of the firstborn of the Israelite families: the blood of the sacrificial lamb. Now it is time for the real Sacrifice. The firstborn of God will die for you. The Stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. This is the day that the Lord has made. Jesus has love and justice that will not be distracted. He has come to die for sinners, that we might live.

Application: True love is not easily distracted. It will not quickly take the bait offered by enemies who want to see love and justice fail.

If you truly love the cross of Christ enough to receive it as the love and justice of God for you, and if you find in that cross something so admirable that you want to live it out in your marriage, your family, your work, your life as a citizen, and in your participation in the Lord's church, then you must not take your eyes off that cross. Pay attention to the innocence of Jesus, and do not abandon the cause of love. You must not allow yourself to be too easily distracted.

1. Why did Pilate want to release Jesus?

2. What pressure did the leaders of the Jews apply to achieve their plan?

3. How are we to understand the effectiveness of this malice and abuse?

4. Is the timing of these events significant?