Click here for the John 20:11-18 Podcast
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. ~ John 20:11-18
Our text focuses on Mary Magdalene, standing outside the tomb of the Lord Jesus, still convinced that her Lord was dead and His body had been stolen. Mary is weeping and standing. Then, looking into the tomb, she sees two "angels" sitting inside.
In v.11, Mary had to stoop in order to see that the Lord Jesus body was not in the tomb. She had to stoop in order to see reality. This reminds me of a story of a man who was looking for a water fountain in a newly built government building. He sees the water fountain and approaches it. When he gets to the water fountain, he looks for a button or a peddle to push. At that point a maintenance worker came with a sign that he fixed to the wall behind the water fountain. The sign read, "Stoop and drink." Such is the nature of what is truly real, we have to humble ourselves to get it.
In v.13, the angels ask Mary, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Mary responds out of her uncertainty. Her faith is shaken. She and the others had left everything to follow the Lord Jesus and now it seems to be for naught. Such is the nature of faith, it does not grow apart from being made uncertain.
In v.14-15 the context is framed up with more uncertainty for Mary. In v.14 she is spinning around and in v.15 she is asked the same two questions the angels had previously asked by a person she thinks is the gardener. Perhaps the swollen and ripped up body of the Lord Jesus did not allow Mary to recognize the Lord Jesus for He had not yet ascended to His Father. And, He had not received His glorified body.
In v.16, the Lord Jesus speaks one word and Mary's eyes are opened. He simply uttered her name, "Miriam," as He reverted to their native Aramaic. Mary instantly recognized His voice. Responding in Aramaic, Mary flung herself at his feet and cried, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher"). She grabbed Him by His feet and began to weep tears of joy.
This is the first eyewitness to the risen Christ, first appearance of Jesus. The women, and Peter and John, Mary Magdalene included, have seen the empty tomb; but this is the first appearance of Jesus. And remarkably He appears to this lady named Mary from the town of Magdala. We know she was a follower of our Lord. We also know that the Lord Jesus had delivered her from demon possession.
According to v.17, we read, "Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Had the Lord ascended to His Father, Mary would have recognized Him more readily. The Lord often leaves us in our uncertainty so that will be trained to look for Him with our hearts. This is faith.
In v.18, Mary rushes back to the disciples to tell them that she saw the resurrected Lord Jesus. The resurrection is the event by which God validates the sacrifice of Christ. All those sacrifices in the Old Testament could never take away sin; but this one sacrifice of the Lord Jesus removes sin our forever. And God's approval is seen through the resurrection of His Son.
The biblical accounts of the crucifixion stress that many people watched it from a distance. They wanted to see what would happen but they didn’t want to get too close. That’s how most of us handle death, by keeping it at arm’s length.
But, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we do not end with death. We are buoyed by His resurrection which means that our existence will not end in any form of death. No, life, real life awaits us. Watchman Nee once said, "The greatest negative in the universe is the Cross, for with it God wiped out everything that was not of Himself: the greatest positive in the universe is the resurrection, for through it God brought into being all."
Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
John 20:1-10
Click here for the John 20:1-10 PODCAST
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. ~ John 20:1-10
In John 20 we are given John’s eyewitness account of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Early on Sunday the women came to His tomb with more spices, only to find out that His body was not there. Yet again, the Lord Jesus controls every detail of His dying, burial, and resurrection in order to fulfill prophecy.
Among many other Old Testament passages, in Psalm 16, we are given the prophecy about His resurrection. In Psalm 16:9-11, we read, "9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Along with the death and the burial of the Lord Jesus, His resurrection was fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
In John 20:1, we read, "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” Mary came back to complete what was a very hurried burial. But when she got there, the stone was rolled away and His body was no longer in there.
The Roman soldiers made the tomb secure, and along with a guard, they set a seal on the stone. But an earthquake occurred, and an angel came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The stone was not rolled away so that the Lord Jesus could get out, it was rolled away so that the disciples could see into the tomb.
After recognizing the Lord Jesus was no longer in the tomb, according to v.2, Mary ran and came to Simon Peter and to John to tell them that someone had taken His body away. She assumes He was still dead, not raised from the dead and someone had stolen His body.
We read in v.3-5, "So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in." Peter and John ran to the tomb and John notes that he arrived first. John looked into the tomb, seeing "the strips of linen lying there but did not go in."
According to v.6-8, "6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed."
If robbers had taken His body, they would have not unwrapped His body. But what Peter and John saw were the linen wrappings wrapped and lying exactly as they were when they were on His body. And, then there was the napkin that had wrapped the head lying exactly as it was while on His head, indicating that what had happened was Jesus had just come out of them. He had resurrected.
And, as a result, the followers of the Lord Jesus believed. It is not easy to believe in a resurrection, especially when you don’t expect it. Especially when you have been told that somebody stole the body. But there was clear evidence in the left behind linens that these two disciples believed that He rose from the dead.
And, according to v.9-10, “(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.” They believed purely on the basis of what they saw.
Later, it all became clear, when the Holy Spirit came and the Lord Jesus appeared before them bodily, that He had overcome the product of sin: death. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 10, “If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved.” Saved from our sin and death. This changes everything.
Through His resurrection, “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Accordingly, we will one day be in heaven for eternity, separated from all that is the product of mankind's rebellion against God. My old man died at the cross of the Lord Jesus, and my new man was made alive through His resurrection.
The Christian hope depends entirely on the teaching that the Lord Jesus died a physical death, vacated an actual grave, and ascended into heaven. “I am making everything new!,” God announces in Revelation 21:5. The old will be gone. God will lay hold of every living thing, every diseased body and every afflicted mind, and make all new.
John 20:7 tells us that the napkin that was placed over the face of the Lord Jesus was not just thrown aside. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of the stony coffin. That is significant!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished. If the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m done.”
But if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, “I’m not finished yet.” The folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!” This is the conclusion behind the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: "He will one day, perhaps soon, come to receive unto Himself His own.
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. ~ John 20:1-10
In John 20 we are given John’s eyewitness account of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Early on Sunday the women came to His tomb with more spices, only to find out that His body was not there. Yet again, the Lord Jesus controls every detail of His dying, burial, and resurrection in order to fulfill prophecy.
Among many other Old Testament passages, in Psalm 16, we are given the prophecy about His resurrection. In Psalm 16:9-11, we read, "9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Along with the death and the burial of the Lord Jesus, His resurrection was fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
In John 20:1, we read, "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” Mary came back to complete what was a very hurried burial. But when she got there, the stone was rolled away and His body was no longer in there.
The Roman soldiers made the tomb secure, and along with a guard, they set a seal on the stone. But an earthquake occurred, and an angel came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The stone was not rolled away so that the Lord Jesus could get out, it was rolled away so that the disciples could see into the tomb.
After recognizing the Lord Jesus was no longer in the tomb, according to v.2, Mary ran and came to Simon Peter and to John to tell them that someone had taken His body away. She assumes He was still dead, not raised from the dead and someone had stolen His body.
We read in v.3-5, "So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in." Peter and John ran to the tomb and John notes that he arrived first. John looked into the tomb, seeing "the strips of linen lying there but did not go in."
According to v.6-8, "6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed."
If robbers had taken His body, they would have not unwrapped His body. But what Peter and John saw were the linen wrappings wrapped and lying exactly as they were when they were on His body. And, then there was the napkin that had wrapped the head lying exactly as it was while on His head, indicating that what had happened was Jesus had just come out of them. He had resurrected.
And, as a result, the followers of the Lord Jesus believed. It is not easy to believe in a resurrection, especially when you don’t expect it. Especially when you have been told that somebody stole the body. But there was clear evidence in the left behind linens that these two disciples believed that He rose from the dead.
Later, it all became clear, when the Holy Spirit came and the Lord Jesus appeared before them bodily, that He had overcome the product of sin: death. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 10, “If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved.” Saved from our sin and death. This changes everything.
Through His resurrection, “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Accordingly, we will one day be in heaven for eternity, separated from all that is the product of mankind's rebellion against God. My old man died at the cross of the Lord Jesus, and my new man was made alive through His resurrection.
The Christian hope depends entirely on the teaching that the Lord Jesus died a physical death, vacated an actual grave, and ascended into heaven. “I am making everything new!,” God announces in Revelation 21:5. The old will be gone. God will lay hold of every living thing, every diseased body and every afflicted mind, and make all new.
John 20:7 tells us that the napkin that was placed over the face of the Lord Jesus was not just thrown aside. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of the stony coffin. That is significant!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished. If the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m done.”
But if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, “I’m not finished yet.” The folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!” This is the conclusion behind the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: "He will one day, perhaps soon, come to receive unto Himself His own.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
John 19:38-42
Click here for the John 19:38-42 PODCAST
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. ~ John 19:38-42
According to John 19:38, after the Lord Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathea, frightened by the threats of the Jewish religious leaders, requested to be allowed to take the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from His cross and bury Him.
Five percent of the Sanhedrin, two of forty, came to faith in the Lord Jesus due to the fact that Nicodemus also believed. We should never be surprised that many more will not believe as compared to those who will believe. We must keep this in mind and not be discouraged while sharing the Gospel with others.
According to v.39, Joseph was accompanied by Nicodemus, the same Nicodemus who came to have a conversation with the Lord Jesus back in John 3. Like Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus was rich, devout in his faith, and righteous. In addition, he was a member of the forty member Sanhedrin. It is obvious, that now, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus have become followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are told in v.39, Nicodemus brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about seventy-five pounds which was the amount that would be used to anoint the body of a king or some great, wealthy individual.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus counted the cost by taking the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from the cross. According to Numbers 19:11, it was unlawful for anyone, much less members of the Sanhedrin, to touch a dead body. In doing so, these two men forfeited their positions as Pharisees, all the while losing a huge income. This is what happens in a life which is being defined by God.
These two religious leaders who were afraid to confess Jesus as Lord while He was alive, openly acknowledged that they were now following Him. With boldness, Nicodemus, at great expense to himself, gathers the burial spices. With Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus washed the body of the Lord Jesus and wrapped it in a cloth, interspersed with the spices. They did this so as to prepare the Lord Jesus' dead body for burial. According to Isaiah 53:9, these two are used of the LORD to provide the Lord Jesus a grave with the wicked and the rich in his death. This was yet another fulfillment of prophecy.
As they wrapped the dead body of the Lord Jesus, they sprinkled in the fragrant mixture of myrrh and aloes to minimize the stench of the decaying body. They did not embalm in those days. The Jews did not put any kind of a fluid inside the body in those days. They did not drain the blood. The body of the Lord Jesus was wrapped, and as it was being wrapped, this mixture was applied. Then His head was wrapped separately from His body.
In v.41, we read, “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.” The Lord Jesus was buried in a borrowed rich man's tomb. This was due to the hurried nature of getting Him into the tomb before the sun went down and it was the Sabbath. This explains v.42, which reads, “Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” As in our lives, every little detail was orchestrated to accomplish God’s purposes.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He did not believe in God until he was in his forties. Personal and national suffering was used of God to draw Lincoln into a personal relationship with Him. In 1862, Lincoln's 11-year-old son, Willie, died. Lincoln turned to a New York preacher, Phineas Gurley, for help. After several long talks with Gurley, Lincoln entered into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Lincoln confided that he was driven many times to his knees by the overwhelming conviction that he had nowhere else to go.
Similarly, the horrors of the dead and wounded soldiers bothered Lincoln daily. There were fifty hospitals for the wounded in Washington, D.C. The rotunda of the Capitol held 2,000 cots for wounded soldiers. Typically, fifty soldiers a day died in these temporary hospitals. All of this drove Lincoln deeper into the providence of God.
Sin began in the Garden of Eden where mankind entered into an experience he had never been in before: death. In Romans 5:12, Paul writes, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." Death came into mankind's experience in the Garden of Eden. But here in this garden in Jerusalem was a new tomb where no one had ever lain, and in that new tomb, death was conquered.
Finally, the tomb the Lord Jesus was buried in was near His cross. No one had ever lain in this tomb. This underscores a great principle for us to live by: When we have been to a cross, when in God's wisdom something has broken our pride and undermined our self-sufficiency, when we find ourselves bankrupt, the place of resurrection is just around the corner.
To help BYM, click here
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. ~ John 19:38-42
According to John 19:38, after the Lord Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathea, frightened by the threats of the Jewish religious leaders, requested to be allowed to take the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from His cross and bury Him.
Five percent of the Sanhedrin, two of forty, came to faith in the Lord Jesus due to the fact that Nicodemus also believed. We should never be surprised that many more will not believe as compared to those who will believe. We must keep this in mind and not be discouraged while sharing the Gospel with others.
According to v.39, Joseph was accompanied by Nicodemus, the same Nicodemus who came to have a conversation with the Lord Jesus back in John 3. Like Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus was rich, devout in his faith, and righteous. In addition, he was a member of the forty member Sanhedrin. It is obvious, that now, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus have become followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are told in v.39, Nicodemus brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about seventy-five pounds which was the amount that would be used to anoint the body of a king or some great, wealthy individual.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus counted the cost by taking the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from the cross. According to Numbers 19:11, it was unlawful for anyone, much less members of the Sanhedrin, to touch a dead body. In doing so, these two men forfeited their positions as Pharisees, all the while losing a huge income. This is what happens in a life which is being defined by God.
These two religious leaders who were afraid to confess Jesus as Lord while He was alive, openly acknowledged that they were now following Him. With boldness, Nicodemus, at great expense to himself, gathers the burial spices. With Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus washed the body of the Lord Jesus and wrapped it in a cloth, interspersed with the spices. They did this so as to prepare the Lord Jesus' dead body for burial. According to Isaiah 53:9, these two are used of the LORD to provide the Lord Jesus a grave with the wicked and the rich in his death. This was yet another fulfillment of prophecy.
As they wrapped the dead body of the Lord Jesus, they sprinkled in the fragrant mixture of myrrh and aloes to minimize the stench of the decaying body. They did not embalm in those days. The Jews did not put any kind of a fluid inside the body in those days. They did not drain the blood. The body of the Lord Jesus was wrapped, and as it was being wrapped, this mixture was applied. Then His head was wrapped separately from His body.
In v.41, we read, “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.” The Lord Jesus was buried in a borrowed rich man's tomb. This was due to the hurried nature of getting Him into the tomb before the sun went down and it was the Sabbath. This explains v.42, which reads, “Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” As in our lives, every little detail was orchestrated to accomplish God’s purposes.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He did not believe in God until he was in his forties. Personal and national suffering was used of God to draw Lincoln into a personal relationship with Him. In 1862, Lincoln's 11-year-old son, Willie, died. Lincoln turned to a New York preacher, Phineas Gurley, for help. After several long talks with Gurley, Lincoln entered into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Lincoln confided that he was driven many times to his knees by the overwhelming conviction that he had nowhere else to go.
Similarly, the horrors of the dead and wounded soldiers bothered Lincoln daily. There were fifty hospitals for the wounded in Washington, D.C. The rotunda of the Capitol held 2,000 cots for wounded soldiers. Typically, fifty soldiers a day died in these temporary hospitals. All of this drove Lincoln deeper into the providence of God.
Sin began in the Garden of Eden where mankind entered into an experience he had never been in before: death. In Romans 5:12, Paul writes, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." Death came into mankind's experience in the Garden of Eden. But here in this garden in Jerusalem was a new tomb where no one had ever lain, and in that new tomb, death was conquered.
Finally, the tomb the Lord Jesus was buried in was near His cross. No one had ever lain in this tomb. This underscores a great principle for us to live by: When we have been to a cross, when in God's wisdom something has broken our pride and undermined our self-sufficiency, when we find ourselves bankrupt, the place of resurrection is just around the corner.
To help BYM, click here
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
John 19:31-37
Click here for the John 19:31-37 PODCAST
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” ~ John 19:31-37
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” ~ John 19:31-37
It was "the day of Preparation" which was the day before the Passover, before the Sabbath. And it was not just an ordinary Sabbath, it was Passover Sabbath. And the Jewish religious leaders wanted the dead bodies of the crucified removed before the Sabbath began. They went to Pilate, seeking permission to speed up the death of the men on the crosses by breaking their legs.
We read in v.32, “The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.” This was done so that they would die by asphyxiation. Since these men were crucified with their legs bent, they would be able to push themselves up by their legs, pushing themselves up by the nails which were driven through their feet, in order that they may be able to breathe. In order to prevent them from being able to push themselves up and thus remain alive, they came by to break their legs. Thus, asphyxiation would come much sooner.
And so, they came by to hasten death. But when they came to the Lord Jesus, He was already dead. We read in v.33, "But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs." This happened so that Numbers 9:12, which reads, "They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations," would be fulfilled.
Numbers 9:12 along with Psalm 34:20 was fulfilled at that moment. Not a bone of the Passover lamb should be broken, and the Lord Jesus was the perfect fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. Psalm 34:20 reads, “he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
According to v.33, when the Roman soldiers came by to break the legs of the Lord Jesus, they saw and testified that He was already dead. And, so that no doubt would remain whatsoever that He was dead, according to v.34, “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” This, too, fulfills prophecy.
In Zechariah 12:10, we read, "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." The Prophet Zechariah said that the Messiah would be pierced, that someday in the future, the Jews would look to the one who was pierced and believe.
Notice that according to v.34, the soldier saw blood and water come forth from the Lord Jesus' side immediately. This is yet another proof that the Lord Jesus was dead. When we die, medical experts tell us, the pericardium which surrounds our hearts, fills with water. When the spear was thrust in the Lord Jesus' side, the water flowed along with the blood.
In v.35 we learn that the Apostle John was the eyewitness to these things. In v.35, we read, “The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.” According to John 20:31, John wrote these things so that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, we may have life in His name.
These Roman soldiers were trained executioners who would make no mistake about a criminal's death. Pilate ordered the legs broken, and they would not dare disobey him unless absolutely sure that Christ was already dead. These hardened Roman soldiers were the first witnesses to Christ's death. In a similar way, we witness the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ in the fulfillment of all of these prophecies of His death.
Monday, January 27, 2020
John 19:28-30
Click here for the John 19:28-30 PODCAST
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. ~ John 19:28-30
Most deaths, when they occur, come as a surprise. Not so with the Lord Jesus. At His cross, He fulfilled His obligations and did what He came to earth to do. He purchased God's forgiveness for all the wrong ever done or ever will be done. In addition, He substantiated and defined for us the truth.
John 19:28 reveals to us that even though the Lord Jesus had endured hell on earth to this point, He is still aware enough to know what all that had been prophesied has come to pass.
In the scene of the greatest hate, love prevails.
We are told that thirst is the most agonizing of all pain. It causes every cell in our bodies to cry out for relief, and the pain gets worse and worse as time goes by. At the end of v.28, the Lord Jesus says, "I am thirsty." These prophetic words are uttered by the Lord Jesus while hanging on the cross.
This statement is one of many indicators that the Lord Jesus controlled His death. As God, the Lord Jesus knew all things. He knew the plan of God exactly. He knew when every single detail would be accomplished. He knew that all scripture would be fulfilled in His dying. As He hung on the cross He knew He was near the end.
John 19:29 is fulfillment of Psalm 69:21. The promise of the Old Testament was that this would occur at the death of Messiah, “so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.” Earlier He had been offered gall, but He didn’t take it, because gall, which is different, was a pain killer to try to lessen His pain. He refused that, because he wanted the full impact of the suffering.
The sour wine the Lord Jesus did receive was there for the soldiers to quench their thirst. It was a cheap form of wine. It was not meant to prolong His life, it was only intended to fulfill the scripture. Once the scripture was fulfilled, He gave up His Spirit.
In Exodus 12, during the Passover night in Egypt when the death angel came, if he saw the blood of the sacrificed lamb applied on the door posts, he would not kill the firstborn therein. In obedience to God, the believing Jews applied to the doorpost the blood of the lamb using hyssop, using hyssop. Reminiscent of those Passover Lambs who shed their blood and secured the firstborn therein, the Lord Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
The Lord Jesus died much before anyone who had before been crucified. As mentioned before, many were known to hang on their cross for days, even weeks. The Lord Jesus died within six hours because He gave up His spirit.
In v.30, He said, “It is finished,” which is one word, Tetelestai in the Greek. When He uttered that most wonderful word, He meant that He had fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies that pointed to Him. He procured redemption, the forgiveness of sin, by His substitutionary death for all who would believe and receive His free gift of salvation. And, for three hours, from noon til three in the afternoon the sun hid its face and darkness covered the whole earth. Then, as John records, "he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
The Lord Jesus bore the wrath of God for every sin ever committed. It means that the work for our salvation is fully complete. There is nothing left to do other than to receive the benefits of His work, to put our faith in the one who offered his life as a sacrifice for sin. It means His work on the cross plus nothing equals His perfection applied to the believer.
The Lord Jesus came to secure for us what we could never secure for ourselves. He finished the work that God sent Him to do. The irony is that a dead man overcame sin and death. While being killed as a blasphemer, the Lord Jesus made it possible for the very people who blasphemed Him to be pronounced the children of God.
The Lord Jesus has the power over death. Later, He would rise from the dead, and since He did, He will raise me from the dead. He came to position God to forgive those who would position our hearts to believe. He interceded for us with the Father that we might be forgiven even of the worst of crimes. He offered that forgiveness to the very ones who killed Him.
In his book, Six Hours One Friday, Max Lucado writes, “What do you do with this day in history? What do you do with its claims? If it really happened…if God did commandeer his own crucifixion, if he did turn his back on his own son, if he did storm Satan’s gate, then those six hours that Friday were packed with tragic triumph. If that was God on that cross, then the hill called Skull is granite studded with stakes to which you can anchor. Those six hours were no normal six hours. They were the most critical hours in history.”
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. ~ John 19:28-30
Most deaths, when they occur, come as a surprise. Not so with the Lord Jesus. At His cross, He fulfilled His obligations and did what He came to earth to do. He purchased God's forgiveness for all the wrong ever done or ever will be done. In addition, He substantiated and defined for us the truth.
John 19:28 reveals to us that even though the Lord Jesus had endured hell on earth to this point, He is still aware enough to know what all that had been prophesied has come to pass.
In the scene of the greatest hate, love prevails.
We are told that thirst is the most agonizing of all pain. It causes every cell in our bodies to cry out for relief, and the pain gets worse and worse as time goes by. At the end of v.28, the Lord Jesus says, "I am thirsty." These prophetic words are uttered by the Lord Jesus while hanging on the cross.
This statement is one of many indicators that the Lord Jesus controlled His death. As God, the Lord Jesus knew all things. He knew the plan of God exactly. He knew when every single detail would be accomplished. He knew that all scripture would be fulfilled in His dying. As He hung on the cross He knew He was near the end.
John 19:29 is fulfillment of Psalm 69:21. The promise of the Old Testament was that this would occur at the death of Messiah, “so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.” Earlier He had been offered gall, but He didn’t take it, because gall, which is different, was a pain killer to try to lessen His pain. He refused that, because he wanted the full impact of the suffering.
The sour wine the Lord Jesus did receive was there for the soldiers to quench their thirst. It was a cheap form of wine. It was not meant to prolong His life, it was only intended to fulfill the scripture. Once the scripture was fulfilled, He gave up His Spirit.
In Exodus 12, during the Passover night in Egypt when the death angel came, if he saw the blood of the sacrificed lamb applied on the door posts, he would not kill the firstborn therein. In obedience to God, the believing Jews applied to the doorpost the blood of the lamb using hyssop, using hyssop. Reminiscent of those Passover Lambs who shed their blood and secured the firstborn therein, the Lord Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
The Lord Jesus died much before anyone who had before been crucified. As mentioned before, many were known to hang on their cross for days, even weeks. The Lord Jesus died within six hours because He gave up His spirit.
In v.30, He said, “It is finished,” which is one word, Tetelestai in the Greek. When He uttered that most wonderful word, He meant that He had fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies that pointed to Him. He procured redemption, the forgiveness of sin, by His substitutionary death for all who would believe and receive His free gift of salvation. And, for three hours, from noon til three in the afternoon the sun hid its face and darkness covered the whole earth. Then, as John records, "he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
The Lord Jesus bore the wrath of God for every sin ever committed. It means that the work for our salvation is fully complete. There is nothing left to do other than to receive the benefits of His work, to put our faith in the one who offered his life as a sacrifice for sin. It means His work on the cross plus nothing equals His perfection applied to the believer.
The Lord Jesus came to secure for us what we could never secure for ourselves. He finished the work that God sent Him to do. The irony is that a dead man overcame sin and death. While being killed as a blasphemer, the Lord Jesus made it possible for the very people who blasphemed Him to be pronounced the children of God.
The Lord Jesus has the power over death. Later, He would rise from the dead, and since He did, He will raise me from the dead. He came to position God to forgive those who would position our hearts to believe. He interceded for us with the Father that we might be forgiven even of the worst of crimes. He offered that forgiveness to the very ones who killed Him.
In his book, Six Hours One Friday, Max Lucado writes, “What do you do with this day in history? What do you do with its claims? If it really happened…if God did commandeer his own crucifixion, if he did turn his back on his own son, if he did storm Satan’s gate, then those six hours that Friday were packed with tragic triumph. If that was God on that cross, then the hill called Skull is granite studded with stakes to which you can anchor. Those six hours were no normal six hours. They were the most critical hours in history.”
Friday, January 24, 2020
John 19:25-27
Click here for the John 19:25-27 PODCAST
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. ~ John 19:25-27
Notice in our text that the Apostle John does not mention the mother of the Lord Jesus by name. Matthew and Mark do not even mention that she was there. In fact, she is never mentioned in any of the epistles of the entire New Testament. She is mentioned just one other time in Acts 1:14 when she was gathered with the disciples, that’s it.
The silence underscores that Mary plays no role in anybody’s redemption. If she were some kind of an intercessor between us and Christ, it would have been obvious.
As we read v.25 we learn that despite the nature of the gruesome cross of the Lord Jesus, it is the greatest means by which any of us can stand tall in a world that is out to beat us down. v.25 reads, "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother." In her hardest hour, Mary stood at the cross.
Think of what she saw as she gazed upon her son. He had been stripped of all of His clothing, utterly ashamed. The Lord Jesus took not just the penalty of our sin that day, He took the shame of our sin. It is the shame that causes us to shun not just ourselves but others. The Lord Jesus went further than we actually ever knew. He took the worst of our sin, He took our shame.
While the Jewish religious leaders were complicit in the crucifixion of the Christ, it was God who was fulfilling His plan by putting His Son on the cross. The crucifixion is an act of God by which He fulfills His purpose to secure the eternal salvation of millions. He had to punish sin in order to substantiate all that is good, true and holy. At the cross of our Lord Jesus, God ruined the eternal effects of the rebellion of Satan.
According to v.26, during His agony and shame, the Lord Jesus was mindful of his mother by giving to her a son to care her. The remarkable thing about this is that Mary had four other sons who could have taken care of her, and probably would have, though they were not yet believers.
A further remarkable thing is that the Apostle John's own mother was standing right there at the cross. The second woman mentioned here, "His mother's sister," is the mother of James and John, who were cousins of the Lord Jesus. John accepts the responsibility and takes her into his own home.
The death of Christ on the cross is the purest act of love ever. It is the most perfect sacrifice for sin and the only one that atones. The death of the Son of God is the work of the Father and the Son to provide forgiveness for all who believe in Him.
There were at the foot of the cross of the Lord Jesus only four of His followers. There were many more than this as we know, but only four were there. The apostles had fled, with the exception of one man, and that is John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," and four women.
This phrase, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," is used five times throughout John's Gospel. I believe this phrase explains why John was the only one of the remaining eleven to be at the cross when the Lord Jesus gave up His Spirit. The others were defined by their love for the Lord Jesus, but John was defined by the Lord Jesus' love for him.
In Luke 2, Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, was told that her Child had come into the world for the rising and the falling of many, and through Him a sword would pierce her soul. She had raised the perfect sinless Son of God in her home. She was loved by Him with a love that was not like any other love any other human being has ever known. She was bound to the Lord Jesus in a way that no other human being could ever know. And here it ends at the cross, and a sword goes through her soul.
In John 7, we are told the Lord Jesus' brothers did not believe in Him. So now His mother needs someone to care for her, someone who believes in Him, and that someone happens to be the only disciple standing there. It is the disciple identified as the disciple whom the Lord Jesus loved.
In his entire gospel, John never refers to himself by name. John and his brother James are referred often as the "sons of thunder." They had a loud and rough reputation. In fact, in Luke 9:54 when they came into a Samaritan village, they were rejected by the people of that village. “When James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’” Then the Lord Jesus rebuked them, saying, "You do not know what spirit you’re of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”'
But something dramatic happened to John. When he wrote this gospel, he sees himself completely differently. He now is known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. This is largely why the Lord Jesus chose him to care for His mother for he had experienced the love of Christ and it had transformed him.
“God so loved the world,” is perhaps the most familiar verse in all of the Bible. Here is a transformed man, a man once known for wanting to call down fire from heaven and burn up an entire town is now defined by a love that he would have never encountered had it not been for the obedient and loving Son of God.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. ~ John 19:25-27
Notice in our text that the Apostle John does not mention the mother of the Lord Jesus by name. Matthew and Mark do not even mention that she was there. In fact, she is never mentioned in any of the epistles of the entire New Testament. She is mentioned just one other time in Acts 1:14 when she was gathered with the disciples, that’s it.
The silence underscores that Mary plays no role in anybody’s redemption. If she were some kind of an intercessor between us and Christ, it would have been obvious.
As we read v.25 we learn that despite the nature of the gruesome cross of the Lord Jesus, it is the greatest means by which any of us can stand tall in a world that is out to beat us down. v.25 reads, "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother." In her hardest hour, Mary stood at the cross.
Think of what she saw as she gazed upon her son. He had been stripped of all of His clothing, utterly ashamed. The Lord Jesus took not just the penalty of our sin that day, He took the shame of our sin. It is the shame that causes us to shun not just ourselves but others. The Lord Jesus went further than we actually ever knew. He took the worst of our sin, He took our shame.
While the Jewish religious leaders were complicit in the crucifixion of the Christ, it was God who was fulfilling His plan by putting His Son on the cross. The crucifixion is an act of God by which He fulfills His purpose to secure the eternal salvation of millions. He had to punish sin in order to substantiate all that is good, true and holy. At the cross of our Lord Jesus, God ruined the eternal effects of the rebellion of Satan.
A further remarkable thing is that the Apostle John's own mother was standing right there at the cross. The second woman mentioned here, "His mother's sister," is the mother of James and John, who were cousins of the Lord Jesus. John accepts the responsibility and takes her into his own home.
The death of Christ on the cross is the purest act of love ever. It is the most perfect sacrifice for sin and the only one that atones. The death of the Son of God is the work of the Father and the Son to provide forgiveness for all who believe in Him.
There were at the foot of the cross of the Lord Jesus only four of His followers. There were many more than this as we know, but only four were there. The apostles had fled, with the exception of one man, and that is John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," and four women.
This phrase, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," is used five times throughout John's Gospel. I believe this phrase explains why John was the only one of the remaining eleven to be at the cross when the Lord Jesus gave up His Spirit. The others were defined by their love for the Lord Jesus, but John was defined by the Lord Jesus' love for him.
In Luke 2, Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, was told that her Child had come into the world for the rising and the falling of many, and through Him a sword would pierce her soul. She had raised the perfect sinless Son of God in her home. She was loved by Him with a love that was not like any other love any other human being has ever known. She was bound to the Lord Jesus in a way that no other human being could ever know. And here it ends at the cross, and a sword goes through her soul.
In John 7, we are told the Lord Jesus' brothers did not believe in Him. So now His mother needs someone to care for her, someone who believes in Him, and that someone happens to be the only disciple standing there. It is the disciple identified as the disciple whom the Lord Jesus loved.
In his entire gospel, John never refers to himself by name. John and his brother James are referred often as the "sons of thunder." They had a loud and rough reputation. In fact, in Luke 9:54 when they came into a Samaritan village, they were rejected by the people of that village. “When James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’” Then the Lord Jesus rebuked them, saying, "You do not know what spirit you’re of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”'
But something dramatic happened to John. When he wrote this gospel, he sees himself completely differently. He now is known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. This is largely why the Lord Jesus chose him to care for His mother for he had experienced the love of Christ and it had transformed him.
“God so loved the world,” is perhaps the most familiar verse in all of the Bible. Here is a transformed man, a man once known for wanting to call down fire from heaven and burn up an entire town is now defined by a love that he would have never encountered had it not been for the obedient and loving Son of God.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
John 19:17-24
Click here for the JOHN 19:17-24 PODCAST
17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. ~ John 19:17-24
The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is my cross; He took it for me. His cross is the supreme expression of God’s incredible love for all of mankind. Throughout the Old Testament, God foretold that the Messiah would be crucified for you and me. Psalm 22 gives detailed description of what the Lord Jesus went through on our behalf.
In Psalm 22:1, we read, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? In Psalm 22:14-17, we read, I’m poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it’s melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, my tongue cleaves to my jaws; You lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers have encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me.”
At Golgotha or "the place of the skull" is the place God dealt with the problem of our sin and death. A few hundred yards outside the Damascus gate in Jerusalem, it was the very spot upon which Abraham was called to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice to God. In a wonderful picture of Jesus bearing his cross, Isaac had to bear the wood for the sacrifice up that hill.
The cross was an instrument of torture and execution. Death on the cross was shameful, excruciating, and often prolonged. The Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross by both hands and feet, but that is not what ended His life. People were known to hang on their cross for weeks, but not the Lord Jesus. It was probably the great loss of blood during His flogging that caused Him to by dead by the ninth hour or three in the afternoon.
God used the evil schemes of men to accomplish our salvation. And He used the worst of men to accomplish the greatest thing He ever did, the salvation of the willing. God did this because He’s rich in mercy, and He loved us with an everlasting love.
Everything that happened in our text fulfilled Scripture. This is massive evidence, because the ones who are doing all of this to the Lord Jesus were not His followers. They don’t know anything about the Scripture, these Roman soldiers. There’s no effort on their part to fulfill anything. They’re just doing what they normally do at a crucifixion.
It is significant that the Lord Jesus died within six hours on the cross. Again, He took the place of imperfect man, took the punishment for man's imperfection.
In v.18 we also read, “There they crucified him, and with him two others.” The other gospel writers describe these other two as thieves, rebels, insurrectionists. That too is a fulfillment of prophecy. In Isaiah 53 we read, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” One of those thieves was the first trophy of His grace. The Lord Jesus said to this one, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
In v.19-22, it is highlighted, again, that there was a sign placed above the Lord Jesus that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews." Although objected to by the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate placed this sign in Aramaic, Latin and Greek for all in the known world to read and understand.
And then, in v.23-24, we read, “23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.”
In the Old Testament, the garment of the high priest was without seam. The undergarment of the Lord Jesus was seamless. As is noted in the book of Hebrews, the Lord Jesus is the better and rightful High Priest. The function the high priest had was to build a bridge between God and man. The Lord Jesus here wears the seamless garment as did the high priest, because He is the true bridge builder. He is God’s perfect High Priest.
Finally, according to v.24, "divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." This was the fulfillment of Psalm 22:18 which reads, “They divide my outer garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." There is too much design in this passage for us to turn a blind eye to it. I trust that you have entered into a personal relationship with God by believing in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. ~ John 19:17-24
The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is my cross; He took it for me. His cross is the supreme expression of God’s incredible love for all of mankind. Throughout the Old Testament, God foretold that the Messiah would be crucified for you and me. Psalm 22 gives detailed description of what the Lord Jesus went through on our behalf.
In Psalm 22:1, we read, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? In Psalm 22:14-17, we read, I’m poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it’s melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, my tongue cleaves to my jaws; You lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers have encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me.”
At Golgotha or "the place of the skull" is the place God dealt with the problem of our sin and death. A few hundred yards outside the Damascus gate in Jerusalem, it was the very spot upon which Abraham was called to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice to God. In a wonderful picture of Jesus bearing his cross, Isaac had to bear the wood for the sacrifice up that hill.
The cross was an instrument of torture and execution. Death on the cross was shameful, excruciating, and often prolonged. The Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross by both hands and feet, but that is not what ended His life. People were known to hang on their cross for weeks, but not the Lord Jesus. It was probably the great loss of blood during His flogging that caused Him to by dead by the ninth hour or three in the afternoon.
God used the evil schemes of men to accomplish our salvation. And He used the worst of men to accomplish the greatest thing He ever did, the salvation of the willing. God did this because He’s rich in mercy, and He loved us with an everlasting love.
Everything that happened in our text fulfilled Scripture. This is massive evidence, because the ones who are doing all of this to the Lord Jesus were not His followers. They don’t know anything about the Scripture, these Roman soldiers. There’s no effort on their part to fulfill anything. They’re just doing what they normally do at a crucifixion.
In v.18 we also read, “There they crucified him, and with him two others.” The other gospel writers describe these other two as thieves, rebels, insurrectionists. That too is a fulfillment of prophecy. In Isaiah 53 we read, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” One of those thieves was the first trophy of His grace. The Lord Jesus said to this one, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
In v.19-22, it is highlighted, again, that there was a sign placed above the Lord Jesus that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews." Although objected to by the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate placed this sign in Aramaic, Latin and Greek for all in the known world to read and understand.
And then, in v.23-24, we read, “23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.”
In the Old Testament, the garment of the high priest was without seam. The undergarment of the Lord Jesus was seamless. As is noted in the book of Hebrews, the Lord Jesus is the better and rightful High Priest. The function the high priest had was to build a bridge between God and man. The Lord Jesus here wears the seamless garment as did the high priest, because He is the true bridge builder. He is God’s perfect High Priest.
Finally, according to v.24, "divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." This was the fulfillment of Psalm 22:18 which reads, “They divide my outer garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." There is too much design in this passage for us to turn a blind eye to it. I trust that you have entered into a personal relationship with God by believing in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
John 19:12-16
Click here for the John 19:12-16 PODCAST
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. ~ John 19:12-16
Pilate had presided over hundreds of trials. He’d seen many brought before him, both innocent and guilty. All of them, vigorously protesting their arrest, arguing their innocence. But, the Lord Jesus is different. He brings forth no defense. In fact, He remains silent because, as Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was led as a sheep to slaughter and He was silent.” It was His calling and He was willing.
In v.12, we read, “From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” Pilate went to great lengths to procure freedom for the Lord Jesus, but it was too late. All of his efforts went to nothing because the Jews cried out all the more saying, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
Pilate thinks he is trapped by the circumstances, not knowing he is involved in a much grander plot, a plot which will determine eternity for many. I am so grateful the Lord Jesus knowingly bowed His will to the One who has given me the type of life that has the touch of eternity upon it. This gifted life brings with it a transcendent view that ushers in the perspective of God for all who are willing to receive it.
According to v.13, Pilate, limited by a fallen world, brings the Lord Jesus out before the gathered crowd. He then sits on his judgment seat, as if he is God. At first he said, “Behold, the Man!” Now he says, “Here is your King!” Pilate brings forth no verdict, the people do that; they’re in charge. Pilate came so close to being the host of eternal life, but stopped short of the willingness that is required.
In v.14, we read, "It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. " Noon was the same hour the Lord Jesus met the woman at the well, it was the sixth hour. There's the reminder again, that number which represents incompleteness. SIX. We are incomplete apart from a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. We will never behold the Lord Jesus as our king until we come to the end of ourselves. When we have exhausted our resources we are then postured to access His.
This One who is boundless was bound by those whom He created. This One who could have overpowered them and rendered them ineffective allowed Himself to be their captive so they could lead Him to death. This One who laid down His crown of glory was given a crown of thorns. This One to whom all will one day fall down and worship was treated with contempt and then slapped in His face.
After the people vehemently request the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus in v.15, we read in v.16, “Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.” Pilate is thinking, “If I let this Man go, there’s going to be a riot. A riot will get me into more trouble with Caesar.” So, in an act of self-preservation, he gives in to the demands of the myopic. This is the end for Pilate.
Pilate had asked, "What do I do then with Jesus who’s called the Christ?” That’s the question we all must answer, and the answer will determine our eternal destiny. If we confess Jesus as Lord over sin and death, we will be saved from our sin, death, judgment and hell forever. If we reject the free gift of the Lord Jesus, we will have to live, for eternity, with the consequences of our separation from God.
Pilate is a case in point. He stands before the God of eternity, and he drops out of history. He later was dismissed as governor and summoned back to Rome to answer to Tiberius Caesar for his continued failure. On his way there, Tiberius suddenly dies. Having been freed from the charges, Pilate went to Gaul which is southern France. There, according to tradition, he committed suicide.
Some say, “A loving God would not send people to hell.” But, the Lord Jesus spoke of hell more often than any other topic. Two-thirds of His parables relate to resurrection and judgment.
In Matthew 10:28, the Lord Jesus says, “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” In Luke 16:24, He quotes Hell's rich man, “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue.” Words such as body, finger, and tongue reveal a physical state in which a throat longs for water and a person begs for physical relief.
The apostles said that Judas Iscariot had gone “to his own place” (Acts 1:25). The Greek word for place is topos, which means geographical location. The Lord Jesus describes heaven with the same noun: “In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Hell, like heaven, is a location, not a state of mind, not a metaphysical dimension of floating spirits, but an actual place populated by physical beings. God has quarantined a precinct in His vast universe as the depository of the hard-hearted.
The Lord Jesus incorporates the word “outside” to describe hell. “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness” (Matthew 22:13). Outside of all that is good and meaningful and substantive. Once in Hell, there will be no heaven-to-hell visits. No hell-to-heaven holiday breaks. Hell is to heaven what the edge of our universe is to earth: outside the range of a commute.
Finally, the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 10:28 says, "Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." He also says in John 3:16, "Whoever believes in him shall not perish."
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. ~ John 19:12-16
Pilate had presided over hundreds of trials. He’d seen many brought before him, both innocent and guilty. All of them, vigorously protesting their arrest, arguing their innocence. But, the Lord Jesus is different. He brings forth no defense. In fact, He remains silent because, as Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was led as a sheep to slaughter and He was silent.” It was His calling and He was willing.
In v.12, we read, “From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” Pilate went to great lengths to procure freedom for the Lord Jesus, but it was too late. All of his efforts went to nothing because the Jews cried out all the more saying, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
Pilate thinks he is trapped by the circumstances, not knowing he is involved in a much grander plot, a plot which will determine eternity for many. I am so grateful the Lord Jesus knowingly bowed His will to the One who has given me the type of life that has the touch of eternity upon it. This gifted life brings with it a transcendent view that ushers in the perspective of God for all who are willing to receive it.
According to v.13, Pilate, limited by a fallen world, brings the Lord Jesus out before the gathered crowd. He then sits on his judgment seat, as if he is God. At first he said, “Behold, the Man!” Now he says, “Here is your King!” Pilate brings forth no verdict, the people do that; they’re in charge. Pilate came so close to being the host of eternal life, but stopped short of the willingness that is required.
In v.14, we read, "It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. " Noon was the same hour the Lord Jesus met the woman at the well, it was the sixth hour. There's the reminder again, that number which represents incompleteness. SIX. We are incomplete apart from a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. We will never behold the Lord Jesus as our king until we come to the end of ourselves. When we have exhausted our resources we are then postured to access His.
This One who is boundless was bound by those whom He created. This One who could have overpowered them and rendered them ineffective allowed Himself to be their captive so they could lead Him to death. This One who laid down His crown of glory was given a crown of thorns. This One to whom all will one day fall down and worship was treated with contempt and then slapped in His face.
After the people vehemently request the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus in v.15, we read in v.16, “Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.” Pilate is thinking, “If I let this Man go, there’s going to be a riot. A riot will get me into more trouble with Caesar.” So, in an act of self-preservation, he gives in to the demands of the myopic. This is the end for Pilate.
Pilate had asked, "What do I do then with Jesus who’s called the Christ?” That’s the question we all must answer, and the answer will determine our eternal destiny. If we confess Jesus as Lord over sin and death, we will be saved from our sin, death, judgment and hell forever. If we reject the free gift of the Lord Jesus, we will have to live, for eternity, with the consequences of our separation from God.
Pilate is a case in point. He stands before the God of eternity, and he drops out of history. He later was dismissed as governor and summoned back to Rome to answer to Tiberius Caesar for his continued failure. On his way there, Tiberius suddenly dies. Having been freed from the charges, Pilate went to Gaul which is southern France. There, according to tradition, he committed suicide.
Some say, “A loving God would not send people to hell.” But, the Lord Jesus spoke of hell more often than any other topic. Two-thirds of His parables relate to resurrection and judgment.
In Matthew 10:28, the Lord Jesus says, “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” In Luke 16:24, He quotes Hell's rich man, “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue.” Words such as body, finger, and tongue reveal a physical state in which a throat longs for water and a person begs for physical relief.
The apostles said that Judas Iscariot had gone “to his own place” (Acts 1:25). The Greek word for place is topos, which means geographical location. The Lord Jesus describes heaven with the same noun: “In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Hell, like heaven, is a location, not a state of mind, not a metaphysical dimension of floating spirits, but an actual place populated by physical beings. God has quarantined a precinct in His vast universe as the depository of the hard-hearted.
The Lord Jesus incorporates the word “outside” to describe hell. “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness” (Matthew 22:13). Outside of all that is good and meaningful and substantive. Once in Hell, there will be no heaven-to-hell visits. No hell-to-heaven holiday breaks. Hell is to heaven what the edge of our universe is to earth: outside the range of a commute.
Finally, the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 10:28 says, "Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." He also says in John 3:16, "Whoever believes in him shall not perish."
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
John 19:4-11
Click here for the John 19:4-11 PODCAST
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” ~ John 19:4-11
Pontius Pilate was anxious to release the Lord Jesus. Twice in today's text, he declares that he has found no crime in Him. In fact, seven times during this trial, Pilate pronounces Him guiltless. The problem for Pilate was the unrelenting lust of the crowd to crucify the Lord Jesus.
In our text, Pilate presents the Lord Jesus before the gathered crowd as guiltless. He hoped the previous flogging would calm down the blood thirsty crowd. We read in v.4, “Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” Pilate's “not guilty” verdict is, yet again, repeated.
We read in v.5: “When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!’” The crowd could clearly see that the Lord Jesus is helpless, powerless, and beaten. Pilate does not understand that the Lord Jesus is far more than just a mere man. He thinks by mocking Him and showing Him as a bloody and broken well wisher, the crowd will be satisfied.
After another crazy proclamation from the crowd to crucify the Lord Jesus, according to v.6,
Pilate tells the religious leaders, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." These supposed leaders had the word of God. They had studied it for years on end. And yet, they were blind to the truth that stood before them. The most hardened are those who should have been the most prepared. It is the nature of the word of God to soften the receptive heart. On the other hand, the heart that rejects the word of God is hardened by it the most.
Given all of this, the religious leaders play in to the fulfillment of scripture. Some scholars believe there are more than 300 prophecies about Messiah in the Old Testament. These prophecies are specific enough that the mathematical probability of the Lord Jesus fulfilling even a handful of them, let alone all of them, is staggeringly improbable, if not impossible.
At the end of v.6, Pilate, for the fifth time says, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” And before he’s done he’ll say it a sixth time. But Pilate is a desperate coward and the Jews know it. So they press the issue with Pilate. They are like a group of rabid dogs, unrelenting.
At this point, according to v.7, the Jewish religious leaders appeal to the Law of Moses. In Leviticus 24:16, we read, “The one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall utterly be put to death.” Leviticus goes on to say, “He is to be stoned.”
The religious leaders have finally come up with a crime, and the crime is blasphemy. This is the seventh indictment that they tried. The first six basic indictments had no evidence, so they come to Number Seven. Need I mention the number seven is the number for perfection and fullness in the scriptures? They end up with an indictment that is actually true; He is the Son of God. They kill Him for the truth.
In v.8, we read, "When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid." Fear is the worst motivator ever. This underscores the fact that "fear not" is the most repeated command in the Bible. God wants us to know the kind of hope that has the power to produce joy in us even in painful places. On this day, Pilate knew nothing of the teachings of the word of God. Yet, he factors greatly in its fulfillment by sending the Lord Jesus to be crucified.
There is nothing more magnificent in the Bible than this answer of Jesus to Pilate's angry attempt to impress Him with his power. In quiet dignity our Lord simply replies in v.11, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above." He means, of course, that God is the source of all authority. Anybody who exercises any kind of power whatever does so by the permission of God Himself.
We do well to remember that the God of all universes is in control of all of life. This aids us in our wrestlings with our struggle with injustice, pain, heartache, cancer, war and death. The Lord Jesus stood before Pilate, facing the injustice of his phony trial, the hatred of the religious leaders and the vacillating weakness of this governor, and say to him in v.11, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
That statement, "Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin," of course, refers to the priests. It was the religious leaders who had handed the Lord Jesus over to the Roman governor. The Lord Jesus infers that Pilate is a relatively ignorant man who is unaware of how God operates. But the priests are different. They had Moses and the Law. They had the whole Old Testament. They should have understood the demands of God for justice, love, concern and mercy toward others. The Lord Jesus points out that delivering an innocent man over to this pagan governor to be crucified is indeed the greater sin.
Finally, God planned the redemption of mankind even before time began. The death of the Lord Jesus and His resurrection were the most important events in history. It's no surprise that God would give us signs of His plans throughout Israel's history. The story of the Lord Jesus reveals God's incredible love for us. And throughout the Old Testament, we discover how incredibly thorough his plan for rescuing us was.
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” ~ John 19:4-11
Pontius Pilate was anxious to release the Lord Jesus. Twice in today's text, he declares that he has found no crime in Him. In fact, seven times during this trial, Pilate pronounces Him guiltless. The problem for Pilate was the unrelenting lust of the crowd to crucify the Lord Jesus.
In our text, Pilate presents the Lord Jesus before the gathered crowd as guiltless. He hoped the previous flogging would calm down the blood thirsty crowd. We read in v.4, “Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” Pilate's “not guilty” verdict is, yet again, repeated.
We read in v.5: “When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!’” The crowd could clearly see that the Lord Jesus is helpless, powerless, and beaten. Pilate does not understand that the Lord Jesus is far more than just a mere man. He thinks by mocking Him and showing Him as a bloody and broken well wisher, the crowd will be satisfied.
After another crazy proclamation from the crowd to crucify the Lord Jesus, according to v.6,
Pilate tells the religious leaders, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." These supposed leaders had the word of God. They had studied it for years on end. And yet, they were blind to the truth that stood before them. The most hardened are those who should have been the most prepared. It is the nature of the word of God to soften the receptive heart. On the other hand, the heart that rejects the word of God is hardened by it the most.
Given all of this, the religious leaders play in to the fulfillment of scripture. Some scholars believe there are more than 300 prophecies about Messiah in the Old Testament. These prophecies are specific enough that the mathematical probability of the Lord Jesus fulfilling even a handful of them, let alone all of them, is staggeringly improbable, if not impossible.
At the end of v.6, Pilate, for the fifth time says, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” And before he’s done he’ll say it a sixth time. But Pilate is a desperate coward and the Jews know it. So they press the issue with Pilate. They are like a group of rabid dogs, unrelenting.
At this point, according to v.7, the Jewish religious leaders appeal to the Law of Moses. In Leviticus 24:16, we read, “The one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall utterly be put to death.” Leviticus goes on to say, “He is to be stoned.”
The religious leaders have finally come up with a crime, and the crime is blasphemy. This is the seventh indictment that they tried. The first six basic indictments had no evidence, so they come to Number Seven. Need I mention the number seven is the number for perfection and fullness in the scriptures? They end up with an indictment that is actually true; He is the Son of God. They kill Him for the truth.
In v.8, we read, "When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid." Fear is the worst motivator ever. This underscores the fact that "fear not" is the most repeated command in the Bible. God wants us to know the kind of hope that has the power to produce joy in us even in painful places. On this day, Pilate knew nothing of the teachings of the word of God. Yet, he factors greatly in its fulfillment by sending the Lord Jesus to be crucified.
There is nothing more magnificent in the Bible than this answer of Jesus to Pilate's angry attempt to impress Him with his power. In quiet dignity our Lord simply replies in v.11, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above." He means, of course, that God is the source of all authority. Anybody who exercises any kind of power whatever does so by the permission of God Himself.
We do well to remember that the God of all universes is in control of all of life. This aids us in our wrestlings with our struggle with injustice, pain, heartache, cancer, war and death. The Lord Jesus stood before Pilate, facing the injustice of his phony trial, the hatred of the religious leaders and the vacillating weakness of this governor, and say to him in v.11, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
That statement, "Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin," of course, refers to the priests. It was the religious leaders who had handed the Lord Jesus over to the Roman governor. The Lord Jesus infers that Pilate is a relatively ignorant man who is unaware of how God operates. But the priests are different. They had Moses and the Law. They had the whole Old Testament. They should have understood the demands of God for justice, love, concern and mercy toward others. The Lord Jesus points out that delivering an innocent man over to this pagan governor to be crucified is indeed the greater sin.
Finally, God planned the redemption of mankind even before time began. The death of the Lord Jesus and His resurrection were the most important events in history. It's no surprise that God would give us signs of His plans throughout Israel's history. The story of the Lord Jesus reveals God's incredible love for us. And throughout the Old Testament, we discover how incredibly thorough his plan for rescuing us was.
Monday, January 20, 2020
John 18:39-19:3
Click here for the John 18:39-19:3 PODCAST
39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” 40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising. 1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. ~ John 18:39-19:3
We return to the trial of the Lord Jesus. Between John 18:38 and John 18:39, Pilate sends the Lord Jesus to Herod Antipas who sees Jesus and thinks that His trial is a joke. Herod, and those with him, mock the Lord Jesus and then send Him back to Pilate.
According to v.39 the Lord Jesus is, once again, before Pontus Pilate who is trying to hold onto some kind of a clear conscience. Even though he tirelessly tries to, Pilate fails to get the Lord Jesus off the hook with the religious leaders of Israel.
I'm glad that one of the most powerful men on the earth, at that time, was subject to God's will. The Sovereignty of God will always win the day, and aren't you glad? Today, nothing will come into our lives until after it has come through the purview of God's will for us. I would hate to think of how life would be if I didn't have the safety net of God's undeterred will in my life. I like what James Stewart once said, “Behind Calvary's cross is the throne of heaven.”
In v.39 Pilate says, “But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews?" Pilate thought he had a solution that might work, he really wanted to help the Lord Jesus.
According to v.40, the people, motivated by the Sanhedrin, cried out, "Give us Barabbas!" Of course, Barabbas was a notorious trouble maker. The name Barabbas appears nowhere else in the New Testament, and no information about his previous or subsequent life is given. His name means “son of the father.” Think of it, the real Son of the Father came to earth to take Barabbas' place so that all of mankind could become sons and daughters of the Father.
In v.1, we read, "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged." Pilate had already established the Lord Jesus to not be guilty of anything. This flogging is a desperate effort to do something short of execution to satisfy the bloodlust of this crowd led by the Sanhedrin.
The Roman flog consisted of a short wooden handle like about half of a baseball bat, to which several leather thongs were attached, and the ends of the thongs were fitted with sharpened pieces of lead, sharpened pieces of brass, sharpened pieces of bone. And the body was then stretched on a flat table or tied by the wrists to a post, or suspended from a ceiling so that the body was taut and the feet didn’t touch the ground. Whatever the posture chosen, the person was then lashed until his body was ripped and shredded.
Pilate wanted the Lord Jesus off his hands. He did not want to kill Him for his own conscience’s sake and his own sense of justice, and because he hated to do what the Jews wanted him to . But he is trapped. If they riot, he’s finished as the Roman leader of this area.
To make it worse, the soldiers, the servants to the King, in v.2-3, twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, crushed it down on His skull. Put a purple robe on Him, some kind of a faded red Roman robe that was now purple because it had faded in the sun. Then just before they humiliated the Lord Jesus by slapping Him in the face, and they say, “Hail, king of the Jews!"
Irony of all ironies is these Roman soldiers were doing this to the King of Kings. These soldiers and this thug known as Barabbas represent every sinner ever to walk on the face of planet earth. When I look at the story, I conclude, I am these soldiers and I am Barabbas. The Lord Jesus took my place so that I can become the son of the Father and the servant of the King.
To help BYM, click here
According to v.39 the Lord Jesus is, once again, before Pontus Pilate who is trying to hold onto some kind of a clear conscience. Even though he tirelessly tries to, Pilate fails to get the Lord Jesus off the hook with the religious leaders of Israel.
I'm glad that one of the most powerful men on the earth, at that time, was subject to God's will. The Sovereignty of God will always win the day, and aren't you glad? Today, nothing will come into our lives until after it has come through the purview of God's will for us. I would hate to think of how life would be if I didn't have the safety net of God's undeterred will in my life. I like what James Stewart once said, “Behind Calvary's cross is the throne of heaven.”
In v.39 Pilate says, “But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews?" Pilate thought he had a solution that might work, he really wanted to help the Lord Jesus.
According to v.40, the people, motivated by the Sanhedrin, cried out, "Give us Barabbas!" Of course, Barabbas was a notorious trouble maker. The name Barabbas appears nowhere else in the New Testament, and no information about his previous or subsequent life is given. His name means “son of the father.” Think of it, the real Son of the Father came to earth to take Barabbas' place so that all of mankind could become sons and daughters of the Father.
In v.1, we read, "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged." Pilate had already established the Lord Jesus to not be guilty of anything. This flogging is a desperate effort to do something short of execution to satisfy the bloodlust of this crowd led by the Sanhedrin.
The Roman flog consisted of a short wooden handle like about half of a baseball bat, to which several leather thongs were attached, and the ends of the thongs were fitted with sharpened pieces of lead, sharpened pieces of brass, sharpened pieces of bone. And the body was then stretched on a flat table or tied by the wrists to a post, or suspended from a ceiling so that the body was taut and the feet didn’t touch the ground. Whatever the posture chosen, the person was then lashed until his body was ripped and shredded.
Pilate wanted the Lord Jesus off his hands. He did not want to kill Him for his own conscience’s sake and his own sense of justice, and because he hated to do what the Jews wanted him to . But he is trapped. If they riot, he’s finished as the Roman leader of this area.
To make it worse, the soldiers, the servants to the King, in v.2-3, twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, crushed it down on His skull. Put a purple robe on Him, some kind of a faded red Roman robe that was now purple because it had faded in the sun. Then just before they humiliated the Lord Jesus by slapping Him in the face, and they say, “Hail, king of the Jews!"
Irony of all ironies is these Roman soldiers were doing this to the King of Kings. These soldiers and this thug known as Barabbas represent every sinner ever to walk on the face of planet earth. When I look at the story, I conclude, I am these soldiers and I am Barabbas. The Lord Jesus took my place so that I can become the son of the Father and the servant of the King.
To help BYM, click here
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