"The Cost of Our Redemption: Pilate -- Control"
John 18:28-19:22
Good Friday, March 29/02
Time's up; the hour has come. We're down to the wire in our murder mystery investigation of who killed Jesus. We've examined the motives of Caiaphas, Peter, and Judas behind their involvement in the crime; they chose religious custom, security, and riches instead of standing up for the Lord. Tonight we look at Pilate, who after all had supreme say in Palestine over matters of life and death. Although Jesus implies that Caiaphas was more guilty than Pilate because he handed Him over (John 19:11), ultimately in the governor's office there should have been a sign that said "the buck stops here". It was he who could have put a stop to the whole proceeding. In effect he consented to capital punishment and signed Jesus' death warrant. His motive was not to defend Jesus' innocence or honour Him as a divine King, but at all costs to preserve Pilate's own control.
A) Pilate's Pickle: Grasping for Power with Greasy Palm
We're not told much about how Pontius Pilate came to be governor of the province of Judea. But once there, Pilate wasted no time in asserting his dominance over the Jews. He had full control of the province, being in charge of the army of occupation. He had full powers of life and death. He also appointed the high priests and controlled the Temple and its funds: even the ceremonial clothes of the high priest were in his custody and were released only for festivals.
Pilate had a history of asserting his control in an objectionable and insensitive way. His first action on taking up his appointment antagonized the Jews by setting up the Roman standards, bearing images of the emperor Tiberius, at Jerusalem. Their leaders resisted in spite of threats of death, and Pilate yielded to their wishes after 6 days and removed the images back to his normal residence at Caesarea. Pilate dedicated a set of golden shields in his occasional residence at Jerusalem; the Jews made representations to Tiberius, who sensibly ordered them to be set up in the Roman temple at Caesarea. Next, Pilate used money from the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct. Tens of thousands of Jews demonstrated against this project; Pilate sent his troops in disguise against them, so a large number were slain. These may be the Galileans mentioned in Luke 13 whose blood Pilate "mingled with their sacrifices".
The coins Pilate minted bore imperial religious symbols and thus provoked Jewish sensitivities. The final straw came when some Samaritans assembled at a mountain in response to a deceiver who had promised to show them sacred vessels Moses had hidden. Pilate captured many and executed their leaders. A Samaritan delegation protested to the governor in Syria, who ordered Pilate to answer this accusation before the emperor. While Pilate was en route to Rome, his friend Emperor Tiberius died and Pilate never returned. There is one report that he was forced to commit suicide.
What was Pilate's personality like? Philo, an ancient historian, describes Pilate as "by nature rigid and stubbornly harsh", "of spiteful disposition and an exceeding wrathful man"; he mentions "the bribes, the acts of pride, the acts of violence, the outrages, the cases of spiteful treatment, the constant murders without trial, the ceaseless and most grievous brutality" of which the Jews might accuse him. One expert sums him up as "a weak man, ready to serve expediency rather than principle, whose authorization of the judicial murder of the Saviour was due...to fear of imperial displeasure if Tiberius heard of further unrest in Judea." Pilate was the type of guy who felt he had to keep in charge, retain the keys of power, at all costs: so what if it meant a little bribery here, a little injustice there, a little coercion or outright quashing of potential threats - just as long as it got the job done, and he was still in control at the end of the day.
With that as background, we come to his trial of Jesus of Nazareth. In this case, an innocent man was condemned and killed; Jesus' life was the price Pilate was willing to pay to hang on to the reins of power. When push came to shove, Pilate caved in to the mob in exchange for peace and quiet. The gospel writers record that with "loud shouts" they "insistently demanded", and "their shouts prevailed"; Pilate "wanted to please the crowd" and when he saw an "uproar starting", he yielded to the will of the lynchers (Lk.23:23; Mt.27:24). The Jewish leaders knew how to apply pressure at Pilate's weak spot - they caught him in a full Nelson of political pressure, yelling, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar." (Jn.19:12) Ouch! Pilate sensed the threat: if he released Jesus, who had deliberately entered Jerusalem a few days before in a kingly procession, the Jews would certainly use it as a wedge to unseat the governor from his political perch. They were implying, "It's either you or Jesus, Pilate: one of you has to go." You can imagine Pilate saying in the back of his mind, "It's either you or me, Jesus; and it's not going to be me."
That's exactly the attitude our old self adopts toward Jesus. We want to be in control of our life; we're born with an intense drive to be in charge. We want to do things our way, to be as selfish as we want and enjoy all the pleasures we can get. I want to be free to watch what I want to watch, to get what I want to get, to plan my own life, to interact with whomever I do or don't want however I want to. I crave control. Along comes this Jesus Christ, supposedly a King. And, frankly, we don't want to be bothered with Him. He'll interfere with our plans. He'll question some of our choices. He'll put a blight on our image. It's not cool to be one of His followers. So Self keeps trying to avoid Jesus as long as possible, pawning Him off on weaker creatures, slouching out of sight of His inescapable accountability. He quietly stands there as Lord, and we put Him off just as long as we can, knowing that two kings can't both call the shots. Our flesh nature just can't bring itself to hand Him the remote control to our life. Jesus, you take the cross; I much prefer the driver's seat.
At a tense point in the trial, having just learned the accused claimed to be the Son of God, Pilate becomes unnerved by Jesus' silence. He just about 'loses it', screaming, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" (John 19:10) There it is, Pilate's bottom line, his life's goal, out in the open - "I have power"! But the King of the Jews responds with a bigger perspective. Jesus observes, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above..." (John 19:11) Don't you just love that? "Hold on a second, sir.You may think you have power, but really that's all very dependent on God allowing institutions to hold sway in the first place, not to mention Tiberius appointing you, the Jews not protesting too strongly, etc., etc...Really, your power is very dependent on a lot of factors beyond your control." Who can boast of power when facing the one who walks on water, feeds the multitudes, raises the dead, and calms the storm? Our human "power" is so puny. Until we recognize how limited we are, how much we need our Creator's help and guidance, it's premature to dismiss the King of Kings.
You may have heard the expression, "Power corrupts -- and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Alexander Solzhenitsyn writes, "Power is a poison, well known for thousands of years.If only no one were ever able to acquire material power over others.But to the human being who has faith in some force that holds dominion over all of us and who is therefore conscious of his own limitations, power is not necessarily fatal...But for those, however, who are unaware of any higher, power is a deadly poison. For them there is no antidote."
Pilate tried to forget that there were any powers greater than him. Jesus recognized God's almighty sovereignty, holding sway in all matters. Even though He seems to be the victim in the proceedings, Jesus as Lord remains in uncanny control of not only Himself but also all the circumstances of His arrest, suffering, and death...It's all according to prophecy, even the detail of a borrowed tomb.
In the end, Pilate seems to have become convinced that Jesus was or should have been King of the Jews. He wrote it on the sign above Jesus on the cross in three different languages. Jesus was a man unlike any other Pilate had ever met. But instead of bowing before Him, or boldly defending Him before His accusers, Pilate washed his hands of this prisoner of kingly bearing and condemned Him to die - even though Pilate attested His innocence three times. Addicted to power and control, Pilate had no use for a living Lord.
B) Jesus' Kind of Control: Self-sacrificing Empowerment
Jesus taught His disciples to avoid being Pilates. In Mark 10(42-45) He said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.Not so with you.Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45) We become a Christian by submitting to the truth that "Jesus is Lord" (Rom.10:9), and adjusting our life ever after to that fact. So we come under the control of the love of Christ, who gave His life for all (2Cor.5:14). The pattern or mould God seeks to shape us into is the self-giving pattern of Jesus laying aside His glory and taking the form of a servant, all the way to dying on the cross as our ransom. "Greatness" then as Jesus understands it has to do with excelling in serving others' real needs, rather than being a tyrant or lording it over them. Good Friday is about Him dying in our place, paying the penalty for our sin. He ransoms us from the eternal incinerator, transforms us by the Holy Spirit, and fits us for a home forever with Him and the Father - if we discover the grace to come down off our high horse, believe the miracle, and submit to Him.
In 1824, Peru won its freedom from Spain. Simon Bolivar was the general who had led the liberating forces, and called a convention to draft a constitution. Soon after, a delegation approached Bolivar and asked him to become their first president. Bolivar declined, saying that he felt someone else deserved the honour more than he did. But the people still wanted to do something special for Bolivar to show their appreciation for all he had done for them, so they offered him a gift of a million pesos, a very large fortune in those days. Bolivar accepted the gift and then asked, "How many slaves are there in Peru?" He was told there were about 3000. "And how much does a slave sell for?" he wanted to know. "About 350 pesos for an able-bodied man," was the answer. Bolivar said, "Then I will add whatever is necessary to this million pesos you have given me and I will buy all the slaves in Peru and set them free. It makes no sense to free a nation, unless all its citizens enjoy freedom as well."
Such is the ransom and servant leadership of Jesus Christ. He gave away His glory and is more concerned about winning freedom for you and me from evil and sin than about being seen as "great".
Power in a believer's life may be packaged in weakness. The apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to take away a "thorn in the flesh", but the Lord declined, saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul's conclusion was that he would "delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.For," he said, "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). When opposition comes, when the Spirit's calling you to an impossible challenge, when you're labouring away where God's put you but not seeing results, when you're driven to your knees and forced to seek Christ's help -- that's when His power is going to be made available to you. We're simply clay jars, that the power may be seen to be God's and not our own (2Cor.4:7).
We are given true, eternal power in Christ, because of what He did at the cross. Our old self was crucified with Him so we'd no longer be slaves to sin; those who die with Him have been freed from sin (Rom.6:6f). Through faith we've been set free from evil's control and bondage. But our freedom is not to be used to indulge the flesh or cater to evil desires, but to serve God by loving one another (Gal.5:13). It's "Tool Time": because of Easter we can offer ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness - vehicles by which God can reach into our surroundings and touch them with His kindness, forgiveness, and grace (Rom.6:13f). But it begins with submitting to God, humbling ourselves before Him; only then can we experience His power to lift us up (Jas.4:7,10).
C) Power to Overcome
The Pilates of the world are still in fine form. For instance, just this past Monday the speaker of Indonesia's parliament went on trial. Akbar Tandjung is accused of stealing almost $4 million US from the public purse to finance his party's election campaign. The prosecution claims that, as secretary of state, he was told to use the money to aid the country's poor. But instead, he diverted the funds to his own party's campaign coffers in preparation for the 1999 election. (Makes Pilate's scheme to use Temple funds for building an aqueduct sound almost noble by comparison!) The news article notes in closing, "Tandjung's trial is the latest in a series of government scandals. Suharto's youngest son is in the midst of a murder trial; he is accused of ordering the killing of a judge who had sentenced him on a graft conviction. As well, the country's central bank governor was recently convicted of graft." Obviously things have been getting a little "out of control" in Indonesia - through selfishness of those entrusted with power on the public's behalf.
Because of Jesus' victory over evil at the cross, with God's help it is possible to break sin's stranglehold, whatever our addiction may be. Politicians find it hard to let go of power when corruption gets a hold on them. Most of us though struggle with more ordinary addictions: substances, entertainments, hobbies, laziness, pride and superiority, the power of the tongue...we find all sorts of things taking over and doing us in. Twelve Step programs insist the first step in licking an addiction is admitting our powerlessness against whatever it is. Then with the support of others who care enough to hold us accountable, the long process of recovery can begin.
Erwin Lutzer writes, "A professor of theology once called me to confess his gambling. He'd tried to hide his losses, but his wife discovered the high amounts on the credit cards - a total of $300,000. His elaborate scheme of deception came unraveled, and he had to admit the truth. His wife was devastated, wondering if she could ever trust him again. But after counseling and a commitment to the marriage, they mortgaged their house and began to repay the losses. Eventually, their financial situation stabilized, and their relationship was restored. As long as this man's vice was secret, he maintained his compulsive behaviour; but when his cover was blown, he ended his gambling career. Most are not that fortunate."
Your problem - my problem - may not be gambling, but we are addicted to sin in many forms. At the cross, Jesus calls us to admit we're hooked, our sins put Him there. Only He can help us: He alone was strong and pure enough to overcome sin and death. "Jesus is Lord" was the earliest and simplest Christian creed: it punctures our hypocritical bondage with the declaration that true power is found in receiving and serving Christ. "Lord" is a power term; we need to let Him Master us or else sin will. This applies to every area of our lives; "If He's not Lord of all, He's not Lord at all." As we confess with our mouths that "Jesus is Lord" and believe in our hearts that God really did raise Him from the dead, we are saved.
We're going to end tonight a little differently. We'll pray, then remain seated and sing a closing hymn. But after that I'd invite you to spend some moments in individual prayer, meditating on the whole service and Good Friday itself. We'll have some background music and images with scripture on the screen that may prompt you. Just share with God in your heart anything that surfaces and needs dealing with. Sit quietly and see what He may be trying to say to you. Then, when you're ready, slip out quietly to the hallway so others can continue. A few of us will be over to the side if you'd like us to pray with you about anything in particular. So, just allow the Lord some time and space to work with you on anything He wants.
Let's pray.