Luke 23:13-25
13Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."[c]
18With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" 19(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
22For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."
23But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
My Topic today is the Death that brings life. Nowperhaps you're a little like I was at the age of about 17, and you reckon you're done with hearing about Jesus death. I'd been going along to the Christian Meeting at my school for a couple of years, and I'd noticed that the talk schemes seemed to come back round to talking about quite familiar themes, particularly Jesus' Death. I'd been to Iwerne in the summer as well, I'd heard quite a similar talks program there a couple of times in a row, and so I went up to Paul Williams who was running the meeting at the time. "Mr. Williams, I feel like the content of the Christian meeting is a bit samey, and I think we should move onto some more complex issues. You know I'd really fancy a couple of philosophical, intellectual theological (those were the longest words I knew at the time) debates, you know, throw a couple of ideas around, instead of constantly talking about this Jesus' Death bit, which, to be frank, I'm sort of done with now".
I wonder, does anyone here feel like that.
If you do, just before you switch on the Autopilot, hear me out for a second. You see the Good news about Jesus death is the big story of History and it is the big story of every Christian life. I'll also dare to say that though we think we've heard it all before we don't fully understand it. Now don't get me wrong, you're all bright young sparks who probably got the technicalities in a couple of seconds. I sin, Jesus died on the cross, takes my punishment in my place, I have eternal life yadayadayada.
But knowing about Jesus death is not just technical knowledge. It's not just a question of getting how it works. It is a truth that has deep deep consequences. Consequences that we spend our lifetime discovering.
Knowing about Jesus death is a bit like waking up at school on Monday morning and looking at your watch to see 9:30am on the dial.
First you look at it. 9:30. Nice. Half way in between 9 and 10. Hmm.
Your rub your eyes, scratch your head, look back at your watch.
NINE THIRTY!!!! AHHH! I've missed Biology with Mr. "I'm going to eat you anyway because you still haven't handed in your coursework" Smith, I have approximately minus 20 seconds to get all my clothes on find my Spanish folder from in front of the dining hall, learn for my vocab test, run back to my room to get my pen, and then turn up a dishevelled wreck ready for a beating in L3 on the second floor of the language block.
The technical bit you get straight away – you realise what the hands mean. But 9:30 means a bit more than just, I just slept 10 hours. It takes a while for your brain to get fully into gear and work out the consequences, that you are up trouble creek without a paddle.
Jesus death is more than just technical info. It has life-long life-changing consequences. So we're going to meditate on Jesus now. Not in the arms outstretched lotus position 'om' sense of meditation, but in the Christian sense. We're going to think about it, but properly, So I'm going to pray, and ask God to soften our hard hearts that so often think they've heard it all before, and allow us to know a new sense of wonder and awe at the death of our Lord. And if you want that please pray for yourselves with me, as I pray that God would prepare each one of us to understand more deeply what it means that Jesus has died for us.
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Jesus death is a ludicrous exchange. The innocent is killed and the guilty go free.
Firstly. The innocent is killed.
Now Jesus has already done the rounds, he'd been to a Jewish court, been to see Herod, Now he's back, the case is no further, but Pilate must make a decision on Jesus' fate.
Pilate stands to speak, follow it in verse 14 "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."
Jesus is innocent. It was clear, after considerable consultation Jesus was clearly innocent of the charges brought against him. But The people shout again, v18 "Away with this man,". No says Pilate, verse 22 he says he finds "no grounds for the death penalty" v23.
Nevertheless the people persist, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
Extraordinary, Pilate condemned an innocent man to death.
His innocence:
But there's more. Jesus is not just not a criminal, as Pilate had found him to be. the Bible says "he knew no sin (2 cor 5:21)" and that he was "Tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15)". Not only was he innocent of insurrection, he was innocent of any crime, social or moral that there has ever been.
His punishment:
And his punishment. It was more even than a Roman cross. He wasn't just going to suffer the agony of asphyxiation, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" says the apostle Peter. So in his all our sin was condemned in him. – a bit like Big bang theory –the world is meant to start with all mass concentrated on a tiny extraordinarily heavy point , so in Jesus' death all our sin was condensed and the full weight borne in him. Right there on the cross.
A ludicrous exchange – the innocent is killed.
But then there's more to this ludicrous exchange. The innocent is killed for a purpose, namely that the Guilty go free.
The guilty go free
the guilty go free.
Barabbas was guilty, look at verse 19, in prison for insurrection, the very same crime of which Jesus was accused, and he was a murderer. He had taken another man's life. Crucifixion was the punishment he deserved.
But the crowd shout out in verse 18 "Release Barabbas to us", and despite Pilate's remonstration, v23 "their shouts prevailed".
So a convicted criminal, terrorist, freedom fighter, murderer facing certain crucifixion is released.
Our guilt:
And Of course it isn't just the guilty Barabbas who goes free.
We are guilty. Guilty as hell. The Roman law had found Barabbas wanting, but far less wanting than we are in the face of the heavenly law. You know, even before we get into the detail of what is required of us we know we fall short. Jesus summed up God's commands as wholehearted love for God and for our neighbour. But let's be honest that's just not us. We fail spectacularly at loving those around us for a start. We forget them, we ignore them, we take them for granted, we use them. And as for God – we treat him even worse than our mates, well let's just imagine we treated our friends like we treat God. We resolved to speak to them, but then fell asleep while doing so? We resolved to listen to them speak, but often end up staring into the middle distance dreaming about the guy or girl we fancy instead. We asked for their help, but rarely remembered to thank them for it. That would be a bad way to behave toward a friend, let alone God our creator. And yet, that is how we are, through and through.
Like Barabbas, we are guilty.
Our freedom:
Yet in this ludicrous exchange the guilty go free.
Imagine being Barabbas standing there in front of the baying crowd, manically jeering and heckling Pilate, scoffing at Jesus and asking for your freedom. On the face of it, you're the worst person on the stage, You can still see the face of the man you killed. And yet you're the one getting the VIP treatment, you're the flavour of the month, and this guy Jesus whom you hardly know, but you can see enough of to know he's no criminal is going to get it. In fact that piece of wood that you were going to carry on your shoulders, his lifeless body will be pinned to that by evening, the whips hanging up in the barracks right now, that were going to burn into your back, they'll be for his now.
Can you imagine it? But that is us. Walking free with the taunting shouts of crucifixion directed at Jesus in the background. Free. Free from sin, free from punishment, free from death, free to serve, free to live, free to know God.
Jesus, The innocent is killed so we, the guilty go free.
The exchange
That's it – the ludicrous exchange.
It's like if you were holding your mobile phone somewhere in Notting Hill and randomly George Clooney or Angelina Jolie came up to you and said, I'm really sorry, I 've just got to make a phone call home, and I've forgotten my mobile, so I was just wondering whether if I give you 5 million pounds, and you can come to any of my premieres for free forever and mi casa es tu casa I could just borrow you phone.
Erm. 5 millions pounds, premieres forever, and tu casa es mi casa. In exchange for my phone? (count up on fingers) Sure.
A ludicrous exchange. Just like Jesus' death
Let me ask you, before we go any further Do you know that to be true for your life? It's simple – Jesus is willing to forgive all who put their trust in him. Have you done that.
But for all of us, that message is what we need to know, deeply, not just technically. As in not just ah it's 9:30am how unusual. But its 9:30 – get out of bed, find my Spanish folder etc.
And If realising it's 9:30 when you wake up has consequences for the whole day, knowing Christ crucified changes the whole of life.
There is so much to say, but I would just like to look at two aspects:
It means no pride, and it means no disgrace. Or to put it more directly a slap in the face and loving arms.
So firstly no pride – or – a slap in the face.
For those with false confidence the cross neatly whips the carpet of our own self-satisfaction out from under their feet. It's a slap in the face for the proud.
You see my pride would like to have the following obituary in the heavenly times; "Basically jfa was born, went around being a seriously good bloke, and Jesus and God took note of him, and all he'd done and said. Jfa's a good bloke he can join our good bloke posse up in heaven. And that's it - because of everything that jfa is and everything that he did, he ended up with eternal life – all thanks to jfa". That was I look really good.
But Jesus death leaves no room for pride.
No pride because It doesn't matter who you are
It doesn't matter who you are.
The cross means that as far as getting into God's good books it doesn't matter who you are. You could have a Christian family, go to a Christian school, be house prefect, CU secretary, that person whom everyone thinks is a really good bloke / blokette honestly.
Someone like Patricia Proud.
Hi I'm patricia I'm so fun, I'm so cool, everyone wants me at their party. God you would love to have me at yours as well. I have 1 million 432 thousand, 605 facebook friends and they all asked me to be their friend before I even touched my mouse.
I am brainy. You know I am going to one of the Christians where everyone goes, man – so cool and a Christian. Wow!
And I am seriously humble, like all that stuff I just said, that was only stuff other people told me anyway. Hang on – must go, so many texts to write so little time."
The cross is a slap in the face of Patricia's pride, there's no doubt about it. You see the real truth about her life is that she is so sick, so depraved in her being that Jesus had to die for her, no other way could she be rescued. Ouch!
It doesn't matter what you've done.
Secondly, no pride because it doesn't matter what you've done
Jesus isn't going to forgive you your sins because you've been on camp since you were 2 and you're been to every single reunion/ houseparty/ Christian Union meeting since then. Although if you have, that's an insanely good effort. Even if you have sat through more time in church than most people on the planet put together. That's not your qualification for heaven.
But I give blood, I always answer my texts, I pray, I read the bible. Sometimes.
And I'm good. I mean I'm so loyal. I have only one boyfriend, and we're going to marry, and I don't sleep with him, and I won't until we do.
Those things are not going to save us. To think that God accepts us because of them, To put our confidence in them is like serving up a cow pat for supper and thinking it'll be eaten just because you put some icing on the top.
This is what the cross teaches us. Like an icing sugar coated cow pat we may look sweet on top, but we are all disgusting inside. That is exactly why Jesus had to die.
Jesus' death means no Pride. A slap in the face. Ouch
No disgrace
But Jesus death also means no disgrace. The loving welcoming arms of God. You see for all the moments when we are so puffed up we're about to take off, I think there are just as many moments where we live in fear and humiliation.
Like: I'm just not in with the right crowd, I don't look as good, my Dad hasn't got as much cash as they have, I feel like I look frumpy not attractive, No one would stay in a room because I was there. I can't live up to the expectation of my parents and I know I'm going to disappoint in my exams. When people look through me or talk over me, I get the message. I am not needed on this planet.
We've all felt something of that at some time, have we not. And yet the cross means there is no disgrace., we never need to feel unwanted again. Once again, it doesn't matter who you are, and it doesn't matter what you've done.
It doesn't matter who you are.
It doesn't matter who you are. At the cross Jesus died for all. He died so that while we trust in him there is nothing in us that could ever be big enough to disqualify us from eternal life. No amount of self-hate can ever prise away the loving arms of God.
'But I could never be one of those keen Christians – every time I come on Iwerne I'm surrounded by all these sorted keanos who thunder around full of confidence, I have the faith of a mouse, and a not very persuaded one at that.'
So we might think.
But let's not forget the exchange on that cross wasn't just for sorted white stuff wearing Iwerne keanos, it was for all including the very worst, the Barabbases of our world, which is everyone if we're going to be honest
Jesus' death means, no disgrace It doesn't matter who you are.
It doesn't matter what you've done
And it doesn't matter what you've done.
Do you remember the guy you eloped with at that party you wanted to sleep with, and you thought it fine at the time, but now you wince at the thought? Do you remember that web of lies you spun when you stole that thing, and your best friend still doesn't know. Do you remember the rage you got into last term, how you insulted that younger boy. How about when you were drunk the other weekend and your friend asked you what you were doing in the holidays and you deliberately said 'I'm going on this thing with my mates' so as to avoid mentioning that it's Christian because you're so ashamed of belonging to Jesus? Well I remember doing all of that sort of thing.
Perhaps we get so nervous – Will I get my A? Will I be picked for that team? Will I make it to head of house? Will I get into this posh university with all the colleges, because, my dad, my mum my grandpa and my dog all went there and if I don't my life will be a ruin and I'll just have to curl up in the corner of the great cave of mourning and groan for forty years.
Stop worrying, foolish heart. Because of Jesus death there is no disgrace.
Now I think that is just wonderful, because quite simply it lets me be real. At the cross, the very worst of me is laid bare for my heavenly father, the greatest moral authority there is, to see, and dealt with in Jesus, forever.
I can be real - I don't have have to convince myself that what you have before you is a model citizen product of the best education system in the world with the whole world at his feet. No this, is a fowl excuse of an existence saved by the blood of Jesus. I know, because I have done what this body has done, and I have thought what this body has thought. But I can be real, because I'm not afraid of reality. What ever you learn of me, The judge of all time knows worse, and yet still STILL, I will be spending eternity with him.
Let's remember it then. The Innocent Jesus was killed, but guilty, you and I go free. That is and always will be the big story of our lives. We'll leave today, we'll help our mum do the washing up one day over Christmas and think all of sudden that we're the noblest thing since the round table – Bam No pride - You were born, you sinned, Jesus died for you. Down you come. And then probably some relative will ask you at some family luncheon what you did on this conference, and you'll say something weedy like I had a lot of fun it was very interesting, and you'll go up to your room and think what a missed opportunity to share the gospel, Head up. It's for wretches like you that Jesus died so you could go free. And just because he loves you. That is and always will be, the big story of our lives. Let's know it, and know it deeply
