The Cross (Good Friday 2024): Ironically, during Jesus’ trial and suffering, he was questioned, mocked, and abused for being the King. In his humiliating death on the cross, Jesus proved to be the perfect Passover sacrifice. Why did Jesus endure all this? It was all for you. Recorded on March 29, 2024, on John 18:28 – 19:42 by Pastor David Parks.
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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
John 18:28–40 (NIV), “28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” 30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. 33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 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.” As Justun mentioned last week, the Jewish religious leaders had illegally arrested, tried, and falsely condemned Jesus. However, as subjects of the Roman Empire, they didn’t have the authority to kill him — only Roman soldiers could do that. So, the trial moved from the high priest’s house to the house of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. Ironically, John points out that the religious leaders wanted to avoid becoming ceremonially unclean while having an innocent man put to death. Again, ironically, Pilate spoke better than he knew when he said, “You are a king, then!” He wasn’t really confessing faith in Jesus, but what he said was true. Jesus was the King. But here, Jesus moved the conversation from his kingly authority to the truth of his message. If Pilate were truly a seeker, this would’ve been the perfect opportunity for him to hear the gospel. But sadly, Pilate played the cynical politician, rejecting Jesus’ claim to the truth (and maybe all truth claims: “What is truth?”). Even so, Pilate didn’t find any basis to execute Jesus, but he knew he had a hot political situation here. He tried to get Jesus released because of the Passover, but the crowd, no doubt led by the Jewish leaders, called for Barabbas, an actual criminal, instead.
John 19:1–16a (NIV), “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. 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.” 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 continues highlighting the tragic irony of this day. Jesus was the King, but the soldiers mocked him as a king. He deserved a crown of gold, not a crown of thorns. He deserved a royal robe, not the purple robe they used to humiliate him. He deserved their allegiance, honor, and respect — not a slap across the face, much less being flogged. To be flogged meant to be tied to a post and whipped with a cat of nine tails. It was so brutal that it sometimes killed the victim. Again, Pilate tried to get the crowd to release Jesus, perhaps thinking the flogging would dampen their anger, but it didn’t. And Pilate was ruled by fear. Fear of the crowd. Fear of a religious uprising. Fear of who Jesus might be. Despite his fear, Pilate mistakenly thought he had power over Jesus. But even in this humiliating moment, Jesus knew that any power Pilate had was under a much higher authority. Jesus wouldn’t be bullied or pressured by any earthly king or ruler. He knew his mission and wouldn’t be stopped. In the end, Pilate caved to fear and condemned a man he knew was innocent. The religious leaders shamefully exposed their moral corruption by pledging allegiance to Caesar. Both Pilate and the chief priests chose political expedience over justice and self-protection over righteousness. What a terrible trade. May this never be said of us.
John 19:16b–27 (NIV), “So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 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. 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 doesn’t spend much time explaining crucifixion, probably because their original audience would’ve been familiar with the brutal practice. But to be crucified typically meant that you were nailed to a cross in the shape of a T or an X with nails through the wrist and ankle bones. The Romans were experts, knowing how to prolong the pain, sometimes for days. People were usually crucified at eye level to increase their shame. Eventually, people couldn’t continue to push themselves up to breathe and would either die of heart failure or suffocation. It was so barbaric that the Romans only crucified foreigners, slaves, or traitors, not regular citizens. The fact that Jesus was willing to be crucified for anyone, much less for us, is astonishing. What else is astonishing is that while suffering on the cross, having been stripped of his clothing (fulfilling Psalm 22), Jesus was still not focused on himself. He was still thinking about and caring for others. From the cross, he kindly made provision for his mother, Mary. He entrusted her to the care of his friend, John. Before we move on, we see one more bit of irony here. Despite the protests of the chief priests, Pilate had the charges against Jesus proclaim him to be the king of the Jews in no less than three different languages. I can’t help but think of the day of Pentecost when the gospel of Jesus would be proclaimed in multiple tongues or languages. This doesn’t mean Pilate believed in Jesus but only that he spoke better than he knew, and it was literally a sign of things to come.
John 19:28–37 (NIV), “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. 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.” As Justun said last Sunday, Jesus was a volunteer, not a victim. Even in death, he retained the authority to give up his spirit. He lived and died on his own terms. The special Sabbath John mentions was the first Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. John explains that the Jewish leaders didn’t want dead bodies to make their feast ceremonially unclean, caring more about the Law than the Lord of the Law. Nevertheless, Jesus had already died, so they didn’t have to break his legs to speed his death. But this seemingly little detail allowed Jesus to fulfill the requirements of the Law for the Passover sacrifice. The Passover lamb was not to have any broken bones. As John the Baptist had said, Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, given once and for all. But in the record of the death of Jesus, it’s important to see that John was there. He was an eyewitness. He heard Jesus say, “It is finished.” He saw the blood and water flow. And his testimony is true. The Christian gospel is not a myth. It’s the announcement, based on eyewitness testimony, of historical events. Jesus didn’t faint on the cross. He really died.
John 19:38–42 (NIV), “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.” This is God’s word. After the death of Jesus, it took courage to ask Pilate for his body. Joseph and Nicodemus wanted to honor Jesus in death, not as a criminal but as their Lord. So Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, the light of the world and the bread of life, was crucified, died, and was buried. Of course, Sunday’s coming. The Author of life would not stay in the grave. On the third day, he would rise again, proving himself to be not only the King of the Jews but the King of all creation. But before we get to Easter Sunday, I want to close with this question: Why? Why did Jesus endure the pain and shame of the cross? Why didn’t he call down a legion of angels to destroy his enemies? Why didn’t he tell Pilate or the chief priests what they wanted to hear and prevent his execution? Why did he humiliate himself in this way? According to John, this is why: John 3:16–18 (NIV), “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Why did Jesus endure the cross? It was all for you. It was all for you. It was all for you. Do you believe? Let us pray.