2015 1-11 ‘Crucify Him!’ Luke 23 13-25

“CRUCIFY HIM!”
LUKE 23:13-25

I. Introduction
“Hindsight is 20/20.” You’ve all heard that before, haven’t you? “Hindsight” refers to things that are obvious now that weren’t so obvious in the past. “20/20” refers to a common measurement for ideal eyesight. So “hindsight is 20/20” is an idiom meaning, “It’s easy to know the right thing to do after something has happened.” A somewhat more modern ver-sion of the same thing is: “Monday morning quarterbacking.”

There isn’t one of us who hasn’t done things we wish we hadn’t done. However, at the time we did whatever it was, it seemed like it was right. But then later, whether five minutes or fifty years later, we looked back and we saw that we had made a mistake; what we did was wrong. Many times the consequences are not major. But sometimes the consequences of bad or wrong decisions literally change the course of our lives.

We look back and we see the results after they have come to full fruition. In other words, we see the consequences of our decisions and we understand them as we did not understand them in the past. And our “hindsight has become 20/20.”

Here are four examples of decisions that seemed right at the time, but were anything but. You’ll be able to relate to them all.
• In 1977 Ken Olson, president, chairman, and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. a manufacturer of large mainframe computers, said, “There is no reason people would want a computer in their home.”
• In 1932 Albert Einstein said, “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be available. It would mean the atom would have to be shattered at will.”
• In 1903 Horace Rackham, president of Michigan Savings Bank, refused Henry Ford’s request for a loan to fund Ford’s fledgling automobile company by saying, “The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty – a fad.”
• In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell tried to sell his telephone to Western Union. But that company’s president, Chauncey Depew, refused, saying, “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”

Ken Olson, Albert Einstein, Horace Rackham, and Chauncey Depew all lived long enough so that they might have been heard to say, “If I only knew then what I know now.” “Hind-sight is 20/20!”

I wonder if a certain Roman Procurator lived long enough to say the same thing.
• In 30 A.D., give or take a few years, Pontius Pilate did something (made a decision) that he must have thought was right. Well, at least he thought it was expedient.
But Pilate’s decision to let the crowds murder Jesus was the worst man-made decision in the history of the world. It sealed his fate and it brought down God’s judgment upon the Jews that has continued to this day. Worse, not only Pilate, but every Jew who condemned Jesus that day, and did not repent, is suffering eternal judgment because of it. They were wrong! If only they knew then what they know now!

That should cause us to want to tell everyone the truth of Christ, shouldn’t it? Rejecting Him and His gospel is the worst mistake anyone could ever make. Those who turn their backs on Christ today may not see any problem with their decision at all. For a while, at least, Pilate did just fine after rejecting Jesus and allowing Him to be murdered. If only Pilate knew then…

In today’s text in Luke’s gospel we’ll meet another player in the drama that takes place on the day Jesus died. His name is Barabbas. In the examples of Pontius Pilate and Barabbas we will see illustrated one of the great truths of Christianity. And we’ll be able to relate that truth to ourselves as well as to people that we know and love.
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II. Review
After Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was taken to the home of Annas, the former high priest, where the guards spit on Him, mocked Him, beat Him with their fists, and said evil and vile things against Him. From there He was taken to the Sanhedrin, where the Council, led by the current high priest, Caiaphas, accused Him of blasphemy. When He was asked if He was the Son of God, Jesus said, “Yes, I am.”

For this so-called crime of blasphemy the Jews wanted to kill Him, but since they lived in subjection to Roman law, they were barred from imposing capital punishment. So the Jews accused Jesus (falsely) of insurrection against Rome, hoping that Pilate, the Roman Procura-tor of Judea, would execute Jesus for them. But Jesus had broken no Roman law and Pilate said as much – “I find no guilt in the man (Luke 23:4b)”. When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee, he sent Him to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee.

Herod had heard of Jesus and knew of His relationship to John the Baptist, whom Herod had had beheaded. So Herod questioned Jesus but received no answers. Thus Herod was also unable to find Jesus guilty of any crime. And so he sent Jesus back to Pontius Pilate.
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III. Text
This is where we pick up the narrative.
*Luke 23:13-25 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
13 And Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no
guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.
15 “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserv-ing death has been done by Him.
16 “I will therefore punish Him and release Him.”
17 [Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]
18 But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!”
19 (He was one who had been thrown into prison for a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder.)
20 And Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,
21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!”
22 And when he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done?
I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; I will therefore punish Him and release Him.”
23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.
24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand should be granted.
25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into pris-on for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

This passage of Scripture is filled with ironies. Consider the most obvious ones…
• The One these people are judging is the Judge of all men.
• The One being accused of blasphemy is the only One who doesn’t commit blasphemy.
• The One they call guilty is the only One who is innocent.
• The One they want to kill is the One who gave them life.
• Finally, the ones who are condemning Jesus and sealing His fate are the ones who are condemning themselves and sealing their own fate.

With that brief summary let’s go back to the text.
*Luke 23:13-15
13 And Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no
guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.
15 “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserv-ing death has been done by Him.

Outside of Scripture there was no historical evidence that Pontius Pilate ever existed. This lack of evidence was often cited by skeptics and unbelievers as proof that the whole story of Jesus and His crucifixion was made up by His followers. And until 1961 there was no proof of Pilate’s existence as an actual historical figure. But in that year a stone was uncovered in the archeological digs around Caesarea that proved otherwise.
Called the “Pilate stone” it’s a block of limestone that was the cornerstone of a Roman thea-ter that had been built in honor of Caesar. The partial inscription reads… “To the divine Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea has dedicated this…” The rest of the inscription is gone, but you get the point. There is no question of Pontius Pilate’s existence. (back to the text)

As we come to v. 13 Herod has sent Jesus back to Pilate. He calls the Jewish religious leaders again and repeats what he had said all the way back in v. 4 – “I find no guilt in this man.” Not only does Pilate reiterate his finding that Jesus is not guilty of any crime against Rome, in v. 14 he goes even further by saying that he finds “…no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.” As far as Pilate is concerned Jesus hasn’t com-mitted any crime against Israel or Judaism either. He probably based his opinion on what Luke tells us Pilate said in v. 15 – “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us.” So not even Herod had found Jesus guilty of a crime worthy of death.

To his credit Pilate is at least attempting to stand on solid legal ground. But his attempt to do so will fail because the Jews actually had him trapped in a dilemma. It seems that soon after Pilate arrived in Judea he began putting images of Caesar all over Jerusalem. The pre-vious Procurators knew this would anger the Jews because they saw such images as idolatry. So Pilate’s predecessors had refrained from hanging emblems that bore Caesar’s image.

But Pilate was an anti-Semite who delighted in provoking the Jews. As a result of his offenses against them (both real and perceived) the Jews had demanded an audience with him. He gave them one and then surrounded them with soldiers and threatened to have them mas-sacred if they didn’t back down. They didn’t, and Pilate had to back down. Such a mass murder would have caused chaos and such news would not have been welcomed back in Rome. After all, Pilate had been sent to Judea to keep the peace, not cause an insurrection.

There had been a number of other incidents where Pilate had angered the Jews or had been overly harsh with them. The point was that he had inflamed their passions more than once. By this time he didn’t need any more reports of his failures to peacefully govern Judea get-ting back to Caesar.

All of that to say this: Pilate had the power to set Jesus free, but he lacked the courage to do so. The Jewish religious leaders wanted Jesus dead, and Pilate wanted no more trouble with these people. He knew full well that Jesus was innocent, but justice would have to take a back seat so that Pilate could extricate himself from yet another problem with the Jews. So he did what people so often do – he tried to find an easy way out of his dilemma. He tried to have it both ways. Pilate wanted to “have his cake and eat it too.”
*Luke 23:16-17
16 “I will therefore punish Him and release Him.”
17 [Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

Pilate seemed to think he can placate the crowds by having Jesus “punished.” But punished for what? Isn’t He innocent? Of course, He is but, just as so often happens today, politics overrules principles. Doing what is expedient trumps doing what is right. Here we have an innocent Man who will be punished, not for crimes, but for convenience.

What is the punishment? It is “scourging” – but more about scourging later. Since Pilate knows scourging alone is capable of killing a man, he thinks that his offer to have Jesus scourged will satisfy the crowd. And if Jesus survives that, then he can release Him. “Pilate can have his cake and eat it too.” But wait a minute. Even this isn’t good enough for the bloodthirsty crowd of religious leaders. They know they have Pilate cornered.

Luke 23:17 says that Pilate was obliged to release one prisoner at Passover. Some of the older manuscripts do not contain this verse. That’s why, in many of your Bibles, there are brackets around it or the verse placed in parentheses. But there’s no doubt as to its historical accuracy. Mark 15:6 tells us that the custom of granting amnesty to one prisoner was in fact a part of the Passover. He can release someone. Surely this will get Pilate “off the hook.”

Listen to Mark’s account as he gives us more information about this annual amnesty.
Mark 15:6-9
6 Now at the feast he (Pilate) used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested.
7 And the man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8 And the multitude went up and began asking him to do as he had been accus-tomed to do for them.
9 And Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”

Pilate must see this as his way out. But when he makes the offer they choose Barabbas.
*Luke 23:18-19
18 But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!”
19 (He was one who had been thrown into prison for a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder.)

This Barabbas has been scheduled for execution along with the two thieves who will be crucified with Jesus. Barabbas’ name means “son of a father.” “Bar” is “son of,” as in “Simon barjona,” meaning, “Simon, son of John.” “Abba” is the Aramaic word for father. So “Barabbas” is as generic a name for a man as you could imagine. After all, isn’t every man a son of a father? And in that sense, aren’t we all Barabbas’?

You can’t miss the irony. Here is Pilate offering the crowd the choice between a guilty man,
the son of his human father, and an innocent man, the Son of His heavenly Father.
Once more we see the magnificent truth of the substitutionary atonement. We’re all “Bar-abbas’,” guilty and deserving of death. Yet we will go free because Jesus Christ, guilty of nothing and deserving to be set free, will willingly take our punishment, go to a cross that was meant for us, give up His life for ours, and set us free.

At this point Matthew tells us something that Luke does not.
Matthew 27:19
19 And while he (Pilate) was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

Since Pilate was convinced of Jesus’ innocence, this message from his wife must have rat-tled him and raised the level of tension about his decision. So he tries yet again.
*Luke 23:20-23
20 And Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,
21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!”
22 And when he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done?
I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; I will therefore punish Him and release Him.”
23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.

This situation is getting out of Pilate’s control. In Mark 15:9 Pilate had asked the crowd, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” In Matthew 27:22 he asked them, “Then what shall I do with this Jesus who is called Christ?” But no matter what he said or how many times he said it, the answer was always the same – “Crucify Him!”

At this point the pressure on Pilate must be overwhelming. In Luke 23:22 He reiterates his verdict that Jesus is innocent – “I have found no guilt in Him…” And so he tries one more time. “I will therefore punish Him and release Him.” But the mob will not be satisfied. He is about to have a full scale riot in his hands. Pilate is beaten and he knows it.
Matthew 27:24-25
24 And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”

The Jews’ response to Pilate’s last feeble attempt at justice is both prophetic and chilling.
25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our child-ren!”

Do you think they would have said such a thing if they had 20/20 hindsight? They were in the process of making a terrible decision – the worst decision in human history. But it’s easy to play “Monday morning quarterback” now, isn’t it?
In v. 25 we see one more powerful example of the sovereignty of God. Even His enemies obey Him. No matter how evil their attempts at thwarting God’s plans – no matter how they hate God, God’s Son, and God’s people – God is in control and His plans will be carried out.
Proverbs 16:9; 19:21
16:9 The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.
19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the LORD, it will stand.

How sad, and yet how prophetic, it is that just as Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, spoke God’s truth when he said, “…it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish (John 11:50),” so too do the Jews now speak God’s truth when they say, “His blood be on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25)!” And for the last two thousand years the Jews have suffered persecution as have no other people in human history. God is not only directing their steps, He is directing their very words.

In Matthew 27:25 (“His blood be on us…”) the Jews, crying out for Jesus’ murder, take upon themselves the responsibility for it. Yet Pilate isn’t a Jew, is he? He’s a Gentile. And even though the Jews want Jesus dead, it is the Gentiles who will actually carry out the act itself.

So it is that all of us, Jew and Gentile alike, are guilty of taking part in Jesus’ murder. And so it is that all of us, Jew and Gentile alike, are sinners in need of redemption and the salva-
tion that is found in Christ alone. Thus the Apostle Paul, writing in Romans, could say…
Romans 3:19b
19b …that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accounta-ble to God.”

But Jesus was a Jew. He was the Jewish Messiah. The Jews are God’s chosen people, and God offered His gift of salvation to the Jews first. Paul, a Jew himself, said,
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Gentile).

The Jews may have taken Jesus’ blood on themselves, but it won’t be long before some of the same religious leaders try to deny that they ever said it. Later, in Acts 5, Peter and the apostles are dragged into the same Council where Jesus had earlier been condemned.
Acts 5:27-29
27 And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. And the high priest questioned them,
28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us.”
29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”
We need to remember that even as Pilate and the Jews are sending Jesus to the cross – and even though they are all guilty before God – yet He in His divine sovereignty is carrying out His plan of redemption – the plan that He set in place from before time began. This is the redemption that God has planned for all who will trust Him, and by faith receive His Son’s sacrifice as the only atonement for their sins. This is our salvation! On this horrible day God is directing every step of the process that will nail His Son to the cross. And as it all goes on around Him, Jesus is in complete control. What a truly awesome God we serve!
Acts 2:22-23 (excerpt from Peter’s first sermon)
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know –
23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

So Jesus will go to the cross. And those responsible for putting Him there – Jew and Gentile alike – will pay the price. And God’s perfect justice will be served. (back to Luke 23)
*Luke 23:24-25
24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand should be granted.
25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into pris-on for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

And so it is nearly done! The guilty, Barabbas, and you and I, go free and the Innocent One is taken. Pilate, declaring his own innocence in all of this has Jesus scourged and turns Him over to be crucified on what should no doubt have been Barabbas’ cross.

Jesus has already been physically brutalized, but this scourging is even worse. Roman law required that there be a scourging before a man was crucified. This was done with a flag-rum, a leather whip consisting of three thongs, each ending with two lead balls designed to tear flesh. Scholars at the Mayo Clinic have concluded that such floggings would cut deeply into the flesh and cause most victims to go into shock from the loss of blood. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross.

In addition to the scourging, Jesus is also crowned with thorns, adding to His physical pain.
John 19:2-6
2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and arrayed Him in a purple robe;
3 and they began to come up to Him, and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him blows in the face.
4 And Pilate came out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.”
5 Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
6 When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, say-ing, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him!”
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IV. Conclusion
On that day two thousand years ago the Jews got what they wanted. They rejected Jesus – most Jews still do – but over the intervening years millions of them and their descendants have paid a price for it. But the day is coming when they’ll know and understand the truth. At the Second Coming God’s grace will save the remnant of the Jews just as it has saved us.

Two thousand years ago God’s people rejected His grace. But with that rejection the gospel came to us. In Romans 11:11 Paul says, “…by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles…” Four verses later, in Romans 11:15, he says, “…if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Then the apostle reminds us, Gentile Christians, that God will save Israel.
*Romans 11:25-31
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (until the church is complete);
26 and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;
29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mer-cy because of their disobedience,
31 so these also now have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.

Do you see it? God let the Jews have what they wanted – Jesus was crucified. They were wrong and they have paid, and continue to pay, a terrible price for their sin. But their sin opened the door for our salvation. Do you see how nothing, not even the worst and most evil of sins, can thwart God’s plans?

My plea to you this morning is this: When it comes to Jesus Christ, God doesn’t want you to make a mistake. The Jews wanted Jesus dead; they got what they wanted that day in Jeru-salem, but in the process they make a terrible mistake.

Let’s close with a true story from American history. Aaron Burr was the third Vice Presi-dent of the United States. He was actually tied with Thomas Jefferson after the election. So Congress had to choose between them.
Largely due to the efforts of one man, the highly respected Alexander Hamilton, Burr lost the vote. He was furious and challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted the chal-lenge and was mortally wounded. As a result of Hamilton’s death Burr was discredited, tried for treason, and although acquitted, faded into obscurity.

He lived a long life, but was a bitter man who deliberately walked away from any relation-ship with God. Very late in life Burr said this: “Sixty years ago I told God that if He would let me alone, I would let Him alone, and God has not bothered me since.”

Like the Jews in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, Aaron Burr got what he wanted. But he was wrong. And you can be sure of one thing: He knows it now. Don’t reject Jesus’ offer of salvation now only to find out later that you were wrong about Him. Rejecting Jesus will always result in judgment – if not in this life, then in eternity. Please don’t wait. Repent and receive Him today.

~ Pray ~