We're going to take another look at John's account of Jesus
standing before Pilate. Once again you'll see how Jesus is an example for you.
This time we're going to start by looking at Pilate. Please listen as I read
from John's Gospel. (John 19.1-16)
So, what do we know about this Pilate fellow? Well, he
governed Judea as part of the Roman Empire. He was appointed to that post by
the Caesar, so he had the authority of Rome behind him. But he also had a
goodly number of Roman soldiers who would make sure that that authority was
obeyed. So, Pilate is someone with a good bit of clout.
When Pilate heard this statement,
he was even more afraid.
What was it that caused him to be afraid? Pilate was afraid
of the Jewish leadership, the chief priests and those with them. They could
cause him grief. Remember what they said to Pilate while Jesus stood there.
If you release this man, you are
not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.
Politics. Pilate was afraid of a power play. He was afraid
that these leaders would cause him problems with his higher ups.
So, Pilate needed to be careful how he responded. Misplaying
the situation could be ruinous to his career. In fact, it wouldn't be too long
before some Roman official did misplay the situation in Judea and a full-blown
revolt resulted. Pilate was afraid. So, he gave in to those leaders. And off
Jesus went to be executed.
Now, let's take a look at Jesus. It's clear that Jesus isn't
afraid. Pilate asks Him a question.
Where are you from?
Jesus says nothing. So, Pilate reacts in a way that you'd
expect.
You will not speak to me? Do you
not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?
Pilate speaks the truth. He has the power of life and death.
But while Jesus didn't respond to the question, He responds to that claim. And,
of all things, He makes a theological point for Pilate's benefit.
You would have no authority over me
at all unless it had been given you from above.
Who discusses fine points of theology with the person who is
deciding whether you live or die? So, while Pilate fears the Jewish leaders,
Jesus isn't afraid of anybody.
Now for a question. How did He do that? How could Jesus be
so completely unafraid on the brink of such a horrible death? The answer is
actually pretty obvious. Faith. Jesus entrusted Himself to His Father. Peter
wrote about this.
When he was reviled, he did not
revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued
entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
Jesus wasn't afraid because He trusted the Father.
Let's spend a little time here. There were three reasons why
Jesus trusted the Father. First, Jesus trusted the Father's love. He knew that
the Father was determined to do Him good. Second, Jesus trusted the Father's
power. He knew that the Father could accomplish whatever He decided to do, like
doing Him good. Third, Jesus trusted the Father's wisdom. He knew that the
Father would choose the best way to accomplish that goal of doing Him good.
Love. Power. Wisdom. Jesus knew these things about the Father and trusted the
Father to act because of them. And Jesus was rewarded for His faith. The Spirit
blessed Him with the peace that passes understanding. And that's why He wasn't
afraid.
Now, I told you at the beginning of the sermon that you'd
see, again, how Jesus is an example for you. And that's exactly what He is.
Just as Jesus wasn't afraid, you need never be afraid. And the reason for that
is the same for you as it was for Him. Faith. Jesus trusted the Father's love,
power and wisdom. And as a result, He was blessed with peace. It is as you
trust the Father's love, power and wisdom that the same will happen to you. The
Spirit will bless you also with His peace. So, entrust yourself to the Father
and then relax and see the Spirit do His work.
Can't stop here. If this is going to help you there's an
important question to ask and answer. Why do you still find yourself afraid?
And be honest about that. It's easy to cover it up with nice sounding words.
'I'm not afraid. I'm just …' then pick one: just a little concerned, trying to be
responsible, not quite comfortable with the situation. Bogus. You're afraid.
And there are too many times that you are afraid. Why? It's not as if I've told
you something new about entrusting yourself to the Father. So, why are you
afraid?
Here's one reason why some of you still fear. What you know
finds itself in a battle with what you want. What you know about the Father -
His love, power and wisdom - is overwhelmed by some desire. Last week I told
you that it just may that Jesus will call you to let some desire die. Remember?
And I told you that that can be really hard. So, there are times when you don't
let go of a desire. As a result, you find yourself trapped by some fear. What
you know has been overwhelmed by what you desire.
Consider one desire that fits: not wanting to hurt. Now,
that sounds like a really good desire. Who in his right mind wants to feel
pain? So, doesn't it make sense to do what you can to avoid something that will
hurt? Well, maybe not. Think about the Cross and all that led up to it. What do
you suppose Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane were about? He didn't want to hurt. He
knew that if He drank that cup from the Father's hand that it would hurt – a
lot. But the Father told Him to drink it all down. So, Jesus set aside that
common sense desire and obeyed the Father. He obeyed the Father by trusting the
Father.
We live in a culture that is devoted to avoiding pain. That
has affected us all. But we all need to acknowledge that Jesus just might call
us to a painful situation. And that's when we need to reject the thinking of
our culture. That's when we get to say, 'Not my will but Thine be done'. That's
one instance when you will need to let a good desire die like a grain of wheat
so that your life can bear much fruit. That's what Jesus did. And He could do
that because He entrusted Himself to the Father's love, the Father's power and
the Father's wisdom.
Here's another desire that often gets in the way: wanting to
be in control. Again, we hide the truth behind nice sounding words. 'I like to
plan things out.' Or 'I'm just being responsible.' Or 'I don't like surprises.'
So, we have our plan all laid out. This will happen, then that will follow, and
then the next thing will occur. And we just know that as we follow our plan
everything will work out just fine.
But then we hear Jesus call to us. 'Take a left at the corner.'
And what's the reply? 'Wait a minute, Lord. The plan is for me to go straight.
You see, I don't know what's around that corner if I turn left. I don't like
surprises. But going straight will let me follow a familiar route. I'll feel
much better if I go straight.' To which Jesus says, 'Yes, I know all that. But
still, take a left at the corner.' 'Lord, I don't want to be ornery, but I
don't think You understand. Who knows what's going to happen if I turn left at
the corner. It might hurt.' 'Yes, I know all that. But still, take a left at
the corner.'
And that's when - how shall we label it? - we don't feel
quite secure in that choice. It doesn't seem like the responsible thing to do.
Or if we're honest, that's when we admit that we're afraid.
And unlike the desire to avoid pain, the desire to know
what's going to happen, to be control, is never right. It's trying to be your
own God.
Now, the battle lines are clearer. Here are two desires that
get in your way, two desires that conflict with trusting Jesus, two desires
that all too often result in fear. So, you have some choosing to do. You can
continue to pursue those desires or you can lay them aside in order to heed
Jesus' call. And here are the questions to ask yourself when you're deciding to
go straight or turn left.
First, does Jesus love me? That is, is He determined to do
me good? Or is His love for me iffy?
Second, does He have the power necessary to actually do me
good? Or is there something in this universe that can prevent Him from reaching
that goal?
Third, is He being wise as He calls me to turn left? Does He
know what He's doing with my life here? Or has He made a mistake?
And those three questions are actually this one question. Do
I trust Jesus enough - trust His love, His power, His wisdom - to do what He
has called me to do? That's the money question. Everything else is just theory.
Now, let me remind you that Jesus is fully aware of your
weakness. He knows that your trust needs some work. He knows. So, He's fine
with an honest answer that goes something like, 'I get it, Lord. Trusting You
makes complete sense. And I honestly want to trust You in this. But I'm having
a hard time. You've got to help me. Without Your help it isn't going to work.'
Or to say that differently, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.' And just as
Jesus blessed the man who first uttered those words, He will bless you. He will
reward you with peace instead of fear. And as you learn better that He really
is trustworthy, as your faith grows, so will your peace.
Two last questions.
First, why is this important? Here's a one‑word
answer: confidence. That's the opposite of fear. Life is going to get harder.
That's just another way of saying that there will be lots more excuses to be
afraid. But we're supposed to change the world. That will take confidence. Not
confidence in yourself, but confidence in Jesus, in His love, His power and His
wisdom.
Second question. How do you do this? How do you get to the
place of being able to set aside desires and trust Him? You should know what
I'm going to say here. Nothing works unless God blesses. So, daily prayer and
weekly worship. But let me add a new phrase. You can't do this alone. If you
could, Jesus wouldn't have bothered with having a Church. We are in this together,
and so we work at it together. Too much is at stake to try to go it alone.
Jesus, our example, has shown us how not to be afraid. Let
us follow Him and make Him look good before a dying world.