Luke 22:66-23:25

[0:00] Good morning. How good it is to be with God's people and God's house where God's people are gathered to worship, to give worship to God and to hear from God through his word. Join me in prayer.

[0:17] Father, we give thanks for your word and your son, his work in us, through us and for us. We pray as we come before you this morning that you would be glorified through the proclamation of your word. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.

[0:38] Last week we found ourselves in the prayer room with Jesus. This week's setting is the courtroom. And as we look at our text, there are actually several, you might say court settings that we will walk through with Jesus.

[1:03] Ever been to a courtroom? I know that daytime television, through the likes of Judge Judy, Judge Mathis, they have a way of bringing the courtroom to you.

[1:22] But that's not the same as being in court yourself. Where we see those who have been accused, they are brought in under armed guard in shackles.

[1:39] You don't catch that on TV, daytime TV, do you? It's not the same as witnessing forlorn family members sitting helplessly as they watch their loved one standing before a judge or their loved one sitting beside a lawyer who has the task of defending him or her.

[2:07] Being in a courtroom can be a very sober, somber kind of experience. I've been there.

[2:19] When we think of courts, we like to think of courts as very safe places. Places where wrongs can be made right. Places where those who have been wrong can get justice.

[2:34] Places where the punishment actually fits the crime.

[2:46] We like to think of court systems as that they serve the cause of justice. But that's not always the case, is it?

[2:58] We probably can think of different cases historically and presently where we feel that something went awry.

[3:12] Either justice was perverted or twisted or it may be that justice was absent altogether. Well, if there was ever a case where justice was distorted, it's the case that we see before us today.

[3:36] Jesus is on trial. That's what the passage is about. And during this particular trial, he is judged in three different court settings, if you will.

[3:50] The first one you find in verse 66 of our text. And I would call that the religious court. That's where we find him as the text begins.

[4:05] Night has turned to day. You see it there. When day came. But even though there was this sense of time moving on and midnight yielding to day, there was a sense of moral darkness that hung in the air as Jesus was led to the council in order to be tried.

[4:28] The ruling court of Israel, the Sanhedrin. These leaders were the real masterminds behind Jesus' arrest at the Mount of Olives that we saw on last week.

[4:41] Now their court had convened and Jesus was on trial before them. Their agenda had actually been set beforehand.

[4:54] And they were simply going through the formalities. They want Jesus out of the way. Did you notice their appeal in verse 66? If you are the Christ, tell us.

[5:08] But he said to them, if I tell you, you will not believe. Here's the essence of their appeal. Tell us if you are God's appointed leader from the Davidic family who will deal with God's enemies and deliver God's people.

[5:26] That was the idea behind Messiah. But here we have these treacherous, deceitful men not really interested in the truth.

[5:38] And guess what? Jesus was not interested in playing their games. He was beyond that. And thus their response.

[5:49] If I tell you, you won't believe me. They had no interest in hearing the truth or really answering Jesus' questions. We had seen that before.

[6:00] They often tried to get him sort of in a trick bag of sorts. To continue to pelt him and accuse him in ways that befit their purposes.

[6:13] But look at Jesus. What he says in verse 69 is absolutely stunning. It is absolutely accurate.

[6:25] Listen to it. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. While Jesus didn't answer them directly, he did respond.

[6:39] And what a response it was. Oh, if there was a court reporter in the room on that day, this would be bold, bold kind of headlines and front page kind of type coming from the mouth of Jesus.

[6:53] Jesus' words here anticipated his death, his burial and resurrection, and even his exaltation where he would be exalted, where he would ascend to the right hand of God.

[7:11] He spoke of a future time when he, the Son of Man, would be seated, not in a courtroom. He would be in the very throne room of the God of the universe.

[7:25] He was saying that there was a seat reserved for him in glory. A place of designated honor at God's right hand. There was a sentence in which he was saying that God's space is my space.

[7:41] And though Jesus knew that these very remarks amounted to a sure death sentence for him, he did not shrink back from speaking the truth in that particular setting.

[7:52] The council wanted to make sure that they heard him right. In verse 70. And they said, Are you the Son of God then?

[8:04] And he said to them, You say that I am. Well, the statement is a bit mysterious, isn't it? One thing is certain.

[8:15] Those who heard it, Heard it, Interpreted it as an affirmation that he was indeed. Another way to say, It is as you say, Is another way of rendering those words.

[8:28] One has to ask, Was this Jesus' way of surrender of sorts, Or calm submission? Yielding a quiet acquiescence?

[8:41] He has said what he needed to say. It was up to them, Either to receive it, Or reject it. For I prolong things, With those with whom, It really did not matter.

[8:57] They had what they needed. Verse 71. What further testimony do we need? We've heard it ourselves, From his own lips. In their minds, They felt that Jesus had crossed the line.

[9:12] Treaded on sacred territory. They felt this sealed the case for them. They felt that they had an airtight case. And such charges of blasphemy, Matthew chapter 26, Verses 65, And following, Were punishable by death.

[9:29] They had the information they needed. But they could not carry out the sentence, That such charges demanded. And so they appealed to Pilate.

[9:41] Before we leave that, I just want to talk about, A bit about the rejected Jesus. We're going to another courtroom setting. But here we are reminded, And we are even cautioned, About being too quick, To reject Jesus.

[9:59] And it's too good to be true words. To dismiss, Or to ignore his words. Especially words like the ones, That he stated in verse 69. Jesus' words, Here, And generally speaking, Deserve a hearing from you and me.

[10:18] And his words can stand, The most rigorous scrutiny. Here he was indeed, The stone, That the builders, The Jewish leaders, Had rejected.

[10:30] And you and I must be cautious, That we do not follow, Their misguided steps. Courtroom number one, The religious court, Court setting number two, The civil court, And actually that extends, From verse 1 in chapter 23, All the way, To verse 16.

[10:53] Notice that they went off to Pilate, Pilate, Governor of Judea, The regional leader, Regional Roman leader, Who was in charge. He had power to grant, The death penalty, So they bring him, To him.

[11:08] In the religious courtroom, The charges were, Religious in nature. And here before, This particular, Jurist, If you will, The charges were, Civil in nature.

[11:21] Did you see them, In verse 2, They begin to accuse him. We found this man, Notice, He's misleading the nation, He's forbidding us, To give tribute to Caesar, And saying, That he himself, Is Christ the king.

[11:38] He misleads the nation, That hardly described, The ministry of Jesus, Who went about doing good, And healing all that were oppressed, Of the devil, For God was with him.

[11:49] He forbids giving tribute to Caesar, That's not what I see, Or what we see, In Luke chapter 20, Where he encouraged them, Oh, Give to Caesar, What's properly Caesar's, But also you need to make sure, That you need to give God, What's properly his, Huh?

[12:06] Oh, He claimed to be Christ the king, Oh, But he was not a sword, Bearing Christ, Been on the overthrow of morally power, He had corrected his followers, Several times, Put down the sword, None of that, You remember when, James and John, They were going through, To Samaria, Said, Lord, You want us to do what Elijah did?

[12:25] He said, Wait a minute guys, I mean, I know you're the sons of thunder, But, Don't even go there, Okay? And even, More recently, In the garden, Put up the sword, That's enough, Huh?

[12:39] His agenda was not to take over, He had come to Jerusalem, To surrender, Huh? And to give his life, Oh, But they were bent, On coloring Jesus, In very, Very, Dark colors, As are some in our day, Huh?

[13:00] They try to distort his image, And make him be something, That he really isn't, Make him to be something, That really does not fit, The biblical portrait, Of who he is, Huh?

[13:12] Are you the king, Of the Jews, Is Pilate's question, And in a manner, Similar to what we see, In 2270, Jesus answered, Pilate, In the manner, That doesn't deny, That he's king, Huh?

[13:25] But in Pilate's mind, There was nothing, For them, Or him to worry about, At best, He's a rejected king, He's even unwanted, By his own people, Huh?

[13:35] Otherwise, He wouldn't have been, On trial, Huh? No threat, To Roman rule, Notice, Verse 4, I find no fault, In this man, Huh?

[13:49] Well, We will hear, Similar courses, Throughout this, Particular passage, Not guilty, Not guilty, Not guilty, Huh? Pilate's conclusion, Was the one, Who was before him, Didn't fit the profile, Of a troublemaker, Huh?

[14:07] Not Jesus, Picture jurors, Uh, Uh, Pilate now, Picturing, In a black jurors, Robe, Huh? Gavel in his hand, Pronounced, Set to pronounce, What we, Uh, See in verse 4, Not guilty, But before he can get the words, Case dismissed, Out of his mouth, We see what they're saying, Urgently, In verse 5, He stirs up the people, Teaching throughout, All Judea, From Galilee, Even to this place, He, Thumbs out, He's a bad guy, We really need to get rid of him, Stirring up the people, Huh?

[14:47] He really calmed people down, Delivered them from their anxieties, And from their oppressions, And illnesses, Throughout the land of Judea, Huh? He actually brought relief, Everywhere that they went, If Jesus is the rejected Jesus, In the religious court, Here he's the disregarded Jesus, Be serious about this guy, This guy king, This guy source of power, Not him, Huh?

[15:19] If you really look at the facts, You'll see who he is, He's not even really worthy, Of serious examination, Huh? Huh? Uh, But honest scrutiny, Friends, Will lead one, To the conclusion, That he cannot, And must not, Be casually, Dismissed, As Pilate, Was doing, To him, Better take him seriously, Don't dismiss him, Don't disregard him, Huh?

[15:50] If Pilate, Disregards him, Herod absolutely, Disrespects him, Mistreats him, He treats him with contempt, You see that there, In verses 6 through 12, Jesus' appearance before Herod, Is an extension of these civil deliberations, If you will, Pilate is a real politician, Real opportunist, Huh?

[16:12] He used Jesus, And his dilemma with him, He's sort of like, Punting a little bit, Huh? I mean, He's still, Let's just move him along the line, And maybe Herod can do a little more, In this situation, Than I can actually do, Huh?

[16:29] But he's in this dilemma, But he bridges, He builds a bridge, Relationally, With one who is actually at odds with, Huh? The current learning that Jesus was, From Galilee, So Pilate sends him to Herod, He's in Jerusalem, Herod Antipas, If you will, Romans man in charge of, A Romans man in charge of, Galilee and Perea, This is the same one, Who had rebuked, That John had rebuked, For his adultery, And the one who had, John's head cut off, He was cruel, And cunning, Go tell that fox, Luke chapter, 13 verse 32, Herod was more glad, More than glad, To have Jesus before him, Having desired to see him, Before, And to see him do, A miracle to entertain him, If you will, Look at verse 9, Uh, He before, When he's before Herod, He doesn't give, An answer at all, Did you notice, The descending order, Jesus speaks more words, To the religious leaders, Very few to Pilate,

[17:31] But he actually doesn't, He gives, He gives Herod, The silent treatment, All together, Huh? They stood, Vehemently, The priest, And the scribes, Accusing him, And notice verse 11, Herod and his shoulders, Treated him with contempt, Disrespect, Mocked him, Arraigned him, In splendid clothing, And then he sent him back, Huh?

[17:56] Herod was more than glad, To see Jesus, Jesus did not give him, An answer, But to Herod, Jesus was, Good for show, Dressed him for the occasion, But he's respected, He disrespected him, He's good for entertainment, But not really, For what's really essential, It's one thing, To be amused by Jesus, His teachings, His miracles, It's another thing, Friends, To be amazed by him, As far as who he is, And see him in his essence, In his beauty, He's not simply, An amazing man, Amusing man, He's an amazing God, And for us to see him as such, Is to our credit, Huh?

[18:42] It's like what we see, Here's a snapshot, Here's a snapshot, Herod, And Pilate, Sort of shaking hands, Reconciled, On the basis of, The Jesus connection, If you will, But neither saw Jesus, As a threat, A king, They were casual, About him, But nonetheless, Complicit, Luke puts them together, A snapshot, In Acts chapter 4, Verse 27, In a way that really, Displays their real colors, This is what it says, For truly in this city, Peters, They're praying, The apostles are praying, They were gathered together, Against your holy servant, Jesus, Whom you anointed, Notice, Both are ultimately, Against him, Both Herod, And Pontius Pilate, Along with the Gentiles, And the people of Israel, This coalition, That included Herod, And Pilate, In Jerusalem,

[19:45] Who were against, Jesus, While the Jewish leaders, Are pushing, For a death penalty, Pilate came to a, Completely different, Conclusion, Look at verses 14, And 15, Pilate said to them, You brought me this man, As one, Who was misleading the people, And after examining, Him before you, Behold, I did not find, This man guilty, Of any of your charges, Against him, Huh?

[20:13] Neither did Herod, For he sent him back, Look, Nothing deserving, Death has been done, By him, Huh? That, Those were the findings, He's not guilty, Again, It rings out, Verse 4, Verse 15, Verse 22, Not guilty, Of your charges, He is not worthy, Of death, Huh?

[20:39] The religious court, The civil court, Huh? And guess where, We come to next, In verses 13, Through 25, It's the people's court, It's, It's the court, Of public opinion, Huh?

[20:55] That's what it is, He said, But all, They all cry together, Verse 18, Away with this man, And release him to, Release to us, Barabbas, Now if you would look back, At verse 13, You would include, That this coalition, Now included, The chief priests, The scribes, And, The people, Okay?

[21:16] So it's the people, They're in the mix now, Huh? The court, If you will, Public opinion, Is in session, And they're saying, Away with this man, Release Barabbas, And Barabbas had really, Had, Had been charged, And sentenced, He was guilty of murder, And here they are, Calling, For him, Huh?

[21:41] The very people, Who had gravitated to Jesus, And it stood as the buffer, Between Jesus, And the religious leaders, Are calling, For him, Ultimately, To be, Crucified, They're rejecting him, Huh?

[21:57] Their will, And their voices prevail, People, Who are all too easily, Swayed, The kindness of Jesus, And his teaching, Too far from their minds, But more than that, Far, From, Their hearts, And their affections, The religious court, The civil court, The people's court, And all of this, Only makes sense, When we understand, Friends, From the perspective, Of heaven's court, Huh?

[22:36] And the decision, Not of those on earth, But the decision, Of the judge, Of all the earth, Who always, Does what is right, Huh?

[22:50] What could possibly, Be right about, What we've seen, As Jesus made his way, Through, This system, What was going on, In the heart, And the mind, Of the sovereign God, That he would allow, Such a travesty, Of justice, In the condemnation, Of Jesus, But you've got to understand it, From, The father's court, There was more, At play, In these scenes, Than meets, The naked eye, And it's only, From that perspective, That we're able, To make sense, Of what's happening, In the lower courts, That we're meeting, And convening, On earth, Huh?

[23:34] Isn't that the way, That it often is? You ever had, Circumstances in your life, That you really, Couldn't put together, Wasn't supposed, To work that way, Wasn't supposed, To fall out that way, Weren't supposed, To get fired, From your job, Huh?

[23:52] Weren't supposed, To have suffered, That divorce, Or dismissal, From employment, Huh? We try to put it together, And we can't, Make the ends meet, What about, The divine perspective, That God, Who, Does all things, Well, Yes, And in his, Providence, Actually allows, Some very, Very ugly things, Huh?

[24:20] Only from, From that perspective, That we are able, To understand, This in the text, But also, Things in, Our own, Lives, Huh?

[24:32] Uh, I love, Verse 25, Listen, He, That's Pilate, Released the man, Who had been thrown, Into the prison, For insurrection, And murder, For whom they asked, But, And here it is, He delivered, Jesus, Over, To, Their will, The language there, Is very similar, To what we read, In Acts chapter 2, Verse 23, Which is a part, Of Peter's sermon, On the day of Pentecost, Matter of fact, Turn over in Acts chapter 2, Verse 23, And see if we sort of hear, A bit of the echo, That we see going on, In our Luke passage, Huh?

[25:16] Peter, Energized by, Resurrection, And ascension, And the descent, Of the Holy Spirit, Speaks boldly, On the day of Pentecost, Proclaiming, Jesus, And his resurrection, This Jesus, There it is, Delivered up, Not, By Pilate, Ultimately, But according to the definite plan, And the foreknowledge of God, It did not escape, God, But as a matter of fact, In God's own providence, God was ultimately, Now this is not, Relieve in any way, Pilate, Or Herod, Or Jewish leaders, Of their moral responsibility, To do what's right, But it shows you, Ultimately, The sovereign of God, In the matter, The definite plan, And foreknowledge of God, You,

[26:16] In other words, That God is even foreordained, You crucified, And killed, By the hands of lawless men, And look at all the people, Who are in the picture, Ah, The Jewish people are there, The leaders are there, The Romans are there, To include Roman leaders, But ultimately, God, Is, There, What was going on, On earth, Was one thing, What was in the process, Of being transacted, In heaven's courts, Was another thing, What was taking place, And who was really, In charge, Huh, What was really happening, The Lord was using, The flawed processes, And the flawed judgment, Of men, As a means, For accomplishing, His eternal purposes, Huh, Underneath, The injustice of man, There was the justice, Of God, The one who was sentenced,

[27:18] Was the innocent, Lamb of God, The Lamb of God, Who takes away, The sin of the world, John chapter 1, Verse 29, The Lamb of God, Who was slain, From the foundation, Of the world, Romans, I mean, Revelation chapter 5, And verse 6, Guilty, Vile, And helpless, We, Spotless Lamb of God, Was He, Full atonement, Can it be?

[27:46] Hallelujah, Hallelujah, What a savior, Huh, The sentence, The sentence, Of guilty, Was rendered, By God, And was carried out, By men, Because the one, Who was being sentenced, Was being sentenced, In the place of guilty, People like you and me, Courts of, On earth, One thing, The courts, The court, Of heaven, Another, The God, Of heaven, Was indeed, On the threshold, And he was about, To execute, Justice, In and through, The death, Of his son, Huh, And unwittingly, Those, In positions of power, On earth, Were instruments, If you will, In the sovereign, Hand of God, They felt, They were in control, They appeared, To be power brokers, But unbeknownst, To them, The God of heaven, The judge, Of all the earth, Was about, To hijack, Their ill-conceived,

[28:46] Plans, To pull off, The cool of the ages, God was at work, In and through, What was going on, And ironically, Their misguided, Sentence of death, Was in fact, The sentence of God, For Christ, Also suffered, Once for sins, The righteous, For the unrighteous, That he might, Bring us to God, Hmm?

[29:12] No courtroom drama, In heaven, Huh? Sovereign God, With great intentionality, With an eternal plan, To bring, His lost one's home, Decreed, That one would die, One would be sentenced, On our behalf, That the seed of the woman, Of Adam's race, Would bear the penalty, For the elect, From among Adam's race, Huh?

[29:35] The just for the unjust, No drama, In heaven's courts, In eternal calm, With death, The justice of God, Reigned, Through, The unjust, Actions, Of men, Man's folly, God's wisdom, Huh?

[29:58] For our sake, He became sin, Who knew no sin, That we might be the righteousness, Be made the righteousness, Of God, In him, Huh? You say, Well, Pastor Jay, What's our passage about?

[30:09] The passage today, Is about the triumph, Of God's justice, In the midst, Of the injustice, Of man, And isn't that something, That you can take away, With you today?

[30:21] There's more than life, Than what we see, That God used, Of heaven, Used wicked men, And methods, To accomplish his purposes, He can turn hurt, And pain, And bad judgment, And tragedy, And disappointments, And the scourgings, Of this life, Into triumph, According to his will, Huh?

[30:54] Do you see Jesus, On the basis of his testimony, That we see, In chapter 22, Verse 69, Do you see him, As God's son, Crucified, Buried, Resurrected, And ascended, Huh?

[31:11] If you don't, You really need to, You need to see him, As based on the words, That have come from his mouth, And if you see, And embrace that, And what's underneath that, Huh?

[31:25] That receiving him, As your sin, Bear, The one, Who has borne, The very wrath of God, For you, Huh? Trusting, And believing that, Though you, We who are sinners, Those who believe that, Have life, And that, Abundantly, Huh?

[31:43] Begins on earth, Extends throughout eternity, The lamb of God, Who takes away, The sin of the world, You don't see him, As that way, In that vein, You need to, Don't reject him, Or disregard him, Or disrespect him, Or dismiss him, Rather, Recognize him, As God's son, And don't stop, With mere recognition, Now you find yourself, Worshiping him, Acknowledging him, Believing him, And sharing him, With others, Huh?

[32:24] God has a way, In his wisdom, Huh? The triumph, Of God's justice, In the midst of, The most gross injustice, In human history, Let's pray, Father we love you, Thank you for this text, This day, Opportunity to share it, And be impacted by it, Pray that for all, Under the sound of my voice, Blessed be your holy, And righteous name, Amen.