WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.120 Thank you very much indeed, Colin. 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:12.439 Well, I'd like us to turn together to the passage that Colin read for us in Matthew, 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:13.439 chapter 27. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:19.039 We're going to look together at this whole passage, but we can just read again from 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:22.039 verse 11 as we begin. 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:27.120 Now, Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, are you the king of the 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:28.120 Jews? 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:31.320 Jesus said, you have said so. 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:35.719 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:40.880 Then Pilate said to him, do you not hear how many things they testify against you? 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:51.719 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:56.600 Our title today is The Heat of the Moment, and I'm sure that's a phrase that you are 00:00:56.600 --> 00:00:58.600 likely to be familiar with. 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:04.320 It captures the fact that there are certain times in life when the pressure is on, and 00:01:04.320 --> 00:01:12.980 at that moment decisions are made, steps are taken, and momentous things happen. 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:18.120 Sometimes the heat of the moment is when our greatest triumphs come. 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:23.200 So maybe a job interview where you excel and exam where you're able to perform really 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:24.200 well. 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:34.200 You rise to that challenge, maybe in the heat of a penalty shootout, David Marshall saves, 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.960 and wonderful things happen. 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:41.280 Maybe in the heat of the moment you ask out a girl that you really like, and she says, 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:42.280 yes. 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:47.960 Sometimes these moments bring out the very best in us. 00:01:47.960 --> 00:01:53.400 But I think that it's probably the case that more often the heat of the moment is when 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:56.600 our biggest mistakes are made. 00:01:56.600 --> 00:01:58.960 It's when crimes are committed. 00:01:58.960 --> 00:02:06.200 It's when relationships are broken, when arguments flare up, when lasting damage is done. 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.280 So we might lose our temper at work. 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:12.879 We might have that drink that's just one too many. 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:16.879 We might give into that temptation to look at pornography or to get the latest juicy 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:19.759 gossip about someone. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:26.079 And when we face a challenge, we might just give up because we're afraid of failure. 00:02:26.079 --> 00:02:36.039 The heat of the moment can bring out the best in us, but it can also bring out the worst. 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:41.879 The passage that Colin read for us in Matthew 27 is a moment just like that. 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:44.519 The tension is very high. 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:49.719 For the past three years, Jesus has become more and more well known in Jerusalem and in 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:51.000 the surrounding region. 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:56.640 He's gained followers, but others have very much become his enemies. 00:02:56.640 --> 00:03:02.020 And this is the moment when it all comes to a head. 00:03:02.020 --> 00:03:11.000 This is the moment when Jerusalem is going to decide what to do with Jesus. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:21.360 And in the heat of this moment, we hear two things, voices and silence. 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:25.479 And that's our two headings for today. 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:27.120 So first of all, voices. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:29.759 There's a lot of voices in this passage. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:32.719 I want to pick out four of them. 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:34.759 The first is Judas. 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:37.599 Judas was one of the 12 disciples. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:42.919 He'd been with Jesus for these past three years, but it seems to be the case that he 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:48.439 grew increasingly disillusioned with Jesus and his mission. 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:55.280 It's quite likely that Judas had expected Jesus to lead a revolution against the Romans. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:01.719 And the fact that Jesus didn't do this was becoming more and more frustrating for Judas. 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:07.960 And it culminates in the previous chapter, chapter 26, when Judas approaches the Jewish 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:17.079 leader and agrees to betray Jesus into their hands for a fee of 30 pieces of silver. 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:22.920 Judas then led a crowd of men and swords, men who had swords and clubs to where Jesus 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:23.920 was. 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.839 And he agreed that he would identify Jesus by kissing him. 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:34.399 And in doing so, he betrayed Jesus into their hands. 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:40.879 But verses three to five tell us what happened to Judas after that. 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:45.839 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:49.759 back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders saying, I have sinned 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:51.759 by betraying innocent blood. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:53.839 They said, force that to us. 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:55.839 See to it yourself. 00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:00.679 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed and he went and hanged 00:05:00.679 --> 00:05:02.959 himself. 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:09.039 Here Judas' voice is a voice of despair. 00:05:09.039 --> 00:05:12.239 And you read those words and they're tragic. 00:05:12.239 --> 00:05:15.359 Here's a man who took the devil's bait. 00:05:15.359 --> 00:05:19.120 He took action that he thought would fix things once and for all. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:26.959 But here in the aftermath, he is left totally empty and filled with agonizing regret. 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:34.000 And if you look at Judas' life, you can see that he made many mistakes. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.840 He got it wrong in terms of what he expected Jesus to do. 00:05:37.840 --> 00:05:42.680 He got it wrong when he decided to go to the chief priests and agree to 30 pieces of silver. 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:45.079 Even then, Jesus had warned him. 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:49.359 If you look back in chapter 26, you'll see that Jesus says to him, you are the one who 00:05:49.359 --> 00:05:53.680 is going to betray me and it's a terrible idea. 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.279 But Judas did not listen. 00:05:56.279 --> 00:05:59.879 He got it wrong. 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:07.279 But I think that the biggest mistake that Judas made was in terms of where he went with 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.959 his regret. 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:14.959 Because when he realized his mistakes, he went to the chief priests and in desperation 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:18.079 and he said to them, I've made a terrible error of judgment. 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:23.120 But they replied by saying, what is that to us? 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:27.159 See to it yourself. 00:06:27.159 --> 00:06:33.799 And in the heat of that moment, he took his own life. 00:06:33.799 --> 00:06:40.000 And the tragic mistake is that if he had taken his remorse to Jesus, then things could have 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.519 been so different. 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:55.279 In Judas, we see the horrible destructiveness of sin and we hear a voice of desperation. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:58.399 The second voice we hear is Pilate. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:03.279 Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea and in many ways he was an embodiment of the fact 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:07.240 that the Jews were under imperial rule at this time. 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:12.079 So although in the previous chapter, the Jewish leaders had already agreed that Jesus should 00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:18.439 be killed, they weren't actually allowed to carry out that sentence without Pilate's consent. 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:25.079 So Jesus is taken to Pilate and he questions Jesus and he hears the numerous charges that 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:29.079 the chief priests have against him. 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:35.399 Pilate's conclusion is that none of the charges stand up and when the crowd calls for Jesus 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:38.959 to be crucified, Pilate says to them, why? 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:42.879 What evil has he done? 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:49.039 But confronted by a crowd that's calling out for Jesus' death and while at the same time 00:07:49.039 --> 00:07:57.399 knowing that they really had no grounds for doing that to Jesus, he falls under increasing 00:07:57.399 --> 00:07:58.399 pressure. 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:02.919 He then gets a warning from his wife who says, have nothing to do with that righteous man. 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:11.439 And in the heat of that moment, Pilate tries to claim personal innocence. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:14.640 When Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing but rather there was a riot beginning, he 00:08:14.640 --> 00:08:20.000 took water and washed his hands before the clergy and I am innocent of this man's blood, 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.800 see to it yourselves. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:30.500 Pilate like so many other people was trying to claim a position of neutrality in relation 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:33.720 to Jesus and God. 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:40.799 And yet that neutrality is a myth because in supposedly having nothing to do with Jesus, 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:43.279 he effectively condemns him. 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:49.240 He releases Barabbas and he hands Jesus over having scourged him. 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:54.639 So if you have the image of traffic lights in your mind, I think that deep down a big 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:57.879 part of Pilate wanted a red traffic light. 00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:02.519 He wanted to say, stop this, this man's innocent, we're not going to kill him. 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:07.200 But in order to keep the crowd on side, he kind of tries to make out that he was giving 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:12.799 an amber light, that he was sort of neutral, that the decision wasn't really his. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:20.919 But in reality, Pilate sets the traffic lights to green. 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:23.399 He was desperate to avoid a decision about Jesus. 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:29.360 He wanted to hide behind claims of neutrality, but in Pilate we see that that neutrality 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:40.000 just does not exist and we hear the voice of someone desperately trying to escape responsibility. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:42.559 The third voice is the crowd. 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:46.679 In these verses, we read how a crowd gathered before Pilate and they were given the choice 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:53.799 between releasing Jesus or releasing a notorious criminal called Barabbas. 00:09:53.799 --> 00:10:00.599 They chose the criminal and when they were asked by Pilate what they wanted to do with 00:10:00.599 --> 00:10:09.519 Jesus, they repeatedly cried out, let him be crucified, as you can see in verses 22 and 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:12.519 23. 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:18.240 And the contrast here is astonishing because if you think just less than a week ago, Jesus 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:22.279 had entered into Jerusalem and the crowds in the city had been shouting, Hosanna to 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:26.240 the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:31.679 Now, the people of Jerusalem are shouting, crucify him. 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:35.639 And here we have the voice of popular hostility. 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:40.319 The crowd is fired up and together they're united in saying that they want nothing more 00:10:40.319 --> 00:10:42.439 to do with Jesus. 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:44.600 They want him dead. 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:49.840 And in doing that, they are convinced that they're doing the right thing. 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:56.840 That's why they say in verse 25, his blood be on us and upon our children. 00:10:56.840 --> 00:11:00.320 They're not saying that because they're nutters. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:03.960 They're saying that because they're convinced that they're right. 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:11.240 They think that Jesus is a major problem that they need to get rid of and they'll gladly 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:15.639 take responsibility for that upon themselves. 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:19.080 And because it's a crowd, the voice seems very strong. 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:21.039 Everything seems so convincing. 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:27.799 Everybody's saying it and there's a safety and a security in following the crowd. 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:34.000 But the thing I want you to notice is that this isn't really the voice of the crowd 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:36.680 at all. 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:46.719 The crowd's voice is really the chief priest's voice because they have persuaded them to 00:11:46.719 --> 00:11:47.959 say this. 00:11:47.959 --> 00:11:52.079 They're crying, the crowd's crying out for Barabbas to be released, for Jesus to be crucified 00:11:52.079 --> 00:11:56.879 because they've been stirred up and manipulated by a small group in the background. 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:02.399 And the result is that the crowd are shouting without thinking and in doing so they're just 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:04.879 accomplishing someone else's agenda. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:13.039 In the heat of this moment, the crowd is just going along with what the chief priests are 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:14.600 telling them to say. 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:20.360 They're jumping on a bandwagon that sees Jesus as a massive problem. 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:25.639 The crowd's voice is actually the chief priest's voice. 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:30.080 And in all of that we see popular hostility to Jesus. 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:36.840 We see a voice that's being manipulated and that is mindless. 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:40.160 And the fourth voice is the voice of the soldier. 00:12:40.160 --> 00:12:44.520 So after the crowd's called for Jesus to be crucified, Pilate attempts to wash his hands 00:12:44.520 --> 00:12:48.440 of the situation and he hands Jesus over to a group of soldiers. 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.400 They are the ones who now have the king of the Jews in their hands. 00:12:52.400 --> 00:12:57.680 They are the ones who are about to drive nails into the hands and feet of the Son of God. 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:02.599 They are the ones who are about to crucify the Messiah with the whole of heaven watching 00:13:02.599 --> 00:13:06.919 and the whole of history pointing towards this moment. 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:14.000 In the heat of that moment, what do the soldiers do? 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:18.479 They decide to have a laugh. 00:13:18.479 --> 00:13:20.919 So they strip Jesus. 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:23.599 They put a crown of thorns on his head. 00:13:23.599 --> 00:13:24.599 They spit on him. 00:13:24.599 --> 00:13:25.799 They hit him. 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:31.439 They mock him saying, Hail, king of the Jews. 00:13:31.439 --> 00:13:36.559 They think that Jesus is someone to make fun of and to laugh at. 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:42.000 And yet at the same time and in the midst of all that we see great cruelty because these 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:45.279 soldiers are brutal in their treatment. 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:52.120 And yet in the midst of that cruelty is the voice of laughter. 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:56.240 So in the heat of this moment that we've been reading in the first half of Matthew chapter 00:13:56.240 --> 00:14:00.480 27, we hear voices. 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:02.860 We hear the voice of Judas, which is one of desperation. 00:14:02.860 --> 00:14:05.799 We hear the voice of Pilate claiming neutrality. 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:09.639 We hear the voice of the crowd expressing hostility. 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:14.679 And we hear the voice of the soldiers and their hilarity. 00:14:14.679 --> 00:14:20.159 I want to note two things about all of this. 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:25.439 First of all, we are hearing these voices in Matthew 27 as we read it. 00:14:25.439 --> 00:14:31.399 But we also hear exactly the same voices all around us today. 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:39.860 So if people are confronted with the great life and death questions, like what is truth? 00:14:39.860 --> 00:14:42.000 What happens when I die? 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:44.919 What does God require of me? 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:51.759 And we are confronted with questions like that in the heat of that moment, these questions 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:56.839 mean that some people cry out in despair. 00:14:56.839 --> 00:15:02.159 So there's people all around us who are lost and they're confused and they're broken. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:07.120 They look at their own lives and they just have this agonizing sense of regret. 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:13.539 And yet like Judas, they take their sorrow and their regret to the wrong place. 00:15:13.539 --> 00:15:19.719 So people look for comfort in alcohol, in casual relationships, in self-pity, in drugs, 00:15:19.719 --> 00:15:25.719 in gambling, and yet all of these things will just keep on leaving us empty. 00:15:25.719 --> 00:15:30.559 Some people faced by these questions, they try to claim neutrality like Pilate did. 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:35.079 Facing the big questions of life, people want to retreat onto neutral ground where we can 00:15:35.079 --> 00:15:37.759 say, well, I'm not too bad. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:41.639 I know that I'm not perfect, but I'm maybe not that bad. 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:46.279 I'm not going to pass judgment on others and I don't want to pass judgment on myself. 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:49.960 In terms of my relationship with God, with the big questions of life, I'm not going to 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:54.480 say yes, I'm not going to say no, I'm not going to judge. 00:15:54.480 --> 00:16:00.759 And yet the one thing that we absolutely have to recognize is that that kind of neutral 00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:05.319 ground is a myth. 00:16:05.319 --> 00:16:10.919 Before God, neutral ground does not exist. 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:18.879 As Jesus said, whoever is not with me is against me. 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:24.719 Some people respond to the big questions of life by joining a crowd that's hostile. 00:16:24.719 --> 00:16:29.039 So today there's plenty of crowds that you can join that are hostile to Jesus. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:31.519 There's people who deny His existence. 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:36.559 There's people who dismiss His authority, people who reject His morality, and who just 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:39.240 see Jesus as a huge problem. 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:45.039 And yet very often that popular hostility is mindless. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:50.919 All too often the crowd is embracing an opinion that it hasn't really thought about. 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:55.560 I remember hearing an example of this not that long ago in a radio interview that was 00:16:55.560 --> 00:16:57.919 between two atheists. 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:03.399 One was a popular radio presenter who was very openly opposed to Christianity and all 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:04.759 things religious. 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:10.319 The other was a university professor who wasn't a believer but was actually an expert in New 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:13.839 Testament documents and in the early church period. 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:19.720 They were talking about Galatians and the scholar mentioned something about Paul. 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:24.119 And the radio presenter said, oh yeah, that's if Paul wrote Galatians. 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:29.119 As if to say, well, you know, how do we even know that Paul has written Galatians? 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:33.279 And he'd obviously heard that and was buying into this idea that you can't even be sure 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:35.200 that Paul has written this document. 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:42.440 And the scholar who was not a believer said, there is no recognized academic in the world 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:46.720 who denies that Paul wrote Galatians. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:49.039 No academic from that period. 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:54.399 And the presenter looked like a complete fool because he had jumped on a bandwagon that 00:17:54.399 --> 00:17:56.960 he knew nothing about. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:18:01.519 And the result is that you end up with loud voices who have absolutely no idea what they're 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:03.720 talking about. 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:08.279 And if you are in a situation where you're like, actually, I don't want anything to do 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:09.279 with Jesus. 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:10.400 I don't want to follow him. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:11.400 I'm not interested. 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:19.559 You've got to ask yourself, do you really know what you're talking about? 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:28.680 Because if you don't, then surely you are taking a massive gamble. 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:34.640 But perhaps most of all, in the heat of the moment that's generated by life's biggest 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:40.320 questions, people respond by trying to laugh it off. 00:18:40.320 --> 00:18:42.279 So Jesus gets laughed at. 00:18:42.279 --> 00:18:44.200 Christianity becomes the butt of jokes. 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:51.480 And people move on as quickly as possible to the nearest distraction that they can find. 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:57.320 And I want to ask you the question, do you hear these voices around you? 00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:07.240 So at work, at school, among friends or classmates, are these the voices you tend to hear? 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:14.480 And even more importantly, we need to ask ourselves, in the heat of the moment, do you 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:21.039 ever say the same kind of things yourself? 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:30.319 One thing I want to see in these voices is that in these voices, not only do we see all 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:36.000 these different ways in which people turn away from Jesus, we also see, or should I 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:45.960 say, we also hear the voices of the humanity that Jesus has come to save. 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:50.839 That humanity is one that has repeatedly messed up in the heat of the moment. 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:56.079 So from the very beginning, humanity faced a crucial moment to choose between obeying 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:58.000 God or rebelling against Him. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:01.039 And in the heat of that moment, we chose rebellion. 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:06.240 And ever since, humanity has been making mistake after mistake in the heat of the moment. 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:12.039 And yet that is exactly why Jesus has come to save us. 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:17.099 So Jesus has come to save those who are utterly desperate. 00:20:17.099 --> 00:20:24.399 So if that's you, if you feel full of regret, if you look at yourself and feel broken and 00:20:24.399 --> 00:20:31.679 stupid and like you've been an idiot in your life, Jesus can heal you and He will bind 00:20:31.679 --> 00:20:36.480 up every wound and He will love you forever. 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:39.639 Jesus has come to save those who want neutrality. 00:20:39.639 --> 00:20:46.039 So if that's you, if you're longing for that place that will give you safe ground intellectually, 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:52.519 morally and spiritually, Jesus has come to satisfy you so that you can trade neutrality 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:56.639 for eternal security. 00:20:56.639 --> 00:21:03.839 Jesus has come to save those who have been sucked in by popular hostility. 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:11.079 So if that's you, if you've spent your life jumping to the conclusion that Christianity 00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:15.279 is a waste of time, Jesus has come to save you as well. 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:21.720 He's come to show you that the gospel is utterly brilliant news and that the only crowd that 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:26.160 will actually last is the family of God. 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:30.240 And in that crowd, everyone is equal. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:38.319 Every injustice will be put right and everyone is utterly loved and everyone is invited into 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:40.680 it. 00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:47.279 And Jesus has even come to save those who laugh at Him. 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:50.880 And maybe that's you. 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:56.640 Maybe there's been many times where the laughter of your mates was more important to you than 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.720 your relationship with God. 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:04.759 Maybe there's times when you've dismissed Jesus as a joke or you've just looked for 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:07.400 the next distraction to take your mind off Him. 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:13.680 If that's you, Jesus has come to save you. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:23.640 He has come to make you so safe that when the big questions of life press upon you, in 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:35.640 the heat of that moment, you will be so safe you will never need to distract yourself again. 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:40.200 I think that in the heat of the moments that life can bring, I look at myself and I think 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:43.759 I've been all of these voices at different times. 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:46.520 And I'm sure that you have too. 00:22:46.520 --> 00:22:49.520 These are the voices of the humanity that we're all part of. 00:22:49.520 --> 00:22:56.720 Yet the incredible truth of the gospel is that this is the very humanity that Jesus 00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:01.280 has come to save. 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:11.039 And that brings us to the second thing that we hear in this passage, silence. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:20.039 The many voices that we hear in this passage stand in huge contrast to the silence of Jesus. 00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:22.599 Jesus stood before the governor, the governor asked him, are you the king of the Jews? 00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:24.200 He said, you've said so. 00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:28.599 But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:31.799 And Pilate said to him, do you not hear how many things they testify against you? 00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:41.959 But he gave no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 00:23:41.959 --> 00:23:44.639 Often in life, silence can be very difficult. 00:23:44.639 --> 00:23:49.039 I want you to imagine being one of these disciples watching all of this. 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:55.240 You see all this stuff being said about Jesus and he's just standing there in silence. 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:59.319 You would be thinking, come on Jesus, this is a good moment for those twelve legions of 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:02.480 angels that you were talking about back in the garden. 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:07.559 The men and women who were followers of Jesus at this moment must have felt like such a tiny 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:11.359 and powerless minority in the heat of this moment. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:16.759 And there, Jesus is just silent. 00:24:16.759 --> 00:24:22.759 And in every part of life, when it feels as though God is silent, it is really tough. 00:24:22.759 --> 00:24:29.160 Even Pilate is amazed that Jesus didn't speak. 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:35.879 But what I hope we can see is that Matthew actually chose a brilliant word to describe 00:24:35.879 --> 00:24:42.559 Pilate's reaction because Jesus' silence is amazing. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:48.559 But when I say amazing, I don't mean in the Pontius Pilate sense of being surprised. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:55.879 I mean in the Thomas Davis sense of being utterly awesome and cool and brilliant. 00:24:55.879 --> 00:25:03.319 Because Jesus' silence here is absolutely amazing. 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:07.319 Throughout the passage that we read, there's this overwhelming sense of injustice, isn't 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:08.319 there? 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.240 False charges are made. 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:14.679 The crowd is manipulated and notorious criminal is released instead of Jesus. 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:18.759 And even the Roman governor can see that Jesus has done nothing wrong. 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:24.240 And you know yourselves that injustice is hugely provocative. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:30.000 So when we see injustice around us or when we're on the receiving end of injustice ourselves, 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.920 that injustice is provoking us, powerfully provoking us to respond. 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:39.840 It stares up a huge urge to say something. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:45.959 But previously in the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus was provoked by an injustice, he always 00:25:45.959 --> 00:25:48.159 had an answer. 00:25:48.159 --> 00:25:53.759 So when he was accused of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, by the 00:25:53.759 --> 00:25:59.119 power of the devil in other words, Jesus had an answer to that injustice. 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:03.839 When he was criticized for mixing with sinners in Matthew's house, Jesus had a brilliant 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:06.079 answer to that injustice. 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:12.039 When the disciples tried to prevent children from getting near to Jesus, Jesus had an answer 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:14.199 to that injustice. 00:26:14.199 --> 00:26:20.480 But here, when the injustice seems to be at its greatest, when the provocation is at 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:28.000 its height, Jesus stays silent. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:42.160 And the reason he is silent is because in the heat of this moment, silence is essential. 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:47.319 This silence is crucial to Jesus' mission. 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:51.059 Because at this moment, guilt is being hurled onto Jesus. 00:26:51.059 --> 00:26:53.319 At this moment, he is being condemned. 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:56.160 At this moment, he is taking a sentence. 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:05.519 At this moment, God's wrath is going to be poured out, and Jesus silently takes it all. 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:11.040 And in doing so, he fulfills God's plan of salvation. 00:27:11.040 --> 00:27:17.759 And that's emphasized to us very powerfully by all the details that Matthew gives us. 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:20.800 So there's a crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head. 00:27:20.800 --> 00:27:26.080 That's pointing back to the fact that Jesus is taking upon himself the curse of a fallen 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:27.679 creation. 00:27:27.679 --> 00:27:33.039 In Genesis 3, when Adam sinned, God cursed the ground and thorns came forth. 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:38.839 Here, Jesus is taking that curse of sin upon himself. 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:42.279 Jesus has given robes and a reed. 00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:46.199 The people are mocking him as king, and they are making him suffer. 00:27:46.199 --> 00:27:51.559 And yet that is exactly what God's servant king has come to do. 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:52.960 He's come to suffer. 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:59.400 Pointing back to Isaiah 53, he was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:03.559 Like a lamb that's led to the slaughter, and like a sheep before its shears is silent, 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:08.319 so he opened not his mouth. 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:14.600 And the soldiers take the reed and they strike Jesus on the head, as you can see there. 00:28:14.600 --> 00:28:20.240 And here you can see the devil desperately trying to get rid of Jesus. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:25.960 Way back in Genesis 3.15, God cursed the devil and said, I'll put enmity between you 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:28.759 and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:32.120 He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. 00:28:32.120 --> 00:28:35.680 Her offspring is ultimately pointing us to Jesus. 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:40.839 And Genesis 3.15 is saying that Jesus, the seed of the woman, is going to crush the head 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:41.839 of the serpent. 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:48.480 Here, the devil is trying to do to Jesus the very thing that he knew Jesus would do to 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:50.920 him. 00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:58.640 Jesus is confronting all that the kingdom of evil can throw at him, and he silently takes 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:02.200 it all. 00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:10.480 And his silence is amazing because in that silence he is fulfilling every detail of God's 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:17.120 great plan of salvation. 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:20.719 Three tiny points in conclusion. 00:29:20.719 --> 00:29:28.599 One, here we are seeing that in the heat of the moment, Jesus is never stupid. 00:29:28.599 --> 00:29:34.799 So often I am, so often we are. 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:38.599 That's the moments when our plans are abandoned, when our intentions are forgotten, when our 00:29:38.599 --> 00:29:39.839 mistakes are made. 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:44.559 That never happens with Jesus. 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:47.960 Here we see that God, Father, Son and Spirit is sovereign. 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:49.119 He's immutable. 00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:53.079 He is wise and he's utterly committed to saving us. 00:29:53.079 --> 00:29:58.759 And no matter how much the heat is turned up in this moment, Jesus' silence is telling 00:29:58.759 --> 00:30:02.559 us that he's never going to flinch. 00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:08.240 All the provocation is utterly powerless to shift Jesus from his mission. 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:12.799 To us it would seem like this is the moment when Jesus should just let rip and show all 00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:18.039 these people who he really is, but he stays silent. 00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:24.359 And to us it could look like that silence is showing us Jesus at his weakest, but the 00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:31.680 truth is his silence here is a magnificent display of strength. 00:30:31.680 --> 00:30:35.960 Because it's showing us that he'll never abandon his mission to save you. 00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:42.720 And in that moment when all of our sin is being heaped out onto him, he doesn't say 00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:45.319 a word. 00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:50.720 He just willingly takes it all. 00:30:50.720 --> 00:31:00.680 The second thing is that Jesus' silence here means that we now have something to say. 00:31:00.680 --> 00:31:04.519 So here Jesus is faced with a barrage of accusation. 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:09.360 He could have so easily defended himself, but in the face of that accusation, Jesus 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:13.599 is innocent but silent. 00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:16.519 Innocent but silent. 00:31:16.519 --> 00:31:21.259 For us it's the very opposite. 00:31:21.259 --> 00:31:28.599 If we are accused of doing wrong before God, ultimately we're not innocent, we're guilty. 00:31:28.599 --> 00:31:33.079 In day to day life we're maybe at times the victim of false allegations and that's a horrendous 00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:34.079 experience. 00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:40.039 But in the face of eternity in terms of standing before God, if the devil wants to accuse us, 00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:46.919 none of us can stand at that judgment and say, I have never, ever done anything wrong. 00:31:46.919 --> 00:31:52.759 So when we face judgment, we are the opposite of Jesus, we are guilty. 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:57.799 But in terms of speaking, we are also the opposite of Jesus. 00:31:57.799 --> 00:32:03.159 Because in him, even though we are guilty, we are not silent because we have got something 00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:04.820 that we can say. 00:32:04.820 --> 00:32:10.279 If we trust in Jesus when we are confronted with our guilt before God, we can say something, 00:32:10.279 --> 00:32:15.440 we can say Jesus is my advocate. 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:19.400 And that means that we don't need to desperately try and make amends for the mistakes that we've 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:23.320 made like Judas did because Jesus has done it all. 00:32:23.320 --> 00:32:27.800 We don't need to frantically try and claim neutrality like Pilate because in Jesus we 00:32:27.800 --> 00:32:31.259 will be justified, not condemned. 00:32:31.259 --> 00:32:35.119 It doesn't matter if we're not following the crowd around us because Jesus will bring us 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:39.799 into a multitude of brothers and sisters that are united together in him. 00:32:39.799 --> 00:32:45.160 And we don't ever need to make a laugh out of cruelty again because with Jesus we don't 00:32:45.160 --> 00:32:53.119 need distraction anymore and we have something far, far better to smile about. 00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:58.359 Jesus' silence here means that we have something to say. 00:32:58.359 --> 00:33:00.720 So we see that in the heat of the moment, Jesus is not stupid. 00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:05.400 We see that Jesus' silence here means that we now have something to say if we put our 00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:06.400 trust in him. 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:11.000 The last thing that we learn is this. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:19.600 This is the only moment when Jesus is silent for you. 00:33:19.600 --> 00:33:24.039 So here Jesus is silent and the reason he is silent is for you. 00:33:24.039 --> 00:33:27.200 It's so that you can be saved. 00:33:27.200 --> 00:33:34.200 This is the only moment when Jesus will be silent for you because if you are a Christian 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:37.279 or if you become one, he is not silent. 00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:38.279 No. 00:33:38.279 --> 00:33:39.279 No. 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:41.080 He is interceding for you. 00:33:41.080 --> 00:33:45.840 He's at the right hand of God speaking to God the Father on your behalf. 00:33:45.840 --> 00:33:46.960 No. 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:52.680 He is defending you and he will always speak up in your defense and on the day of judgment 00:33:52.680 --> 00:33:57.960 he will gladly declare loudly that you are his. 00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:03.880 Now he is guiding you and we want to listen to his voice speaking to us through his word 00:34:03.880 --> 00:34:07.000 and now he is delighting in you. 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:08.800 He's preparing a place for you. 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:16.000 He's waiting for you and for Jesus, you are a wonderful person to talk about. 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:24.639 Jesus is not silent for you anymore if you are a Christian. 00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:30.079 But what if you're not yet a Christian? 00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:34.639 Is Jesus silent? 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:38.199 The answer is no. 00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:50.919 He is not silent because he's calling you. 00:34:50.919 --> 00:35:00.480 And all of that means that if we are talking about the heat of the moment, if we're talking 00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:09.039 about the times in life when we are confronted with the stuff that really matters, if we 00:35:09.039 --> 00:35:15.800 are talking about the moments when we make the best or the worst decisions of our lives, 00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:21.880 if you are not yet a Christian, all of that means that the moment that matters most of 00:35:21.880 --> 00:35:29.800 all, it's right now. 00:35:29.800 --> 00:35:38.400 Because right now Jesus is calling you and Jesus is saying, my silence then is so that 00:35:38.400 --> 00:35:42.560 I can save you right now. 00:35:42.560 --> 00:35:48.200 And from this moment onwards, if you do put your trust in Jesus, it will transform every 00:35:48.200 --> 00:35:56.240 other moment of your life, of your death and of your eternity because you will be safe 00:35:56.240 --> 00:35:59.080 in Jesus. 00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:01.880 And all you have to do is pray. 00:36:01.880 --> 00:36:06.319 It's not simple, it's not complicated, it's nothing fancy. 00:36:06.319 --> 00:36:14.679 All you have to do is pray, Lord Jesus, please save me and please help me follow you. 00:36:14.679 --> 00:36:21.679 In the name of God, I say to you, this is the moment. 00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:24.679 Please just go for it. 00:36:24.679 --> 00:36:26.679 Amen. 00:36:26.679 --> 00:36:30.879 Let's pray. 00:36:30.879 --> 00:36:42.799 Dear God, our Father, we thank you so much that you gave your son to be our Savior. 00:36:42.799 --> 00:36:52.000 And like a lamb to be slaughtered, he did not open his mouth and on him was laid all 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:56.079 of our sins and mistakes. 00:36:56.079 --> 00:37:04.599 We thank you so much for the silence of Jesus in that moment. 00:37:04.599 --> 00:37:11.159 And we pray that now we would all hear his voice and we pray that by your spirit you 00:37:11.159 --> 00:37:19.440 would give us a voice as well to cry out to you and to trust in you. 00:37:19.440 --> 00:37:24.360 We thank you, Lord Jesus, for your silence. 00:37:24.360 --> 00:37:28.880 We pray that we would all hear everything that that is saying to us. 00:37:28.880 --> 00:37:55.880 Amen.