As soon as it was morning, the chief priest held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council.
And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.
This section introduces us to a new character in the plot of Jesus' crucifixion.
And his name is Pontius Pilate.
Pilate was the Roman prefect responsible for governing this particular area of the empire.
History tells us that he served in this particular role for about 10 years.
The question immediately becomes, as we look at the bigger picture here of Mark's gospel, why is Pilate actually necessary?
Why is it that he even comes into the picture as far as the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion?
Pilate is concerned.
And we need to understand that the Roman form of government did indeed allow for quite a bit of flexibility with conquered nations.
They were allowed nations like Israel to live under their own customs and laws to a certain extent.
And then, of course, that was underneath the umbrella of the Roman law.
The Sanhedrin, which consisted of the chief priests and the elders and the scribes or the lawyers, as we're told here in verse number one,
were a legitimate governing body for the Jews, even as the Roman perspective was concerned.
They looked at the Sanhedrin as a legitimate governing body.
But they were limited in the scope of their government.
And one such limitation that they had was the power of execution.
Only Rome, in Roman law, was allowed to actually condemn a person to death.
And so the council needed Pilate's permission to actually put Jesus to death.
Now, they could have carried out the execution, but they needed the okay from the Roman authority,
which in this case was Pontius Pilate at that particular time.
They needed his permission to do it.
Not only that, but in the case of the Jews at this particular time, it being Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
they had laws that said they could not put a person to death during the feast.
So they not only needed Pilate's permission, they actually needed Pilate to carry out the execution of Jesus.
So the purpose in them bringing Jesus to Pilate at dawn early in the morning was so that their plan could actually be finalized and come to fruition.
And what we see happening and unfolding in these verses is that we find the perfect Lamb of God,
as Isaiah said in Isaiah 53, being led to the slaughter.
But it's not just the fact of Jesus' death that I want you to understand this morning.
This trial with Pilate affirms Jesus' innocence, and then it illustrates an important doctrine for us,
and that is the doctrine of substitution.
And not only was Jesus innocent, but Jesus' death was a substitutionary death.
And to help us walk through the narrative, I've got three words for us to look at.
The first is interrogation.
The second is substitution.
The third is condemnation.
And I think that will help us as we work through these verses together.
First off, let's see interrogation.
Interrogation.
Look with me again at verse 2.
Pilate asked him,
Are you the king of the Jews?
And he answered him,
You have said so.
And the chief priest accused him of many things.
And Pilate again asked him,
Have you no answer to make?
See how many charges they bring against you.
But Jesus made no further answer,
so that Pilate was amazed.
Well, for Pilate to agree to crucify Jesus
required a bit of political maneuvering on the part of the chief priest.
Now remember back, if you can remember a couple of weeks,
to Jesus' midnight trial, that kangaroo court we called it,
before the Sanhedrin.
Remember what the charge eventually became.
The charge against Jesus was a charge of blasphemy.
That's what the Sanhedrin was seeking to put Jesus to death for.
But that was something that the Roman authorities,
they wouldn't have really cared anything about.
There was nothing about the breaking of Jewish religious laws
that Rome cared anything about governing over.
So when the Sanhedrin brought Jesus before Pilate,
they were going to have to come up with something else.
And when they presented their case before Pilate,
they accused Jesus not of blasphemy,
but instead they accused him of treason and insurrection,
crimes of which were intolerable to Rome.
Now Luke wrote about this.
In fact, if you'll just flip over a few pages to Luke's gospel
and turn with me please to Luke chapter 23,
Luke actually gives us the specific charges
that the Sanhedrin lays out.
And I want you to see these.
Luke chapter 23, verse one,
then the whole company of them arose
and brought him before Pilate.
And they began to accuse him.
There's a threefold accusation here.
We found this man misleading our nation.
That's number one.
He's trying to become a leader among the people.
Number two, forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar.
In other words, he's trying to amass a following among Israel.
And a part of his teaching is that they shouldn't pay their taxes,
which was something Rome cared about.
And then the third part, saying that he himself is Christ.
Now, they defined Christ the way that they wanted to divine Christ for Pilate's ears.
They said Christ a king.
Now when the Jews thought of Christ as a king,
they had a very different idea than what Rome had
when they considered Christ as a king.
They didn't think of a spiritual leader.
They thought of a political rival to the empire.
In verse four or verse five, if you'll look down again,
Pilate wasn't convinced of what they were saying.
And then they continued on.
They were urgent, saying,
He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea,
from Galilee even to this place.
So what they charge him against with Pilate
to try to get him to be put to death is not blasphemy.
It's treason.
It's insurrection.
He's amassing a following.
He's going to come in.
He's telling them to stop paying their taxes to Caesar.
And he's going to try to create a revolution.
And for that, he must be put to death, Pilate.
Now, this explains why Pilate immediately asked Jesus
in verse two if he was the king of the Jews.
Because they're attempting to deceive Pilate
into thinking that Jesus was trying to set himself up
as a king.
The irony in all of this
is that a powerful political figure overthrowing Rome
was precisely what the Jews were hoping for.
They come to Pilate seeking to destroy Jesus
for being the thing that they wish he was.
If Jesus had actually come with that agenda,
with that kind of political, military agenda,
all of these men that are accusing Jesus
would have actually supported him.
But since his purpose didn't match their expectations,
they pretended to be on the side of Rome
so that they could get rid of him instead.
And that's not unlike the way many people view Jesus today.
People come to Jesus every week in churches
with a particular expectation.
And then when they find that Jesus doesn't line up
with their particular expectation,
they abandon the truth.
When they find out that Jesus's primary interest
is not their personal ambition,
they decide that Jesus isn't actually the Messiah
that I want him to be,
and they crucify him in their minds.
That's what's unfolding here with the Sanhedrin.
Now, Jesus's answer to Pilate
is a bit enigmatic, isn't it?
It's just a strange saying.
The way it comes across in English,
he says, you have said so.
You have said so.
Which comes across in English
as if Jesus is almost trying to skirt the question.
He's trying to avoid being too transparent.
So he answers affirmatively,
but it's with a measure of reservation.
And why do you think he did that?
We have to remember and interpret this
in the larger context of Jesus's life,
where he regularly actually veiled his identity.
And do you remember why he did that?
It wasn't because he was dishonest.
It wasn't because he was afraid.
It was because one cannot rightly understand
Jesus's identity as the Messiah
apart from his purpose as the Messiah.
And in this moment,
even if Pilate thinks he's a messianic figure,
Pilate's mind is not a spiritual savior
that will redeem them from their sins.
His mind is set on Jesus as a political savior
who will overturn the rule of Rome.
So there's, in the sense,
Jesus is saying with this phrase,
I am, but not in the way that you think I am.
So Pilate says, are you the king of the Jews?
Well, yeah, but you're not exactly thinking of that
the way that you should be thinking of that.
And John actually gives us the fuller picture of that.
Actually, why don't you turn there with me
to John chapter 18.
John chapter 18.
John covers more detail than any of the gospel authors
when it comes to Jesus's crucifixion.
And I want you to look with me at verse 33.
John 18, verse 33.
So Pilate entered his headquarters again
and called Jesus and said to him,
are you the king of the Jews?
And look how Jesus answers.
Do you say this of your own accord
or did others say it to you about me?
And Pilate answered, am I a Jew?
Your old nation and chief priests
have delivered you over to me.
What have you done?
And Jesus answered,
my kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world,
my servants would have been fighting
that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.
But my kingdom is not from this world.
Then Pilate said to him,
so you are a king.
And Jesus answered,
you say that I am a king.
And for this purpose,
I was born.
And for this purpose,
I have come into the world
to bear witness to the truth.
And everyone who is of the truth
listens to my voice.
And then notice how Pilate responds.
He says, what is truth?
He was looking at truth,
embodied,
but he didn't see it.
And after he had said this,
he went back outside to the Jews
and told them,
I find no guilt in him.
Now, do you see the fuller picture
that John gives?
You have said so.
What's Jesus saying?
Yeah, I am a king,
but I'm not a king
like you think I'm a king.
I'm not here to be the emperor
of the Roman Empire.
I'm not here to lead a revolution of Jews
to throw you out of Palestine.
My kingdom is not of this world.
And if it was of this world,
that's exactly what we'd be doing.
But if you will look around, Pilate,
you will notice
that none of my followers
are actually doing that
because my kingdom
is not of this world.
Do you see the bigger picture here?
Now, all kinds of people
seem to be on this endless search
for the historical Jesus,
what they call the historical Jesus.
They're intrigued by Jesus as a person,
but they refuse to accept
that he was anything
other than an ordinary man
who suffered a tragic death.
But until you come to terms
with what the Bible says
is true of the purpose of the Messiah,
namely to give his life
to appease God's wrath
against your sin,
until you come to terms
with that fact,
you'll never comprehend
the reality of his identity.
And that's the issue with Pilate.
That's the reason Jesus answers Pilate
in the way that he did.
The Sanhedrin continue to press
their accusations against him.
You see that in verse 3.
The chief priest accused him
of many things.
But just as Jesus had done
in the earlier trial,
he refused to answer
any of the false allegations.
Now, Mark writes that Pilate
was especially taken aback by this.
Look with me there at verse 4.
Pilate again asked him,
Have you no answer to make?
See how many charges
they bring against you.
But Jesus made no further answer
so that Pilate was amazed.
Pilate is accustomed
to people coming into his courts
begging for their life,
begging in defense
against their accusers.
And now he has just
this unique experience
where this man stands before him,
not cowardly,
but with a silent resilience,
a silent resolve.
And Pilate is blown away
by the fact that Jesus stands there
with this composure,
not attempting to defend himself
against what he and Pilate
both know to be false charges.
He quietly stands,
and he answers only the question
of his identity.
But Pilate didn't know it.
But scripture was being fulfilled
before his very eyes.
Remember Isaiah 53, 7.
He was oppressed
and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep before its shearers
is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
So we see interrogation.
Secondly,
we see substitution.
Substitution.
Look with me at verse 6.
Now at the feast,
he used to release for them
one prisoner
for whom they asked.
And among the rebels in prison
who had committed murder
in the insurrection,
there was a man called Barabbas.
And the crowd came up
and began to ask Pilate
to do as he usually did
for them.
Now history tells us
that Pilate was no friend
to the Jews.
According to James Edwards,
he actually despised them
and on at least two other occasions
had so offended them,
intentionally offended them,
that it produced riots
among the people.
Now,
some,
Rome clearly being intolerant
of insurrections,
didn't appreciate the riots
that Pilate has caused.
And Pilate then was walking
on thin ice,
as it were,
in relation to his superiors.
So perhaps that's why
he had developed this custom
to satisfy the Jews.
On the feast day
when the Passover would roll around,
he would offer two options
for the Jews
before the people
and he would release
one of their prisoners
back to him
to show some kind of favor
to the Jews
and perhaps quell
any other offense
that he caused
throughout the year.
And on this particular day,
a crowd of Jews
well aware of Pilate's tradition
came to his headquarters
at the same time
as the Sanhedrin
had come with Jesus.
But they're there
for totally different reasons.
I want you to see this.
the Jewish leaders
are there to have
Jesus condemned.
That's why they brought him.
But the rabble
is not there
because of Jesus.
They're there
to have one of their friends
released from custody.
And unlike is often assumed,
so many times
we come to these passages
and we may,
as preachers,
unfortunately,
we'll refer
to the fickle crowd,
how that,
on one hand,
the crowd
just one week earlier
was crying out,
Hosanna,
glory to God
in the highest
as Jesus as Messiah.
And then a week later,
they've already turned on him
and they're calling
for his crucifixion.
But this isn't
the same group of people.
This isn't the same group
of people
that welcomed Jesus
into Jerusalem.
Those people
that welcomed him in
were devastated
by what happened to Jesus.
They still didn't quite
understand exactly
what he was doing,
but they still expected
him to come
as the Messiah
and deliver them
even if they thought
it was going to be
a physical
and political deliverance.
And they're crushed.
That's why
after Jesus' death
on the morning
of his resurrection,
we see the two
unnamed disciples
walking back
to their homes
on the way
to Emmaus.
Why?
Not because
they cried out
crucify
and then they felt
bad about it,
but because
they were probably
a part of the earlier crowd
crying Hosanna
and they're crushed
by what they have
now experienced.
Their hopes
have now been crushed.
This isn't the same
group of people.
This group of people
that have come
to Pilate's headquarters
on this day
seems to be a group
of Jewish revolutionaries.
We refer to them
as zealots.
Remember one of
Jesus' disciples
was at one time
a zealot
before he was converted
and became a follower
of Christ.
They wanted to take
advantage of Pilate's
custom
to get one
of their men back.
They weren't there
because of Jesus.
they wouldn't have
even had any way
of knowing
that Jesus
was even there
or been aware
of what was unfolding
in regards
to his midnight trial.
But in the providence
of God,
the Sanhedrin
shows up
at the same time
that this
rabble of revolutionaries
show up
and what begins
to unfold
in the ensuing chaos
is this picture
of substitution.
the target
of the crowd
was a man
named Barabbas.
All four Gospels
make it clear
that Barabbas
was an insurrectionist,
he was a murderer,
and he had been arrested
in a recent altercation
with Rome.
The fact
that the crowd
had specifically
come for Barabbas
indicates
that he wasn't
just one of their group,
but he was probably
a main leader
in their group,
in this zealot movement.
Matthew even refers
to him as a,
quote,
notorious prisoner,
informing us
that Barabbas
was well known
among all the people
for his actions
against Rome.
And my point
is that everybody
knew Barabbas
was actually
guilty of crimes
punishable by death,
not only by Roman law,
but also by Jewish law.
Whether you were
Jew or Gentile,
you could look
at Barabbas
and say,
yeah,
he's guilty
according to our law.
He deserves
to die.
And while the chief priests
were there
to condemn Jesus,
the crowd
had actually come
to demand the release
of their guilty comrade.
Now I want you
to look at verse 9.
Pilate answered them
saying,
do you want me
to release for you
the king of the Jews?
For he perceived
that it was out of envy
that the chief priests
had delivered him up.
But the chief priests
stirred up the crowd
to have him release
for them Barabbas
instead.
That last word
is important here.
Instead.
Meaning,
Barabbas was the one
who was on the road
to the cross.
Barabbas.
But instead of Barabbas,
it becomes
Jesus.
An exchange
has taken place.
A substitution
has taken place
here with Barabbas.
So Pilate offers
to release Jesus.
You can see
as you read
through those gospels,
you can see
a great reluctance
on Pilate's part
to actually condemn him.
That's not because
Pilate was a believer
or because Pilate
was a righteous man.
He was neither.
But the Lord
was working on his heart
in such a way
that he knew
there was something
significant to this man.
He could clearly see
through the facade
of the chief priest,
recognizing that Jesus
was a victim
of establishment envy.
But he was also
reluctant to release
Barabbas,
who was a known
enemy of the state.
So Pilate's in quiet.
The conundrum here,
he has a dilemma.
On one hand,
he has a man
he believes to be innocent
and he's reluctant
because his wife
has told him,
I had a dream
about this guy,
you better not mess
with him.
And now he's a little
bit nervous about
that being a superstitious
man.
And he's a little bit
nervous about condemning
Jesus.
And then on the other
hand,
he has a criminal
that he really
wants to see dead
because this criminal's
main objective
is to kill him
instead.
dead.
So he doesn't
want to condemn
Jesus,
but he doesn't
want to release
Barabbas either.
And that creates
a problem.
What's certain
in all of this
is that Pilate
publicly affirmed
Jesus' innocence
and Barabbas'
guilt.
That's the point.
Being unwilling
to be just,
perhaps trying to
avoid another
riot among the people,
he left the decision
in the hands
of the crowd.
We aren't told
exactly how the
chief priest
stirred up the
crowd here.
That's what we're
told in verse 10
happens,
or in verse 11,
that the chief
priest stirred up
the crowd to have
him release Barabbas
instead.
But it probably
wasn't very difficult.
After all,
the crowd had come
for Barabbas,
not Jesus.
There's a good
chance that they
knew of Jesus,
especially if they
were from sort
of the headquarters
of the Zealot
movement in Galilee.
That's where Jesus
did most of his
work and his
ministry and his
teaching.
They probably knew
of him.
Perhaps they had
been impacted on
some level by him.
They might have
enjoyed the miracles
that he did.
They might have
listened to the
teaching that he
gave, but in the
end, Jesus wasn't
the kind of Messiah
that the crowd
wanted.
Barabbas was.
Do you see that?
Jesus comes as the
true Messiah.
The crowd doesn't
want him.
He doesn't meet
their expectations.
On the other
hand, is Barabbas,
the sinful man.
Well, now, Barabbas,
that's the kind of
guy we want leading
us at this point.
That's the kind of
guy we want
calling the shots.
though the stories
of the Lord
entertained them
perhaps.
They weren't
interested in
someone whose
agenda didn't
match their own.
And again, things
haven't changed very
much for people
today.
They're happy to
hear about the
incredible things
that Jesus did.
They're happy to
listen to some of
the stories that he
told, but they're
not interested in a
Messiah who calls
them to abandon
their ambitions, to
repent of their
sin, and to follow
him instead.
That's where the
crowd is.
Not very far off
from where the
Sanhedrin is.
Maybe it's not
very far off from
where you are.
But do you see the
reality of substitution
here in these
verses?
Barabbas was
guilty.
Jesus was
condemned.
He quite literally
became the
substitute for
Barabbas.
And what we find
happening here in
Mark chapter 15 is
Jesus being the
fulfillment of the
Leviticus 16
scapegoat.
Barabbas is the
guilty one.
But in this moment,
the sins of
Barabbas by Pilate
and the Jews and the
crowd are being
transferred over to
the innocent one,
the guiltless one,
Jesus.
And Jesus is the
one who's going to
be condemned.
Jesus is the one
who's going to be
put to death.
Jesus is the one
who's going to
suffer the alienation
and the shame and
the mockery that
Barabbas was actually
deserving of.
And he becomes the
scapegoat in that
moment.
He becomes the
substitute.
And the significance
of this picture here,
listen,
is that we,
you and me,
each one of us,
we are Barabbas.
We're the guilty
ones.
And because of our
sin, we deserve
death.
We deserve alienation
from God.
But Jesus, the
righteous one, the
sinless one, the
guiltless one, has
become our scapegoat.
He is our
substitute.
And again, in
Isaiah 53, 6, we
see it.
All we, like sheep,
have gone astray.
We have turned
everyone to his own
way.
And the Lord,
Yahweh, has laid
on him, laid on
Jesus, the
iniquity of us
all.
We're the ones who
sin.
We're the ones who
are guilty.
But God has laid
our guilt on
Jesus.
He has taken our
place.
And we see it
unfolding in the
narrative here with
Pilate and
Barabbas.
So we see
interrogation.
We see
substitution.
And finally, we see
condemnation.
Look at verse 12.
Pilate again said
to them,
then what shall I
do with the man you
call king of the
Jews?
And they cried out
again, crucify him.
Now that escalated
quickly.
They're not calling
for Jesus to be
imprisoned or just
punished.
the chief priests
have actually stirred
up the crowd to
call for his death
now.
And Pilate said
to them again,
affirming his
innocence, why?
What evil has he
done?
But they shouted
all the more,
crucify him,
crucify him.
So Pilate,
wishing to satisfy
the crowd,
released for them
Barabbas,
and having
scourged Jesus,
he delivered him
to be crucified.
The condemnation of
Jesus didn't
originate with
Pilate.
It originated with
the Jews.
Pilate's reluctance
here, it doesn't
absolve him of guilt.
He's still guilty for
what he did.
But the text
indicates that had
it been left to
Pilate alone,
Jesus probably
wouldn't have been
sentenced to death.
It was Jesus'
own people who
pushed so hard
for his execution.
Reminds us of
John chapter 1.
He was in the
world, the world
was made through
him, yet the
world did not
know him.
He came to
his own, but
his own did
not receive
him.
In Acts chapter
2, on the day
of Pentecost, Peter
preaches and he
says this, men of
Israel, hear these
words, Jesus of
Nazareth, delivered
up according to the
definite plan and
foreknowledge of
God.
You crucified, you
crucified, and killed
by the hands of
lawless men, that
being the Romans.
God's.
Now, was it out of
hatred for Jesus, or
was it love for
Barabbas that the
people cried for
Jesus to be
condemned?
It was both.
The chief priest
condemned him
hatefully.
The crowd condemned
him ignorantly.
But in the end, it
doesn't really
matter, because they
all ultimately
rejected the
Messiah, the
Son of God.
And such is the
case with those who
reject Jesus still.
Some despise the
very message of the
gospel.
They despise Jesus
himself.
Their rejection of
him is because of
their hate for him.
But then there's
others who reject
him ignorantly.
Ignorantly just
because they love
other things more.
They want other
things more than
what they want
Jesus.
But whether you
reject Jesus out
of hate, or whether
you reject him out
of ignorance, you
will face the same
eternal judgment for
your sin.
Whether your
position is outright
hate or general
indifference, the
result is the same.
And it was the same
for the chief priest
and the ignorant
crowd.
It was also the
same for Pilate.
Pilate insists he
could find no fault
in the Lord.
The people didn't
even try to justify
a charge.
He says, what has he
done?
They didn't say, well,
he did this and this
and this.
No, they just said,
crucify him.
We don't care what
he's done or if he's
done anything.
Just crucify him and
give us Barabbas
instead.
Cried for his
crucifixion, punishment
reserved for the most
dangerous and notorious
criminals.
So that Jesus, the
sinless one, was
condemned to suffer as
if he was the worst
kind of human that they
could find.
Which again reminds us
of Isaiah 53, 9.
They made his grave
with the wicked and
with the rich man in
his death.
Although he had done
no violence and there
was no deceit in his
mouth.
Peter writes about this
in 1 Peter 2.
He committed no sin.
Neither was deceit
found in his mouth.
2 Corinthians 5, 21.
Paul addresses this.
For our sake, he made
him to be sin who knew
no sin so that in him
we might become the
righteousness of God.
Again, there's a
transaction, a
substitution.
With Jesus'
condemnation, we are
made free.
With his death, we
receive life.
Barabbas was released.
Jesus was led to the
slaughter.
We sing about this,
don't we?
Bearing shame and
scoffing rude, in my
place condemned he
stood.
Sealed my pardon with
his blood.
Hallelujah.
What a savior.
Sinclair Ferguson said
without knowing him, the
religious leaders and
Pilate and Barabbas were
all part of a tapestry of
grace which God was
weaving for sinners.
That's a great way to put
it.
I don't know if I have
done an adequate job
explaining why all of this
matters or why it should
matter to you and to me.
I did have the privilege this
past Thursday to teach the
lesson for the kids
adventure club.
I don't get to do that
very often.
Usually it's Allah and
Ashley and Kyle that do
that.
This week I got to do it
and the lesson that we
were covering was
titled Sin Brings Death.
And we walked through this
gospel message together with
the kids as we close this
morning.
Maybe these bullet points
would be helpful to show
you why this text matters.
first thing we told the kids
Thursday is that God
created you to live.
God created you to live.
Do you know why we dread
death so much?
You know why we dread the
mystery of it so much?
Why we're so afraid?
Even those of us who are
believers afraid of at least
the process of it taking
place.
Because we weren't created to
die.
We're created to live.
Genesis 2 says that God
formed man out of the dust
of the ground and then he
breathed the breath of life
into Adam's nostrils and man
became a living creature.
God didn't create us to die.
He didn't give Adam an
expiration.
He created us to live.
So death is not meant to be
natural.
And we shouldn't treat it as
such.
Death is destruction.
It's an aberration from God's
intention.
God created us to live.
Sin of which we are all
guilty is what brings death.
Breaking God's law, going
against the purpose that the
creator has given us causes us
to lose the benefit that he
gives in creating us.
And we're all guilty.
We're not only guilty in Adam,
we're guilty like Adam.
Romans 3 tells us that we've all
sinned.
Romans 6 tells us that the wages
of that sin is death.
So God creates us to live, but our
sin is what brings death.
But then here's the awesome thing.
The story of the Bible, the
overarching story of the whole
thing, is about God's
determination to restore and
reconcile us to himself in order
that he might give us life
again.
That's the whole story of the
Bible.
And as you go through the Old
Testament, you see it in regards
to covenant promises that God made
to his people.
You see it in the fulfillment of
those promises despite their
rejection of him over and over
and over.
And finally, you see it in the
person of Jesus Christ, God's
own son, who is himself
life.
John 1 says, in him was life, and
the life was the light of men.
John 14, Jesus himself said, you
know the verse, I am the way, the
truth, and the life.
No man comes back to the father,
which was the place Adam had before
his sin.
No one comes back to the father
unless it's through me.
I'm the one that has life.
So God creates us to live.
Sin brings our death.
And then God relentlessly pursues
us in his perfection and in his
will to restore us back to life.
And he does that through the
person of his son, Jesus Christ,
who when Jesus stands before
Pilate here is condemned in the
place of Barabbas in the same way
that he is condemned in your place
and in my place as well.
And then Jesus says, after paying
our cost for sin on the cross,
after raising from the dead,
proving that he actually has power
of life over death, Jesus says
that whoever repents and trusts and
follows me for eternal life will
receive it.
That the restoration to life that sin
has destroyed is brought only through
Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself says it.
I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, Jesus said,
though he die, yet shall he live.
And everyone who lives and believes in
me shall never die.
That's John 11.
What's he talking about?
Spiritual life.
Of course, we'll all find our physical
expiration.
But what happens beyond that?
For those who follow Christ alone,
they receive eternal life,
reconciliation with God,
forgiveness of sin,
eternal peace,
comfort,
joy.
And no one who doesn't
will receive that same thing.
That's why this text matters.
It proves to us Jesus's innocence as
well as his substitution.
This is at the heart of that tapestry
of grace that Sinclair wrote about.
Jesus willingly laid down his life to
be condemned in our place.
We are Barabbas.
But whoever will believe,
follow him,
will be saved.
There's an old hymn that I love.
I came across it again last Sunday.
Maybe we'll sing it one day.
It's called,
My Faith Has Found a Resting Place.
One of the verses says this,
enough for me that Jesus saves.
This ends my fear and doubt.
A sinful soul,
I come to him.
He'll never cast me out.
I need no other argument.
I need no other plea.
It is enough that Jesus died
and that he died for me.