3/7,14/07 - Midweek Lent - John 18:33-19:1

IT IS HIDDEN IN THE SAVIOR'S PATIENCE
- With his words about the kingdom
- With his words about the truth

At this point Jesus had been awake for about 24 hours straight. He had already instituted the Lord’s Supper in the upper room. He had already prayed strenuously in the Garden. He had already been arrested by Judas and the mob. He had already been condemned at the kangaroo court in the chambers of the high priest. Those things had taken all night. And so now as he was standing in front of Pontius Pilate it was already early the next morning. Early Friday morning - the day of his crucifixion. Things were rapidly coming to fulfillment. Jesus’ suffering was about to escalate to an excruciating level and he was fully aware that this day would not end without him hanging on a cross. But before we stand at the foot of Calvary’s Tree, we need to pause here in front of Pilate for a moment. Tonight, we will take in the scene of Jesus standing in the palace of this Roman governor. We must listen to the words he speaks about his kingdom. We must ponder the mysteries he reveals about the truth. Because with these words of our Lord we will be able to see the glory of the cross - hidden in the Savior’s patience.
Our text tonight is from John 18, starting at verse 33: Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.  But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
What incredible patience Jesus displayed on the morning of his death! You would think he would be exhausted by the time he was shoved in front of Pilate. You would think he would be ready to get things over with. You would think that Jesus’ thoughts would be concentrated on the coming torture - not only of the cross, but of the beating and the flogging and the harassment he would suffer in just a few hours. But instead of looking past Pilate, Jesus reached out to him. Instead of focusing on the approaching pain of the cross, he focused on the reason he would hang there in the first place. He patiently and personally witnessed to Pilate in the middle of the most important day for humankind.
And so as we take in this scene we see Pilate coming back into the palace, walking right up to Jesus, and demanding, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilate was angry. He wanted to get to the bottom of this. He was sick of hearing that this Jesus was the so-called “King of the Jews” but the Jews themselves hated him. He was getting fed up with the whole situation and so he cut right to the chase, “Are you the King of the Jews or not?” The Lord could have ignored him. There really was no reason for him to answer. It wouldn’t make a difference as far as the cross was concerned anyway. But Jesus saw an opportunity to spread the Word. He saw an opening to share the gospel with a heart that needs it. And so Jesus responds, “Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about me?”
Now why did Jesus say that? Instead of answering the question he asks a question himself because Jesus wanted Pilate to think. He wanted Pilate to recall the things he had heard about Christ. He wanted Pilate to remember everything that he knew Jesus had done. Because that’s the gospel after all, isn’t it? What Jesus has done for us. But Pilate would have none of it. He was too preoccupied with the situation at hand to bother with this strange question from this strange man. And so Pilate replies in frustration: All I want to know is what you did to make these people mad. What crime did you commit!
Jesus could have defended himself. That’s what I would do! If I were standing before Pilate and he asked me what I did wrong, I would say: “Nothing! I didn’t do anything wrong, but they arrested me for no reason, physically abused me, and condemned me to death in a mock trial! I demand justice here! Those people better pay for what they did to me!” That’s what I would say. So I guess it’s a good thing that it was Jesus there in front of Pilate and not me. Because Jesus didn’t care about himself. At that moment he cared about Pilate. And so he steered the conversation back to where it should be: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” The love in those words is amazing to me! The patience the Lord had with Pilate! Gently explaining to him the origins of his kingdom and the implications of it. But again, Pilate was too preoccupied to catch it. He was in the middle of an interrogation. He wanted to get this guy off of his hands as soon as possible and he thought Jesus had just admitted something significant, “You are a King, then!” he said. “You admit it!”
Oh, Pilate! Oh, Pilate! He was so intent on finding out if Jesus was a King that he missed Jesus’ kingdom. He was too absorbed in his own plans. He was too engrossed in his own problems. He was too preoccupied with something other than what Christ was saying specifically to him. He missed the glory of the cross. Does that sound familiar? Doesn’t that sound like you? Too absorbed in your own plans, too engrossed in your own problems, too preoccupied with something other than what Christ is saying specifically to you. And what is he saying? “Seek first [my] kingdom… and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) And we hear this but we’re so busy, aren’t we? We’ve got other things to do besides reading our Bibles or spending extra time in prayer or going out of our way to help somebody. The Lord must understand if I can’t always put him first every single day. Oh, the Lord understands, all right. He understands that we are too preoccupied with something other than what he is specifically saying to us.
But our Savior is patient, and so he tells us something else, “The Lord will rescue [you] from every evil attack and bring [you] safely into his heavenly kingdom.” (2 Timothy 4:18) And we hear this too, but sometimes things get so crazy in this life, don’t they? We’ve got problems, we’ve got troubles, we’ve got stress and the Lord’s guidance and providence and promises to bring us safely into his heavenly kingdom all too often become afterthoughts. Because we are creatures who get caught up in the moment, who are influenced by what is happening today. And so we become preoccupied with something other than what Christ has been saying to us for years. I think we are far more like Pilate than what we’ve ever imagined. Although we hear Jesus’ words, we let other things in our lives blind us to what he is actually saying. We admittedly and ashamedly miss the glory of the cross all too often.
But the Lord is patient with us, just like he was patient with Pilate. And so he said to him and to us, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Jesus did not want to leave Pilate stuck in his one-track mind. He wanted to snap Pilate out of it. He wanted to share with him the gospel - the truth! And that’s exactly what he wants to share with us. Jesus doesn’t want us to be stuck in our one-track sinful minds. He wants us to hear the truth of the gospel because everyone on the side of truth listens to him. So forget your plans! Forget your problems! Forget your wants and stress and look at what the Lord is doing for you as he stands in the governor’s court! He is on trial for you! He is hated for you! He is patiently spreading the gospel, he is patiently seeking the lost, he is patiently enduring the shouts of “Crucify! Crucify!” for you. That is the truth. Jesus is the truth. He is the only one that stands firm in this life, he is the only one that is without error, he is the only one that can give you forgiveness. And that is what he is in the middle of doing as he stands there in front of Pilate. Patiently, ever so patiently seeking the lost one soul at a time.
It’s unfortunate that Pilate never came to understand that. He left Jesus with these words, “What is truth?” and went back out to the crowd. That seems to be the last time he ever spoke with the Savior. Oh, Pilate! Oh, Pilate! The truth was right in front of him! He was so preoccupied with himself that although he may have actually seen Jesus on the cross - he sure didn’t see its hidden glory. He didn’t see the glory in the cross because he failed to see it right in front of him just hours before - hidden in the Savior’s patience. I know that will not happen to you. I know that you are a Christian. One who appreciates the patience the Lord has shown. One who realizes the sinful mess you have gotten yourself into. And one who rejoices in the gift of forgiveness offered to you by those nails and those thorns, by that cross and that blood. And here, at the end of our text, the blood begins. “Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.” What a sad ending to the story of Pilate. But what another wonderful and patient act in the story of our salvation. And as we leave tonight watching our Savior being flogged, seeing the blood flow down his back - the cross is that much closer. It’s hidden glory is that much brighter. And we shall see it soon, my friends. We shall see it soon.
Amen.

“The Lord will rescue [you] from every evil attack and bring [you] safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” - 2 Timothy 4:18