Pilate’s Choice (John 18:28-38)

Pilate’s Choice
John 18:28-37

INTRODUCTION:
A little boy named Avery Jackson, at the ripe young age of 9 years old, appeared on the cover of the world-renowned magazine National Geographic as a prime of example of “gender transitioning” at its finest. Except when you deny Truth, you end up getting hurt. A group named Restore Childhood caught up with the teenage-Avery eight years later. Just eight years…

By then, he was growing out of a so-called “girl” phase but his mother had already chemically altered his body and sterilized him. Once you have been chemically “castrated,” there is no going back. When he was 7 years old, the boy was clearly a boy. It is interesting that the 7-year old Avery said that he would pretend sometimes that he was an animal, or a ninja, or even a princess, but he did not think that his parents should treat him that way. He was just pretending. But his mom started dressing him in girls clothes. Keep in mind that his mom had help from the medical community - their pediatrician - to do what they did to their little boy.

It was not long before the boy Avery changed his mind. But his mom would not let him. She forced him to stay to the path to transitioning. There is a documentary on Avery Jackson called “Transhood” (on HBO) that is depressing and shameful for the American people and the human race. His mom, Debi, says she is shocked that Avery changed his mind. The activists insist that parents need to listen to their children. But this mom clearly did not.

Avery started taking hormones in order to get out of the “girl” phase. But by then, it was too late. At 17 now, the boy - who still a boy biologically right down to his very cells - has been sterilized and now he claims to be “non-binary.” There is no such thing.

When you deny Truth, there are serious consequences that are going to result. And every word from the mouth of God is truth. That was a choice that Pilate also refused to make… (notthebee.com)

THERE ARE THOSE WHO TRY TO KILL TRUTH - John 18:28-30:
The Jews told Pilate that if Jesus had not bee an “evil doer,” they would not have “delivered” Him to them. It is ironic that the verb translated “to deliver” also is the verb used of Judas to “betray” Jesus. So the Jews are saying, “we would not have betrayed Him to you.”

The Jews were God’s chosen people. They had the Law of Moses to get them ready for the Messiah. They had the covenants. They had the promises. They were God’s people. But they also had to accept the Messiah and respond to His Gospel once He came. And they did not.

Jesus performed a recorded 37 miracles. But the miracles were not enough to overturn the prejudices of the Jewish people. He did not meet their expectation of a Messiah. His teachings did not conform to what they wanted to hear.

So, like so many people today, the Jews thought they could kill Truth. They thought that they could act as if Truth did not exist and they could live their lives in any way they desired. But you cannot kill Truth. Because it flows from the nature of God. You could just as easily kill God as to kill Truth.

Also, we need to embrace the fact that the Word of God - Truth - cannot be broken, twisted, distorted, or ignored. In John 10:35, Jesus states that the Scriptures cannot be broken. The Truth, the Word of God, is like an anvil. An anvil is made from tempered, hardened steel. Then in Luke 20:17-18, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 and He states (ver. 17) that if anyone falls on Him - in other words, if someone simply cannot bring themselves to accept Jesus Christ and His Gospel - then that person will be broken into pieces. And on whomever the stone falls, it will scatter him like dust. You do not want to live contrary to the Truth from Jesus Christ. You cannot kill Truth.

THERE ARE THOSE WHO IGNORE TRUTH - 18:31-37:
Pilate. The was the 5th governor of Judea. We know about him from the Gospel accounts and the works of Josephus. A few other writers like the Jewish philosopher Philo and the Roman historian Tacitus mention him a little. He ruled from about 26 A. D. to 37 A. D. The “Praetorium” was the place where Pilate lived; it was located in Jerusalem. So as much as Pilate was in Jerusalem during the 3 1/2 years of Jesus’ ministry, you know that he heard about Jesus and His three dozen miracles as well as other teachings by Jesus that Pilate would hear about. But Pilate was so immersed in his own false religion, that when he comes face to face with Truth, he tries to ignore it. But ignoring Truth does not change it and it does not make it go away.

Being governor of Judea was not very prestigious. In fact, Pilate is pretty much the only governor of Judea we know anything about and that’s almost largely due to his relationship with Jesus. The Roman empire gave Pilate free-reign to rule Judea as he saw fit. But almost all the episodes about Pilate that we know about refer to his bad relationship with the Jews. There was a lot of friction between him and the Jews with a few riots erupting periodically.

Interestingly, what led to Pilate being relieved from office was not his relationship with the Jews but his relationship to the Samaritans. There was a demonstration of Samaritans on Mount Gerizim and Pilate crushed the demonstration far too strongly. The Samaritans sent a delegation to the emperor to complain about Pilate and Pilate’s immediate supervisor - the legate of Syria, Vitellius - suspended him and sent him to the emperor, Tiberius. Tiberius died before Pilate arrived, but Eusebius, the church historian, tells us that Pilate committed suicide about A. D. 39.

In this conversation we see between Pilate and Jesus, we see that Pilate is trying to ignore Truth. The truth is that Jesus is innocent of wrong doing - Pilate acknowledges that three times, only two are recorded by John (18:38; 19:4, but see 19:12). In verse 31, Pilate knows that the issue between the Jews and Jesus is not a matter of Roman law. He says, “Judge Him according to your law.” But the Jews respond that they can’t put anyone to death. They need a Roman governor to do that.

In this, notice verse 32, they speak Truth - because God said that Jesus would die by hanging, not by stoning (12:32-33).

So Pilate goes back to talk to Jesus (ver. 33) and asks Him plainly, “Are you the King of the Jews?’ The only basis Pilate would have to execute Jesus is if Jesus is guilty of some form of insurrection agains the Roman government. We have already pointed out in several sermons we have given already that Jesus clearly was no threat to the Roman government:

1) He entered Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey.
2) He taught people they had to pay taxes to Caesar.
3) He rebuked His own disciples when they drew swords to fight against Rome.

Jesus asks Pilate, “Are you saying this own your own initiative?” (ver. 34).

Pilate responds: “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people have “delivered” (“betrayed”) You to me.” Then Pilate asks another blunt question, “What have you done?” (ver. 35)

Jesus then states the spiritual nature of His kingdom (ver. 36). If Jesus was an insurrectionist, if He came to establish an earthly kingdom, His disciples would be fighting. they are not fighting, because His kingdom is not of this world.

Pilate asks for clarification in verse 37: “You are a King?” Jesus answered affirmatively, but once again points out that His kingdom is a different kingdom, a spiritual kingdom: “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Do you see that, family? If we are “of the truth,” then we will listen to the Truth. We will listen and conform ourselves to the Truth of Jesus Christ.

Pilate retorts before he leaves Jesus: “What is truth?” (ver. 37) That’s when Pilate admits to the Jews that he finds no guilt in Jesus worthy of death. What is Pilate doing? He is looking at Truth in the face and then he turns his head and shrugs his shoulders. In verse 36, Jesus had told Pilate that if His kingdom was an earthly kingdom, then His servants would fight so that - notice - Jesus would not be “delivered” - the word is “betrayed” - into the hands of the Jews. Jesus is telling Pilate that Pilate is about to betray Truth.

So certainly, there are people who try to ignore truth. They might look truth square in the face, but then turn their head and act like truth does not exist. The problem is that you cannot ignore Truth. And when Pilate eventually does betray Jesus - in Luke’s account (23:25) - the text says that Pilate delivered / betrayed Jesus to the will of the Jews - Pilate did the wrong thing. You cannot ignore truth. You either live according to truth, or you live a lie. A boy with XY chromosomes who is acting like a girl is living a lie.

But you and I do the same thing when we read a Bible verse from the mouth of God and we think to ourselves, “I don’t like that verse. It doesn’t make me feel good about myself. It tells me I have to stop doing what I’m doing.” If we do that, we show that we are not “of the truth,” but we have chosen to be servants of Satan who is the father of lies (John 8:44).

JESUS IS TRUTH - 18:37:
Notice that Jesus said He was born and came into the world to “testify to the truth.” How are humans supposed to behave? Look at Jesus. He is the epitome of a human being. Jesus did exactly what human beings were supposed to be doing since Adam and Eve quit doing what they were built to do and they listened to Satan. Jesus came to show us Truth. He came to live Truth and teach Truth and love Truth.

And we have to follow Him as Truth. Jesus famously said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Just before that, He had said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” Jesus wants us to know that He is the Son of God. That is a truth that corresponds with reality. There is a God - that is a truth that corresponds to reality. There is such a concept as sin. That corresponds to reality. Jesus is our Savior, that is another truth that corresponds with reality. Every single verse in the Bible corresponds to reality. Every single verse is given to us to know what Truth is, what Reality is, so that we can live true lives.

In other words, there are religious truths just as surely as there are historical, scientific, and mathematical truths. But there is only one source of those religious truths: the Bible. The only word of the only God. This discussion would take longer than our time we have this morning. But, here are the basic building blocks of our faith as Christians…

There are truths that are obvious - “I exist.”
If I exist, I came from somewhere - “God exists.”
There is only one document that provides evidence of being from God - “The Bible is inspired.”
The Bible’s record of Jesus of Nazareth is accurate - “Jesus is God & Man.”
Jesus proved Who He was - “Jesus is our Savior & Lord.”
Whatever the Bible teaches true and trustworthy - “I can stake my life on biblical teaching.”

Therefore, “Whoever believes [in Jesus] and is baptized, will be saved” (Mark 16:16) - Jesus.

Take home message: Living a lie is no way to go through life. Keep your focus on the Truth of Jesus and stay dedicated.