THE TRIAL OF JESUS
Matt. 27:24-26
Morning Meditation 9/3/2012
Verse 24-26 says, “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”
The trial of Jesus was bogus from start to finish. Even though it was prophesied, and was the Father’s will, and was necessary in the plan of God, it was not God’s will for those participants. The Jews rejected clear evidence of His Messiahship. His teaching went against their tradition. He exposed their hypocrisy. What happened during this trial reveals how far man will go to defend himself in his wrong. There are four outstanding truths revealed in this trial. First we see,
THE TRUTH OF MAN’S BLINDNESS
Man has eyes but only to see in the natural world. There are the eyes of the soul that sees beyond our dimension into the world of God. When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, he began to grow cataracts on the eyes of his soul. By the time Cain was born man had become so blind that he could not see the seriousness of rejecting God’s way. He lived and died without being right with God. He had no fear of God. A whole world full of people died during the flood in this condition.
I want to mention two causes for this blindness. The first cause is the blindness that passes to man by natural birth: 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Discernment has to do with what we see and understand with the eyes of the spirit or soul. Man is not born in tune with God. He has an old sin nature passed to him by natural birth that leaves him spiritually blind and with the lack of discernment (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:3). This is one of the causes of Man’s blindness to the truth of God.
The second reason for man’s blindness is revealed in 2 Corinthian 4:3-4 which says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Satan is an enemy of God and fights against Him by attacking man whom He loves (John 3:16). It is a mystery why man cannot comprehend the gospel and receive it joyfully (2 Thess. 2:7). I must add however, it is a wilful blindness. If it were not, man would not be responsible. But he is responsible. There is no excuse for man’s rejection of God. Blindness, though it is true, will not stand as an excuse in the courts of heaven. The trial of Jesus does not only speak of the blindness that sin causes, but also,
THE TRUTH OF THE DEPTH OF MAN’S SIN
Man’s sin is not just a minor problem. Man is wicked to the core. Contrary to what some believe man does not have a little spark of good in him. He is totally depraved and alienated from God. All one has to do to see this is to study the four gospels and see what Jesus did and said during His personal ministry. Peter describes the ministry of Christ in brief in Acts 10:38 which says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Yet in spite of the good He did, they rejected Him as one guilty of a capital crime. They said He deserved to die. Pilate could find no cause of death in Him. Herod or Caiaphas found no legitimate cause of death in Him.
If there were no legitimate cause of death in Him, then of what does this trial speak? It speaks of the depth of man’s depravity. God’s diagnosis of man shows that he is wicked to the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Those who do not take the Bible as the verbally inspired Word of God set a verse like this aside. They certainly will not explain it. They would have to change their whole view of man to do it. Man’s condition is not benign, it is malignant. His case is terminal. In fact, he is on death row awaiting execution. If he is saved it will be the result of a gracious pardon. Then there is another truth of which this trial speaks.
IT SPEAKS OF OUR LORD’S SUBJECTION TO HIS FATHER’S WILL
The crucifixion was the Father’s will. Crucifixion came after a trial and guilt had been determined. It was not the Jewish way of capital punishment. Their way was stoning. The Roman’s crucified their victims.
Jesus submitted to the Father’s will in the incarnation. This is described in Philippians 2:5-8 where we are told that “. . . he became obedient unto death . . .” He was not obedient to man but to the Father in heaven. Even though the Father used man’s hands to handle His sinless flesh and nail Him to the cross, it was subjection to the Father that made Him harmless at the trial. He could have called legions of angels to rescue Him. He didn’t. This indicates how far Jesus as God incarnate went in His humanity to subject Himself to His Father.
I believe this is illustrated in His prayer in Gethsemane. Luke 22:42: “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Some believe that Jesus prayed this prayer to be saved from a premature death before the cross. I believe that He prayed this prayer for our benefit like He did the one at the raising of Lazarus (See John 11:41-42). I believe this prayer settles it once-and-for-all that there is no other way a sinner could ever be pardoned for his sins and God remain Holy and Just (Rom. 3:26). Jesus subjected Himself to the Father’s will even subjecting Himself to a phony trial at the whims of wicked men. The trial of Jesus speaks of another truth:
IT SPEAKS OF HIS WILLINGNESS TO SUBSTITUTE HIS LIFE FOR OURS
We call this the substitutionary atonement. This is where one person dies in the place of another allowing the other to go free. There are four things about the substitutionary atonement that I want to mention.
First it is the SILENCE of Jesus at His trial. His silence was prophesied (Isa. 53:7). He fulfilled this prophecy. Matthew 27:13-14 says, “Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.” But He was not just silent to fulfill prophecy. He was silent because He was on trial for my sins not His own. He could not stand in my shoes and say, “No guilty.” His silence was an admission of my guilt and His crucifixion was the payment for my sins. To be my substitute, He had to plead my guilt and this is what His silence did.
Second, the substitutionary atonement is ILLUSTRATED in the release of Barabbas (Matt. 27:26). Barabbas was guilty of committing a capital crime. No one doubted his guilt. There is quite a contrast in Jesus and Barabbas. The one was sinless the other was worthy of death. Jesus the sinless one who did not himself deserve to die, did die, and Barabbas the one who deserved to die, went free. This is what the substitutionary atonement is. Jesus died in our place. Therefore the penalty has been paid and we can never be charged with what He died for. Someone hold my mules! Glory to God and the Lamb forever!
Third, the substitutionary atonement is STATED. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” This verse clearly states the purpose for which Jesus died. It was the Just for the unjust. It was the sinless One dying in the place of the guilty.
Fourth the substitutionary is AVAILABLE for all. 1 John 2:2 says, “And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Salvation and forgiveness is available to all. This is the message of the gospel to the whole world.
The trial of Jesus was necessary in the process of His death and resurrection. We as believers bow before Him acknowledging that it was for our sins that this took place. And then we rejoice that we now are free from any future penalty of sin. Amen and amen. Lets worship Him in holy gratitude.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
