KNOWING GOD – THE GOD OF LOVE
[With Reference to the Events Concerning Jesus’ “Passion,” note how Jesus’ love is amazingly displayed throughout and therefore ‘stand in awe of God, the Most High.’]
Lesson Thirty-three
At Pilate’s Judgment Hall (Tower of Antonio) – Cont’d. – Matthew 27:15-31 (Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:18-25; John 18:38-19:16)
Matthew 27:15-31 – 15Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
21“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered.
22“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
25All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
26Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
V.15-16 – Barabbas – Mark 15:7 – A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.
V.17 – So when the crowd had gathered – Mark 15:8 – The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
V.25 – “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” – Note that they paid the price for this foolish statement when Jerusalem was besieged and subsequently destroyed.
Application: In contrast, let us ask the GOD OF LOVE to “let His blessing be on us and on our children.”
See John’s account: John 18:38-19:16 [V.12 (John 19) – From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
Caesar – This was a title for Roman emperors, of which four are recorded in the Bible, including this one, Tiberius: Luke 3:1 – In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar–when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene–
The others are:
Augustus: Luke 2:1 – In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
Claudius: Acts 11:28 – One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)
Acts 18:2 – There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,
Nero: Philippians 4:22 – All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.
V.14 (John 19) – It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
About the sixth hour – The Matthew Henry’s Commentary states: “Some ancient Greek and Latin manuscripts read it about the third hour, which agrees with Mark xv. 25.”
Mark 15:25 – It was the third hour when they crucified him.
Note that the “third hour” was the beginning of the ordeal of the cross, which lasted for six hours, ending at the “ninth hour” as the following passages show:
Mark 15:33 – At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Luke 23:44-46 – 44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.]
General Application: Let us continue to ask the GOD OF LOVE to help us to heed Hebrews 12:3 (AMP) – Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.
(MSG) – When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!