March 24, 2025 • 30 mins
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Um, so I am Ken Jensen and I was once pastor
here and, uh, it's my chance toshare with you this morning.
I'm really excited about itbecause, um, we're actually
going to be looking at the verylast, within the last 24 hours
of Jesus life on this earth, andthere's probably I think it's
pretty safe to say that there isno more compelling figure in
(00:22):
human history or no one that hasimpacted, lies or changed the
course of human history morethan Jesus.
And yet, when you look at hislife, it's actually pretty
unremarkable in terms of normalliving.
He was born to a peasant familyin a very small town in the
vast Roman empire.
He spent most of his lifeactually in obscurity.
(00:45):
His public ministry only lastedabout three years.
He could probably best bedescribed in his time as just an
itinerant rabbi.
He never wrote a book, he nevercommanded an army, he never
held government office or anykind of public authority.
He really didn't do anythingthat usually accompanies what we
(01:08):
would consider to be humangreatness.
Nt Wright, author andtheologian, writes this what we
know about him is so unlike whatwe know about anybody else that
we are forced to ask, as peopleevidently did at the time who
then is this who does he thinkhe is and who is he in fact?
(01:32):
So for the past three yearsactually almost three and a half
years we have been goingthrough a study of his life and
ministry through the eyes of oneof his followers named Matthew.
It's called the gospel ofMatthew and he was an eyewitness
to all of this.
And we did this because we wantto examine who was he, what did
(01:54):
he teach and, most importantly,how can we better follow him as
his disciples?
And today's passage, everythingis kind of coming to a climax.
It's kind of like breaking thesound barrier.
You know, as a jet plane getsfaster and faster and faster, it
pushes up against that walluntil there's this sonic boom
that everything gets socompressed and then, boom, it
(02:16):
all opens up.
And that's kind of the wayMatthew's gospel reads.
The first couple of chaptersare a little bit about the
events surrounding Jesus' birth,and then there's like 30 years
of silence, and then there'sabout 18 chapters that are
dedicated to his three years ofministry, and then the final
(02:38):
week of his life is recorded byMatthew.
It takes up eight wholechapters just in that last week,
and then the last two chaptersare just the last 24 hours of
his life.
So things are just compressingand getting to the point where
it's about to explode and it allcomes to a head when he comes
into this encounter in his trialbefore Pilate.
(03:00):
And I think this is a perfectexample of what happens when
each one of us come into anencounter with Jesus, a genuine
encounter with Jesus, when we'reface to face with him and have
to figure out what am I going todo with this man Jesus?
And that's kind of what happensto Pilate.
He is confronted with this manJesus, and here's what he finds
(03:22):
and what all of us will find.
When you come into a genuineencounter with Jesus, one of the
things you're going to find ishe's going to challenge the
authority of your life.
The very first question thatPilate asks him it's in verse 11
, jesus stood before thegovernor and the governor asked
him are you king of the Jews?
Now, that is a very, veryimportant question and you got
to have a little bit of history.
(03:43):
So bear with me, because whathas happened here?
For about the last 500, five to600 years now, israel has
experienced conquest afterconquest after conquest.
They were conquered by theAssyrians, followed up by the
Babylonians, and then thePersians, and then the Seleucids
and now the Romans.
(04:03):
So for the last 500, 600 years,israel has not been, not had
their own king, because whenRome came in, they would set up
their own puppet kings.
Herod was a puppet king.
He wasn't Jewish, he wasn'tRoman, he was just kind of put
in place and his job was kind ofrule over that area.
And then you have Pilate, andPilate is a direct report to
(04:27):
Caesar.
He is the authority, the Romanauthority there in Israel, and
so when he asks, are you king ofthe Jews?
That's a question that's goingto impact him, because he's
responsible for all of this.
And one of the big things thatRome was big, the big thing for
Rome, if you were in charge, asin part, of the Roman Empire,
(04:49):
your big deal, your one job,really came down to keeping the
peace.
They called it the Pax Romana.
And when it's all about youdon't allow any rioting, you
don't allow any uprising, youjust keep things moving smoothly
.
And the problem Pilate had ishe wasn't very good at doing
that.
Pilate.
(05:10):
There's a number of things thatwe know.
Actually, in Luke's gospel,luke chapter 13, tells about a
time when there were Galileanguys coming down from Galilee
coming to do worship and offersacrifice at the temple, and we
don't have all the details, butjust referenced by Luke in Luke,
chapter 13.
But there was a massacre thathappened under Pilate's rule and
(05:34):
the blood of those worshipersgot mixed in with the
sacrificial blood and that wasjust like a big, huge no-no.
And see see, what happened isthat there's roman rule, but the
romans had their own king,puppet king, and then they had
what pastor larry talked aboutthis last week, the sanhedrin,
(05:54):
and they were kind of like thejewish court and it was mostly
over religious things.
And so you've got the jewishcourt and they've had their
first trial.
Now they brought him to Pilateand so at the first trial it was
all about, and the accusationwas about, blasphemy, that he
claimed to be the son of God,claimed to be the Messiah.
(06:15):
But when they bring him toPilate, that's not the charge
that they bring.
The charge that they bring isking, and the reason that's a
big deal is because that's apossible threat to Rome and
Pilate is a direct report toCaesar.
So if he messes this up hecould be in big trouble, and
he's already messed up the onetime with the slaughter that
(06:37):
happened at the temple of theGalileans.
But there's other things thathe's done the Jewish historian
Josephus tells us about therewas an occasion where, when Rome
came in, they came into thecity.
They came in, you know, in alegion like this, and when they
came in, they also carried thesebanners, these standards.
They were called, and at thetop of the standard was this
(06:59):
Roman eagle.
But when Pilate brought hisarmy in and established them,
they're actually in the templearea, these standards with the
Roman eagle.
Well, that's a graven image.
Again, another big, big no-nobefore the Sanhedrin.
So that's two strikes on him.
And then he had this great ideaWell, they needed an aqueduct,
(07:20):
and that wasn't a bad idea atall.
In fact, it was a good idea.
The problem was he robbed thetemple treasury to pay for the
aqueduct.
So he's got like three strikesagainst him already.
When it comes to his keeping thepeace, things have already
gotten a little bit shaky.
On top of all of this, hisgreat benefactor was a guy named
(07:40):
Lucius Sejanus.
Lucius Sejanus, he was the guythat got Pilate the position
there as governor in Israel.
But Lucas Sejanus has had hisown trouble.
He's been arrested around thistime because he was being
accused of plotting an overthrowof Caesar.
So Pilate's on really, reallyshaky ground.
(08:02):
He seems to be one that has allkinds of authority and all
kinds of power, but hisauthority is just on really,
really shaky ground.
He seems to be one that has allkinds of authority and all
kinds of power, but hisauthority is just on really,
really shaky ground.
So when he asked him are youking of the Jews?
And Jesus replies you have saidso.
That is a threat Because yousee, if he comes in and forces
to become king, then that'sgonna cause all kinds of rioting
(08:25):
, that's going to kind of causeall kinds of insurrection and
all kinds of trouble for Pilateand that's going to disturb the
Pax Romana, and if there's noPax Romana, there's no more
Pilate governor.
So he's like in really shakyright now.
He thinks he's got all thisauthority, but it's becoming
clear he has very littleauthority after all.
Kind of like you and me, youknow, we've got our own little
(08:49):
kingdoms, we have our own littleway about how we want
everything to turn out, andwe've got our authority and our
power structure in our own lives.
And that, by the way, starts ata very, very early age, around
two years old, when a childlearns the word mine, mine, what
is mine?
Mine is, I'm starting toestablish my own little kingdom.
(09:11):
And then they get disciplinedand they say something like well
, you're not the boss of me.
What are they saying?
You're invading my kingdom?
And then he's riding in thebackseat with his sister in the
car on family vacation and theystart fighting in the back seat
and they're fighting over.
He's on my side, she's on myside.
What are they doing?
They're claiming out theirlittle kingdoms and dad reaches
(09:36):
back, grabs the leg of one ofthem and squeezes really, really
, really tight.
Do you know why?
Because the car is dad'skingdom and you don't want to
disturb the Pax Pertanita.
Daddy's peace is more importantthan all.
See, we all have our own littlekingdoms.
(09:57):
You have yours, I have mine.
I have my own kingdom of Ken,and in the kingdom of Ken
everything is supposed to gosmoothly for Ken.
Everybody's supposed to dothings the way Ken wants things
done.
The kingdom of Ken is awonderful place If you're Ken.
But you see, my wife has herown kingdom and sometimes there
(10:20):
are kingdoms in conflict.
See, I want in my kingdom andwhat you want in your kingdom is
for everything to go smoothlyfor you In the kingdom of Ken.
You see, when you need to goget a hold of customer service,
you don't need to handle with achatbot, you don't want to deal
with the chatbot and you want totalk to somebody, you want to
go through a phone tree.
(10:41):
That's going to put you off andthen you're going to be on hold
for the next 45 minutes.
In the kingdom of Ken, somebodyanswers the phone, somebody
takes care of your issue.
In fact, in the kingdom of Kenthere should be no issues.
You want to know more about thekingdom of Ken?
You can ask my wife.
She'd be happy to tell you whatthat looks like.
But you've got your kingdom andyou have been staking it out and
(11:04):
you know what happens in thekingdom of Ken, the kingdom of
whatever your name happens to be.
It's an illusion.
You think you have theauthority and the power, but you
really don't.
There is so much of your lifethat you have no control over,
(11:27):
and when there are kingdoms inconflict, it leads to
frustration and disappointmentand sometimes bitterness and
resentment.
And when there's conflict weare at odds with each other and
that causes discord and jealousyand selfish ambition and envy
and all of that other stuff.
That is all because kingdomsare in conflict and I would dare
(11:48):
say that the widening divine inour culture and in our world is
all about people staking outtheir own little kingdoms.
And when you come face to facewith Jesus in a genuine, honest
encounter, he's going tochallenge that, because what you
think is your kingdom and yourauthority really isn't.
He will threaten and challengeyour authority, but he will not
(12:15):
force himself on you.
His kingdom is not likeeverybody else's kingdom.
In fact, notice this whenPilate continues to ask him
these questions during theinterrogation, when he is
accused by the chief priests andthe elders, he gave no answer.
Then Pilate asked him don't youhear the testimony they're
bringing against you?
(12:35):
But Jesus made no reply, noteven to a single charge, to the
great amazement of the governor.
Why is he amazed?
Because Jesus isn't fightingfor his kingdom, because his
kingdom is not like that, infact most of his ministry.
When things would happen or hewould heal somebody, he would
(12:56):
say to them tell no one, hewasn't pushing his kingdom.
But now he is faced with thisand if there was any a chance to
be able to say wait a minute.
I think there's been a bigmisunderstanding here.
No, no, no, I didn't mean thatPeople took that the wrong way.
This would be the time toclarify it.
But it's not.
He is definitely saying I amking of the Jews, but it's not a
(13:19):
kingdom like you think.
In fact, we have seen throughoutthis series through Matthew
that there are a number ofparables that Jesus told kingdom
.
Parables where he said thekingdom of God is like, or the
kingdom of God is such, and whatyou find?
As you go back through theseparables, you find out that the
kingdom of God, the kingdom ofheaven, is not about power and
(13:41):
might.
He tells a parable and he saysthe kingdom of heaven is like a
mustard seed that's planted inthe ground.
It's not about power and mightand authority.
It's about something simple,organically, that then grows
into something else.
Or like a little bit of yeastthat is worked into some flour
and it infects the whole batchand it all rises.
(14:02):
That's what the kingdom of Godis like.
It's not about armies andshields and swords, not about
power and might, but it doeshave great value.
He told another story.
He said the kingdom of heavenis like treasure hidden in a
field that a man dug up, or likea merchant looking for fine
pearls, and when he found theone of great value, he went away
(14:24):
and sold everything he had andbought it.
He said the kingdom of God isprecious and dear and great
value.
It's a kingdom aboutforgiveness dear and great value
.
It's a kingdom aboutforgiveness.
He told another parable,another story, about a man who
had racked up such a huge, hugedebt to his master that there
was no way he was going to everbe able to repay it.
And it says the master tookpity on him, canceled the debt
(14:47):
and let him go.
It's a kingdom about humility.
He said whoever takes the lowposition of the child is the
greatest in the kingdom ofheaven.
It's a kingdom about grace.
He told another story, anotherone of his parables, about
workers in a vineyard, and someof them were hired at the very
beginning of the day, right atsunrise, sent out to work in the
field, and then, about threehours later, he went out and
(15:10):
found some more workers to gowork in the field and then,
three hours after that, towardsthe end of the day, he got more
workers and had them go out inthe field and then, at the very
last hour of the day of working,he went out and found even more
workers in the field and hebrought them all together at the
end of the day to pay them off.
And they all got paid the same.
Because the kingdom of heavenis about need what you need, not
(15:33):
what you earn or deserve, andis about need what you need, not
what you earn or deserve.
And they're all up in armsabout it because we worked all
this day and they got the samepay.
He said but that's what thekingdom is like, it's about
grace.
And in God's kingdom everybodyis welcome, everybody is invited
.
Told another parable about a mangiving a great big wedding
(15:55):
feast and it sent out theinvitations.
Then, on the day, all thesepeople didn't show up.
And so he said to the servantsgo out and find more people.
And so they went out and theyjust grabbed people and brought
them in and there was still roomat the banquet.
So he said now go out to thefar reaches and just get whoever
you can and bring them.
I want this to be a party andeverybody's in on it.
(16:16):
That's the kingdom of heaven,that's the kingdom of God and
it's very, very different thanhuman kingdoms.
Dallas Willard writes about itin his book the Scandal of the
Kingdom.
He says All human governmentshad the power of death, but what
(16:53):
they lack is the power of life.
This is what the kingdom of Godhas the power of life.
People think they must live ontheir own, using only their own
resources and natural abilities.
They are out there trying tosurvive, trying to get their way
, trying to secure themselvesand advance themselves.
Tremendous unhappiness comesfrom people struggling to run
(17:14):
their own kingdom, the thingsover which they have control.
Then along comes Jesus with thismessage Good news everyone can
come.
You don't have to live that wayanymore.
You can come and live in thekingdom of God.
Now Jesus simply calls us toput our confidence in him, to
(17:34):
know that he will act on ourbehalf.
And that is what eternal lifeis about God with us.
His kingdom, it's not like anyother kingdom and he's not going
to force.
He will challenge you, but hewill not force himself on you.
But here's the thing you can'tavoid him Because each and every
(17:55):
day he keeps showing up.
Pilate's wife warns him.
She says when Pilate wassitting on the judge's seat, his
wife sent him the message don'thave anything to do with that
innocent man, for I've suffereda great deal today in a dream
because of him.
She says don't get involved,stand back, find a way out of
(18:15):
this.
So he does.
There was actually a custom ofthat time for the governor to
release one of the prisoners.
And so he decides I know whatI'm going to do.
I'm going to get rid of thisJesus, I'm going to find a way
to release him.
So he goes and he finds likethe worst possible incorrigible
guy.
And he brings them both out.
And it says at that time theyhad a well-known prisoner whose
name was Jesus Barabbas.
(18:36):
So when the crowd had gathered,pilate asked him which one do
you want me to release to you,jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is
called the Messiah?
And they call for Barabbas.
That didn't work.
What am I gonna do with thisguy?
And so, as a last resort, hejust says I want going to do
(18:57):
with this guy.
And so, as a last resort, hejust says you know, I want
nothing to do with this.
So he has a bowl of water,brought out.
Verse 24,.
Pilate saw that he was gettingnowhere, but instead an uproar
was starting.
Remember the Pax Romana?
Can't let that happen.
Got to calm things down so hetook water and he washed his
hands in front of the crowd.
I am guilty of this man's blood.
He said that is yourresponsibility.
(19:21):
Of course we know he's notinnocent and I think deep down
he knows that too.
He's really only foolinghimself.
But again, don't we do that.
We're all pretty good atfooling ourselves and we know
things like.
So I know I should forgive, butwhat about them and what they
(19:42):
did to me?
I know I have a few bad habits,but I'm not as bad as those
people.
I know I should be generous,but I really, really want that
iPhone 16.
And so we convince ourselves andmake these compromises.
We try to resist God'sauthority in our lives.
(20:03):
We do it in our relationships,we do it in our finances, maybe
in our work and career.
We do it with our motives andour attitudes.
I want to trust and surrender,but the kingdom of Ken likes the
(20:25):
kingdom of Ken and I know Ishould do these things or I
should give these things to him.
I know I should surrender, butthe kingdom of Ken keeps
fighting against it, and sobecause it's going to be the
death of the kingdom of Ken, andso I kind of I find myself and
you maybe find yourself doingthis too I say, okay, lord, I
surrender, I'm going to trustyou with this, and then I take
(20:50):
it back.
And then, okay, lord, Isurrender, I'm going to trust
you with this, but I want totake it back and I do that with
different aspects of my life.
Keep knowing and keepunderstanding.
It is better for me to live inGod's kingdom than the kingdom
of Ken.
It's really a better kingdom.
So I give up, I surrender, Itrust and I take it back.
(21:17):
It's kind of like the kingdom ofKen will not die.
I don't know anybody seen themovie the Princess Bride.
It's kind of old one now.
But there's a scene where thehero it's actually a comedy, but
the hero, wesley, has beentortured and he's like on
death's door.
In fact, for all they know he'sdead.
So his buddies grab him, theybring him to a guy called
(21:40):
Miracle Max and they place himdown on the table there and
Miracle Max takes a look and hegoes.
Well, I've seen Weiss Worsehe's dead, he goes.
No, he's only mostly dead.
And so Miracle Max comes upwith this pill that revives him
back up.
It's kind of like the kingdomof Ken.
It's only mostly dead.
(22:01):
It will not die, and yet itneeds to Because, really, the
only response when these twokingdoms come in conflict the
kingdom of Ken and the kingdomof God one of them has to die.
The kingdom of Ken needs tosurrender.
(22:21):
But here's the great newsSurrender sounds so weak but so
necessary, because if yousurrender, what you'll find is
you get set free.
It's ironic that the lastquestion that Pilate asked is
what shall I do then with thisJesus who is called the Messiah?
(22:44):
And that is a question thatevery one of us has to answer
for ourselves.
The crowd's answer is crucifyhim.
People answered his blood is onus and on our children, and I
think the point that Matthew istrying to get here when he
includes that phrase in there ishe's saying we're all guilty.
Pilate washes his hands, buthe's guilty.
(23:07):
The crowd says we'll take it on, we're guilty, we'll put it on
our kids.
Pilate's guilty, crowd's guilty, their kids are going to be
guilty, and you and I are allguilty.
We are guilty of our own littlekingdoms that need to surrender
.
So it says.
He released Barabbas to themand had Jesus flogged and handed
(23:28):
over to be crucified so aninnocent man is condemned, so
that a condemned man can live.
And that's the gospel, that'sthe good news that an innocent
man was condemned so that youand I and all who should be
(23:52):
condemned go free.
Prophet Isaiah, 700 yearsearlier, wrote these words.
He was pierced for ourtransgressions.
He was crushed for ouriniquities.
The punishment that brought uspeace is on him.
(24:15):
By his wounds we are healed.
There is a freedom that comeswhen I let go of the kingdom of
Ken and I embrace the kingdom ofGod.
Jesus put it this way in John10, 10, I have come that they
may have life and have it to thefull.
(24:36):
It is the very best lifepossible.
It's not a life that's freefrom pain or difficulty or
struggle, but the freedom frommy guilt and shame gives me a
freedom to live a brand new way.
And what changes is this?
That now, in the kingdom of Ken, I had to depend on my money
and my resources and my savingsto have a sense of security.
(24:59):
But now it's not on thatanymore.
In the kingdom of God, I nolonger have to depend on my
money for my security.
I don't need the approval ofother people to have a sense of
worth because he gives me thatworth.
And when I want to take revenge, I can now choose to forgive in
his strength and his power.
(25:20):
And when I admit my weaknesses,I find a new source of strength
.
And when circumstancesoverwhelm me, there's still hope
.
And when I want to fight for myrights, I can surrender.
Because here's what happens inthe kingdom of God God brings
(25:40):
good out of evil.
He brings light into thedarkness and out of death he
gives life.
Cs Lewis, who most of his lifewas not a follower of Jesus but
was challenged by some of hisfriends to really investigate,
and he did like we have for thelast three and a half years, and
(26:03):
this is what he wrote, he saidI am trying here to prevent
anyone from saying the reallyfoolish thing that people often
say about him I'm ready toaccept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don't accept hisclaim to be God.
That is the one thing we mustnot say.
A man who was merely a man andsaid the sort of things that
Jesus said could not be a greatmoral teacher.
(26:23):
He would either be a lunatic onthe level of the man who says
he's a poached egg, or else hewould be the devil of hell.
You must make your choice.
Either this man was and is theson of God, or else a madman or
something worse.
So you can shut him up for afool, you can spit at him and
kill him as a demon, or you canfall at his feet and call him
(26:45):
Lord and God.
But let us not come with anypatronizing nonsense about this
being a great human teacher.
He did not leave that open tous.
He did not intend to.
Would you bow your heads withme?
So here's the question.
It comes to you and to me, andit comes to us each and every
(27:09):
day.
What will I do with this Jesus?
And whether you're a Christfollower or not, he's going to
challenge your authority andhe's not going to go away.
He won't force himself on you,but he's just waiting for you to
surrender.
And if you're a Christ follower, it might be a particular area
(27:31):
of your life that you've justkind of been holding back on, or
it might be for the very firsttime.
This morning you're willing tosay I'm tired of trying to run
this all on my own Each andevery day.
I'm tired of trying to run thisall on my own Each and every
day I'm faced in your face withdifficulties and want to insist
(27:53):
on having our own way and exertour own authority.
What we're all doing is tryingto expand our own little
kingdoms, but he says, listen,that only leads to frustration
and disappointment and conflict.
If you surrender, you'll findpeace, comfort, strength,
forgiveness, mercy, love.
(28:15):
Pilate chose to preserve hisown personal power and within a
few years he lost it all.
Same thing is true.
You can preserve and try topreserve your own little kingdom
, but eventually it's going tocome to an end when you can
choose the eternal kingdom ofGod.
(28:37):
Surrender, and you can do that,maybe for the first time this
morning.
So I'd like to just have youmake this your prayer.
Whether you're a long timeChrist follower dealing with one
issue or just taking a firststep, it's simply this God, I
give up, I surrender my littlekingdom building is not enough
(29:02):
and it leaves me frustrated, itleaves me angry, it leaves me
with tension and stress in mylife.
What I need is your forgiveness.
What I need is to surrender andlet go.
I'm going to invite you to takecontrols.
Put my life in your hands, makeme a part of your kingdom.
(29:26):
I pray in Jesus' name Amen.
Come on, stand to your feet,let's worship today.
Um, so I am Ken Jensen and I was once pastor
here and, uh, it's my chance toshare with you this morning.
I'm really excited about itbecause, um, we're actually
going to be looking at the verylast, within the last 24 hours
of Jesus life on this earth, andthere's probably I think it's
pretty safe to say that there isno more compelling figure in
(00:22):
human history or no one that hasimpacted, lies or changed the
course of human history morethan Jesus.
And yet, when you look at hislife, it's actually pretty
unremarkable in terms of normalliving.
He was born to a peasant familyin a very small town in the
vast Roman empire.
He spent most of his lifeactually in obscurity.
(00:45):
His public ministry only lastedabout three years.
He could probably best bedescribed in his time as just an
itinerant rabbi.
He never wrote a book, he nevercommanded an army, he never
held government office or anykind of public authority.
He really didn't do anythingthat usually accompanies what we
(01:08):
would consider to be humangreatness.
Nt Wright, author andtheologian, writes this what we
know about him is so unlike whatwe know about anybody else that
we are forced to ask, as peopleevidently did at the time who
then is this who does he thinkhe is and who is he in fact?
(01:32):
So for the past three yearsactually almost three and a half
years we have been goingthrough a study of his life and
ministry through the eyes of oneof his followers named Matthew.
It's called the gospel ofMatthew and he was an eyewitness
to all of this.
And we did this because we wantto examine who was he, what did
(01:54):
he teach and, most importantly,how can we better follow him as
his disciples?
And today's passage, everythingis kind of coming to a climax.
It's kind of like breaking thesound barrier.
You know, as a jet plane getsfaster and faster and faster, it
pushes up against that walluntil there's this sonic boom
that everything gets socompressed and then, boom, it
(02:16):
all opens up.
And that's kind of the wayMatthew's gospel reads.
The first couple of chaptersare a little bit about the
events surrounding Jesus' birth,and then there's like 30 years
of silence, and then there'sabout 18 chapters that are
dedicated to his three years ofministry, and then the final
(02:38):
week of his life is recorded byMatthew.
It takes up eight wholechapters just in that last week,
and then the last two chaptersare just the last 24 hours of
his life.
So things are just compressingand getting to the point where
it's about to explode and it allcomes to a head when he comes
into this encounter in his trialbefore Pilate.
(03:00):
And I think this is a perfectexample of what happens when
each one of us come into anencounter with Jesus, a genuine
encounter with Jesus, when we'reface to face with him and have
to figure out what am I going todo with this man Jesus?
And that's kind of what happensto Pilate.
He is confronted with this manJesus, and here's what he finds
(03:22):
and what all of us will find.
When you come into a genuineencounter with Jesus, one of the
things you're going to find ishe's going to challenge the
authority of your life.
The very first question thatPilate asks him it's in verse 11
, jesus stood before thegovernor and the governor asked
him are you king of the Jews?
Now, that is a very, veryimportant question and you got
to have a little bit of history.
(03:43):
So bear with me, because whathas happened here?
For about the last 500, five to600 years now, israel has
experienced conquest afterconquest after conquest.
They were conquered by theAssyrians, followed up by the
Babylonians, and then thePersians, and then the Seleucids
and now the Romans.
(04:03):
So for the last 500, 600 years,israel has not been, not had
their own king, because whenRome came in, they would set up
their own puppet kings.
Herod was a puppet king.
He wasn't Jewish, he wasn'tRoman, he was just kind of put
in place and his job was kind ofrule over that area.
And then you have Pilate, andPilate is a direct report to
(04:27):
Caesar.
He is the authority, the Romanauthority there in Israel, and
so when he asks, are you king ofthe Jews?
That's a question that's goingto impact him, because he's
responsible for all of this.
And one of the big things thatRome was big, the big thing for
Rome, if you were in charge, asin part, of the Roman Empire,
(04:49):
your big deal, your one job,really came down to keeping the
peace.
They called it the Pax Romana.
And when it's all about youdon't allow any rioting, you
don't allow any uprising, youjust keep things moving smoothly
.
And the problem Pilate had ishe wasn't very good at doing
that.
Pilate.
(05:10):
There's a number of things thatwe know.
Actually, in Luke's gospel,luke chapter 13, tells about a
time when there were Galileanguys coming down from Galilee
coming to do worship and offersacrifice at the temple, and we
don't have all the details, butjust referenced by Luke in Luke,
chapter 13.
But there was a massacre thathappened under Pilate's rule and
(05:34):
the blood of those worshipersgot mixed in with the
sacrificial blood and that wasjust like a big, huge no-no.
And see see, what happened isthat there's roman rule, but the
romans had their own king,puppet king, and then they had
what pastor larry talked aboutthis last week, the sanhedrin,
(05:54):
and they were kind of like thejewish court and it was mostly
over religious things.
And so you've got the jewishcourt and they've had their
first trial.
Now they brought him to Pilateand so at the first trial it was
all about, and the accusationwas about, blasphemy, that he
claimed to be the son of God,claimed to be the Messiah.
(06:15):
But when they bring him toPilate, that's not the charge
that they bring.
The charge that they bring isking, and the reason that's a
big deal is because that's apossible threat to Rome and
Pilate is a direct report toCaesar.
So if he messes this up hecould be in big trouble, and
he's already messed up the onetime with the slaughter that
(06:37):
happened at the temple of theGalileans.
But there's other things thathe's done the Jewish historian
Josephus tells us about therewas an occasion where, when Rome
came in, they came into thecity.
They came in, you know, in alegion like this, and when they
came in, they also carried thesebanners, these standards.
They were called, and at thetop of the standard was this
(06:59):
Roman eagle.
But when Pilate brought hisarmy in and established them,
they're actually in the templearea, these standards with the
Roman eagle.
Well, that's a graven image.
Again, another big, big no-nobefore the Sanhedrin.
So that's two strikes on him.
And then he had this great ideaWell, they needed an aqueduct,
(07:20):
and that wasn't a bad idea atall.
In fact, it was a good idea.
The problem was he robbed thetemple treasury to pay for the
aqueduct.
So he's got like three strikesagainst him already.
When it comes to his keeping thepeace, things have already
gotten a little bit shaky.
On top of all of this, hisgreat benefactor was a guy named
(07:40):
Lucius Sejanus.
Lucius Sejanus, he was the guythat got Pilate the position
there as governor in Israel.
But Lucas Sejanus has had hisown trouble.
He's been arrested around thistime because he was being
accused of plotting an overthrowof Caesar.
So Pilate's on really, reallyshaky ground.
(08:02):
He seems to be one that has allkinds of authority and all
kinds of power, but hisauthority is just on really,
really shaky ground.
He seems to be one that has allkinds of authority and all
kinds of power, but hisauthority is just on really,
really shaky ground.
So when he asked him are youking of the Jews?
And Jesus replies you have saidso.
That is a threat Because yousee, if he comes in and forces
to become king, then that'sgonna cause all kinds of rioting
(08:25):
, that's going to kind of causeall kinds of insurrection and
all kinds of trouble for Pilateand that's going to disturb the
Pax Romana, and if there's noPax Romana, there's no more
Pilate governor.
So he's like in really shakyright now.
He thinks he's got all thisauthority, but it's becoming
clear he has very littleauthority after all.
Kind of like you and me, youknow, we've got our own little
(08:49):
kingdoms, we have our own littleway about how we want
everything to turn out, andwe've got our authority and our
power structure in our own lives.
And that, by the way, starts ata very, very early age, around
two years old, when a childlearns the word mine, mine, what
is mine?
Mine is, I'm starting toestablish my own little kingdom.
(09:11):
And then they get disciplinedand they say something like well
, you're not the boss of me.
What are they saying?
You're invading my kingdom?
And then he's riding in thebackseat with his sister in the
car on family vacation and theystart fighting in the back seat
and they're fighting over.
He's on my side, she's on myside.
What are they doing?
They're claiming out theirlittle kingdoms and dad reaches
(09:36):
back, grabs the leg of one ofthem and squeezes really, really
, really tight.
Do you know why?
Because the car is dad'skingdom and you don't want to
disturb the Pax Pertanita.
Daddy's peace is more importantthan all.
See, we all have our own littlekingdoms.
(09:57):
You have yours, I have mine.
I have my own kingdom of Ken,and in the kingdom of Ken
everything is supposed to gosmoothly for Ken.
Everybody's supposed to dothings the way Ken wants things
done.
The kingdom of Ken is awonderful place If you're Ken.
But you see, my wife has herown kingdom and sometimes there
(10:20):
are kingdoms in conflict.
See, I want in my kingdom andwhat you want in your kingdom is
for everything to go smoothlyfor you In the kingdom of Ken.
You see, when you need to goget a hold of customer service,
you don't need to handle with achatbot, you don't want to deal
with the chatbot and you want totalk to somebody, you want to
go through a phone tree.
(10:41):
That's going to put you off andthen you're going to be on hold
for the next 45 minutes.
In the kingdom of Ken, somebodyanswers the phone, somebody
takes care of your issue.
In fact, in the kingdom of Kenthere should be no issues.
You want to know more about thekingdom of Ken?
You can ask my wife.
She'd be happy to tell you whatthat looks like.
But you've got your kingdom andyou have been staking it out and
(11:04):
you know what happens in thekingdom of Ken, the kingdom of
whatever your name happens to be.
It's an illusion.
You think you have theauthority and the power, but you
really don't.
There is so much of your lifethat you have no control over,
(11:27):
and when there are kingdoms inconflict, it leads to
frustration and disappointmentand sometimes bitterness and
resentment.
And when there's conflict weare at odds with each other and
that causes discord and jealousyand selfish ambition and envy
and all of that other stuff.
That is all because kingdomsare in conflict and I would dare
(11:48):
say that the widening divine inour culture and in our world is
all about people staking outtheir own little kingdoms.
And when you come face to facewith Jesus in a genuine, honest
encounter, he's going tochallenge that, because what you
think is your kingdom and yourauthority really isn't.
He will threaten and challengeyour authority, but he will not
(12:15):
force himself on you.
His kingdom is not likeeverybody else's kingdom.
In fact, notice this whenPilate continues to ask him
these questions during theinterrogation, when he is
accused by the chief priests andthe elders, he gave no answer.
Then Pilate asked him don't youhear the testimony they're
bringing against you?
(12:35):
But Jesus made no reply, noteven to a single charge, to the
great amazement of the governor.
Why is he amazed?
Because Jesus isn't fightingfor his kingdom, because his
kingdom is not like that, infact most of his ministry.
When things would happen or hewould heal somebody, he would
(12:56):
say to them tell no one, hewasn't pushing his kingdom.
But now he is faced with thisand if there was any a chance to
be able to say wait a minute.
I think there's been a bigmisunderstanding here.
No, no, no, I didn't mean thatPeople took that the wrong way.
This would be the time toclarify it.
But it's not.
He is definitely saying I amking of the Jews, but it's not a
(13:19):
kingdom like you think.
In fact, we have seen throughoutthis series through Matthew
that there are a number ofparables that Jesus told kingdom
.
Parables where he said thekingdom of God is like, or the
kingdom of God is such, and whatyou find?
As you go back through theseparables, you find out that the
kingdom of God, the kingdom ofheaven, is not about power and
(13:41):
might.
He tells a parable and he saysthe kingdom of heaven is like a
mustard seed that's planted inthe ground.
It's not about power and mightand authority.
It's about something simple,organically, that then grows
into something else.
Or like a little bit of yeastthat is worked into some flour
and it infects the whole batchand it all rises.
(14:02):
That's what the kingdom of Godis like.
It's not about armies andshields and swords, not about
power and might, but it doeshave great value.
He told another story.
He said the kingdom of heavenis like treasure hidden in a
field that a man dug up, or likea merchant looking for fine
pearls, and when he found theone of great value, he went away
(14:24):
and sold everything he had andbought it.
He said the kingdom of God isprecious and dear and great
value.
It's a kingdom aboutforgiveness dear and great value
.
It's a kingdom aboutforgiveness.
He told another parable,another story, about a man who
had racked up such a huge, hugedebt to his master that there
was no way he was going to everbe able to repay it.
And it says the master tookpity on him, canceled the debt
(14:47):
and let him go.
It's a kingdom about humility.
He said whoever takes the lowposition of the child is the
greatest in the kingdom ofheaven.
It's a kingdom about grace.
He told another story, anotherone of his parables, about
workers in a vineyard, and someof them were hired at the very
beginning of the day, right atsunrise, sent out to work in the
field, and then, about threehours later, he went out and
(15:10):
found some more workers to gowork in the field and then,
three hours after that, towardsthe end of the day, he got more
workers and had them go out inthe field and then, at the very
last hour of the day of working,he went out and found even more
workers in the field and hebrought them all together at the
end of the day to pay them off.
And they all got paid the same.
Because the kingdom of heavenis about need what you need, not
(15:33):
what you earn or deserve, andis about need what you need, not
what you earn or deserve.
And they're all up in armsabout it because we worked all
this day and they got the samepay.
He said but that's what thekingdom is like, it's about
grace.
And in God's kingdom everybodyis welcome, everybody is invited
.
Told another parable about a mangiving a great big wedding
(15:55):
feast and it sent out theinvitations.
Then, on the day, all thesepeople didn't show up.
And so he said to the servantsgo out and find more people.
And so they went out and theyjust grabbed people and brought
them in and there was still roomat the banquet.
So he said now go out to thefar reaches and just get whoever
you can and bring them.
I want this to be a party andeverybody's in on it.
(16:16):
That's the kingdom of heaven,that's the kingdom of God and
it's very, very different thanhuman kingdoms.
Dallas Willard writes about itin his book the Scandal of the
Kingdom.
He says All human governmentshad the power of death, but what
(16:53):
they lack is the power of life.
This is what the kingdom of Godhas the power of life.
People think they must live ontheir own, using only their own
resources and natural abilities.
They are out there trying tosurvive, trying to get their way
, trying to secure themselvesand advance themselves.
Tremendous unhappiness comesfrom people struggling to run
(17:14):
their own kingdom, the thingsover which they have control.
Then along comes Jesus with thismessage Good news everyone can
come.
You don't have to live that wayanymore.
You can come and live in thekingdom of God.
Now Jesus simply calls us toput our confidence in him, to
(17:34):
know that he will act on ourbehalf.
And that is what eternal lifeis about God with us.
His kingdom, it's not like anyother kingdom and he's not going
to force.
He will challenge you, but hewill not force himself on you.
But here's the thing you can'tavoid him Because each and every
(17:55):
day he keeps showing up.
Pilate's wife warns him.
She says when Pilate wassitting on the judge's seat, his
wife sent him the message don'thave anything to do with that
innocent man, for I've suffereda great deal today in a dream
because of him.
She says don't get involved,stand back, find a way out of
(18:15):
this.
So he does.
There was actually a custom ofthat time for the governor to
release one of the prisoners.
And so he decides I know whatI'm going to do.
I'm going to get rid of thisJesus, I'm going to find a way
to release him.
So he goes and he finds likethe worst possible incorrigible
guy.
And he brings them both out.
And it says at that time theyhad a well-known prisoner whose
name was Jesus Barabbas.
(18:36):
So when the crowd had gathered,pilate asked him which one do
you want me to release to you,jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is
called the Messiah?
And they call for Barabbas.
That didn't work.
What am I gonna do with thisguy?
And so, as a last resort, hejust says I want going to do
(18:57):
with this guy.
And so, as a last resort, hejust says you know, I want
nothing to do with this.
So he has a bowl of water,brought out.
Verse 24,.
Pilate saw that he was gettingnowhere, but instead an uproar
was starting.
Remember the Pax Romana?
Can't let that happen.
Got to calm things down so hetook water and he washed his
hands in front of the crowd.
I am guilty of this man's blood.
He said that is yourresponsibility.
(19:21):
Of course we know he's notinnocent and I think deep down
he knows that too.
He's really only foolinghimself.
But again, don't we do that.
We're all pretty good atfooling ourselves and we know
things like.
So I know I should forgive, butwhat about them and what they
(19:42):
did to me?
I know I have a few bad habits,but I'm not as bad as those
people.
I know I should be generous,but I really, really want that
iPhone 16.
And so we convince ourselves andmake these compromises.
We try to resist God'sauthority in our lives.
(20:03):
We do it in our relationships,we do it in our finances, maybe
in our work and career.
We do it with our motives andour attitudes.
I want to trust and surrender,but the kingdom of Ken likes the
(20:25):
kingdom of Ken and I know Ishould do these things or I
should give these things to him.
I know I should surrender, butthe kingdom of Ken keeps
fighting against it, and sobecause it's going to be the
death of the kingdom of Ken, andso I kind of I find myself and
you maybe find yourself doingthis too I say, okay, lord, I
surrender, I'm going to trustyou with this, and then I take
(20:50):
it back.
And then, okay, lord, Isurrender, I'm going to trust
you with this, but I want totake it back and I do that with
different aspects of my life.
Keep knowing and keepunderstanding.
It is better for me to live inGod's kingdom than the kingdom
of Ken.
It's really a better kingdom.
So I give up, I surrender, Itrust and I take it back.
(21:17):
It's kind of like the kingdom ofKen will not die.
I don't know anybody seen themovie the Princess Bride.
It's kind of old one now.
But there's a scene where thehero it's actually a comedy, but
the hero, wesley, has beentortured and he's like on
death's door.
In fact, for all they know he'sdead.
So his buddies grab him, theybring him to a guy called
(21:40):
Miracle Max and they place himdown on the table there and
Miracle Max takes a look and hegoes.
Well, I've seen Weiss Worsehe's dead, he goes.
No, he's only mostly dead.
And so Miracle Max comes upwith this pill that revives him
back up.
It's kind of like the kingdomof Ken.
It's only mostly dead.
(22:01):
It will not die, and yet itneeds to Because, really, the
only response when these twokingdoms come in conflict the
kingdom of Ken and the kingdomof God one of them has to die.
The kingdom of Ken needs tosurrender.
(22:21):
But here's the great newsSurrender sounds so weak but so
necessary, because if yousurrender, what you'll find is
you get set free.
It's ironic that the lastquestion that Pilate asked is
what shall I do then with thisJesus who is called the Messiah?
(22:44):
And that is a question thatevery one of us has to answer
for ourselves.
The crowd's answer is crucifyhim.
People answered his blood is onus and on our children, and I
think the point that Matthew istrying to get here when he
includes that phrase in there ishe's saying we're all guilty.
Pilate washes his hands, buthe's guilty.
(23:07):
The crowd says we'll take it on, we're guilty, we'll put it on
our kids.
Pilate's guilty, crowd's guilty, their kids are going to be
guilty, and you and I are allguilty.
We are guilty of our own littlekingdoms that need to surrender
.
So it says.
He released Barabbas to themand had Jesus flogged and handed
(23:28):
over to be crucified so aninnocent man is condemned, so
that a condemned man can live.
And that's the gospel, that'sthe good news that an innocent
man was condemned so that youand I and all who should be
(23:52):
condemned go free.
Prophet Isaiah, 700 yearsearlier, wrote these words.
He was pierced for ourtransgressions.
He was crushed for ouriniquities.
The punishment that brought uspeace is on him.
(24:15):
By his wounds we are healed.
There is a freedom that comeswhen I let go of the kingdom of
Ken and I embrace the kingdom ofGod.
Jesus put it this way in John10, 10, I have come that they
may have life and have it to thefull.
(24:36):
It is the very best lifepossible.
It's not a life that's freefrom pain or difficulty or
struggle, but the freedom frommy guilt and shame gives me a
freedom to live a brand new way.
And what changes is this?
That now, in the kingdom of Ken, I had to depend on my money
and my resources and my savingsto have a sense of security.
(24:59):
But now it's not on thatanymore.
In the kingdom of God, I nolonger have to depend on my
money for my security.
I don't need the approval ofother people to have a sense of
worth because he gives me thatworth.
And when I want to take revenge, I can now choose to forgive in
his strength and his power.
(25:20):
And when I admit my weaknesses,I find a new source of strength
.
And when circumstancesoverwhelm me, there's still hope
.
And when I want to fight for myrights, I can surrender.
Because here's what happens inthe kingdom of God God brings
(25:40):
good out of evil.
He brings light into thedarkness and out of death he
gives life.
Cs Lewis, who most of his lifewas not a follower of Jesus but
was challenged by some of hisfriends to really investigate,
and he did like we have for thelast three and a half years, and
(26:03):
this is what he wrote, he saidI am trying here to prevent
anyone from saying the reallyfoolish thing that people often
say about him I'm ready toaccept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don't accept hisclaim to be God.
That is the one thing we mustnot say.
A man who was merely a man andsaid the sort of things that
Jesus said could not be a greatmoral teacher.
(26:23):
He would either be a lunatic onthe level of the man who says
he's a poached egg, or else hewould be the devil of hell.
You must make your choice.
Either this man was and is theson of God, or else a madman or
something worse.
So you can shut him up for afool, you can spit at him and
kill him as a demon, or you canfall at his feet and call him
(26:45):
Lord and God.
But let us not come with anypatronizing nonsense about this
being a great human teacher.
He did not leave that open tous.
He did not intend to.
Would you bow your heads withme?
So here's the question.
It comes to you and to me, andit comes to us each and every
(27:09):
day.
What will I do with this Jesus?
And whether you're a Christfollower or not, he's going to
challenge your authority andhe's not going to go away.
He won't force himself on you,but he's just waiting for you to
surrender.
And if you're a Christ follower, it might be a particular area
(27:31):
of your life that you've justkind of been holding back on, or
it might be for the very firsttime.
This morning you're willing tosay I'm tired of trying to run
this all on my own Each andevery day.
I'm tired of trying to run thisall on my own Each and every
day I'm faced in your face withdifficulties and want to insist
(27:53):
on having our own way and exertour own authority.
What we're all doing is tryingto expand our own little
kingdoms, but he says, listen,that only leads to frustration
and disappointment and conflict.
If you surrender, you'll findpeace, comfort, strength,
forgiveness, mercy, love.
(28:15):
Pilate chose to preserve hisown personal power and within a
few years he lost it all.
Same thing is true.
You can preserve and try topreserve your own little kingdom
, but eventually it's going tocome to an end when you can
choose the eternal kingdom ofGod.
(28:37):
Surrender, and you can do that,maybe for the first time this
morning.
So I'd like to just have youmake this your prayer.
Whether you're a long timeChrist follower dealing with one
issue or just taking a firststep, it's simply this God, I
give up, I surrender my littlekingdom building is not enough
(29:02):
and it leaves me frustrated, itleaves me angry, it leaves me
with tension and stress in mylife.
What I need is your forgiveness.
What I need is to surrender andlet go.
I'm going to invite you to takecontrols.
Put my life in your hands, makeme a part of your kingdom.
(29:26):
I pray in Jesus' name Amen.
Come on, stand to your feet,let's worship today.
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!