The Sanhedrin Sends Christ to Pilate

Verse 1-10

The opening verses of this chapter describe the deliverance of our Lord into the hands of Pontius Pilate the governor. All this was in the providence of God. It was the will of the Father that Gentiles as well as Jews should be concerned with the trial and crucifixion of the Saviour. We can see the hand of God in the final moments and days of Christ. The Passion of Christ is in the providence of God. It was the will of God that both Jews and Gentiles should be concerned in the matter of the crucifixion of Christ. It was also the providence of God that the priests would publicly confess that the “sceptre had departed from Judah” (Genesis 49:10). They were unable to put anyone to death without first going to the Romans. The words of Jacob were fulfilled. The Messiah had indeed come.

There are two main subjects in the opening verses. The first is Christ being sent to the Sanhedrin and the second is the awful way in which Judas Iscariot died. We see at the end of Judas’s life a plain proof that Jesus Christ was indeed innocent of every charge against Him. Judas was not called as a witness before the Jewish council. Judas was in a perfect place to be called as a witness against Christ. Judas walked with Christ and heard his teachings. He witnessed Christ’s miracles and had a good knowledge of Christ. Why then was Judas not called forward? There is a simple answer to this. Judas’s conscience would not let him come forward. Judas could not prove anything against Christ. Deep down Judas knew that Jesus was holy, innocent, and blameless. Let us never forget this. The absence of Judas at the trial of Jesus is one among many proofs that the Lamb of God was without blemish or spot.

We also see in the text that there is such a thing as repentance that is too late. We are told that “Judas repented himself;” we are told he went before the priests and said, “I have sinned.” It is a common saying, “that it is never too late to repent.” The saying is indeed true if there is true repentance. Alas, late repentance is often not genuine. Sometimes these “death-bed confessions” and conversions are just a fleshly fear of the unknown and the fear of death itself. There are of course some genuine conversions to true faith in Christ during a person’s final weeks and days.

However, it is difficult to conclude if they are genuine conversions as there is very little fruit in the final days of earthly life. We know someone is saved by their fruits. Fruits or works are evidence of the conversion. It is possible for a man to feel the weight of his sin and even be under great conviction of guilt, and express deep sorrow and remorse, but not repent from the heart. It is possible for an unconverted soul to be under the power of guilt and the Holy Ghost to do no saving work in the heart or soul whatsoever. This is why the Bible tells us to prepare to meet God. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” In the Letter of James, the Bible speaks of people not receiving because they, “ask amiss.”

The text also draws our attention to the little comfort ungodliness brings a man at the end of his life. We are told that Judas cast down the thirty pieces of silver and went away in bitterness of soul. The money that Judas earned because of his treachery gave him no pleasure or comfort. In fact, it caused him great pain and sorrow. The “treasures of wickedness profit nothing” (Proverbs 10.2) “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Proverbs 10:2 also tells us, “Righteousness delivereth from death.” Sin is the hardest of all masters. Sin promises so much but delivers very little. Sin offers us much, but never what we need. Sin offers pleasure but gives sorrow. Many souls can testify to the fact the so-called pleasures of sin only happen for a season, they are soon over, and the consequences set in. How foolish are we that we believe the promises of sin, time and time again knowing that the sting of sin is much greater than the shortness of its pleasure. They that sow to the flesh, do indeed reap corruption. If we are tempted to commit sin, may we remember the words of Numbers 32:23, “be sure your sin will find you out.”

Finally, let us understand the miserable end a man may come to as a result of great personal sin and rejection of God. The life of Judas is a good example of a man who had great privileges and did not use them wisely. Judas had a great opportunity to do great things for God, yet he rejected that all for thirty pieces of silver. We are told in the text that this unhappy man, “departed and went and hanged himself.” What an awful death to die. An apostle of Christ, a man who walked with Christ and other apostles committed suicide and by doing so translated himself from earth unprepared, unforgiven and to eternal judgment.  May we all strive to live up to our light, so we will never find ourselves in the same state of mind and heart as Judas.

What is the state of your heart at this hour? Are you ever tempted to rest on your own knowledge? Do you seek daily the spirit of God? May we never forget the lessons learnt in the life of Judas. May we not fall under the same folly and wickedness of this man. Remember Judas, be aware. Are we trifling with one sin and flattering ourselves so we may repent of it later? Judas in his foolishness thought that his sin would bring him no suffering, but only gain. In fact, Judas suffered greatly and lost his life. His sin drew him to the point of death by hanging himself upon a tree.

Jesus Before Pilate

Verses 11-26

These verses describe our Lord’s appearance before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. What a sight that must have been. He who will one day judge the world in righteousness allowed Himself to be judged and condemned by sinful mankind. Isaiah 53:9 says, “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Jesus suffered unjustly so that His people are may be found just in the sight of God. He suffered silently, an unjust sentence to be passed upon Him. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” says Isaiah 53:7. We as believers own everything to those silent sufferings of Christ.

May we look at the conduct of Pilate and learn the awful condition of an unprincipled man. Pilate appears to be satisfied that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death. We are told that “he knew that for envy they had delivered Him.” If Pilate acted according to his own conscience our Lord would have been dismissed as a free man. However, Pilate was governor of a turbulent people. His main priority was to keep in favour with the people and to be seen as a man promoting the wishes of the people. He cared little for sinning against conscience, as long as he had the support and praise of man. He was willing to save the life of Jesus, but was afraid by doing so he would incur the wrath of the Jews. Instead of freeing Jesus Pilate offered them Barabbas. The freeing of Barabbas is a picture of the grace of Christ in his death, as the Lord died in the place of all who repent and believe. There are many men and women who know very well that their public acts are wrong, yet have not the courage to act according to their knowledge and conscience. They fear the people; they dread being laughed at; they cannot bear being unpopular. The praise of man is the idol they bow down to and even sacrifice their own souls.

Whatever our position or condition in life may be let us be people who are guided by Biblical principles and not the feeble praise of man. The praise of man is fleeting; here today and gone tomorrow. Let us strive to please God, and then we care little who else is pleased. Let us fear God, not man. Let us not be concerned with the thoughts and words of man, but only with what the Word of God declares to be right, holy, and true.

There is a lesson to be learnt from the conduct of the Jews regarding the desperate wickedness of human nature. The behaviour of Pilate gave the chief priests and elders an opportunity to reconsider. However, there were no second thoughts in the minds of our Lord’s enemies. They were driven and focused on one goal, to destroy our Lord and get rid of him at all costs. They preferred having a wicked wretched felon, named Barabbas, set free rather than Jesus.

For Christ to be hated so much as he was one would expect He had done something wrong. Christ was not just hated; he was hated to the point where the Jews wanted him crucified. Christ was no robber or murder. He was no blasphemer of their God. He was not guilty of any wrong, even the Roman governor declared him guiltless. His life was one of love and peace. He went about healing people and doing all manner of good, yet the Jews hated Him and would not rest until He was slain.

They hated Him because He told them the truth. They hated Him because He told them that their works were evil. They hated the light because the light exposed their wickedness. In a word, they hated Christ because He was righteous, holy, and true. They on the other hand were unrighteous, unholy, and false.

Let us never be surprised at the wickedness there is in the world. May we see the wickedness of man and do all we can to show how wickedness can be forgiven. May we be examples of men and women who have been changed by the grace of God from wickedness to holiness. Remember, “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Jesus is Mocked and the Crucifixion

Verses 27-44

In these verses, we have a clear description of the pains and sufferings of our Lord during the final moments of his earthly life. Christ suffered the most brutal sufferings at the hands of the Roman soldiers. We read about our Lord’s condemnation by Pilate and His death on the Cross. They give us a staggering account that we must never forget. The staggering account of the death of the Son of God is the fundamental truth on which the whole of Christianity rests. John 1:29 says, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Acts 3:19 says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” The Collect for Good Friday in the Book of Common Prayer says, “ALMIGHTY God, we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross, who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.”

Let us first look at the extent and reality of our Lord’s sufferings. Never let us forget that our Lord had a physical body of flesh and bones, a body that is just as sensitive to pain as ours. Our Lord had just endured a night with no sleep, he was tired. He had been taken from Gethsemane to the Jewish council, and from there to the judgement hall of Pilate. He had twice been placed on trial and twice unjustly condemned. He had been scourged, beaten with rods, and spat upon. He was stripped of his clothing, mocked and placed in a scarlet robe. They “plaited a crown of sharp thorns” and drove it into the head of the Saviour. After all this Jesus was led away to a place called Golgotha, and there put to death in the most brutal and cruel way a man can die.

Crucifixion is a long and painful way to die. It is believed that the person being crucified does not die from their wounds, but by asphyxiation, as the person is unable to breathe due to the position of the body on the cross. Every breath puts the body through excruciating pain. So, what is crucifixion? The person crucified was laid on his back on a piece of timber, with a cross-piece nailed to it near one end with the arms nailed to the cross-piece. The arms were held in place with nails and fastened to the wood. His feet in like manner were nailed to the upright part of the cross. After the body had been securely fastened to the cross, the cross was then raised up and fixed firmly in the ground. The final stage was to leave the person there until they died. This surely must be the most painful and awful way for a man to die, as it is a long and extremely painful physical state with no rest or release of the suffering. Death usually occurred after six hours. However, there have been historical accounts of some people lasting up to four days.

Our Lord suffered this torture for six long hours. Just stop and pause for a moment to try and take this in. For six hours our Lord hung naked and bleeding on the cross, while the crowds looked on. His head was pierced with thorns, his back lacerated with scourging and his hands and feet nailed to that cross. O dear Christian soul never forget that all this was for the salvation of men and women. He died for us to live eternally with Him, for us to be declared justified in the sight of God. Our sin made the death of Christ on the Cross the only payment acceptable to the Father.

May we never forget that Christ died in our place, he was our substitute. 1 Peter 2:22 says, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” 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.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.” Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” May we remember these Bible passages as they are the foundation of the Gospel?

Christ was condemned, though innocent, so we who are not innocent would be declared innocent. Christ wore the crown of thorns that we might wear the crown of glory. Christ was stripped of his kingly robes so that we might be clothed in His righteousness. Christ was mocked so we might receive the highest honour possible. Salvation is all of God and bought with the blood of Christ. Our sins are great and deep, but a great ransomed has been made for us.

May we grow in Christ and learn to hate sin. Sin was the cause of all our Lord’s sufferings. Our sinfulness drove the nails into Christ’s hands and feet. The thought of Christ’s death ought to provoke us to love him, serve him and worship him. We owe everything to Christ.

The Death of Christ

Verses 45-55

Here we read about the death of our Lord and Saviour on the Cross. We have in these verses the conclusion of Our Lord’s passion. After six long hours of agony and suffering He, “yielded up the ghost.” Our Lord said, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani.”  This is Aramaic and means, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me” the opening words of Psalm 22. At this moment Christ was experiencing the great abandonment and grief that came as a result of the outpouring of divine wrath and judgment as He became the sin-bearer for all who repent and believe the Gospel. For the first time, Christ knew what it was like to bore sin as the Father turned His face away from the Son due to the sin Christ bore for us in his own body.

These words of Christ express the enormous burden and suffering Christ felt for a world of sinners. They show us how true and literal His substitution was. They show us the righteous anger of God against the sins of the world and how much Christ loves sinners. The pain felt by our Lord and Saviour was excruciating. Alexander Metherall, M.D, Ph.D. said, “The pain was absolutely unbearable. In fact, it was literally beyond words to describe; they had to invent a new word: excruciating. Literally, excruciating means ‘out of the cross’”.  Let this sink deep into our heart, mind, and soul. There is clear proof of the sinfulness of sin, the love of Christ for us, and the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. This ought to stir us up to hate our sin and cause us to trust in the Saviour. He is worthy of our worship, faith, and affection. The wrath of the Father was experienced at the Cross. He died for sinners and may sinners live for Him.

Let us also take note of the words, “He yielded up the Ghost.” The Roman soldiers and the crowd gathered around the Cross saw nothing remarkable about the death of Christ. They saw a man dying on a cross just like others did with the usual pain and suffering. They did not know that on that cross the Son of God paid the price for sin. They did not know that on that cross Christ purchased the souls of sinful men and women. They did not know that on that cross, there Christ suffered and died for mankind. Romans 5:6-9 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

The death of Christ was not a mere example of self-sacrifice, but a complete propitiation for man’s sins and the result of man’s sins. That death opened a fountain for all sin and uncleanness of mankind. It also completed Christ’s mission and ministry on earth. It proved the love of Christ for sinners. No wonder the earth quaked when the Son of God died. Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

May we also draw our attention to the fact that when our Lord died the curtain in the Jewish temple, “split from top to bottom.” We are told that “the veil of the temple was rent in twain.” The curtain separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple. The high priest was the only one permitted to enter the holy of holies and only at a certain time (once a year). The fact that the curtain was split into two points to the fact that God’s presence is now open to all through a new and living way. The rendering of the veil proclaimed the end of the ceremonial law. It was a sign that the old way of sacrifice and ordinances was no longer needed.

There is now no more need for an earthly high priest, a mercy-seat, and a sprinkling of blood. The true Lamb of God has died and this is our only way to receive forgiveness and salvation from God. Let us praise God for the crucifixion. Let us worship our Saviour who was crucified for our sins. Let us place all our hope and peace on the Saviour. We can never say that Christ does not know what suffering is and for that, we must be thankful. C. S. Lewis once said, “It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.”

Jesus is Buried

Verses 57-66

We now read about the burial of Christ. One thing was needful for our Saviour to accomplish that great work of redemption, that His body was to be laid in a grave, and to rise again. The resurrection is the seal of all His work on earth.

Did the Son of God really die? Yes. Did He really rise again? Yes. There are many objections and doubts raised concerning the life and ministry of Christ. By the providence of God, He ordered things so that the death and burial of Jesus were placed beyond a doubt. Pilate gives consent to His burial. A disciple wraps the body in linen and lays it in a new tomb “wherein was never a man laid.” The chief priests themselves had a guard over the place where the body of Christ lay. Jews, Gentiles, friends, and foes all testified that Christ had really died and was laid in a grave.

We also learn from the text that Christ had friends and followers of whom little is known about. A man named Joseph of Arimathea appears for the first and last time in the text. He comes forward and asks permission to bury the dead Jesus. We know nothing about this man, only that he was a disciple who loved Christ and wanted to honour Him with a proper burial. What this tells us is that there are in some corners of the world men and women who shine bright for Christ who the rest of the world knows nothing about. They are quietly and peacefully going about their lives in a manner that is honouring to God, and little is known about them to the rest of the world. They are that quiet country preacher who faithfully serves his local assembly and the little old lady who prays for the needs of Christian people. They are great men and women of the faith, but little is known about them.

We live in a world that is in the hands of God and where all things work together for the good. This is shown in the text before us. The events that took place show without a shadow of a doubt that Christ really died. The things that seem to be working against us are in fact used for the glory of God. We may be brought before judges and courts to testify of the greatness and goodness of our God.