Message Notes

SUNDAY SCHOOL SPECIAL                                                     26 MARCH 2023

Text: John 19:8-16

Subject: The suffering of the Lord Jesus

⁸ Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, ⁹ and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰ Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

¹³ When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

¹⁵ But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

¹⁶ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus ^[d]and led Him away.

John 19:8-16

1. The Inner struggles of Pontius Pilate

a) He heard the Jews accusing the Lord Jesus as “The Son of God”

b) He became fearful

i) Superstition can cause fear

ii) Ignorance can add to that fear

iii) There were other fears of Pilate

2. He asked the Lord Jesus to be clear as to where He had come from

a) The Lord Jesus refused to give him an answer

b) Pilate retorted that he had power (authority)

i) To crucify the Lord Jesus

ii) Or to release Him

3. The Lord’s reply

Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”  

John 19:11

a) Pilate has no power at all against Him

b) Real authority comes from above (God)

c) Sin would be committed:

i) By Pilate

ii) By the Jews who would be guilty of a greater sin

4. Pilate’s attempt to release the Lord Jesus

a) Once again, he sought to placate the Jews

b) He wanted to release the Lord Jesus

5. The trump card of the Jews

From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”  

 John 19:12

a) They threatened Pilate using Caesar’s name

b) They would report to Caesar that he had released a man who makes himself a king

c) Caesar would order his execution!

6. The deeper fears of Pilate

a) He feared the Jews

b) He feared Caesar

c) He feared the loss of his life

7. He caved in to the demands of the Jews

a) He delivered the Lord Jesus to be crucified

b) The soldiers took Him and led Him away to the crucifixion ground

CONCLUSION

1. The Roman judicial system had deadly flaws

2. Pilate failed as a just governor

3. The wickedness of the enemies of the Lord Jesus knew no bounds

4. The Character of the Lord Jesus stood out gloriously:

a) Strong in Faith

b) Strong in Character

c) Strong from beginning to end