Preached by Gregory W Lee
9 March 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 18
28. Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
29. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30. "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
31. Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected.
32. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
33. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
34. "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
35. "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
36. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37. "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
38. "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
39. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release `the king of the Jews'?"
40. They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.
-- on September 6, 1620, 102 men, women, and children stood on the deck of the Mayflower as it departed from Plymouth, England -- as the ship pulled away from the dock, very few looked back -- instead, they looked forward -- towards the horizon -- towards the new world -- as they left their old home and old world behind
-- their journey actually started in the late 1500's when they began to be persecuted by the English Government because of their refusal to adhere to all the rules and restrictions of the state church of England -- unlike the Puritans, who sought to purify the Church of England by reforming it from within, these families did not believe that reformation could come within the church and sought to separate themselves from this religion
-- unfortunately, that was against the law, and the separatists were forced to flee to Holland -- however, after several years in Holland, the members of this group noticed that their children were not maintaining faithfulness to their religion and their culture
-- they were being transformed into the Dutch culture and were adopting Dutch religious practices -- so the leaders of the group decided to make a drastic move -- they decided to separate themselves from all of these corrupting influences so they could be true to their own religious beliefs -- this would require a new home in a new place
-- just recently, a successful colony had been established in the New World at Jamestown, Virginia, and the leaders felt that this new world -- this new continent -- would be their salvation
-- they would start a new colony, dedicated to their religious beliefs and the continuation of their cultural norms -- a new kingdom -- a new life
-- and so the 102 passengers boarded the cramped quarters of the Mayflower and prepared to sail on September 6, 1620 for New England -- there was little room on the ship for personal effects -- there was no room for furniture -- so most of their possessions had to be left behind -- entering the new world meant leaving the old behind
-- but it all paid off when the small group of Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in November of that same year in their promised land -- a land where their new colony, founded on the principles of religious freedom for all, could flourish
-- sometimes, in the dramatic narratives of the Easter Story -- in the telling of the gripping passages of Holy Week that lead us from the mountaintop of Palm Sunday to the valley of the horrors of Good Friday and the cross of Christ -- we forget that what was truly going on was a battle for the allegiance of the people
-- it was a battle of two kingdoms -- of two worlds -- the old versus the new -- and it pitted Jesus against the religious and political establishment of His day
-- when Jesus emerged on the scene -- God incarnate -- God with skin on -- God clothed in the form of man -- He came, not as the Prince of Peace, but as the author of our salvation -- the harbinger of a new life in a new kingdom -- He came to preach to the captives of this world the good news of the kingdom of God
-- throughout His life and His ministry, Jesus preached and proclaimed this message -- "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" -- the kingdom of God was coming and Christ came to call us to be part of it -- to leave the old and to come into the new
-- it was for this reason that Christ died -- it was for this reason that we celebrate Easter
-- this passage that we opened with from John's gospel demonstrates the tension that existed at that time between the old and the new -- and it reminds us of the tension that we face in our lives, as we seek to be part of God's kingdom while yet living as strangers in the old
-- so, let's turn now to this passage and let's look at it in a little more detail as we examine this interplay between the two kingdoms during the final days of Christ's life
II. Scripture Lesson
-- at this point in the narrative of Holy Week, Jesus has been betrayed into the hands of the High Priest and the Sanhedrin by Judas Iscariot -- He has been tried before the high council and been found guilty of blasphemy for claiming to be God's Son
-- the council wanted to have Jesus killed, but the Romans would not allow the Jews to execute their prisoners, so, as this passage opens, they have brought Jesus before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to be formally charged and executed by the Romans
-- verse 28
28. Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
29. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30. "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
31. Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected.
32. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
-- here we see the first reminder in this passage of the tension between the old and the new kingdoms -- when God had established the nation of Israel as His chosen people, He had given them rituals and ceremonies that were to serve as reminders of His presence among them and to serve as signs of the Messiah and the kingdom to come
-- but, over time, the meaning of the rituals and the ceremonies had been corrupted -- the rituals and ceremonies were now followed -- not as a means of relating to God -- but simply as something that was law -- something that was to be obeyed -- something that was followed simply for the sake of tradition
-- we see that in this verse -- the most important thing on the minds of the council was not the death of Jesus or the fact that they were executing someone who claimed to be God's Son -- but the fact that they had to be careful to avoid becoming ceremonially unclean and miss out on participating in the Passover ritual
-- the Passover was to serve as a reminder to them of God's power in saving them from captivity and bringing them to the Promised Land -- how ironic that they would miss God Himself in their midst doing the same thing, as Jesus came to save the people from captivity to sin and death and to bring them into God's kingdom
-- if we are not careful, we can allow our religious practices -- even the disciplines of the means of grace such as prayer and Bible reading and church attendance -- to degrade into meaningless practices with the form of Godliness but with no power whatsoever
-- verse 33
33. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
34. "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
35. "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
-- Pilate belonged to the kingdom of the world, but he had heard rumors of another place -- of another kingdom -- all of us have
-- in Romans 1:19, Paul wrote, "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them" -- embedded in our DNA is a memory of paradise lost -- of the kingdom that was -- and the hope of the kingdom to come
-- when Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews, Jesus responded by asking Pilate why he had asked -- was he asking simply out of curiosity or because the Jews had told him -- or was he asking because he desired to know the truth and to enter the kingdom of God himself
-- this tension -- between choosing to stay in the old or to go into the new -- exists within all of us -- this choice has to be made by us all -- do we stay in the kingdom of the world or do we go with Christ into the kingdom of God?
-- verse 36
36. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37. "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
38. "What is truth?" Pilate asked.
-- Jesus makes it clear -- there are two kingdoms -- there are two choices -- the kingdom of God is not of this place -- it is not a kingdom made with secular hands -- it is not a kingdom of earthly power or might -- it is not a kingdom that you are born into -- but it is a kingdom that you were created for from the beginning of time
-- verse 38
With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
39. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release `the king of the Jews'?"
40. They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.
-- the Jews were faced with a choice between Jesus and Barabbas -- each representing a kingdom -- a way of life
-- Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion against the Romans -- he had sought the path of worldly power and Jewish nationalism
-- Jesus had also taken part in a rebellion -- but not against the Romans or any earthly kingdoms -- as a man, God had come to rebel against the kingdom of the earth -- against the power of sin and death -- on our behalf
-- and now the Jews were going to have to make a choice -- would they take Barabbas and live in the world -- bound up with meaningless religious practices and transformed idolatry -- or would they choose Jesus -- and follow Him to the new world -- the promised land -- the kingdom of God
-- "Give us Barabbas" they proclaimed -- and so made their allegiance known
III. The Kingdom of God
-- when the Pilgrims left England for the new world, it was a whole and complete separation -- they had to leave the old behind -- their old government -- their old friends -- their old families -- even their old possessions -- in order to make the journey
-- in the same way, when we are called to enter into the Kingdom of God -- to leave the old kingdom of this world -- we have to make a whole and complete separation
-- when the choice is before us of who to choose -- of which kingdom to enter -- we must take this into consideration -- we must count the cost -- for the things of this kingdom cannot enter into the kingdom of God
-- that is the purpose of the cross -- the cross of Christ put to death all the things of this world for those who choose to follow Him -- it puts to death our former allegiances -- our former way of life -- our sins and our sin nature -- our very life
-- the Bible tells us that we were crucified with Christ -- that we died with Him -- died to self -- died to sin -- died to destroy all the things of old
-- the old must give way to the new if you want to enter the kingdom of God
-- if you would, flip over to John 19
38. Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away.
39. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.
40. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
41. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.
42. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
-- we believe that the Bible is the living word of God and that it was written under inspiration of the Holy Spirit -- every word -- every phrase -- everything within it -- was chosen to be put there by God Himself -- there is nothing there without a reason or a purpose
-- with that in mind, I found myself pondering these verses this week -- all four of the gospel writers tell us that Jesus was buried in a new tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea -- why a new tomb? -- why make such a big deal about this?
-- and then it hit me -- it is because the old must give way to the new -- as the cross ushered in the existence of the new kingdom of God, nothing of the old could remain
-- traditionally, Jews would be buried in family tombs -- tombs that had served as the final resting place for their family for years and years
-- but, the cross put to death the old way of doing things -- Jesus was now part of the new -- He had died to the old practices and the old traditions -- and so they buried Him in a new tomb -- a tomb that no one else had ever been buried in before -- because Jesus was the first to go that way
-- if you are to enter into the kingdom of God, you must leave the old behind -- you cannot carry the things of your past life and your past kingdom with you into the new kingdom
-- when God was destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, He told Lot and his family to flee to the hills -- and not to look back -- to leave the old and to go on to the new -- but Lot's wife looked back -- she couldn't bear to leave the old -- and she was turned into a pillar of salt
-- when Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples and started washing their feet, Peter turned to Him and said, "No, you shall never wash my feet" -- but Jesus said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me" -- the old had to be washed away -- the dirt and grime and accumulated sin that comes from living in this world and this kingdom had to be removed -- put to death -- destroyed -- or Peter could have no part with Jesus
-- in Matthew 9:16-17, Jesus said, "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. -- Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
-- the new cannot coexist with the old -- the old must be left behind
IV. Closing
-- so, what does this mean? -- it simply means this -- when you were born, you were born into captivity in the kingdom of the world -- you were enslaved by death and by your sin nature -- but Jesus came to proclaim release to the captives -- to proclaim salvation and a new way of life in a new kingdom -- an eternal kingdom ruled by God
-- but you have to choose to be a part of this kingdom -- you have to decide for yourself where you want to be -- do you want to continue to live in the old -- in the familiar -- or do you want to enter the kingdom of God?
-- in the movie, "The Matrix," the character Neo is offered a choice by Morpheus -- does he take the blue pill and stay where he is -- living the same old life in the same old way with the same old things -- or does he take the red pill and live in the truth?
-- but, Morpheus warns, there is a cost -- taking the red pill and entering the kingdom of truth requires that you leave all the old behind -- nothing will ever be the same again
-- Jesus tells us the same -- if you choose me, then you have to separate yourself from the old -- you have to completely sever yourself from your past -- all the things of the old world must be put to death -- your self -- your life -- your sins -- everything
-- as Watchman Nee points out, "The Cross was the means God used to bring to an end the old things" and our old life
-- Jesus is the door and the gate to the new kingdom -- by choosing Him -- by choosing to enter the new kingdom through Him -- we are deciding to leave the old and to allow Him to destroy it through the cross so that we might be made fit for the new kingdom
-- how we are made fit is another discussion -- and we will continue it next week
-- so as I close, I want to ask you to take a moment and think about yourself -- think about your allegiances -- about your time -- about your life -- what kingdom are you living in? -- what king are you serving?
-- have you chosen Christ over the world? -- or are you caught in the tension between the old and the new -- trying to live with one foot in both kingdoms?
-- if this sounds like you, then I want to invite you to respond to God's Word today -- to choose Jesus -- to choose life -- to choose the kingdom of God
-- let us pray
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