 For those who may not know me, my name is Dustin Harrison. I'm on the high school youth minister here, and it's a pleasure to be with you. But if you would, in John chapter 19 verse 1, it says, So then Pilate took Jesus and scorched him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe. Then they said, Hail, king of the Jews, and they struck him with their hands. Pilate then went out again and said to them, Behold, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no fault in him. Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said to them, Behold the man. Therefore, when the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said to them, You take him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law and according to our law, he ought to die because he made himself the son of God. Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went out again into the Praetorium and said to Jesus, Where are you from? But Jesus gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, Are you not speaking to me? Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you and the power to release you? Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against me unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore, the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin. 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. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in the place that is called the pavement. Now it was the preparation day of the Passover in about the sixth hour, and he said to the Jews, Behold your king. But they cried out away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priest answered, We have no king but Caesar. And he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away. Right before that, when Jesus and Pilate had been talking, Pilate had asked Jesus, Who are you? And what have you done that they would bring you to me? Are you a king then, it said, in verse 37 of chapter 18? You said rightly that I'm a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I've come into the world to bear witness of the truth. Pilate said to him in verse 38, What is true? When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said, I find no fault in him. And it's interesting because still today that question is so relevant, isn't it? What is truth? What is truth? What is reality? What is in touch with reality? What is really real? And so, we get into chapter 19, and it says Pilate took Jesus and scorched him. It's amazing that Pilate, this official, finds no fault in Jesus but still scorched him for the sake of the crowd. For the sake of the multitude thinking maybe, just maybe I can get away with this. I don't find any fault in him but just maybe, maybe this would suffice the crowd. The charges against him was accused of an insurrection. He was accused of claiming to be a king. He was accused of being not a friend of Caesar's. Matthew 27, 18 reveals Pilate knew that Jesus was handed over because of envy. As all this was taking place and they gathered together, the religious leaders were stirring up the people. And as they were stirring up the people, the Bible says in Mark chapter 15 verse 12 through 13, what then do you want me to do with him, whom you call king of the Jews? They cried out and they continued to cry out, crucify him, release to us Barabbas. We see that here in verse 39. Release to us Barabbas. We don't want Jesus. And so, again as they're accustomed and as they had gone out all this taking place he says, listen this is what I have for you. I have so much more. But they scorched him and as they scorched him this was taking place. It was amazing to see what took place. It was amazing that for nothing for nothing. And so again previously Pilate said I find no fault in him. Why then? Why? What evil has he done? He said in Luke chapter 23 verse 22 through 23, why? What evil has he done? Have I found no reason for death in him? I will therefore chastise him and let him go. But they were insistent demanding with a loud voice that he be crucified. And so we get into this passage in verse 1 it says that he was scorched. Scorching was a Roman form of punishment inflicted before the crucifixion. Their purpose was not only to cause great pain but also to humiliate a person. The scorching was to torture a prisoner into a confession of his crimes. The idea was that a prisoner confessed to his various crimes. The guard that was inflicted the stripes across the person's back would ease off with every confession. The victim of a scorching was bound to a post or frame stripped of his clothing and beaten with the phlegelum, this whip from his soldiers shoulders to his loins. The beating left the victim bloody and weak in unimaginable pain and near the point of death. Yet Jesus had nothing to confess. So he took the full brunt of the beating. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 53 verse 7 he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before he sure was as silent so he opened not his mouth. This phlegelum, this whip it had a short wooden handle with several thongs. The straps were up to three feet long and were embedded with bone and lead and sharp spikes. It reduced the back to raw flesh. It was not unusual for a criminal to die from a scorching even before he was crucified. Each strike would cut open this flesh until veins and his insides were laid bare. And often the scorching would strike the face and knock out eyes and teeth. Again it usually ended in fainting or even to the point of death. 39 stripes why because 39 was a number of mercy. Deuteronomy 25 3 says 40 blows he may give him and no more at least he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these and your brother be humiliated by him. Yet we know that this scorching was part of God's divine plan. Why scorching? Why this? When we think about this if you've seen the passing of the Christ or if you've seen any picture of a scorching and you know that Jesus has done this for us why? Well the Bible says for our healing Isaiah 53 5 but he was wounded for our transgresses and the punishment for our peace was upon him and the Bible says and by his stripes we're healed. In 1 Peter 2 24 he bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died of sins might live for righteousness by whose stripes we're healed. Jesus even prophesied of his own scorching that says in Matthew chapter 20 verse 18 and 19 behold we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to mock to scourge and to crucify and on the third day he will rise again and then we get into verse 2 where it says in the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head and they put on him a purple robe Matthew gives us in little more in depth he says of this in chapter 27 verse 27 to 30 it says in the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the pletorum and gathered the whole and around him and they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him and when they had twisted the crown of thorns and they put it on his head and a reed in his hand and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying hell king of the Jews then they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. It's so hard not to get emotional just reading this because Jesus did this for you and I everything about this was intended to humiliate Jesus see the Jewish the Jewish rulers had already mocked Jesus and now the Romans were too notice first this garrison these hundreds of soldiers were being entertained by the mocking and the beating of Jesus he had already been brutally treated by the people around the high priest and now he's being scored by Pilate and if that wasn't enough he had given the soldiers to the soldiers to be humiliated yet the bible says this in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2 looking under Jesus the author and the finisher of her faith who for the joy that was set before us endured the cross excuse me set before him he endured the cross and it says this despising the shame despising the shame he went to the cross for us and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God the second thing it says they stripped him and put a scarlet robe or purple robe mocking him and his kingship kings and rulers are often they wore purple because the dyes and the fabrics were expensive the purple robe was intended as a cruel irony our sins were placed on Jesus in order that we might be clothed with the robe of God's righteousness there they twisted a crown of thorns and set it on his head the crown to mimic Caesar's wreath Jesus being called a king kings were crowns but not crowns of torture the garden of Eden when man first sinned against the commandments of God when God cursed the earth he said this in Genesis 3 verse 17 and 18 it says and sorrow you shall eat of it and all the days of your life the thorns also and the thistles shall bring forth unto you see these thorns are symbols they're symbols of curse of the sin that was brought about mankind and yet Jesus paid the price for our redemption Jesus was bearing the curse of our sin so we may bear a crown of glory we're reminded Jesus came as a suffering servant and a conquering king so we look at this here Jesus is ready to take the curse of us and he's wearing the crown of thorns that are just evidence of the curse of sin the fourth thing the fourth thing they say hell king of the Jews see kings are normally greeted with royalty yet in spite they mocked Jesus they spat on him they humiliated him basically saying this is the best you God this is the best king you Jews can come up with they spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head repeatedly Matthew again that says they bowed their knee mocking spitting on making fun of Jesus our savior our lord hell king of the Jews and they struck him verse 4 pilot then went out again and said behold I bring him out to you that you may know that I find no fault in him can you be can you imagine being pilot seeing Jesus right now absolutely just physically demolished made fun of mocked and he had already said and now for the second time he's saying I find no fault in him and he brings him out of the praetorium out in front of the Jews he says verse 4 that I might say to you I find no fault in him as a judge pilot had been reason and responsibility to set Jesus free with no punishment instead of the humiliation and the brutality that he endured by pilots own words of saying I find no fault in him he condemned himself by his words he found no fault in Christ and yet he would not let him go in verse 5 it says this then Jesus came out can you imagine Jesus being brought out in front of the people bloody crown of thorns this robe mocking him just amazing amazing pain Isaiah says this of that behold my servant shall deal prudently he shall be exalted and extolled and very high just as many were astonished at him so his visit was marred more than any man in his form more than the sons of men so in other words his physical appearance was disfigured literally it's saying that Jesus body was disfigured because of the beating and he's being brought out in front of the people and say here's your king I find no fault in him in Isaiah chapter 50 verse 6 it says I gave my back to those who struck me in my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard I did not hide my face from shame and spitting it's amazing that though Jesus was brought so very low everybody in the world was amazed that he was so exalted and yet at the same time we get into verse 6 and it says when the chief priests and the officers saw him they cried out saying crucify him, crucify him Pilate says you take him and crucify him for I cannot find no fault in him the Jews answered him and saying we have a law and according to our law he ought to die because he made himself the son of God we see the truth now in these people they had brought him to the Pilate and the charges that they had declared himself to be an opposition of Caesar but when that failed when there was no proof of this that he was a threat to Caesar's government the truth came out he's a threat to us he's a threat to us because he's blaspheming, he's claiming to be equal with God and they're declaring he's not our king he's blasphemous it's interesting because if you go back in chapter 11 and then on into chapter 12 when Lazarus was raised from the dead it says many believed that yet others went and told the Pharisees what had happened and then they plotted to kill Jesus and yet at the same time it says in chapter 12 it says in chapter 11 and then in the chapter 12 it says that because it was Passover they had to stop everything go purify themselves and then come back and plot to kill Jesus and even in this passage as we read they don't go into the Praetorium because it's Passover time and they've been ceremonially washed in clans to celebrate the Passover isn't it interesting how so many people can claim religion and claim a relationship with God and it's all outward because their heart is so dark and empty their hearts are so, listen people play church they play religion and they get all cleaned up for church and get all cleaned up for religion but their hearts are so far from the Lord these people who were doing what they thought was right they were going to purify ourselves for the Passover yet in their heart was murder was rage they literally had said we need to stop Jesus because he's ruining our way of life we need to quit this we need to put an end to this yet at the same time we see that Pilate made it clear I find no fault in him for the third time he pronounced Jesus as innocent my question for us this morning how would you respond how would you respond would you be like Peter who says Lord though all will forsake you and deny you not me and yet we know that Jesus tells Peter you're going to deny me three times matter of fact it's going to be today and it's interesting because there's so often when we take these stands and say listen I'm going to mean Jesus all the way well according to this the entire crowd the Jewish leaders the religious leaders the garrison of soldiers everybody's against Jesus so you alone will stand well I don't know about you I'd like to think I would yet there's a side of me that thinks I would cave to can imagine Pilate all the pressure I don't find any fault in Jesus and yet everybody's against me because I believe that he is who he says he is and the pressure is on Pilate knew he couldn't reason with the crowd so in verse 8 therefore when Pilate heard the saying he was more afraid what do I do with this what do I do with Jesus the man that I believe is innocent but everybody is telling me to crucify him everybody the entire crowd hundreds of people are against Jesus and if I'm for Jesus they're going to be against me what do I do and he was afraid and so Pilate and Jesus they go back into the petroleum where are you from and Jesus gave him no answer Pilate said to him do you not know that I have power to crucify you why aren't you talking why are you reasons to believe you listen he's already said three times he believes him why are you not giving me more reasons to believe you I really believe it doesn't tell us why Jesus held his mouth quiet but I really believe it's because he's like it's time number one and number two is you believe there's nothing that you can tell that crowd that's going to make them believe and it's time it's time for the Lord to do what he came to do but notice in verse 11 he tells him he says listen the power that you have you wouldn't have this power if it wasn't given to you you're not taking my life and giving my life and giving my life for the people and this is the powerful thing because when we read this story and we see how horrific the events were that he went through I open with the fact that he says in Romans that God demonstrated his love for us that while you and I rejected him he chose to give his life for you that one day you would have an opportunity to choose him and to choose life and to choose hope the bible like in soap it says it's an anchor for our soul this is for us so he says you could have no power unless it's been given to you verse 12 from then on Pilate sought to release him but the Jews cried out if you let this man go you are not Caesar's friend whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar isn't that it? it's still the wrestle today right can I be a friend of the world and a friend of Jesus that's what people want oh I'm a Christian but I'm not very religious and I don't go to church all the time but I believe in God the Lord says you either for me or you're against me he says I gave my life for you and on the cross he said it's finished I believe that was a start for us so that we might say for us today that we would say one day as Paul had said at the end of our lives Lord I fought the good fight I finished my race that you gave me and as we look at this passage as we read this passage over says Pilate then verse 13 he brought Jesus out sat at the judgment seat verse 14 it was a six hour and he said to the Jews behold your king behold your king now many of you probably remember the pastor in the Christ and it's a movie and it seems like when it gets bloody and gross and often times for us I remember when it came out here at the church we rented out the movie theater and many of us went to go see it and sometimes you think I don't want to watch that because it's too gory I don't think it actually gives the picture of what it actually was it wasn't as clean as the movies but structured as the movie I believe it was worse because it wasn't movie theater make up it was literally Jesus's flesh being ripped and torn open for us can you imagine standing there saying you believe and yet seeing such a brokenness and Jesus standing there the pain he endured and he stood there and he didn't quit and he didn't give up he didn't stop he didn't say enough's enough it hurts alright I'll quit it's been too much it's been too hard no after that he was let away he went to the cross that's why Friday is good because he didn't give up for you he wouldn't quit for you for me and we're so thankful and as we look at this passage and as we apply this to our lives Jesus the sacrificial lamb he opened not his mouth was led as a lamb to the slaughter the crowd rejected him and would rather have a revolutionary in Barabbas than a king in Jesus and we see that today people would rather have anything but Jesus don't put your religion on me don't put your faith on me don't put your expectations on me leave me alone I want my life and I want to live it the way I want to live it the sad part about that is Jesus says but I love you don't run from me run to me I opened up my arms and my heart to you and it says that he was delivered to them to be crucified there was nothing else Pilate can do and at this point Pilate judged Jesus the next time that Pilate will see Jesus Jesus will judge him he believed a final fault in him but the crowd they would not stop chanting chanting crucify him so we conclude this service before the Coutines come back in a few minutes to sing where do you stand with Jesus he did this for you and for me he demonstrated his love for you while you and I were yet a sinner you don't have to accept it you could deny it but it doesn't take away the fact that it's true and if you accepted what are you doing with it the Lord says I've chosen you I've called you and I love you and I have a plan and a purpose for your life that you're fearfully and wonderfully made and all this was that you can be in a right relationship with me and the Father and he says in John 14 that I'm going to prepare a place for you and I'm going to bring you to that place he says let not your heart be troubled it's exciting because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus has taken the sting out of death that he's given us hope in life and it's my prayer today that if you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that you would not run from him any longer the Bible says that if we confess our sins that he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of our unrighteousness the Bible declares to us that he forgives us and cleanses us and washes us wider than the snow and he remembers our sins no more he purifies us and brings us in a right relationship with the Father he says he gives us an inheritance and he gives us heaven on Sunday we're going to celebrate an empty tomb because he's conquered death and the grave and he's given us life Amen So as I close I want to pray for you and if you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or maybe you have but you haven't been walking with the Lord you've been rejecting him you've been running from him today is the day to stop stop loving the world the things in the world stop running from the Father surrender your life to Jesus today the Bible says that all those in Christ are new creations the oldest passed away and all things have become new today is the day to have a fresh start new beginnings go back to work or home or wherever you might be heading today new, cleanse, forgiven set free transform from the inside out would you pray with me Lord I lift this time to you in our hearts it's overwhelming Jesus to read this passage about what you did for us that overwhelms my heart yet I'm so thankful that you choose us that your desires that none should perish but all should come to repentance and as we pray if that's you this morning this afternoon and you've either never given your life to the Lord or you've been running from him and you've prayed a prayer before but haven't been walking and living your life for Jesus can I pray for you just right where you're at we just raise your hand and say doesn't pray with me doesn't I'm gonna stop running I'm gonna surrender my life to Jesus this morning see hands all over the room praise the Lord now remember this prayer is just the beginning this prayer that we're gonna pray in just a second it's just the beginning it's you saying Jesus I surrender in that then Lord I'm gonna start I'm gonna start my walk I'm gonna start my relationship with you I'm gonna seek after you that I might know you be known by you and just in the quietness of your heart would you just pray this prayer with me Lord I know that I'm a sinner I believe that you came to save sinners you saved me forgive me cleanse me of all my unrighteousness I choose this day to serve you and follow you from this day forward teach me your ways Lord help me to hunger and thirst for you and the truth of who you are for enduring what you went through for me and Lord now I pray for everybody in this room those who raise their hands and everyone else that we would be led by your spirit that would walk in your truth walk in your faith and righteousness Lord may in everything that we do you be honored and glorified in Jesus name amen amen would you stand with me alright R is it gonna come back out see I told you they're gonna close this in a song if you need prayer or if you raise your hand and you'd like to pray with the minister there'll be people up front right after the containers end again they have merchandise out by the gazebo pastor will be with us tonight 7 o'clock invite your friends and family will be in here and looking forward to what else God wants to do let me close in prayer Lord we just thank you for your love your grace and mercy Lord may you continue the work that you began today in and through us in Jesus name amen God bless you guys thank you pastor