3rd Midweek Lent: Date: February 28, 2018
– Sermon Text: John 19:1-6a
THEME: The Redeemer of the Word Abused.
( Pastor Theodore Barthels )
Sermon: Read Sermon
Hymns: 390; 144; 151:1-4; 551
Scripture Lessons: Psalm 14 Passion: Betrayal and Capture
Sermon
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
2100 16th Street SW
Austin, MN 55912-1749
Pastor Ted Barthels
Sermon preached on
February 28, 2018
3rd Midweek Lent
Scripture Lessons: Psalm 14 Passion: Betrayal and Capture
Hymns: 390; 144; 151:1-4; 551
Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sermon Text: John 19:1-6a
So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.
4 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.”
5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” (NKJV)
This is the Word of God.
Sanctify us, oh Lord, through Your truth. Your Word is truth. Amen.
In Christ Jesus, our Crucified Savior, dear fellow Redeemed:
INTRO: Abusing the vulnerable —
When weakness is detected then abuse pours on. That is not the way it is supposed to be among people. It is what one sees in nature. When an animal is injured then the predators single that weak animal out from the rest of the herd and take it down. Regrettably people are all too much like animals. It can start very young in life. We hear about bullying in schools. It is the shy child or the one who is a little strange or the one who doesn’t fit in and so is standing off alone that is singled out by the bullies. It is even easier in this digital age when cruelty seems so impersonal, and yet is so much more permanent, and can be shared quickly with dozens, if not hundreds. If one is unfortunate enough to be made a meme ones unfortunate moment may be paraded before millions.
Jesus is the Redeemer of the world. Jesus came into the world to save the down trodden, to deliver the weak from the evil of this world. Jesus came into the world as our Redeemer to bear our sorrows, our sicknesses, and to deliver us from all evil. In the process of securing our salvation we observe —
THEME: The Redeemer of the Word Abused.
When we read the passion history it strikes us that it was —
I. The Redeemer of the world abused.
The abuse that is recorded in our text is reaching the climax of the Passion History. Jesus had been accused of claiming that He was the King of the Jews. Pilate questioned Jesus and heard Jesus’ testimony that His kingdom as not of this world. Pilate understood; he fully understood that Jesus was not a rival to Caesar. Jesus was not a threat to Judea much less the Roman Empire. Pilate declared that he found no fault in the Man. But no, Pilate did not comprehend Jesus’ true majesty, that Jesus was the Redeemer of the world when he had Jesus scourged.
Jesus was then at the mercy of the Roman soldiers. They thought it a joke that this man, this pathetic looking man was called King by anyone. They did not perceive Jesus’ majesty, not then, not in the judgment hall.
But what of His accusers? What about the chief priests and the leaders of the people of the Jews? What about those who had assembled this crowd so early on that Friday morning when most people were still in bed? When they tried Jesus in their court, and had failed to put together a charge that would stick, the High Priest knew exactly what to ask.
Matthew 26:62-64 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
The High Priest knew to ask the question because they knew that Jesus was the Christ. They rejected Jesus, but they knew that He had come from God. The High Priest knew that this question would provide the grounds for the death sentence that he so desired.
While Jesus had stood in silence in the face of all the lies and false accusations, when asked about the truth of who He was and is Jesus answered clearly. Jesus answered so that all might know that He is the Savior who was to come into the world, the Redeemer of the World who would come again in glory on the last day.
The abuse began immediately with the temple guard.
Matthew 26:67-68 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”
The nature of their taunts is revealing. They went right to the point of Jesus being the Christ. He was in no position to fight back. He was defenseless. He didn’t look like the Christ, the Son of God. How quickly they forgot what had happened out in Gethsemane, what we read in our passion History this evening. By the power of His word they had all been knocked backward to the ground. They could have done nothing against Jesus if Jesus had not allowed it. They forgot how He had reached out and with the power of His touch had healed the ear of His enemy. They forgot that in this Man there was both power and compassion. They failed to comprehend the glory of the Redeemer of the World.
And that is of course the truth that we need to know and understand. It was as the Redeemer of the World that Jesus suffered at the hands of sinners. It was as our Redeemer that Jesus endured the shame and the pain and the abuse. It was all part of the cup of suffering which He endured in our place because of our sin. And so we need to see —
II. The Redeemer of the World Abused
They attacked Jesus every way they could with their abuse. There was verbal abuse. They mocked and they blasphemed. It began in the court of the High Priest’s palace, it continued in King Herod’s court. It was intensified when Jesus was sent back to Pilate. They struck Jesus when he was blindfolded and challenged Him to tell them which of them had struck Him. Of course he didn’t answer, which made them intensify the abuse. The mockery, the blasphemy would have been cause enough for Jesus to strike back. Any one of us would very likely have answered their curses with curses of our own, or at least cries of anger and frustration over all they were doing.
Jesus maintained His silence. He was like a sheep being led to slaughter as Isaiah had prophesied. But there was more to it than Jesus simply being defenseless, or not having an answer. It was all about our salvation. Through it all Jesus retained His innocence; He did not answer sin with sin. Peter reports in —
1 Peter 2:21-24 Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Jesus did not revile or curse those who abused Him, even when they pressed that crown of thorns down hard upon His head, mocked Him with false praise, and struck Him with the rod that was to be His mock scepter. He endured it all in holiness, and continued to be “Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:2) He bore our sins in His own body also in that abuse, and yes, by His stripes received from that that scourge which tore His flesh from His body, by those cruel stripes, by that severe abuse, you were healed.
“Men mock, and taunt and jeer Thee / Thou noble countenance,
Tho’ mighty worlds shall fear Thee / And flee before Thy glance.
How art Thou pale with anguish, / With sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish / That once was bright as morn!
“My burden in thy passion, / Lord Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression / Which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee: / Wrath were my rightful lot.
Have mercy, I implore Thee; / Redeemer, spurn me not”
(The Lutheran Hymnal 172:2,4)
AMEN.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.