Such A Significant Day: Good Friday Reflections

On Good Friday we remember, we celebrate, and we look forward to the resurrection just 3 days later. Today is the beginning of God making good on all of His promises, going way back to Gen 3:15. Consider this:


When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, shortly afterward he drove all the money changers out of the temple courtyard and overturned their tables.

As a result of this the Jewish rulers began to plan how they could have him crucified, nailed to death on a cross, before the end of the week.

It would, of course, have been a simple matter for Jesus to slip away from Jerusalem to some place of safety.

Indeed, even as late as Thursday evening, when Judas had gone to fetch Our Lord’s enemies, he could easily have escaped over the hills and so have avoided all that the Devil and his human agents were planning to do to him.

He knew this very well, and yet he deliberately stayed behind in the Garden of Gethsemane to be arrested and crucified.

Why did he do this? Because he loved you and me so much that, when he came into the world, he was ready to sacrifice everything, even his life, to save us from evil, to win for us forgiveness of sins, to bring us to God to be his forever, and to make new people of us by making us like himself.

Indeed, it was so that he might do this that his Father, out of love for us, had sent Jesus into the world and he could not do it by simply running away.

Jesus himself pictured his task as a fight between a shepherd and a wolf such as was not uncommon in his day in the wild Judean hills.

We can see it all so clearly: the wolf, hungry, lean, savage, and stealthily advancing on the flock of helpless sheep with only the shepherd standing between them and destruction.

If he turns and runs, nothing can stop the wolf from scattering the flock and killing the sheep at his leisure.

But this Shepherd will not run away, for they are his own sheep and he knows each one by name.

So this Shepherd stands his ground as the wolf with bared teeth hurls himself at his throat.

So Jesus, the Good Shepherd, did not run away and leave us to the powers of evil, but gave himself and his life for us upon the Cross.

“I am the good shepherd”, he said. “I know my own and my own know me…And I lay down my life for the sheep” (NRSV, John 10:14,15).

That was what made Our Lord’s death on the Cross altogether different from that of any other religion; our savior did not kill anyone for us, but offered his own life up for his people.

For he was God’s own Son giving his life for the salvation of humankind.

Our Lord’s life was not taken from him – he gave it freely and willingly as the price he had to pay in order to save us from evil and to bring us to his Father.

The Crucifixion was something that had to be done because when Jesus came into this world, the forces of evil would try to destroy him.

So he said, “…the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.”

So Jesus died for us on Good Friday, and three days later God raised him from the dead and he is now for ever with the Father in Heaven.

We Christians have a living Saviour, that’s something no other religion can claim.

And what our precious Saviour did that day on the Cross gives Him the right to bring you and me to the Father.

Our sins – all the wrong things we have thought and said and done – make us unfit to approach God on our own.

But Jesus is God’s sinless Son, and what he has done and suffered for us gives him the right to bring us back with him to his Father in Heaven, both here and forever after. Amen!!

Washing Feet: Reflections on John 13

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet- John 13:1-20


13 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table,[a] took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet,[b] but is entirely clean. And you[c] are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants[d] are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread[e] has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he.[f] 20 Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”

This week I was able to participate in a Foot Washing service at church. What an experience! As a kid growing up in the Catholic Church I participated in many Foot Washings, on Holy Thursday usually as an altar boy. I didn’t really understand it, but I was always struck by the image of Father Jim (who seemed to be “larger than life” in our small church setting) getting down on one knee, taking off the person’s shoes and socks, and washing their feet. As a child, I just always thought to myself, “Wow that is Father Jim washing those people’s feet!”


As I’ve grown in my faith and studies in the Word, I have come to appreciate the sacrament (yes, I called it a sacrament) of Foot Washing. I have seen foot washing services, but never participated in one. I remember during a class in Early Christian History, Dr. Johnson recounting of his days as a Pastor and one particular occasion when he was to do a foot washing at his first church. You see, he did not have a good experience at all at this church. Many of the church members were actively seeking to get him removed. And before he left there was an opportunity to do a foot washing. During the foot washing he had the chance to wash the feet of the person leading the charge to get him thrown out as Pastor. I recall in class him telling us how that foot washing changed the way he viewed that man from then on. He said, “It’s tough to feel anger against a person whose feet you’ve just washed.”

This week, I was the Pastor as part of the service. The Sr. Pastor and I selected 12 people whose feet we would wash; 6 adults and 6 youth. After some opening scripture and prayer, devotion and music we called the 12 forward. We sat them down, intermingled adults and youth. The Pastor and I took our bowels, pitchers and towels. We got down on our knees. And one by one, we removed the shoes, socks, and washed the feet of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let me tell you, the world looks different from your knees. As I sat there and removed the shoes, and prepared the water, I prayed over each person. As I dried their feet again I asked the Lord to bless them.

Now to be sure, washing feet in 2013 in Ohio is a lot easier that washing feet in the year 33 in Jerusalem! These weren’t dirty, muddy, sandal shod feet. These weren’t the feet of career fisherman. These weren’t the feet of men accustomed to walking barefoot miles and miles every day. But nevertheless, to wash someone’s feet has affected me. For those people whose feet I washed, and for the several others that were there present in the service, I don’t think we’ll forget the experience.

What Jesus did was wonderful. It is incomprehensible at times. Humility, love, kindness, tenderness…I don’t think even these words have the impact to grasp the magnitude of what Jesus did. He was a sacrifice, an atonement, a propitiation, and let us also not forget that he was an EXAMPLE to be followed!!

Jesus told the Apostles that just as he washed their feet, so too should they wash each other’s feet to follow his example. In fact, Jesus requires nothing of us that he did not do himself first:

• Feed the poor, Jesus did that- Mark 6

• Forgive others, Jesus did that- John 8

• Show sympathy, Jesus did that- John11

• Required obedience, Jesus did that- Matthew 26

• Spread the Good News, Jesus did that- John 4

• Resist temptation, Jesus did that- Matthew 4

• Pray, Jesus did that- Luke 11

• Suffer, Jesus did that- Mark 14

No matter what the requirement, everything Jesus requires of us, Jesus did first. Let us fix our eyes upon Him, the Author and Perfector of our Faith as it says in Hebrews 12. Let us look to Jesus as our example. And let us live everyday through the lens of being Jesus Christ to the world. And sometimes, you just have to wash some feet.

Sin: What is it?

As we head into Holy Week I have been struggling with the question of sin as it comes up frequently.  Here is a brief paper I wrote on the topic, so I thought I'd share.  Enjoy!!

Where to begin with the question of sin? The Bible declares that we are made in the image of God, yet it also declares that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Rom 3:23), and yet at the same time we are still morally culpable for our actions. In this short essay we will look at answering the following; What is sin- original, social, and actual. My feelings and direction on sin, and what are the practical, ministerial implications of my understanding and position regarding sin. Let’s first begin with a definition of this term we are examining: sin.


According to Hoekma, sin is a perverse way of using God given gifts and powers. (Hoekma, 113-132). This is a way of looking at sin as the taking of God’s good creation and disrupting that image. Much like what we see happen prior to and then after Gen 3:15; pre curse and post curse creation. Nothing is the same afterwards. Plantinga also has an interesting definition of sin; the willful breaking of shalom. (Plantinga, 10) Shalom in the Bible means “universal flourishing, wholeness and delight- a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts are fruitfully employed.” (Plantinga, 10) In other words, shalom is the way things are supposed to be. Sin is then the breaking of shalom willfully, which is a result of the stain of the image of God in men to begin with. Plantinga goes on to say that, “sin outstrips other human troubles by perverting special human excellences.” (Plantinga, 3) I think that last statement gets to the heart of the affect on our imago Deo; our excellences in God’s image are perverted. Still present, but perverted. This is much like a giant Maple tree that has grown crooked, still a Maple but not as useful for shade as it otherwise would have been. We still reflect our God image, but is has been stained.

But sin does not have to defeat us, we know what sin is. And our gracious and loving God sent His son to save us from ourselves. 1 John 4:10 states, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His son to be a propitiation for our sins.” God does not want us to be defeated, although we are stained from birth through original sin. God not only sent his son, but we are also able through scripture and study to assess sin and assign it characteristics that allow us to comprehend and avoid it. Hoekema lists the multiple facets of the nature of Sin in chapter 9. I feel that an understanding of sin’s nature is valuable in learning how to deal with it. First, sin does not have an independent existence. This stresses that sin in actuality is the perversion of something which was good, a defect. Augustine called it the deprivation of that which is good. The reason that sin cannot be independent is evident in that it can be conquered. If sin were actually a substance, an actual part of the essence of man, then how would we be able to conquer it? It is this understanding that allows man, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ to break free from sin and to change course. Sin is not a physical aspect of man, it is a perversion of the direction of man.(Hoekma, 169)

Secondly, sin is an essence that is related to God and the will of God. If there is no God, there is no sin. As we see all through scripture, it is the law (the Law of God) that brings consciousness to sin. Rom 3:20 declares that “…through the law we become conscious of sin.” Rom 7:7 states it as follows, “Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what it was to covet if the law had not said ‘Do not covet’”. (Hoekma, 171) The law gives us understanding, knowledge that at the end of the day, all is sin acted out by us and is against God.

Third, sin has at its source in the heart. (Hoekma, 171) I understand the implication here. Sin is essence, not physical. What is the heart? It is the emotion of man. The spring of both the good and evil that man is capable of. Mat 15:19 states. “For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander.” This also leads to the 4th and most interrelated point on sin, sin includes actions and thoughts. The “lust of the flesh” that it spoken of in Galatians 5:16 encapsulates in the word ‘flesh” the entire human nature. (Hoekma, 172) It is our innermost being that is marred, that is perverted. Plantinga reinforces sinful thoughts as sin by delineating further that just assuming that you are offending God in some way is evidence of sin. (Plantinga, 22)

Lastly, at the root of all sin is pride. In some fashion we want to be like God. (Hoekma, 173) That was the overriding impulse in Gen 3:5 with the fall of man. Augustine sums it up in this manner:

And what is the origin of our evil will but pride? For “pride is the beginning of sin.”(Ecclus 10:13) And what is pride but the craving for undue exaltation? And this undue exaltation, when the soul abandons Him to whom it ought to cleave as its end, and becomes a kind of end to itself.” (Hoekma, 173)

Plantinga sums it up very nicely, going on to paraphrase Niebuhr and the idea of security. This also is a version of pride as we (man) are looking to gain what we want when we want it:

At bottom, says Reinhold Niebuhr, we human beings want security. We feel restless and anxious in the world because we are both finite and free, both limited and unlimited. We are persons of seemingly endless possibilities and of immense power, but we are also creatures utterly dependent on the good offices of our Creator. So we live on the edge of finitude and freedom, anxious lest we miss opportunities and anxious anew when we have exploited them…but our anxiety as Niebuhr observes, is only the context for sin, not its cause. Out base problem is unbelief. Failing to trust in the infinite God, we live anxiously, restlessly, always trying to secure and extend ourselves with finite goods that can’t take the weight we put on them…Unbelief says Niebuhr, yields anxiety, which yields alternating pride and sensuality. (Plantinga, 61)


This is the base and I agree with this assessment. We, man, want to secure for ourselves with a degree of certainty, what we can gain for ourselves. While God wants us to live dependent on him for all things, like the Israelites as they wandered the dessert getting food only daily, or the sparrow which neither reaps nor sows, God wants us to rely on him for life and our daily needs. We, however, sin marred as we are and prideful, want to usurp that power from God to ourselves. In essence, that is what I believe is the issue.

This sin has originated since the fall, and with regard to original sin I agree with the Augustine/Calvinistic/Reformed school of thought that man has received both the corrupted sin nature and guilt from Adam. This has corrupted man to the core. Every aspect, every part of man cannot escape its affects. This has left us in a state of complete depravity, or as Hoekma calls it Pervasive Depravity (Hoekma, 150). Quickly defined this means that the corruption of original sin extends to every aspect of man and that there is not present in man, by nature, the motivation to love God. Many passages reinforce this belief from a scriptural standpoint including Eph 4:17-19, Tit 1:15-16, Rom 8:7 and many others. From the aspect of sin coming in through one man and being redeemed though one man I refer to Rom 5 where Paul reinforces he point that as sin came into the world through one man, so too was sin removed from the world by the “free gift” of one man. Christ accomplished this for us while we were still sinners. What an act of love from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This sin manifests itself socially and actually. I think we have already covered the aspect of actual sin. All of our actions are sinful. Nothing we do is not marred. We have evil thoughts, compulsions, desires and we either act or think with our thoughts. Here is the paradox as I see it; man is born is sin. Every aspect of our lives is sinful and no part is unstained. Our thoughts, actions, physical appearance, everything is distorted by sin. Yet, Scripture still calls us to be morally culpable for our actions. So, how can God expect a sin polluted mind to make a decision that the thinker will be held accountable for? It doesn’t seem possible. This is what I think Entwistle is referring to when he talks about Tillich’s “contradiction of man” where man is created by God, has God’s image, and yet still has turned from God (Entwistle, 154) , and Erickson’s response to it:

Sin has very serious consequences when it comes to the relationship of sinner and God. These results include divine disfavor, guilt, punishment and death. Physical death, spiritual death and eternal death flow from the consequences of sin. Sin also has consequences that affect the individual sinner. These include enslavement, flight from reality, denial of sin, self deceit, insensitivity, self centeredness, and restlessness. These effects on the sinner also have social implications in competition, inability to empathize, rejection of authority, and inability to love. …[as a group] we may be so conditioned by membership in a group that our very perception of reality is colored by it… This conditioning is something so subtle and thoroughgoing that we may not be aware that there is a given side of a given issue, or even that there is an issue at all. (Entwistle, 155)


Here is the contradiction to our lives. We are enslaved. We suffer from self denial, self centeredness, the inability to love, the inability to empathize. A thoroughly distorted view of creation is what we’re left with. A far cry from Genesis 1, instead we now suffer from the wrath of the curse of Gen 3:15. This is evidenced further in Scripture when lists the works of the sinful flesh:

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorceries, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you as I warned you before; those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5: 19-21)

It sounds very similar to the Entwistle passage. It also sounds very burdensome. What does our flesh, our nature marred by sin provide us? It gives us nothing but misery. Entwistle tells us that the ultimate consequence of sin is dread and misery (Entwistle, 153) and Plantinga suggests that all sin ultimately springs from misery. (Plantinga, 3) We see people like this in our lives every day.

But the new reality given to us in Christ Jesus is that we can find contentment in knowing that we have been “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 1:3). We should not lose hope, we should not despair. Here is what we should do in seven simple verses from the book of Romans to break the shackles of sin that we are all under:

Acknowledgment of God as Creator

Romans 1:20-21: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

We are sinners

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”

God loves us and wants us back

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God offers us the gift of eternal life

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Confession and Belief is how we accept the gift.

Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Christ is all you need

Romans 10:13 “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Determination for salvation

Romans 11:36: "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."



There are many verses like this in Scripture. But God created us for his pleasure and wants us back for his pleasure as well. We are assured that we can call upon the name of the Lord and have his atoning sacrifice eradicate, regenerate our inner beings to help assuage the effects of our sin nature. James 4:8 reminds us to “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” God’s word is truth, and life and it stands. If we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. And God’s Holiness cannot stand in the presence of sin, therefore through the sanctification of His Grace and Spirit, His drawing near to us will inevitably lead to the subjugation of the sinful flesh. And we can be assured when we have received the Spirit of God in us, and that is through the production of the fruits of the Spirit. In Galatians, Paul tells us that the manifestations of the Spirit indwelling in a person are evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit that person produces:

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with it’s passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. –Gal 5:22-25



To sum up this essay, what can be said of sin. Through our own willful rebellion we have turned from God and incurred His just and holy wrath. Every decision, every aspect of our lives is stained by that rebellion. While it seems hopeless, praise God that we have been brought back, redeemed through the blood of Christ as Paul writes in Eph 2. While in our sinful state we have the inclination to stand on our head and tell the world it is upside-down, we must realize that the cure for our condition can only be found in the atoning work of Christ Jesus.





Bibliography

1) Entwistle, David N. Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity

Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2004

2) Hoekema, Anthony A. Created in God’s Image

Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1994

3) Plantinga, Cornelius Jr. Not the Way it’s Supposed to Be- A Breviary of Sin

Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995

4) The New Oxford Annotated Bible NRSV, 3rd Edition

New York: Oxford University Press, 2007

Palm Sunday Special: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

Dramatis personæ:

John: the narrator

Jesus: the president, or another

Soldiers

the Chief Priests

some or all of the following roles may be shared:

Peter

Pontius Pilate

a Woman

a Soldier

a Slave
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John: Hear the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John.

(John 18.1 – 19.end)

John: Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them,

Jesus: Whom are you looking for?

John: They answered,

Soldiers: Jesus of Nazareth.

John: Jesus replied,

Jesus: I am he.

John: Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he,’ they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them,

Jesus: Whom are you looking for?

John: And they said,

Soldiers: Jesus of Nazareth.

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.

John: This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.’ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

Jesus: Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

John: So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him.

First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter,



a Woman: You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?

John: Peter said,

Peter: I am not.

John: Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered,

Jesus: I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.

John: When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying,

a Soldier: Is that how you answer the high priest?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?

John: Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him,

Soldiers

and Slaves: You are not also one of his disciples, are you?

John: Peter denied it and said,

Peter: I am not.

John: One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked,

a Slave: Did I not see you in the garden with him?

John: Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said,



Pilate: What accusation do you bring against this man?

John: They answered,

Chief Priests: If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.

John: Pilate said to them,

Pilate: Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.

John: The Jews replied,

Chief Priests: We are not permitted to put anyone to death.

John: (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him,

Pilate: Are you the King of the Jews?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?

John: Pilate replied,

Pilate: I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.

John: Pilate asked him,

Pilate: So you are a king?

John: Jesus answered,

Jesus: You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.

John: Pilate asked him,

Pilate: What is truth?

John: After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them,

Pilate: I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?

John: They shouted in reply,

Chief Priests: Not this man, but Barabbas!

John: Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying,

Soldiers: Hail, King of the Jews!

John: and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them,

Pilate: Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.

John: So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them,

Pilate: Here is the man!

John: When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted,

Chief Priests

and Soldiers: Crucify him! Crucify him!

John: Pilate said to them,

Pilate: Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.

John: The Jews answered him,

Chief Priests: We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

John: Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus,

Pilate: Where are you from?

John: But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him,

Pilate: Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?

John: Jesus answered him,

Jesus: You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.

John: From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out,

Chief Priests: If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.

John: When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. Pilate said to the Jews,

Pilate: Here is your King!

John: They cried out,

Chief Priests: Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!

John: Pilate asked them,

Pilate: Shall I crucify your King?

John: The chief priests answered,

Chief Priests: We have no king but the emperor.

John: Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.



Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,



Chief Priests: Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’

John: Pilate answered,

Pilate: What I have written I have written.

John: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another,

Soldiers: Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.

John: This was to fulfill what the scripture says, ‘They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.’ And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother,

Jesus: Woman, here is your son.

John: Then he said to the disciple,

Jesus: Here is your mother.

John: And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture),

Jesus: I am thirsty.

John: A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said,

Jesus: It is finished.

John: Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘None of his bones shall be broken.’ And again another passage of scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced.’



After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Snippet from "A Model if Christian Maturity" by DA Carson

Is it a Biblical Jesus who promises us nothing but health, prosperity, wisdom, and joy? Is it a Biblical Jesus who guarantees heaven and says nothing about hell? Is it a Biblical Jesus who promises eternal life but says nothing about entailed righteousness? Is it a Biblical Jesus who needs to have His saving work supplemented by our merits, ceremonies, and sacrifices if we are to be redeemed? If the Corinthians could be deceived in the first century into transferring their allegiance to a Jesus who did not really exist, what entitles us to think we shall always be exempt from similar dangers and deceptions? Our only safeguard is a humble return, again and again, to the apostolic Gospel, the Biblical Jesus, preserved for us in the pages of Scripture.- Quote on 2 Corinthians 11:4