What Shall I Do With Jesus?
Text: Matthew 27:22
Title: What to Do With Jesus?
Textual Theme, Goal, Need:
Theme:
Goal:
Need:
Sermon Theme, Goal, Need:
Theme: God calls all people to make the decision to release Christ among them.
Goal: to encourage all people to release Christ to live among them.
Need: We often send Christ to the cross, or sit on the fence about where we want Christ.
Textual Outline:
Textual Notes:
Sermon Outline:
- Introduction
- Three Options
- Pilates Decision
- Chose Jesus as Lord
- Conclusion
Sermon in Oral Style:
Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
When it comes down to it, people think about Jesus in one of three ways. Many who come to church would fall into the first category. That’s the category that loves Jesus, that believes he saved them from the wrongs that they’ve done. And they have made him Lord, master, commander of the way their life goes. The people who believe this about Jesus believe it is best that Jesus’ influence spreads around the world.
Flip that around and you have the people who are on the other side of the spectrum. These are the people who are actively spreading ideas that go against Jesus Christ. Maybe it’s a trust in science or another religion that brings people to think this way. Scientists have a lot of things right. Christians ought to be getting involved in the fields of science and discovery of how this world operates. The second branch of thinking about Jesus would be that faith in him is ridiculous and foolish. These non-believers in Jesus would be happy to see if the influence of Jesus was completely ended. Crucify belief in Jesus because it is just getting in the way of the real Truth. They might think truth is human development, moral freedoms, whatever. Just get rid of the influence of Jesus who stands in the way of that.
Those two thoughts were definitely present at the time of Jesus last week. Camp 1, the believers would be Jesus followers. They are committed to him and are at least somewhat committed to putting their neck on the line for him. Though they wouldn’t be that daring until after Jesus himself died. At the time of the trial in our passage they are in hiding and denying Christ.
The second camp that wants to ruin get rid of the influence of Christ in the world, that’s the Jews that are bringing Christ to trial. They are sick and tired of Jesus teaching things they don’t believe is true. They hate it that his teaching pokes holes in what they have been teaching all along. They want to get rid of Jesus and his influence because it takes the power away from them.
Those are the first two. Do you feel like you fall into one of those two categories? I hope it isn’t the case that everyone here feels like we have committed themselves to Christ because that means we haven’t done our job of bringing in those who need to hear the truth and spread the influence of Christ in this world.
But maybe some of us feel like our faith is solid. We have given over completely. Maybe some of us are hostile, hateful toward Jesus.
Many of us may be of the third mind. That’s the mindset that finds it so difficult to make a decision that that you just don’t know what to think about the influence of Christ. Is Christ historically true? Does he love me? Is his goodness worth spreading, or am I content letting it be just “my faith.”
Is it fair to stick people in those hard and fast categories? No, its not. Most of us will go through life and kind of wander around through each of them depending on what has happened in our life or what other outside influences moving us. We go from one to the next. But I think every finds themselves in the categories at one point or another.
In our passage today Pontius Pilate is the one who fits more in that situation. Even though he shows no evidence that he is borderline on becoming anything of a believer that Jesus is God in human form, he is stuck in the middle because he doesn’t know what he ought to do with Jesus. End his influence? Release him? What?
Pontius Pilate asks two questions that we will be looking at in the next two parts of our reflections during Lent on the questions that came up during Christ’s last week before his crucifixion. Next week we will here him ask the questions: What is Truth? This week the question Pontius Pilate asks is “What shall I do then with Jesus?” The question shows us his confusion.
But first, who is this Pontius Pilate? At first he might seem like a pretty reasonable governor. He may even seem like he’s a compassionate fellow who really is concerned about seeing justice done.
But the people who first heard this story wouldn’t have remembered Pilate as a compassionate governor. Other historical sources tell us other stories about Pilate, a Roman, and the way that he governed the Jewish people in Jerusalem.
One example. Always thinking first about Rome, not the people, he stole the offerings that people had given that were stored at the treasury in the temple. He used the money to build 60 kilometers of aqueducts. The Jewish people were so upset with Pilate that they rioted near his governors office.
Pilate’s way of dealing with it? He sent soldier in plain clothes to join the mob. Then all at once the soldiers haul out whips and clubs and they beat the protesters so much that most of them died right there.
Don’t let Pilate fool you. He is no gracious governor. The Jews despise him. The only reason they are before Pilate is so he can put his Roman stamp of approval on crucifying Jesus for them.
He may not be a gracious governor, but he definitely isn’t the type to dole out executions on a whim. He isn’t going to be pushed around by the Jews, being their pawn for brutal executions. Pilate’s stuck in a tough spot. Does he risk a riot and tell them he won’t execute the innocent Jesus? Or does he become a pushover and do what they want him to do?
So he crafts this scheme to get himself out of it. Make it the peoples idea to set Jesus free! Then they can’t riot. Its a method that’s been used on children by teachers and parents from. So he takes a murderer, Barabbas, and says, “I’m going to set one prisoner free again this Passover Season. Who do you want living among you. A murderer. Or a Peacemaker. Barabbas or Jesus?”
Who do you want living among you? Who do you want influencing your society? Who do you want walking the streets when you children are playing and your spouses are out and about? Would you like Jesus or a cold blooded murder? They chose to be people that okays murders and crucifies goodness and love.
“Hmmmm, didn’t see that one coming now did ya’ Pilate.” He had to be completely confused that the people would chose such a ridiculous thing. Its more important to these people to kill an obviously falsely accused upright individual, then to make sure justice is carried out in the proper way.
So here comes the question. The question every person is faced with. It’s a huge question in the life of Christ. It’s a huge question for the career of Pilate. And could there be any bigger question that we will ask ourselves. The question is: What, then should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ.”
We know what Pilate decides. He’s swayed by the crowd. He washes his hand of Jesus saying, “don’t blame me for the death of an innocent man.” But then he hands Jesus over to be killed. Pilate decides to go with the crowd who is trying to eliminate Jesus and his influence in the world.
Don’t under estimate the importance of the question for our lives. “What should I do with Jesus?” Ask it for youself.
John 3:36 says, “36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”d [1]
And we hear it again from the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:9-10. “9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. [2]
So where are you right now? What then are you going to do with Jesus who calls himself Lord?
The first part of that question is are you saved? Do you believe Jesus has rescued you from hell? Oh its real. Oh we need rescuing. Is it as simple as believing? Paul says yep. Its as simple as believing.
The next part of the question, what are you doing with Jesus is are you letting him save you from the life you might be living right now? Are you allowing him to influence your life as you Lord? Don’t you think Christ badly wants that to be the part of the salvation he’s trying to give you? What should you do with Jesus? Should you let him help you chose what parties you really should be going to? Should you let him show you who you should be getting into a serious relationship with? Should you let him show you how you ought to be using your computer?
The answer to Pilate’s question is central to all of what happens during the season of Lent. Jesus was abandoned by God so that we wouldn’t mess up our lives now or for all eternity. Lent is for us to refocus and to help us answer the question for ourselves. What shall we do with Jesus? Are we going to end his influence in our lives and in the world? Or are we going to believe in him, confess he is Lord, and let his influence move us and let his kingdom influence our whole society. You know where I think we ought to stand? What are you doing with Jesus?
Shall we pray?
This is God’s will from his word. And all God’s people say, AMEN.
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d Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 30.
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Jn 3:36
[2] The Holy Bible : New International Version. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ro 10:9-10