Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

John 12:1-11 recounts the celebration dinner commemorating the resurrection of Lazarus, recorded in John 11:1-44.

But we also need to be aware of what took place between those two events.

Lazarus’ resurrection made the religious authorities a little nervous.

They did not know where to look for a solution until Caiaphas came to their help.

He was a Sadducee, which meant he did not believe in resurrection under any circumstances, although he was the high priest.

Also, as a Sadducee he collaborated with the Romans.

He did not want anyone rocking the boat, especially some peasant from Galilee.

Having been high priest for sixteen years, he was highly educated and intelligent, but, as we see here, also absolutely a ruthless man.

This Passage Gives An Excellent Lesson On Unbelief And Opposition To Jesus Christ, a lesson that needs to be studied.

1.

The Sanhedrin met to discuss Jesus (v.47).

2.

The causes of unbelief and opposition (v.47-48).

3.

The conclusion of unbelief and opposition (v.49-53).

4.

The response of Jesus to unbelief and opposition (v.54).

5.

The providence of God in moving events despite unbelief and opposition (v.55-57).

!!! 1.

The Sanhedrin Met To Discuss Jesus And To Decide What To Do About Him (v.47).

!!!! a)                  This was an official meeting of the nation’s leaders, including religious leaders.

!!!!! (1)               *SANHEDRIN—*The highest ruling body and court of justice among the Jewish people in the time of Jesus.

Headed by the high priest of Israel, the Sanhedrin was granted limited authority over certain religious, civil, and criminal matters.

The Sanhedrin was exercising this limited power when it charged Jesus with the crime of blasphemy but then sent him to Pilate, the Roman official, for a formal trial and sentencing.

!!!!! (2)               The word “Sanhedrin” is not found in the NKJV; instead the word “council” is used.

Usually the assembly itself is meant, although the word may also refer to the assembly meeting (John 11:47) or to the place where the assembly met (Luke 22:66; Acts 4:15).

!!!!! (3)                 The Sanhedrin had 71 members.

The New Testament mentions some of them by name: Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:43), Gamaliel (Acts 5:34), Nicodemus (John 3:1; 7:50), the high priests Annas and Caiaphas (Luke 3:2) and Ananias (Acts 23:2).

The high priest was always president of the Sanhedrin.

Some scholars suggest that the apostle Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin before his conversion to Christianity, but this is not known for sure.

!!!!! (4)                 The Sanhedrin also served as the supreme court of the Jews.

The Roman rulers did, however, reserve the right to interfere with what the Sanhedrin was doing; The Romans denied the power of capital punishment to the Sanhedrin.

This is why the Jews said to Pilate after they had tried Jesus, /“It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death” /(John 18:31).

To secure Jesus’ death they were forced by law to appeal to the Romans for the death sentence.

!!!!  

!!!! b)                  They should have been leading people to God.

These were the very ones who should have been leading the people to God and giving moral and spiritual direction to the nation.

Yet, here they were determining what to do about Jesus.

!!!!! (1)                 There was Jesus, the Son of God, standing right before them, having come to reveal God to all men everywhere.

!!!!! (2)                 There were the /“many miracles” /which Jesus had done to prove that He was truly the Son of God (John 11:47).

!!!!! (3)                 There were the leaders, the very ones...

·                     who should have been rejoicing and receiving Him.

·                     who recognized and acknowledged His /“many miracles”/ and His great teaching—so great that “all” were about to follow Him (John 11:48).

·                     who were taking the lead in rejecting and opposing Him.

!!! 2.                  The Cause Of Unbelief And Opposition (v.47-48).

Acts 5:29-42

The basic reason for unbelief and opposition is */selfish fear & envy/*.

Self-centered fear, the fear of losing something, causes man to reject and oppose others.

*Three things in particular caused the leaders to fear Jesus*.

!!!! a)                  “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him” (v.48).

!!!!! (1)                 The Word of God is powerful (Heb.4:12), it is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom.1:16),

& “faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God” (Rom.10:17).

Just let the Word of God speak for itself and it will accomplish all that God desires!

!!!!  

!!!! b)                  *There was the fear of losing their /esteem, recognition/, and /following/*.

!!!!! (1)                 They were afraid to lose their (friends, fellow-workers, neighbors, whomever).

!!!!! (2)                 Do you sometimes react out of fear?

Do you fear giving your life totally to Jesus because you will have to lose or give something up (Phil.3:7-11)?

/ /   

 

!!!! c)                  *There was the fear of losing their /place, position, influence/, and /authority/*.

!!!!! (1)                 Man likes to feel needed and when he does not feel that anyone needs him anymore the /fear of losing something /is a threat to that person.

!!!! d)                  *There was the fear of losing their nation*.

!!!!! (1)                 These were men who had profession, position, recognition, esteem, livelihood, and security.

Anyone who went contrary to what they believed and taught was a threat to all they had.

!!!!! (2)                 Some religionists undoubtedly felt that Jesus was a threat to them.

Everytime Jesus broke their law, He was undermining their very position and security.

( Matthew 12:1-8;  Matthew 16:1-12;  Matthew 21:23;  Matthew 22:15-22;  Matthew 22:23-33;  Matthew 22:34-40;  Matthew 23:1-12.)

!!!! *They Reacted Out of /Envy /(Mark 15:6-15)*

!!!!! (1)                 Pilate wanted to /satisfy the crowd/ (v.16) and in reality this was only a form of wanting to satisfy his own self-centered-selfish fear.

By satisfying the crowd and giving them what they wanted he was really satisfying his own desire to be wanted.

!!!!!! (a)                 Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers because of envy (Gen.37:3-28).

!!!!!! (b)                Bitter envy is earthly, sensual & demonic (James 3:13-16)

!!!!!! (c)                 They Were Of The Wicked One Just As Cain (1 John 3:10-12) the Pharisees works were evil and Jesus’ works were righteous they were just doing as /their father has done from the beginning /(John 8:37-44)

!!!!!! (d)                Jesus tells a Parable of the landowner (Matt.21:33-46)

!!!!!! (e)                 They Hated Him Without A Cause (John 15:22-25)

 

!!!! *The Errors Of These Religionists And Man Today Is Fourfold*.

!!!!! (1)                 They Misinterpreted And Corrupted God’s Word* *( Matthew 12:1-3).

!!!!! (2)                 They Committed Serious Sin After Sin In God’s Eyes ( 1Thess.2:15-16;

Romans 2:17-29).

!!!!! (3)                 They Rejected God’s Way Of Righteousness, Jesus Christ ( Romans 11:28;  Romans 10:1-4).

!!!!! (4)                 They Allowed /Religion/ In Its /Tradition/ And /Ritual/ To Become More Important than meeting the basic needs of human life.

"But the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."

(Mark 4:19, NASB95)

/"Jesus said, Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”"

(Luke 12:15) /

/"But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

(1 Timothy 6:9-10; 2 tim.3:1-5; 1Jn.3:17) /

!!!!! (5)                 When Jesus comes along demanding that a man change by denying himself and giving all he is and has to meet the desperate needs of a lost and starving world—man rejects and opposes Jesus.

Man is unwilling to deny himself, unwilling to live a life that is totally sacrificial.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

(Luke 9:23-25)

Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Luke 12:33-34).

* *

!!! 3.                  The Conclusion Of Unbelief And Opposition (v.49-53).

John 18:12-14 Note four points.

!!!! a)                  Suggested by the religious himself (v.49).

!!!!! (1)                 The Decision To Oppose Jesus Was Made By The High Priest Himself.

Caiaphas, being the highest religious leader in the nation at that time wanted Jesus opposed.

The very person who should have been leading the others to Jesus was suggesting that everyone reject and oppose Him.

*Thought 1.* How tragic it is...

·              that men reject Christ for the things of this world.

·              that men swap eternity for a few short years.

/‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves!

Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock (Ezekiel 34:2-3)./