Good Friday: “Behold Your King… Crucified”: John 19:1-16
Call to Worship: “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”
Many times during the week of Passover, one sacrifice would be made for approximately every 10 people during this celebration; given the estimates of between 250,000 to 2.5 million people attending, there would be between 25,000 and 250,000 blood sacrifices made during this celebration. It is also estimated that there were more than 30,000 crucifixions during the reign of Rome, but only one sacrifice is still remembered and only one NAME is remembered, and celebrated year after year: That name is JESUS.
After Jesus had spent an evening celebrating the Passover and then spending time in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, He is betrayed by his own disciple, Judas, and arrested by hundreds of Roman soldiers as well as officers and representatives of the temple. He was denied by Peter and interrogated by Annas and Caiaphas.
We look at John 19:1-16 as the Roman governor, Pilate, continues Jesus’ mock trial and interrogation: 1 “Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3 and they began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews !" and to give Him slaps in the face. 4 Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him." 5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man !"
So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify !" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him." 7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God." 8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid ; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above ; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." (Pilate thought he could set Jesus free, but Jesus was the One with the power to set Pilate free – from sin and death and hell.)
“How Deep the Father’s Love”
12 As a result of this, Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar." 13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha (a raised place). 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!" 15 So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. 17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS." 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'" 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."
Beautiful Savior:
Beautiful Savior, King of creation, Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love thee, Truly I’d serve thee, Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
Genesis 1 proclaims: “In the beginning God ('elohiym-is a Plural name that God gave Himself in the Old Testament used 2200 times) created the heavens and the earth. (Before CREATION there was ONLY God! Nothing else!) 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light "; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” Jesus was the king of creation, speaking the creation into existence. (Heb 1 too)
Psalm 33:4 “For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. 5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. 6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”
The God-inspired words of John 1 agree: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. ( Sunday we saw Rev 19:13: He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”)
1.The King of Creation is crucified by the damaged, and dented “Crown of His creation”. On the CROSS, The Word of God is killed by His fallen image bearers, by those he had come to save. He came as the Word of God and the Light that shines in this dark and fallen world of sin, and His creatures, who had become an innumerable multitude of “little gods”, serving themselves, and refusing to bow to the God who created them, crucified Him when He came in the flesh, unable to even recognize Him as the Light, as the Word of God, as their Creator. And so THE EXALTED Creator, who spoke the worlds into being, and created Man to be the crown of His Creation is speechless before His accusers, and He opened not His Mouth, but took man’s deserved punishment for sin and rebellion against God upon Himself.
THE BREAD: Through the breaking of the Bread, we remember that Jesus’ body was broken for our sins. The night before His death, He took bread and broke it in the company of those who would follow Him, as a remembrance of His sacrifice for sin. He reminds us of His death every time we do this, that He alone satisfies the hungry and destitute heart of sinful man by becoming for us the Bread of Eternal Life, given freely, so that by FAITH in Him alone, our sins might be forgiven… Behold, your Savior-King, whose body was broken for your sinfulness.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
2. Behold the King of Creation is your Crucified Incomparable, Compassionate, Saving King: Crucify Him! Enthrone Him on the cross! Public opinion at the time said: Pilate, Show the world we have no king but Caesar, and this is what happens to all who challenge earthly thrones.” So Jesus the King is judged, condemned by His people. He is enthroned on the cross, with revolutionaries and thieves: rebels on His right and on His left.
John wants us to remember that this was the Day of the Passover, the time when 1,000’s of lambs were brought to be slaughtered. Jesus’ altar was the Cross of Roman execution, only one of thousands, but the ONLY ONE TO BE REMEMBERED and to be worshiped because He was the only King who should NOT have died a criminal’s death. He robbed no one, He had never rebelled against God’s authority, but had only been full of grace, glory and Godliness. He was the only RIGHTEOUS one who had ever lived!
Col: 1: 13 speaks of this Incomparable Jesus. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (REDEMPTION and forgiveness belong to us IN CHRIST) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach..”
Identifying and receiving THIS true and ONLY Messiah is the most essential event of any and every human being ever to enter this earth. “Behold the Man!” Understand and BELIEVE in Christ! Stake your LIFE on HIM ALONE! TRUST in Him now, and be held BY HIM FOREVER! Behold your King! KING JESUS, who died for YOU so that HE MIGHT present you before God, HOLY and blameless. You MUST TRUST HIS SACRIFICE for yourself in order to be forgiven and saved.
3.Jesus Christ: The Saving King: was made a little lower for a little while…to become the Crucified King.In Heb. 2: 9: “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, JESUS, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
“Behold your King!” Pilate says. Look at King Jesus long enough and you’ll come to terms with a radically different conception of power. Caesar ruled by conquering lands and subjugating people. Pilate was moved by the voice of popular opinion. The Pharisees ruled from selfish ambition. Jesus rules by sacrificing Himself to conquer and pay for your sin, and in so doing, releases believers from the chains of sin and death, to everyone who will BELIEVE IN HIM.
Hebrews 9: 11: “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption…14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”
OUR King bore the full weight of God’s anger and judgment for the evil of the world. Hebrews 10: 19 says: Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, (not of ourselves) 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
THE CUP: You can only enter the Most Holy Place of the Living God because The Lamb of God shed his blood for your redemption. Behold your King saves by shedding His blood, giving His LIFE for yours. Jesus said: This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
“See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe, Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe, And all the globe is dead to me.”
AFTER THE CUP, Prayer and “Healing is in Your Hand”
No mountain no valley, No gain or loss we know, Could keep us from Your love
No sickness no secret, No chain is strong enough, To keep us from Your love
How high how wide No matter where I am Healing is in Your hands
How deep how strong Now by Your grace I stand Healing is in Your hands
Our present our future, Our past is in Your hands, We're covered by Your blood
In all things we know that We are more than conquerors
You keep us by Your love. In all things we know that
We are more than conquerors You keep us by Your love
How high how wide No matter where I am Healing is in Your hands
How deep how deep is Your love How strong how strong is Your love
Now by Your grace I stand Healing is in Your hands
4. Behold: The Crucified King is Your Eternal King…Matthew 27: 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. (When He cried out “IT IS FINISHED” in John 19:30, it was one word in the Greek that denoted an act completed, which continues to have an ongoing effect…) 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
The EARTH SHOOK as the Creator, Crucified and Redeemer King accomplished the most important work since the beginning of Time: God’s wrath upon sin had been endured by the Word of God in the Flesh. The temple curtain was torn from top to bottom in one quick RIP! God came down to earth in the flesh, sent the Word of God to die, in order to open the very access of Heaven to you. Behold: The Crucified King is the Eternal King… We know He is the Eternal King because the grave did not hold Jesus captive. No one is worshiping Caesar, Pilate, or any other former “religious leader” because they are still IN their graves today, but billions bow the knee to Jesus because the Crucified King is the Sovereign King, the Sovereign Lord; He alone is the Reigning and Returning Lord, all-deserving of the service and devotion of our lives, because of His Great Love and Grace.
The message of the cross remains the same today: “It is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Prayer and The Power of the Cross
1. SUBMISSSION to the Father not to the whims of the world.
2. SINS of the guilty upon the innocent One.
3. SUFFERING God’s wrath reserved for the disobedient.
4. SEPARATION from God, so the guilty would be united to God.
5. SALVATION according to Christ’s Work so you could be saved by FAITH, trusting the King’s work.
