Sermon Audio: Jesus Before Pilate
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:1-12
Duration: 19:47
Size: 13.9 MB
Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Before Pilate
Luke 23:1-12
Because they were not able to impose the death penalty on anyone, they had to get the Romans to convict Jesus of a capital offense, and thereby get him sentenced to death.
I. The Accusations Against Jesus (Luke 23:1-2)
Jesus was simply teaching the people a correct understanding of God’s truth rather than the perversion that was being taught to them.
II. The Question of Pilate (Luke 23:3a)
If Jesus was a revolutionary trying to rebel against Rome, then Pilate would have to take action against him.
III. The Answer of Jesus (Luke 23:3b)
IV. The Verdict of Pilate (Luke 23:4)
Pilate believed that Jesus was not a threat to Rome. And so he declared Jesus not guilty of any crime against Rome.
V. The Disagreement of the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:5)
VI. The Referral to Herod (Luke 23:6-7)
Under Roman law, a person could either be tried in the place where he was accused or in the province where he came from.
VII. The Ridicule by Herod (Luke 23:8-11)
He was simply trying to ridicule Jesus, and so Jesus refused to answer him.
Interestingly, although Luke did not state it in this passage, Herod, like Pilate, found Jesus not guilty of any wrongdoing.
VIII. The Friendship of Enemies (Luke 23:12)
Whatever else they disagreed about, Pilate and Herod could agree to despise and persecute Christ.
Jesus allowed the human injustice to go forward because he knew that it was part of God’s plan for divine justice to be met against sinners like us.