Tabletalk Devotions with R.C. Sproul - December 11, 2020

Sentenced to Death Matthew 27:24–26 "Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified" (Matthew 27:26). Ultimately, Pontius Pilate does not believe that Jesus wants to supplant the caesar and destroy the Roman Empire as an Israelite king. Several factors explain why he finds no fault in Jesus (Matt. 27:11–23). First, whether through outside sources or his own intuition, Pilate sees that Caiaphas and the other leaders seek Jesus' death out of envy, not the truth (Matthew 27:18). Secondly, his wife has had a nightmare about the events transpiring (Matthew 27:19) and sees involvement in the death of Jesus as disastrous for Pilate. Finally, the response of Jesus Himself to His accusers strongly refutes their accusations. John's gospel tells us that at one point in the trial our Savior assures Pilate that His kingdom is "not of this world" (18:36) and therefore not interested in the violent overthrow of the caesar. Coupled with this is Jesus' appearance before Pilate bound and beaten, which likely convinces him that the Nazarene is no real threat to the Empire. Jesus' innocence, however, makes Pilate no less willing to give in to his fear of a riot and have Jesus crucified to prevent an uprising (Matt. 27:26). Ultimately, this compounds his guilt — to commit the great sin of executing the Lord of glory Pilate must unashamedly cast justice aside. Moreover, the gathered mob is not excused for demanding Christ's death simply because they are following their leaders (Matthew 27:20). But if in this mob there are those who once hailed Jesus as David's heir (Matthew 21:1–11), why do they follow along? It is because they want a violent conqueror and their expectations cannot accept that this bound man is God's Messiah. Barabbas is willing to overthrow Rome by any means necessary (Mark 15:7); thus, the people prefer him over the humble Jesus (Matt. 27:21). Pilate futilely tries to shift blame to the crowd, and, tragically, the crowd's acceptance of responsibility for Jesus' death has been used over the centuries to justify anti-Semitism (Matt. 27:25). Many professing Christians have literally brought blood upon Jewish people, a gross misuse of the text given that Jesus and His disciples are Jewish and that the crowd is speaking for itself, not an entire ethnic group. In reality, all people are guilty of having Christ killed, for our sin made His death necessary in the first place (Rom. 3:21–26). Coram deo: Living before the face of God A select group of corrupt religious leaders and unjust Roman officials are those who enacted the legal procedures that resulted in Jesus' death. Yet in a sense, we all killed Jesus, because had we not sinned, there would have been no need of His death. It is sobering to realize that we put Jesus on that cross; still, He went there willingly so that we could be forgiven of our sin. How amazing is God's marvelous grace! For further study: Genesis 3:17–19 The Bible in a year: Joel 1:1-3:21 For the weekend: Amos 1:1–6:14

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Copyright Information INTO the WORD daily Bible studies from TableTalk Magazine, Matthew Studies. Copyright © 2008 by Ligonier Ministries. Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog by Bible Gateway, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA. This email is part of a devotional or newsletter that you signed up for on BibleGateway.com. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact us. *Manage all Bible Gateway subscriptions —  *Opt Out of all Bible Gateway communication *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally R C Sproul R.C. Sproul (Drs, Free University of Amsterdam) was the founder of Ligonier Ministries and general editor of The Reformation Study Bible. A prolific author, he wrote more than sixty books, including The Holiness of God, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Chosen by God, What Is Reformed Theology?, The Glory of Christ, The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, and Getting the Gospel Right. Dr. Sproul was professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale until 2004 and, before that, taught at Reformed Theological Seminary. He served as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, Sanford, Florida, and taught on the national daily radio program Renewing Your Mind. Want to buy R. C. Sproul books on Alibris?