Justice and the Trial of Christ

Understanding Justice in Human Experience

From the very foundation of time, God has woven into the context of human experience a powerful word called justice. We feel this concept deep in our hearts—when a guilty person walks free from a courtroom, when an innocent person is imprisoned, when our own names are slandered and we cannot defend ourselves.

If you've ever been on the receiving end of injustice, you know what it feels like to cry out, "This is wrong." And if you haven't yet, just keep living. A day will come when you find yourself suffering injustice—when you say to yourself, "What they did to me was wrong," especially in times when you can make no real defense for yourself, or when God does not allow you the freedom to take vengeance into your own hands.

Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. You take no vengeance right now.

This is perhaps the hardest submission—to suffer injustice at the hands of those we love, and only for the Father to whisper in your spirit that vengeance belongs to Him alone. Some of us have submitted to this with tears in our eyes, saying, "Father, I'll submit, but this don't feel right."

I tell you this because I want you to learn to read the scriptures and not just see names on pages, but to feel what people are feeling in a text. These are real human beings that lived.

The Trial of the Ages

We come now to the second week of the trial of the century—the trial of the ages, the trial of the most important person in human history: the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Last week, we began the history of this trial. Christ had been preaching and teaching. He had led a revival in the nation of Israel. And as that revival was brewing, the religious leaders of the nation of Israel began to grow in envy towards Christ. Their hearts filled with jealousy.

Envy is a dangerous sin. It consumes the heart of the one it lives in. It darkens the heart and colors the mind. I once heard someone say: "If the devil could find a jealous heart, he can make a slanderous mouth." And I see this all over social media—slander against real prophets of God. Some of it has nothing to do with the preacher and everything to do with the hearts of jealousy.

A man appears who fulfills all of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. Instead of receiving Him as their leader, they reject Him with jealousy in their heart. Jesus comes down to the end of His ministry, goes into Jerusalem for what will be the last week of His life. On the way in, He comes to the shouts of "Hosanna!" from people who recognize Him for the Messiah. He cleanses the temple. By the time He comes to Friday, He is a prisoner.

He is betrayed by a close friend, Judas. He is abandoned by His close friends, Peter and the other apostles. He is left by Himself to stand trial at night—six illegal trials throughout the night from cowards who could not try Him in the day. By the time the sun comes up at 6:00 a.m. in Jerusalem, they have passed a sentence on Jesus: He must be put to death.

For what? For their jealousy, not for His crimes.

Men who call themselves leaders—leaders of God—so jealous, so envious that they would seek to put a man to death because His ministry agitated them that much. People who wore the cloth, who had long robes and phylacteries. The man hailed as holy. But because of jealousy, they would convene to put a man to death. "Never mind just ignore Him. We will kill Him."

But because they do not have the execution power of Rome, they must bring Jesus to a man named Pontius Pilate, who ruled between A.D. 26 and 36. They bring him to Pilate with the accusation: "He stirs up the people with evil. He's a false teacher. He tells people don't pay taxes. He calls himself the king of the Jews. He is an enemy of Caesar."

Pilate's Dilemma

Now Pilate is in a jam. He is a governor who is not popular. He is not liked by the people. He has already been in trouble with his senior leader, Tiberius Caesar. Pilate is a man fighting for his office and for his reputation. At the same time, he's dealing with a mob outside of his house and an innocent man on the inside of his house. He is in a jam.

Pilate is sensing this is an innocent man. He does not want to crucify an innocent man. But the mob is outside, so he doesn't want to let Him go. And at the same time, he doesn't want to execute Him. And at the same time, he doesn't want to lose his office. His back is against a wall.

Pilate is trying to find an out. He sends Jesus to a man named Herod. The Lord says nothing to Herod. Herod sends him back to Pilate. Pilate is in an even greater jam. But then Pilate remembers he has one more card to play—his very last card.

The Passover Custom

At the feast of Passover—remember, there is a feast happening in Jerusalem this week. Jerusalem is packed with tens of thousands of people. It is the feast of Passover where they sacrifice lambs as a foreshadow of their deliverance from slavery. Not to mention the ultimate Lamb is in the city during this time.

Pilate remembers that there is a custom: every year at this Passover, he has the authority to release one prisoner whom the people want. Rome instituted this policy so they would find favor with the Jews as a goodwill offering. In this policy, maybe if there's somebody sitting in prison who was innocent, they have a chance to go free.

Pilate remembers there is a notorious prisoner sitting in prison. His name is Barabus.

In Greek, "Bar Aba" means "Son of the Father." So there's a son of a father on trial—one of an earthly father and one of a Heavenly Father. Barabus may have been the son of a very famous rabbi, because rabbis were called father. Maybe he is a wayward child whose feet went to the left. This is why we should be praying over our sons and daughters.

But Barabus is a notorious criminal. According to Scripture, he was in prison for three charges: one, murder; two, thievery; three, insurrection. He was a rebellious person against Rome. According to history, Barabus was involved in leading a rebellion against Rome, which left people dead in the streets. He is a dangerous menace to society. Barabus is depraved. Barabus is not a man who deserves freedom.

And Pilate thinks to himself, "If I pull him out and stack him up against Jesus, they will choose Christ. Gosh. And let me off the hook."

The Choice Before the People

So Pilate calls them: "Go get the worst prisoner we have down there. A man named Barabus."

When they gather together, Pilate says to them: "Who do you want me to release to you?" Here is this man Barabbus on his left, Jesus on his right. Pilate goes out to the porch and looks down at the people. He says, "Which one do you want me to release to you—this notorious dangerous menace to society or this man who is called Christ?"

He gives them a choice between a murderer and Christ, between an insurrectionist and Christ, between a guilty man and an innocent man.

Pilate is thinking to himself: "Surely they have enough common sense. Surely they would not choose a dangerous menace to release back into the crowd than this man called Christ. Surely they have enough discernment to know the difference between who they should select in this moment."

To me, I look at this and I feel some type of way because I think, "Surely they should have enough discernment to make the right decision."

But then I think about us. We do the same thing all the time. Surely people who claim to be saved, people who claim to be filled with the Spirit, people who claim to read the Bible should have enough discernment to know the difference between a real prophet and a fake one. The difference between a real preacher and a fake one. The difference between a real church and a fake one. The difference between a real man of God and a fake one. Surely they should know the difference.

And yet false prophets have platforms. And yet false prophets get likes. And yet false prophets get money. And yet false prophets, you buy their books. And yes, false prophets, you go to their conferences. False prophets, you fool their churches. False prophets, you shout amen when they're preaching heresy. We see people every Sunday preaching heresy while people sit in the pew and shout, "Preach, preacher." But you're so biblically illiterate that you're not even discerning enough to know you're listening to garbage packaged in heresy.

Or because you think somebody is dressed nice, or because they got an accent, or they walk nice, or they're not hood, or whatever the case may be. You think cadence means holiness. And there are a lot of people that preach heresy eloquently.

This is why I always encourage you: Read the scriptures for yourself. When you hear lies, you would discern that in your spirit. Check behind me when you go home. Go home and read. A false prophet will never talk like that. They don't want you to be empowered with knowledge for yourself. So they play on the feelings of gullible people that don't read, that have no prayer life. So they make themselves a god in your life so that you can't hear from God without them.

They won't encourage you to pray and hear from God for yourself or go read and learn about God for yourself. They want to keep you attached to them in such a degree that without them you can't survive. You got to have enough discernment to know you're listening to a serpent. And you can't have discernment without a prayer life. The more you pray, the more you have discernment.

The Most Important Question

Notice how Pilate throws it at them. He doesn't just say, "Who do you want? Barabbus or Jesus." He says, "Who do you want? Barabus or Jesus who is called Christ."

Pilate is laying it on real thick here, saying the word Christ—Christos, "Anointed One" in Greek—hoping that these Jews would remember that your God promised you a Messiah. "And this man who y'all trying to kill, surely some of y'all would have heard about him, that he raised the dead, that he opened blind eyes, that he unstopped deaf ears, that he preached a revival. Surely you would know something is different about this man. Surely you would know: this is your Christ. He's different."

Why is Pilate laying it on thick on the people? Because he knows:

For he knew that it was out of envy that the leaders had delivered Jesus up to him.

Pilate wasn't stupid. He either heard about the ministry of Christ, or at some point during the trial he realized, "This dude is different." And Pilate realized in his mind: they're trying to put an innocent man to death—not because He's guilty, but because they are full of envy.

Pilate's Wife's Plea

While Pilate is sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sends him a word. Her name was Claudia:

Have nothing to do with this righteous man. For I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.

Pilate is sitting on the judgment seat. The people are outside. Jesus is in the middle of the trial. In the middle of this, his wife sends him a message: "Babe, I had a dream. And in my dream, that man that took up the sentence—I saw him in my dream as a righteous man. Please, babe, get out of this situation. Please don't have nothing to do with putting that man to death."

This is powerful to me because she is a pagan. She's not saved. Look at what's happening: Where are His people? Gone. Where's Peter and the other followers? Gone. Where's Judas? Gone. Everyone who shouldn't make a defense for Christ is gone.

But the Father in Heaven wanted to ensure that somebody would speak up for my Son. Oh my God.

The Father in Heaven wanted to ensure that someone would speak up for my Son. He puts it into the mind of a pagan woman: "This man is righteous." So that it would always be on the record of the courts, that this man was righteous, that somebody would know in the annals of history in this trial that y'all about to put a righteous man to death.

And it's just a reminder for you and me: Even when the people you think should be standing up for you do not, the Lord knows how to vindicate every one of His children. He ain't got to fight you on no post. The Lord knows how to vindicate His children. That's why sometimes fruit is louder than the fight.

Talk about me all you want. Check my fruit.

That's what you need to post at your next hater: "Talk about me all you want. Check my fruit." All you got is accusations. Check my fruit. All they have was accusations. But a pagan woman says, "That man is righteous, babe. Don't touch him."

Better learn to listen to wives. And thank God if you got a godly one. "Babe, don't do that. Don't buy that. Don't go there. Don't trust her. Don't trust him. Get a new cubicle. Don't get that car. Don't go into debt for that. We're trying to pay off these bills. Don't need name brand everything. Babe, delay gratification." We're trying to help some spouses.

The Corruption of the People

Now watch carefully. Notice Pilate asked them, "Who do you want?" We don't hear no answer from them yet. While the case is interrupted by the message from Claudia, the chief priests go to the people and say: "Ask for Barabus. Tell them get rid of Jesus."

Wrong people in your ear. Wrong people in your ear while he's distracted. Ask for Barabus.

This is why you got to be careful who you listen to. You got to be careful what podcast you got in your ear. You got to be careful what preachers you listen to. Some of y'all listen to too many preachers. You got to be careful because the leaders of Israel are corrupting the hearts of the people of Israel to reject the King of Israel.

This is why you got to be careful who you listen to so you're not persuaded in the wrong direction. Too many of us believe false things that we've heard from false teachers.

I believe this is all Divine. If they don't do this, the people might have enough common sense to ask for Jesus. But the Father knows His Son cannot escape this now. The Father knows His Son must die. So He interrupts the trial just enough time for those men to do their evil and for Christ to be declared righteous. The good and the bad working for the good of the Lord.

Watch the same thing He promised to you in Romans 8:28:

All things, not just some things, not just things that make you feel good—He says, "All things, the good things AND the bad things, all of them God works for the good of those who are called according to his purpose."

So even when things are painful or brutal, God could be working those things for your good. Because this is all God's sovereign control over the trial. Even the wickedness in the trial is being allowed by the Father to fulfill the purposes of the redemption of man.

This should just impress you all the more: In all the things you go through in this life—as long as you are in the will of God, whether they are painful or not, joyful or not—if you're in His will, then you have confidence when you lay down. "I may be crying over this, but all things will work for my good and for his glory."

The Question of the Ages

The governor comes back and says to them:

Which one of these two do you want me to release to you?

And they said, "Barabus." Now they have been corrupted.

Pilate said to them: "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"

The most important question in human history.

What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? Now look at me. Every human being has to answer this question. Every human being has to answer this question in their lifetime.

What will you do with Jesus who is called Christ? Would you reject Him? Would you submit to Him? Would you follow Him? Will you love Him? Will you obey Him? Will you say no to Him? Will He be your Savior now or your Judge later?

No one escapes this life without answering this question. What will you do with Christ?

If He is who He claims to be—the Son of God. If He is who He claims to be—Jehovah. If He is who He claims to be—the One who's coming again, the one who will judge the living and the dead. If everything He said about Himself is true, then you got to know: What are you going to do with Jesus who is called Christ?

I'm talking to everyone in this room, everyone under the sound of my voice. I'm talking to every atheist, every agnostic, every person of false religion. I'm talking to every Buddhist, every Muslim. I'm talking to everybody: What are you going to do with Jesus?

Roll the dice the wrong way with Christ, it will cost you in eternity. This is the question of the ages. The most important question in life. What will you do with Christ?

What are you going to do with him? I made a decision to surrender to him. I'm going to bank everything that He is who He said He is. If somebody could be killed and resurrected from the dead, I want to bank everything that He is who He said He is. And I expect to see him when I take my last breath.

The Rejection and the Scourging

But they shouted, "Crucify him."

And then Pilate said, "Why? What evil has he done?"

But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified."

And Pilate is trying to defend Him: "What has He done? Crucify him." They have been corrupted by bad teachers. And there's too many believers who have been corrupted by bad teachers.

That's why you should always thank God when you have good teachers in your life. Be thankful for godly teachers. Don't take them for granted. The ones who pray and watch over your soul and teach you the scriptures—don't take them for granted. If you're somewhere else, another church, don't take them for granted. Don't treat them like common and ordinary. Honor them. They are gifts to you. According to Ephesians 4, they're gifts given by Christ to the body.

When Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he was in trouble. Now his back is against the wall. He could just acquit Jesus and let him go. But this is what happens when you're full of compromise. You start flirting with options instead of just having convictions.

When you have convictions, your decisions are already made. When you don't have convictions and you feel compromise, you flirt with things that get you in trouble. You flirt with people, flirt with business deals, flirt with contracts. Flirt with—when you have convictions, your decisions are already pre-made.

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing but rather that a riot was breaking out, he leans into compromise. He took water and he washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood."

But let me tell you something: Pilate didn't escape that guilt. A couple years after this trial, Pilate lost his job. He was exiled to a foreign land—which is now France. And he committed suicide there. That guilt never left him.

Sometimes all suicide is—because I've been suicidal twice—is an escape from the heaviness of the heart. Pilate never escaped this trial. I believe Pilate was impacted. I believe he was marked that day. I believe he saw an innocent man that day. I believe his heart was burned that day. I believe he felt trapped that day. He made the wrong decision that day. He never escaped that day. A few years after this, he committed suicide—just like another guilty man before this trial, Judas, who also committed suicide from the guilt of the heart.

The Curse and the Choice

And all the people answered:

His blood be upon us and on our children.

So they call down a curse on their own selves to crucify Him. They say, "Let His blood be on us and on our children."

This is what happens when parents are full of evil. They make decisions that hurt their children. This is why we who are parents—if you have children—you should be striving for holiness and purity and godliness because your foolishness could destroy another generation.

And if you're a child and you have godly parents, you should never take them for granted.

These parents are so full of the devil at this point. They said: curse themselves. "Let the blood of Christ be on us. Not only us—let the blood of Christ be on our children." They curse themselves and their children. And I believe they didn't escape either because 40 years after this trial, Jerusalem is sacked by Titus in the year A.D. 70, and a million Jews are killed, their bodies laying in the street according to Josephus. So they didn't escape either. That curse manifested in their lives.

Then they released for them Barabus. And having scourged Jesus, they delivered him to be crucified.

Before we leave, there are two things in this last verse I want to show you with vivid imagery: They scourged Jesus. Matthew says nothing about that, but I want to show you what a scourging was so you will understand what the Lord did for you.

This is a scourging—whips made of bone and metal. According to Isaiah, they beat the Lord to the point He was unrecognizable. For you. For me.

I don't understand how we can see this, read that, but you won't feel that till you see it. This is why you should not love sin. After they left Him there, a bloody lump of flesh, face no longer recognizable, body torn to pieces—that's what the Scripture says. He was a big lump of flesh. Then He had to be executed after that.

Life or Rebellion—The Daily Choice

If the Lord who called Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life—if He represents life—then what Barabus represents to me is rebellion. And the choice between the two men is also symbolic, because you make this choice every day. You make this choice every week. You make this choice every month. You make this choice every year of your life.

Every day, every week of your life, you're choosing between:

• Life or rebellion
• Obedience or rebellion
• Faithfulness or rebellion

You're making this choice all the time. We're always making a choice between Christ and the devil, the word and lies, life and rebellion. We're always making this choice.

My prayer for you, my brothers and sisters, is that at some point in time you would get it. That you would tattoo to your heart the high price of what Christ did for you and me. That you would lay your life down on the altar—your will, your desires, your affections, your marriage, your parenting, your children, your finances, your whole life.

And every day, start choosing life. I choose Christ over rebellion. I choose Christ over sin. I choose Christ over my own will. I'm going to keep choosing Christ no matter what it costs me.

For nothing you're going to suffer in this life is any worse than what He suffered for you, God. We can't keep deferring to our rebellion and our pride and our arrogance and our laziness and our sin. We choose Christ and we marvel over what He has done.

Every day we keep getting up and we keep choosing Him over everything else in this life that is attempting to circumvent His authority and rule on the hearts of men.

The Closing Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray that You would exalt the Son in our hearts and that we would love the Son and worship the Son and be deeply in love with the Son and deeply devoted to the Son. I pray that in all things Christ would have the preeminence in our hearts and in our lives.

That we would strive for holiness and purity and faithfulness and loneliness unto Christ. That we would see Him and behold Him and long to be with Him. And that our whole lives will be lived out for the glory of Christ. I don't even know what else to pray. Spirit of the living God, work in the hearts of Your sons and daughters in this ministry, in this nation, and around the world. That Christ will be exalted in us.

Let these tears of repentance lead us into new lives. Save the one watching right now who is far away. Draw them near to the Savior. I ask in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of the one who bled and died and set us free like Barabus—the one who took our place between two thieves on that cross. In the name of that one, the substitutionary Lamb, I pray.