As parents we teach our children that they need to develop a healthy sense of responsibility and independence. We want our children to grow up to be men and women of action. "Make something of yourself, boy," my teachers used to say. We cherish and demand hard work, striving for success and taking action to bring about desired results. We like action and disdain inaction. As the old saying goes, "Don’t just stand there; do something, anything!"
Given these prevalent notions in our world, our text today may be confusing. Jesus——our Savior and the one that many of his own day had hailed as the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the one who would deliver God’s people from oppression——doesn’t seem to do very much at all. He certainly isn’t a man of action. This is odd, especially since there is action going on all around him. Pilate is active, the chief priests are active, the crowd is so active that it shouts and yells. But Jesus is inactive, passive—he does next to nothing.
This inactivity by Jesus is especially confusing to us, since so many of us believe that the Bible endorses action. Back when I was in high school, my church was involved in the Kentucky State Fair. We had a Bible Quiz board as the main object of our display. One of our questions was this: The saying, "God helps those who help themselves," is in the Bible—true or false? A remarkable number of people said, "True." Well, it turns out that there is no such saying in scripture. But it somehow sounds right to many of our ears. Many of us have probably heard this saying just as often as real scripture verses, so it seems like it should be true. In fact, a survey conducted by the Barna research group about a year and a half ago found that 75% of teenagers in America believe that the central message of the Bible is, "God helps those who help themselves."
Since many of us apparently believe this, it is no wonder we are confused by Jesus. He does not help himself. He does not make something of himself. He is not a man of action. Instead, he just seems to let stuff happen to him. He does nothing to help himself. It is just plain hard to understand Jesus.
Perhaps we can get a glimpse as to why Jesus’ inaction is so frustrating to us by taking a look at those who do take action in our text. First, I think we can understand Pilate’s actions. Pilate is a political leader whose primary purpose is to keep Rome happy by keeping the people of Judea happy—or at least happy enough that they do not riot or rebel. For Pilate, sacrificing one innocent man named Jesus is a small price to pay to satisfy the crowd and thereby keep the peace. Likewise, I think we can understand the Chief Priests. They are religious leaders whose greatest concern is to protect the religious establishment by keeping the religious peace. Jesus has stirred up the crowds. He is a disturber of the peace—specifically the religious peace of the established leaders. For the religious leaders, getting rid of Jesus is a small price to pay to keep their privileged place and position. In short, Pilate and the Chief Priests get things done. Even if we don’t approve of their methods or goals, they are men of action. We can understand that.
Truthfully, I think that we can even understand the crowd that shouts, "Crucify him!" The crowd simply craves real deliverance. They are no friends of Rome nor do they respect the religious leaders. Yes, the Romans rule over them and the religious leaders lord it over them, but on a practical level Jesus doesn’t give them anything better than Rome or the religious leaders. For a time they thought that Jesus would bring deliverance from oppression. But, now he stands there saying next to nothing and doing absolutely nothing. The crowd wants action. They are frustrated because Jesus won’t give them the action that they are looking for. At least Pilate and the Chief Priests are doing something.
Remember, according to 75% of American youth (as surveyed by Barna), God helps those who help themselves. Pilate helps himself, the Chief priests help themselves, and even the crowd helps themselves. We can understand these people because they are a lot like us. They know how to take care of business.
I can vividly remember my childhood frustration with Jesus for remaining almost completely silent during his trial. "Wouldn’t it have been cool," I used to think, "If Jesus had just busted loose from the ropes or chains that bound him and floated up into the air proving that he was God." But Jesus just stands there saying almost nothing. We think that God helps those who help themselves, but Jesus just plain isn’t helping himself.
Returning to our text we find that Pilate is amazed. He is amazed that Jesus doesn’t do more or say more. When Pilate directly asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, Pilate gets an answer that only takes two Greek words convey. In my English translation it takes a couple more words, but still Jesus’ answer is remarkably brief and not very helpful. Jesus simply says, "It is as you say." Why doesn’t Jesus help himself? Pilate becomes so frustrated with Jesus’ lack of response to all the charges that are being hurled at him that he exclaims, "Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." But Jesus still says nothing. What must Pilate have thought about all this?
Truthfully we don’t know that much about Pilate because the text doesn’t tell us that much about him. But we can certainly understand his frustration. The text makes clear that Pilate was no dummy. According to verse 10 of the text, he knew that the chief priests only wanted Jesus dead out of envy. He knew that the charges against Jesus were trumped up charges brought by envious leaders who wanted a dangerous competitor out of the way.
Other gospels make it even clearer that Pilate was actually sympathetic to Jesus. He wanted to release him because he found no fault in him. Our own text makes it clear that Pilate offered to release Jesus to the people. It was the custom of the day for one accused or condemned prisoner to be released to the people during the feast of Passover. Pilate offers to release Jesus, an innocent man, or Barabbas, a condemned murderer and insurrectionist. In other words, Pilate offers the crowd a choice: an innocent Rabbi or a terrorist. Surely they will choose the innocent teacher. Pilate is trying to figure out a way to release Jesus while keeping the crowd happy.
I think we can understand Pilate’s core motivation and desire. He doesn’t care about theology and he isn’t really all that concerned about justice either. Theologically he is an agnostic—In John’s Gospel Pilate famously asks, "What is truth?" Jesus is a spiritual and theological enigma to Pilate, but no matter—his job isn’t theological or spiritual. Moreover, his job isn’t really about justice. Justice is for Romans, not for these backwater people of troublesome Judea. Pilate’s job is to keep the peace. His job is political. He is a politician and he acts like one.
Meanwhile the crowd acts like a crowd. Manipulated by the envious chief priests they are stirred up until they are whipped into a murderous frenzy. First, they demand that Barabbas be released instead of Jesus. Then when Pilate asks them directly, "What shall I do, then, with the one you call king of the Jews?" They begin to yell for Jesus’ head. Specifically, they yell, "Crucify him." Pilate, sensing that a mob mentality has taken over, tries one more time to slow down the process and perhaps inject some justice into the proceedings. He asks, "Why? What crime has he committed?" But the crowd has indeed become a mob. "Crucify him," is the mob’s only response to Pilate’s questions.
Pilate could have refused to have Jesus killed, but he wants to satisfy the crowd. The chief priests could have intervened to protect one of their own Jewish brothers, but in their envy they do just the opposite, stirring up the passions of the crowd. Even the crowd could have stopped the execution since Pilate’s number one desire was to satisfy them, but they have given themselves over to blood lust and blind anger and frustration.
The whole scene has degenerated into one of political, religious, and social upheaval. The political leader merely follows the whims of the crowd. The religious leaders simply make up their own rules, set aside the truth, and with envious fury manipulate the circumstances so that an innocent man is put to death. The crowd, meanwhile, the same crowd that had once welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem, seen and experienced his miracles, and been awed by his profound teaching, has become a mob crying out for blood. Turmoil, confusion, uncertainty and chaos reign.
True, it would be easy for us to simply bemoan and criticize the people of so long ago who let this happen. But do we not also fall into many of the same traps? Isn’t it true that our political leaders also often make decisions designed merely to satisfy the crowds? Aren’t there many religious leaders who are looking out only for themselves? And aren’t all of us sometimes overwhelmed by a senseless mob mentality?
Well, here are some more statistics from that same Barna survey that I referenced earlier. 91% of American youth do not believe that there is any absolute truth. In other words, just like Pilate they rhetorically ask, "What is truth?" and neither expect nor accept a definitive answer. 51% of American youth believe that Jesus Christ committed sin during his life. In other words, they believe that Jesus was just like any other man—maybe a very good, even great man, but still just a man. Even more startling, 40% of born—again evangelical Christian youths believe that Jesus sinned. In other words, even among the most committed Christians, a high percentage of them believe that Jesus was less than perfect. Do not these statistics show that we live in some of the same political, religious and social confusion that was experienced in Jesus day? I think they do. Turmoil, confusion, uncertainty and chaos often reign in our world today, just as it did in Jesus’ day.
Back to Jesus. Jesus is flogged and handed over to be crucified. And still he does nothing. Nothing. Nothing except stand. But it turns out that standing is everything in this text. Jesus is the only one who is not carried away by his own passions or the passions of those around him. He stands firm. He is the only one who is not looking out for his own interests and desires. He stands firm. He is the only one who remains calm and serene. He stands firm. In the midst of all the political, religious and social confusion, Jesus stands firm in absolute truth and serenity.
In contrast to Jesus, the actions of Pilate, the chief priests, and the crowd—turned—mob all fail. In a few short decades after Jesus’ crucifixion, the political peace fails completely. Rebellion breaks out. The religious establishment and status—quo is overturned as Rome crushes the rebellion. The chief priests are never heard from again. The deliverance that the crowd thirsts for is brutally thrust aside as the temple in Jerusalem is destroyed and the Jewish people scattered without a homeland for almost 2,000 years.
In contrast to Jesus, the whole world has nearly always chased after its own ends and tried to fulfilled its own desires and achieve its own successes. But it doesn’t work. Since the time of Adam and Eve’s first sin, through the time of Christ and into today, helping ourselves has never worked in the end. It has always brought turmoil, sin and pain. Too often we assume that our efforts, our political agendas and positions, our religious buildings, programs and establishments, and our own popular social agendas will provide deliverance and salvation. But this is a lie straight from the pit of hell. There is only one man, one agenda, and one Savior who can provide deliverance. He is Jesus, the one standing calm and serene and true in the midst of all the hubbub around him.
Now do we understand Jesus? Can you see what he is doing here? Jesus, the only one in our text who appears to be passive, is the only one who is actually accomplishing something. He alone stands accepting the truth of prophecy. The prophecy of Isaiah 53:4—5 says "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Jesus knows that these words apply to him. He knows that he must die to bring salvation and deliverance to all those who believe in him. What Pilate, the chief priests, and the crowd missed, he alone recognized; namely, that prophecy must be fulfilled. He alone stands in God’s truth. Jesus alone embraces the true action that brings us salvation.
Where does that leave us? Does it leave us filled with political action and calculations like Pilate—or filled with the envious actions of the chief priests—or filled with the frustrated, murderous mob mentality of the crowd? I hope not. Remember, Pilate’s temporary achievement of satisfying the crowd failed in the end. Likewise, the chief priest’s envious desire to protect their status and religious position failed in the end. Moreover, the crowd’s desire to somehow achieve real deliverance by crying out for blood failed in the end. So let us come out from the crowd, away from an envious desire to protect privileged position and status—quo, turning our back on temporal and empty peace. Instead, let us embrace the crucified Savior. Our Lord Jesus Christ.
I conclude today by asking you to ask yourself a simple question: Do you stand with Pilate, the chief priests and the crowd in your daily life, or do you stand in Jesus? Please understand that I am not asking simply if you believe in Jesus and are saved by his death and resurrection. I am not simply asking about your faith. I am asking you to consider your daily life. Do you really give your anxiety, your fear, your insecurity, and your good—old—fashioned "I can do it myself" attitude over to your Savior? I will tell you that standing in Jesus is a daily struggle for me. But struggle is the key word. I try each day, and I struggle each day, to stand in Jesus rather than in my own supposed truth and strength. How about you? Where and in whom do you stand?
Pray with me please.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, It is hard for us to stand in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; it is hard for us to stand in Jesus. We want to fix things, we want to do things, we want to make it right for ourselves, and yet we know that we can’t by ourselves. So once again today Jesus, we turn to you. We stand in you. Heavenly Father, enable us to continue to stand in Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Paul DeVries
Rev. Paul DeVries, most commonly referred to as “Pastor Paul”, is the Sr. Pastor of Brookside Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is married to Diane (nee Vanden Akker) and the father of four children. He graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1989 and served for 12 years as the pastor of Unity Christian Reformed Church in Prospect Park, New Jersey. As a pastor his first love and greatest joy comes in the honor of bringing God’‘s Word to his congregation on a weekly basis through his preaching. He enjoys reading, camping with his family, watching his children’‘s sporting events, and working on home improvement projects - inside and outside his home.
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