Podcasts about Praetorium

He was born sometime in the mid-fourth century on an island in the Aegean. For a time he lived successfully in the world, receiving a good education in Constantinople, then serving for a time for the Prefect of the Praetorium. But, becoming aware of the vanity of worldly things, he answered Christ's call, gave away all his goods to the poor and entered a monastery in Syria. After four years in obedience, he came to feel that the security of monastic life was inconsistent with the Gospel command to take no thought for the morrow; so he withdrew to the desert, taking with him only his garment and the Book of the Gospel. There he lived alone for seven years.   At the end of this period he set out on an apostolic mission to Mesopotamia, where he brought many to Christ: the city prefect Rabbula was converted after Alexander brought down fire from heaven, and a band of brigands who accosted the Saint on the road were transformed into a monastic community. He finally fled the city when the Christians there rose up demanding that he be made bishop. He once again took up a solitary life in the desert beyond the Euphrates, spending the day in prayer and part of the night sheltered in a barrel. There he remained for forty years. His holiness gradually attracted more than four hundred disciples, whom Alexander organized into a monastic community. Each disciple owned only one tunic, and was required to give away anything that they did not need for that day. Despite this threadbare life, the monastery was able to set up and run a hospice for the poor!   Alexander was perplexed as to how the admonition Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) could be fulfilled by frail human flesh, but after three years of fasting and prayer, God showed him a method. He organized his monks into four groups according to whether their native language was Greek, Latin, Syriac or Coptic, and the groups prayed in shifts throughout the day and night. Twenty-four divine services were appointed each day, and the monks would chant from the Psalter between services. The community henceforth came to be known as the Akoimetoi, the Unsleeping Ones. (Similar communities later sprang up in the West, practicing what was there called Laus Perennis; St Columban founded many of these.)   Always desiring to spread the holy Gospel, Saint Alexander sent companies of missionaries to the pagans of southern Egypt. He and a company of 150 disciples set out as a kind of traveling monastery, living entirely on the charity of the villages they visited. Eventually they settled in some abandoned baths in Antioch, setting up a there a monastery dedicated to the unceasing praise of God; but a jealous bishop drove them from the city. Making his way to Constantinople, he settled there with four monks. In a few days, more than four hundred monks had left their monasteries to join his community. The Saint organized them into three companies — Greeks, Latins and Syrians — and restored the program of unsleeping prayer that his community had practiced in Mesopotamia. Not surprisingly, his success aroused the envy and anger of the abbots whose monasteries had been nearly emptied; they managed to have him condemned as a Messalian at a council held in 426. (The Messalians were an over-spiritualizing sect who believed that the Christian life consisted exclusively of prayer.) Alexander was sent back to Syria, and most of his monks were imprisoned; but as soon as they were released, most fled the city to join him again. The Saint spent his last years traveling from place to place, founding monasteries, often persecuted, until he reposed in 430, 'to join the Angelic choirs which he had so well imitated on earth.' (Synaxarion)   The practice of unceasing praise, established by St Alexander, spread throughout the Empire. The Monastery of the Akoimetoi, founded by a St Marcellus, a successor of Alexander, was established in Constantinople and became a beacon to the Christian world. 'Even though it has not been retained in today's practice, the unceasing praise established by Saint Alexander was influential in the formation of the daily cycle of liturgical offices in the East and even more so in the West.' (Synaxarion)

"Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked a these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: 'Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.' When the Emperor heard of this, he asked him: 'Have you lost your mind?' Adrian replied: 'I haven't lost it, but found it!' Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and, when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken with hammers. This was done and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days, Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord's hands." (Prologue)

"Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked a these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: 'Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.' When the Emperor heard of this, he asked him: 'Have you lost your mind?' Adrian replied: 'I haven't lost it, but found it!' Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and, when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken with hammers. This was done and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days, Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord's hands." (Prologue)

Mark 15:16-41The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS . They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

The King Dies G'day and welcome to Partake! We are now on day 21 of our series "Glimpses", looking at the story of the Bible in 30 days, from the time of creation through to the time of the fullness of redemption! Last time we looked at Jesus at prayer. Today we look at the events leading to his death and burial. Jesus has been arrested and bought to trial before the High priest. All the disciples have abandoned him, but Peter follows on from distance, even denying he knew Jesus 3 times! The guards then beat Jesus. Caiaphas the High Priest condemns Jesus and Jesus is taken to the Praetorium for trial by the Romans. That is where we will pick up the story... 1. Jesus was Condemned So firstly lets look at Jesus' condemnation before the Romans. Reading from John 19v1 to 16: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face. Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement. It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. Pilate was the Roman Governor of Judea and he had the power to release or condemn any prisoner. It was he that made the decision and gave the order for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate gave into the whims of the Jewish religious leaders and the baying crowd, permitting the flogging and mockery of Jesus in the hope of shaming his accusers (John 19vs. 1-3). Pilate even affirmed Jesus' innocence after the scourging (John 19v4). Jesus' refusal to answer stung Pilate into reminding Jesus of his Roman authority (John 19v10). Jesus, however, corrected Pilate's idea of authority and told him that although Pilate may have power on earth, his power did not reach beyond earth (John 19v11). Jesus knew that his work of bring people back to God in a loving relationship did not rest on the actions of a mere Roman governor. Pilate was more concerned with his own position than he was for justice. 2. Jesus was Crucified So Jesus was condemned to die. Now lets look at John 19v17-24 and Jesus' crucifixion. Reading from John 19v17-24: Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others-one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did. Jesus bearing his own cross, was killed as a common criminal (John 19v17). Despite that, even when he himself was in utter agony, Jesus showed concern for his mother, committing her into the care of the Apostle John (John 19v26-27). The site of crucifixion was purposely chosen to be outside the city walls because the Jewish Law forbade such acts within the city walls. For sanitary reasons, the crucified body was often left to rot on the cross, a disgraceful reminder of what happened to criminals and serving as deterrent to passers-by. Jesus face had been beaten beyond recognition and the scourging had reduced his flesh to something like raw hamburger mince. The whips used had pieces of glass and rocks stuck to the cord so as to inflict as much damage as possible. He had a crown of thorns pushed into his scalp. 3. Jesus dies Jesus finally dies in utter agony, humiliation and disgrace. Let us look together at John 19v28-37. Reading John 19v28-30 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. In Jesus' final moments he uttered "I am thirsty." (John 19v28) and "It is finished." (John 19v30). The desire of the Jews (John 19v32) to fulfil their rituals was important because the Sabbath fell within the Passover festival. The breaking of legs (John 19vs.32-33) sped up the process of death. The piercing of Jesus' side and the flow of blood and water proved Jesus was really dead (John 19v34). At the cross, Jesus' mission is accomplished. At the cross, this God-man, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all sin of all time. We will come to look at how this can be this later in the series. Some people say that Jesus didn't die on the cross, but rather somebody was made to be His substitute. But this is impossible. Nobody could have been a substitute or the Jewish leaders would have said so. The Romans were renowned for keeping strict discipline and regimen and nobody would have been able to get in amongst the Roman soldiers and somehow substitute themselves for Jesus. Yes, somebody else carried the cross for Him, but nobody but Jesus was nailed to that cross. Jesus died on that cross and not some substitute. 4. Jesus was Buried Reading John 19v41-42 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19v38-42 tells us of Jesus' burial. Two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus in an unused tomb. The significance of "in which no-one had ever been laid" (John 19v41) is to demonstrate that the body of Jesus at no point came into contact with the decay of a dead body. But that is not the end of the story! Oh no! There is more to come as you will see! Thank you! 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Title: Politicians and A Provoactio Ad Caesarem Text: Acts 25:1-12 FCF: We often struggle trusting the Lord and remaining law-abiding citizens amid rampant corruption. Prop: Because God providentially accomplishes His purposes through human government, we must trust Him while using every legal means to pursue His known will. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 25. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 1 from the legacy standard bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week was the conclusion of the episode of Paul's trial before Felix. And although we observed that Felix didn't have any reason to prevent Paul from being released, for selfish reasons he kept him in prison for two years. But in this particular case, the injustice of men was still used to serve the providential plan of God. Paul will arrive in Rome to preach the gospel at exactly the time that God desires Him to do so. Not a moment sooner or later than that. Today a new episode begins. This episode consists of several scenes spanning all of chapter 25 and 26 in the book of Acts. In the first scene we fast forward in time two years and a new governor takes the judgment seat. Will Festus be more reasonable and less selfish of a politician? Will Paul get justice? Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Sovereign Lord, you are master of all that is. Even the hearts of all the Kings of the earth are in your hands. You direct them like a stream to go which way you desire. All things come together by Your infinite and Sovereign will and nothing is left to chance or human discretion. In this we find great comfort and relief in spite of Kings abusing their power and perverting justice. May we see with eyes of faith that you are in control and let us use every legal means we have to pursue your will for us. Use your Spirit to guide us into truth today we pray in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] I don't know how much you pay attention to the news. My recommendation would be to do very little of it if you can help it. However, one recent piece of information that came to light was the release of video footage that supposedly proved that Jeffery Epstein's death was actually a suicide and not a murder. Of course, the video footage has been analyzed with video technology and it was proved to have been edited and saved multiple times. On top of this the conservative majority government just passed a massive bill adding several trillion dollars to our national debt. Many conservatives are fairly put off by both of these things since the current president ran on a campaign of eliminating government waste, balancing the budget, and uncovering and exposing government lies. Some have even said, different party… same old games. I say all this, not to make a political statement one way or another – but merely to prove to you that human government has always been this way. Last week we saw Felix's injustice, and this week we'll see political intrigue too. But the question we really need to ask is… Does God use human government to accomplish His purposes? If you've been with us for the last several messages in the book of Acts, I would hope that you could answer that question already. But let's dive into this text this morning to reaffirm the answer. I.) God providentially accomplishes His purposes through human government, so we must trust the Lord. (1-6) a. [Slide 3] 1 - Festus then, having arrived in the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. i. Porcius Festus, has just become the governor of Judea, Samaria, and Syria. ii. He has replaced Antonius Felix, the savage, brutal, greedy, lustful governor who has since been shipped back to Rome to face trial for his poor governance of the province. iii. Only three days after moving in Festus goes up to Jerusalem. iv. Although Caesarea is the capital of the Roman province, the primary city in the region was, without an equal, Jerusalem. v. So much so, that only 3 days after beginning his new role, Festus is already going 60 miles south to Jerusalem to spend time with prominent Jewish figures who possess a great deal of influence and power in the region, whether they are appointed leaders or not. vi. In this way Festus attempts to network with those who have power and influence. vii. The ruling aristocracy of Jerusalem were not that opposed to Felix's governorship. It was the greater majority of the Jews who suffered under his oppression. viii. But now we find that this Jewish aristocracy, led by the new High Priest, Ishmael Ben Phiabi, who was appointed by Herod Agrippa the second in AD 59, desired greatly to use their power and influence to sway the new governor to deal with their festering problem… ix. A loose end that Felix did not adequately take care of. b. [Slide 4] 2 - And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with him, 3 - requesting a favor against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (while they set an ambush to kill him on the way). i. The Jews really waste no time seeking Festus to do what Felix would not. ii. They bring charges against Paul – Luke doesn't tell us if they are the same charges or different ones. iii. But they begin pleading with Festus to move Paul back to Jerusalem so that they could force him to stand trial for his crimes and ultimately so that Paul could be condemned to death. iv. They ask this as a special request, a favor to them. v. Something offered to help improve relationships between Rome and the Jews. Something offered to secure their loyal support in the coming years of his tenure as governor. vi. Luke also reveals to us that there was yet another secret plan to ambush Paul on the road from Caesarea to Rome. vii. So, will Festus fall for it? c. [Slide 5] 4 - Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 5 – “Therefore,” he said, “let the influential men among you go down there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.” i. Although he's new here, Festus is no push over. ii. He knows the proper procedure to deal with accused Roman citizens. iii. Paul is incarcerated in Caesarea. If they have charges against him, they should bring them to Festus' judgment seat. iv. He insists on the Roman way of doing a trail. Paul's accusers should come to him face to face to accuse him. v. So Festus is going to treat the Jews fairly, but not preferentially. vi. He informs the Jews that he himself will be going to Caesarea soon and he invites them to join him on the journey to bring a case against Paul. d. [Slide 6] 6 - And after he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. i. Luke is obviously uncertain about the exact timing of when Felix came back to Caesarea. ii. This pushes right up to our understanding of how the bible was inspired by God. iii. God breathed out His words through the personalities and memories of the human authors. iv. Here Luke is uncertain – perhaps his memory has failed him or perhaps his sources have two different dates. Or perhaps the uncertainty is based on when Festus left Jerusalem vs when he left the company of the Jewish Elite if they traveled with him. v. In any case, Luke's timetable is only significant in that it was not months and months later that this trial takes place. vi. Although Paul is a problem Festus inherited from his predecessor, he sits down in the judgment seat to deal with the issue immediately. vii. No doubt the list of cases that needed judgement had begun to stack up as the governorship was transferred to Festus. viii. In an ironic twist, the Jews lack of patience regarding Paul's verdict inadvertently leads to Festus taking the case immediately. Paul could have sat in the Praetorium for years waiting for his trial to recommence. ix. The Jew's bloodthirstiness and lack of contentment at Paul's incarceration actually moves the time table forward for Paul. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Throughout the course of this scene Luke will show us one primary aspect which God uses to providentially accomplish His purposes. God uses human government to orchestrate the counsel of His will. In this particular section we see that God is using political intrigue to move Paul out of Israel and off to Rome. The various behind the scenes favors and political moves position Paul at the head of the line as the first case Festus will try after becoming the procurator. Paul could have potentially rotted away in prison for many years if it were not for the political aspirations of the Jews and the pressure they desired to put on Festus their new governor. But what appears to be a curse is orchestrated by God for the good of Paul to move him closer to God's plan of having Paul preach the gospel in Rome. Once again, Paul is called upon to trust the Lord that His promises are true. He must be courageous and face the uncertainty that another trial will present – but know that God's will cannot be thwarted. We too must trust the Lord, even when human government seems to be making all the wrong decisions and corruption abounds… God has not lost control. For He even uses this to accomplish His will. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] This is one aspect of human government that God uses to accomplish His will, but there is another less seedy and underhanded aspect of human government that God uses too. And what is great about this one – is that we can and should use it to pursue God's will. II.) God providentially accomplishes His purposes through human government, so we use every legal means to pursue God's known will. (7-12) a. [Slide 9] 7 - And after Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove, i. This time, the Jews did not hire a professional non-Jewish attorney. ii. Instead, they bring prominent Jewish men to lay out their case against Paul. iii. Luke's portrayal of this event is quite aggressive. They all stand around him like wolves circling their prey. iv. They bring many serious charges against Paul. v. Luke again does not record what they are. vi. More than likely, they are similar to the charges brought two years before. vii. Luke chooses to summarize this second trail before Festus. viii. We know that there was probably a good deal more said, especially when Luke records Festus' understanding of the case in his explains it to Herod Agrippa later in this chapter. ix. Luke continues to point out – these charges could not be substantiated by any evidence or proof. b. [Slide 10] 8 - while Paul said in his own defense, “I have committed no sin either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” i. Luke sums up Paul's defense here. ii. Again, Luke is probably not giving us an in depth record of this trail, more than likely because it has already been recorded to a certain degree in the previous trials before Felix and the Sanhedrin. iii. In Luke's record here, Paul simply denies sinning against any Jewish law, against the temple or against Caesar. iv. In this we hear the previous accusations from two years before come back again. v. The law and the temple might easily fit into the claim that Paul led a heretical movement and that he attempted to defile the temple. vi. The defense about not sinning against Caesar may be the charge that he caused riots throughout the Roman Empire. This could be the portrayal of sedition – a crime against the orderly rule of the emperor. vii. Paul categorically denies all three. c. [Slide 11] 9 - But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and to be tried before me on these matters?” i. Festus is in a difficult position. ii. Once again, he has inherited this mess from his predecessor. iii. He really doesn't want the headache. iv. But he is going to have problems either way. v. On the one hand, it is obvious that Paul is innocent. The case against him is very weak. We know he thought this because of what is revealed later in this episode when he meets with Herod Agrippa. 1. Festus' impression is that nothing that Paul was accused of was worthy of death. 2. Furthermore, what the Jews accused him of amounted primarily to religious disputes and disputes over someone named Jesus who is dead but Paul claims to be alive. 3. Festus very much sees Paul's case as the stronger one. vi. On the other hand, his predecessor was just brought back to Rome for constantly oppressing and abusing his power against the Jews. The last thing he wants to do in the third week of his job is to immediately enrage those same folks. 1. More than likely Festus does not understand the dynamics of Jewish life at this point. 2. He doesn't realize that most of the Jews are not represented by the aristocracy. 3. Opposing these men may not irritate the Jews as much as he might assume. 4. Still, not wise for him to cut so hard against the influential and powerful leaders of Jerusalem. vii. Festus is in quite a pickle but he thinks he has a solution. viii. He suggests to Paul a compromise. ix. The Jews want to try Paul's case in Jerusalem. Yet they have not adequately established his guilt according to any law. x. So, he wants to see if Paul would be willing to help him out. xi. Perhaps if Paul was tried in Jerusalem but under the judgment of Festus himself, this would both make him look good in front of the Jews but he might also have the ability to release Paul finding no fault with him. xii. And since the alleged crimes occurred in Jerusalem and they were primarily religious in nature, perhaps the Sanhedrin could be called upon to clarify a few things for Festus regarding these religious differences. xiii. But alarm bells sound in Paul's ears when he hears this. d. [Slide 12] 10 - But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11 - If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” i. Paul's argument is a symmetrical argument. ii. [Slide 13] What I mean by that is that he drives down and then back up. And it all has to do with who should be judging Paul. Who has jurisdiction in this case? iii. A - Right now he is in a Roman court. He sits before a Roman official. He is under Caesar's jurisdiction. He thinks this is the right place for him to be. Why? iv. B - Because he's done no wrong to the Jews. Festus knows this. Everyone knows this. They can't prove anything. Therefore, there is no reason for them to have any say in what happens here. v. C – But if he is guilty of something for which he should die, he isn't going to fight that. Again – that must be handed down from Rome and not from Jerusalem. vi. B – But if none of the things the Jews accuse him of is true – then he is in the right court. And no one can legally say that he must be handed over to their jurisdiction. vii. A – I appeal to Caesar. 1. Every Roman citizen had a right to appeal to the Emperor's judgment on matters when they felt that the lower courts dealt unjustly or they feared for their life because of those pressing charges. 2. In Paul's case, it seems like both are true. 3. I'm not personally convinced that Festus was attempting to hand over jurisdiction to the Jews. I think he was merely trying to find a compromise to legally deal with Paul without harming the relationship with the ruling class of Jews. 4. But it seems like Paul may have thought Festus' intentions were suspect. 5. And why shouldn't he? Festus has no record to look to. He hasn't proven himself to be reasonable or not. And going back to Jerusalem to the Sanhedrin, even if there was a new High Priest, seems more like a step back than forward. 6. An appeal to the Emperor works kind of like an appeal to the supreme court in the US. 7. Once the Emperor made a decision it was final and there were no more appeals. 8. And the process to get before the emperor was usually a long one. 9. Meaning that citizens would appeal to Caesar knowing that they would be in prison for a good deal of time before they saw the Emperor. 10. We know for Paul it took at least two years once he actually got to Rome to go before the Emperor for judgment. 11. So, it wasn't something a citizen would do lightly. 12. Paul feels cornered and uses the last legal trick he has up his sleeve. 13. Now, why didn't Paul use this with Felix over the two years he was in prison? We don't know. Perhaps Paul thought Felix might come to Christ? Perhaps Felix keeping him safe in Caesarea gave him hope at being released. 14. Certainly, entering Rome as a free man would be preferable to entering as an accused criminal. 15. But Festus suggesting moving the trial to Jerusalem almost guaranteed that Paul would be executed either by assassins or by legal verdict. 16. So, he makes his appeal to Caesar. e. [Slide 14] 12 - Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.” i. No doubt part of Festus' discussion with his council was regarding the nature of the appeal. ii. It is irregular for someone to appeal to the Emperor before a verdict has been rendered. iii. Also, we see from the coming verses that Festus is quite perplexed about this whole case. iv. Festus knows that Paul has not been accused of anything worth killing him, yet the Jews insist not only that he has done something against Rome but that they should be the ones who try his case in Jerusalem. These are incompatible. If it is a crime against Rome worthy of death, then Rome should have jurisdiction. v. Adding to this confusion, Paul is claiming that this is a Jewish religious matter, but desires for his case to remain in the hands of the Romans. Which is also incompatible. If it is a Jewish religious dispute, it ought to be given back to the Jews. But again – the Jews want him dead. Which they aren't permitted to do without Rome's approval. vi. Festus confers with his council to try to understand what his options are. vii. The council probably informs him that once a citizen has appealed, regardless of what his decision would have been… they must be sent to Caesar. viii. This is no skin off Festus' nose. He must honor Paul's appeal and regardless of what is decided, he won't get blamed for it. It's a win-win for him. ix. So, Festus comes back with his statement. x. You want it? You got it. xi. Paul will go to Caesar. f. [Slide 15] Summary of the Point: The institution of this law to appeal to Caesar had existed since the beginning of the Empire. In fact, it actually predates the Empire and was originally an appeal to the people. So that the people would have the final say in a case. Caesar Augustus changed this law to go to the Emperor rather than the people, establishing the Emperor not only as the Executive branch of the law but the judicial one as well. In this we see that almost 90 years before Paul stands before Festus, his means of escaping to Rome had been secured. This law, written by pagan men hungry for power, had been orchestrated by God to accomplish this purpose for His servant Paul. And Paul uses that law, knowing that it is the Lord's will for Him to go to Rome. We too should use every legal means we have to accomplish the known will of God. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today that informs our belief and governs our practice? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 16] We have been shown time and time again in this final Act of the narrative Luke records, that God is providentially, sovereignly governing and orchestrating all things to accomplish His purposes. If He has written the end from the beginning, we must recognize that all things that have been, were because God willed them to be. God even uses human government, at its best and at its worst to accomplish His holy purposes. In the life of Paul, we've seen a lot of political intrigue. It seems like everyone wants to use Paul as a pawn for their own political agendas. That doesn't happen today probably

Up tothis point Jesus had three unfair trials before the Jews; before Annas, thefather-in-law of the high priest Caiaphas, and also Caiaphas at his house, andthen before the Sanhedrin. Now, in the early morning hours between six and nineo'clock on Friday morning, Jesus is taken before Pilate. Pilate has his firsttrial with Jesus and finds no fault in Him after questioning Him personally inthe Praetorium. Pilate sent Jesus to King Herod Antipas where Jesus is againquestioned, mock and ridiculed. Jesus is silent and does not respond to Herod whothen sends Him back to Pilate (v. 11). Inthese verses, 13-25, Pilate proves to be a coward. It is interesting to note thatmany Christian sources describe Pilate as “the model of a coward” who knew thecrucifixion was wrong but acted out of fear of political repercussions, such aslosing favor with Emperor Tiberius or inciting a riot. C.S. Lewis is referencedin these sources, suggesting Pilate represents “men without chests”—peopleunwilling to pursue truth, leading to cowardice and injustice. The fact thatHerod backed Pilate's decision would not have impressed the Jews very much,because they despised Herod almost as much as they despised the Romans. WhenJesus is returned to Pilate he again meets with the Jewish leaders andannounced for the second time that he did not find Jesus guilty of the chargesthey had made against Him (vv. 13-15). Since it was customary at Passover forthe governor to release a prisoner, Pilate offered the Jews a compromise: hewould chastise Jesus and let Him go. He had another prisoner on hand, Barabbas,but Pilate was sure the Jews would not want him to be released. After all,Barabbas was a robber (John 18:40), a murderer, and an insurrectionist (Luke23:19). He may have been a leader of the Jewish Zealots who at that time wasworking for the overthrow of Rome. Severaltimes Luke notes that it is the chief priest and rulers of the people that aredemanding that Christ is guilty and should be crucified. We must not think thatthe general populace of the city was gathered before Pilate and crying out forthe blood of Jesus, though a curious crowd no doubt gathered. It was primarilythe official religious leaders of the nation, the chief priests in particular(Luke 23:23), who shouted Pilate down and told him to crucify Jesus. To saythat the same people who cried "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday ended upcrying "Crucify Him!" on Good Friday is not completely accurate. Finally,after vacillating back and forth and at least three times proclaiming Jesus tobe innocence, Pilate realized that his mishandling of the situation had almostcaused a riot, and a Jewish uprising was the last thing he wanted duringPassover. So, he called for water and washed his hands before the crowd,affirming his innocence (Matt. 27:24-25). Pilate proves to be a compromiser anda coward, who was "willing to content the people" (Mark 15:15).Barabbas was released and Jesus was condemned to die on a Roman cross. Pilatewas a complex character. He openly said that Jesus was innocent, yet hepermitted Him to be beaten and condemned Him to die. He carefully questionedJesus and even trembled at His answers, but the truth of the Word did not makea difference in his decisions. He wanted to be popular and not right; he wasmore concerned about reputation than he was character. What a sad state to bein! We must be careful that we don't follow in his footsteps.  Itwould also be good for us to remember what Jesus said in Mark 8:35-38, “Forwhoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life forMy sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if hegains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give inexchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in thisadulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamedwhen He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." 

Todaywe are continuing to look at Luke 23. In this chapter, we read about the trial,the crucifixion, and the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus loves us so muchthat He gave His life on the cross of Calvary. In this chapter, we see mendoing their worst and at the same time, we see God giving His best. I rememberthat verse in Romans 5:20, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”.In the darkness of that hour, in the darkness of sin all around on planetearth, and especially there in Jerusalem as men are crucifying the Lord JesusChrist, the grace of God is abounding because God is pouring out His lovethrough the death of His Son on the cross of Calvary.  Jesusdidn't just happen to die. In John 10:17-18, Jesus said, “Therefore MyFather loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No onetakes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, andI have power to take it again. This command I have received from MyFather."  Acts 2:23 affirms thatthe crucifixion of Christ was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge ofGod. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (1Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8).  Aswe look at the first five verses of this chapter, we see Jesus coming on trialbefore Pilate. He has already faced three trials with the Jews during thenight. Now, somewhere between 6:00am in the morning and 9:00am, when Jesus wascrucified, this trial before Pilate takes place on Friday morning. PontiusPilate is an interesting person. This is the first encounter Jesus has withsomeone in this chapter as far as the trial and His death on the cross areconcerned. Pilate was the governor of Judea from AD 26 to AD 36, after which hewas recalled to Rome and passed out of Roman history. Pilate was hated by theJews, and it appears he hated them as well. When Jesus is hung on the cross,Pilate has a sign put over His head: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”He did this to provoke the Jews, who denied that Jesus was their King.  Jesusis taken inside the Praetorium to be tried before Pilate. The Jews are outsidein the courtyard because they cannot enter without defiling themselves for thePassover (John 18:28). Jesus is in this room, and Pilate interrogates Himindividually, personally. In Matthew 27:18-19, it says Pilate knew that theyhad handed Him over because of envy. In his handling of the trial of Jesus, thegovernor proved to be indecisive. The Gospel of John records seven differentmoves that Pilate made as he went out to meet the people and then went in toquestion Jesus (John 18:29, 33, 38; 19:1, 4, 9, 13). He kept looking for aloophole, but he found none. Pilate has gone down in history as the man whotried Jesus Christ, three times declared Him not guilty, and yet crucified Himjust the same. Itwas obvious Pilate understood some of the situation with Jesus and the Jews,knowing it was because of their hatred for Him, not because He had broken anyRoman laws that would demand execution. While Pilate was sitting on thejudgment seat, his wife also sent a message to him, saying, “Have nothing todo with that just Man, for I've suffered many things today in a dream becauseof Him” (Matthew 27:19).  Pilateis convinced He's not guilty and proclaims this at least three times in thegospel accounts. But the Jews are determined to have Him crucified. In the end,Pilate makes no decision, saying, “I wipe my hands of the guilt of this justMan.” My friend, indecision is the worst decision; it is the fatal choice.Jesus says, “You're either with Me or you're against Me.”  Wemust decide for Jesus even today—whether we'll accept Him as our Savior or denyHim as the Son of God and reject Him as our Savior. What is your choice? Godbless!

Title: An Unjust Judge Fears Justice Text: Acts 24:22-27 FCF: We often struggle trusting God in the midst of injustice. Prop: Because God providentially accomplishes His plan through injustice, we must seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 24. In a moment we'll begin reading from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 22. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Last time in Acts we saw the skilled attorney Tertullus, bring charges against Paul for starting riots, being the leader of a heretical sect of Judaism, and even attempting to desecrate the temple. But Paul's defense was simply that each charge they had levied against him was not witnessed by anyone there. Instead, this is the Jews' way of trying to get Rome to settle a Jewish religious dispute. We concluded last time remarking that Felix had enough evidence to dismiss the case and declare Paul to be innocent. In fact, we concluded that this was the only just decision he could reach based on the trial. But we stopped just short of the verdict. Today we will see what Felix decides. Given what we know about the man, it probably will not come as much of a shock to anyone. So please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Almighty God, we thank you for Your promises to Your people. We thank you that when You have promised something to us, no matter how bleak it may look, we can rest in Your promises and know that You never lie. We confess that even the terrible things that happen to us in our lives are still for our good and for Your glory – even if we cannot see it with our own eyes. But because You have said it - may we trust through the eyes of faith that this is so. May Your Spirit be with us today to enable us to see how You even use injustice to accomplish Your will and how we must trust You and use every opportunity to advance Your Kingdom. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] You know Peter often gets a lot of hate for his comment to Christ. What did he say again? “Never Lord. This shall never happen to you!” And what did Jesus say? “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” I feel for Peter. Think about it… Peter just confessed that Jesus was the Messiah the Son of the Living God. Peter believes that Jesus is the promised One of God. But then Jesus says, that the chief priests and teachers of the law will cause him to suffer and lead him to his death. Peter knows that such a thing is not right. It is not just. It is not righteous. How could it be? In fact it is very unjust that the religious leaders would end up doing this. So Peter steps in and boldly declares… I AM NOT going to let that happen. I'm going to stand for what is right! And Jesus rebukes him. Why? Because his concerns about injustice were merely from a human and earthly level and not from a godly and heavenly level. These things must be, these injustices must take place in order that God's will be done. In a similar way, we'll see today injustice happening for the furthering of the plan of God. And while we might be tempted to always fight for justice – perhaps that is not to be our primary concern. Perhaps it should be the Kingdom of God first. Let's dive into the text today starting in verse 22. I.) God providentially accomplishes His plan through injustice, so we must trust the Lord. (22-23) a. [Slide 3] 22 - But Felix, having a more accurate knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” i. Antonious Felix was anything but a just judge. ii. He was brutal, savage, greedy, and had never truly earned any position he had held. iii. So, we should fight the urge here to assume that Felix puts the Jews off because of some sense of justice or righteousness. iv. Luke records that Felix had a more accurate knowledge about the Way. What does this mean and how did he arrive at that knowledge? v. As we mentioned before, Felix's current wife was Drucilla who was the daughter of Herod Agrippa the first. Meaning of course that she was Jewish. vi. Certainly, this could have been how Felix arrived at his knowledge of the Jesus movement. vii. But since his knowledge of The Way does not produce a guilty verdict, that would suggest that Drucilla's opinion would have been a positive one. Which seems like a stretch to me. I don't think his wife is how he knows about The Way. viii. Perhaps his knowledge of The Way comes through his brother Pallas, or even his time in Samaria seeing Jewish Christians embracing Samaritans while Jews continued to hate them. ix. In any case, Felix understands something about the Way that seems to keep him from declaring Paul to be guilty. x. In light of the charges levied against Paul it most likely means that Felix had never seen Christians stir up violence, rebellion, or aggression throughout his tenure in Judea. xi. Remember Tertullus' argument. Paul stirred up the Jews because he was the ringleader of the Nazarean heresy. But Felix knows that the Christians don't do this and if Paul is the ringleader than he certainly wouldn't do this. xii. Basically, Felix thinks that this is a pot calling a kettle black situation. xiii. The Jews had been guilty of this so often before that it is almost laughable that they would bring charges against someone else for doing the same. xiv. He then tells the Jews that when Lysias comes down he will decide the case against Paul. xv. Well, we know Lysias' opinion on the matter. He is convinced that Paul has done nothing to earn death or imprisonment. xvi. Furthermore, Felix knows Lysias' opinion on the matter. xvii. In other words, this is only a stall. It is possible that Felix never even sent for Lysias. xviii. Luke doesn't record any meeting with Lysias and Felix. xix. Or if they do meet, it doesn't do anything to change Felix's mind in either direction. xx. Perhaps it is best to see this merely as a way to get the Jews off his back. And if Paul is still in prison out of Jerusalem, then perhaps that will be good enough for the Jews? xxi. But this begs the question. xxii. Why doesn't Felix just declare him innocent? xxiii. There are two really big reasons that he doesn't do that. And both of them are in the second point of this sermon. xxiv. Fortunately, we don't need to know them yet to understand that Felix's decision to kick this down the road was not a just decision. xxv. But Felix knows that Paul is no Jewish prisoner. He is a Roman. So, he must be treated as such. b. [Slide 4] 23 - Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet have some rest, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to him. i. A Roman prisoner that has not been found guilty of a crime must still be afforded the dignity of being a citizen. ii. He would be kept in custody because his case was still outstanding. iii. But Felix permitted his traveling companions to minister to him and to bring him his needs. He was probably allotted considerable freedom to move about the Praetorium. iv. But because he was assigned a centurion to keep tabs on him, it is likely that even with these freedoms he was not treated lavishly. v. Still, with these minimal freedoms granted to him, Paul would be permitted to rest and not face harsh conditions while his case is in limbo. c. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: Luke brings us to yet another way that God providentially accomplishes His will. One of those ways is through injustice. Although we don't know yet the reasons why Felix didn't release Paul, we certainly know why Felix didn't find him guilty. Christians were known as a non-violent, non-trouble-making group. As opposed to the Jews who constantly stirred up trouble around the Empire. But if Paul is not guilty why then is he not released? In this we find the unjust Felix keeping Paul rather than releasing him. But because this is what happened, and God's will is always accomplished, we know that God providentially planned for this to be the case. A ruler being unjust is certainly a sin – but part of God's plan for Paul included the sin of Felix to be an unjust ruler. What does that mean for us? That we must trust the Lord knowing that there is nothing men can do to us that God has not already planned for our good and His glory. Transition: [Slide 6 (blank)] But trusting the Lord is not the only thing we must do as a response to His working even through injustice. What else does Paul do besides trust the Lord? II.) God providentially accomplishes His will through injustice, so we must be ready to share the gospel. (24-27) a. [Slide 7] 24 - But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and summoned Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. i. Luke does give a time stamp here but it is a vague one. ii. We are unsure how long exactly has passed. iii. However, in the book of Acts we've seen that “some days” can refer to a significant amount of time, even months. iv. So it is, perhaps, a lengthy time before Felix questions Paul again. v. Perhaps the reason for this is because Felix was called away out of the city. vi. In AD 58 there was another revolt and Felix intervened on the side of the Gentiles as you might expect. So perhaps he has been away dealing with that. vii. We see here that he arrives again in the city this time with his wife Drucilla. viii. She being a Jew but involved in the Roman government would no doubt have a unique perspective on Paul's case. ix. In this, Paul comes forward and speaks again about the gospel of Jesus Christ. x. Here we find Paul again using every opportunity not to make much of himself, or to fight for his freedom, but to preach the gospel. b. [Slide 8] 25 - But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and answered, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will call for you.” i. In some ways what Paul gives as the gospel is what we might expect in every gospel presentation. ii. God's law is discussed. How God demands righteousness and self-control. iii. And then the next necessary part of the gospel presentation… iv. What happens when you don't keep the law of God? v. Judgment by a God who is Just. vi. But as we take a microscope and look at Felix and Drucilla specifically, we know that Felix is unjust. We also know that it was by lust and adultery that they came to be married as Drucilla was very recently married to another man and before that was betrothed to yet another. vii. At this time she is only 16 years of age and has been married or betrothed to three different men. viii. So, Paul's comments on Righteousness or being just in God's eyes and his comments on self-control probably had a stronger effect on this couple who have lived their life in lust and injustice. ix. The only real thing an unjust judge and the licentious person fears is Justice. x. And Felix and Drucilla were just told that one day they would be held accountable, not by Rome, not by the Jews, but by the God of the Universe. xi. Felix would be held accountable for not only his unjust treatment of those he ruled, but also for his lusts, his passions, his sinfulness, and his wickedness. And Drucilla too. xii. Felix responds with fear… but what kind? Fear has many forms. Is this the kind that would produce repentance? xiii. Unfortunately, no. xiv. His fear does not give way to humility and contrition. It does not produce repentance. xv. Instead, it produces avoidance. xvi. Go away for now. When I have time, we can talk about this more. xvii. So many sinners who have squirmed under the gospel have said similar things. xviii. So many wicked men have bid the evangelist to come back another day. Today these things weigh too heavy on me. xix. Come back some other time and we will discuss it more. xx. Felix, being the one in control of this situation, tells Paul that he will call him back when he has time. xxi. But why is Paul here anyway? We still haven't gotten a good answer for that. xxii. Why is Felix keeping him here? If he doesn't want his faith, what is Felix after? c. [Slide 9] 26 - At the same time, he was also hoping that money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to summon for him quite often and converse with him. i. Something stuck in Felix's mind from Paul's defense. Two things actually. 1. Paul is a Roman citizen, which could indicate significant wealth. 2. Secondly, he had brought alms to his nation in order to worship God. ii. Felix has assumed that Paul is wealthy or at least has connections to others who are wealthy. iii. In this, Felix is probably not actually that far off the mark. iv. The New Testament portrays a church that is built in numbers by those who are poor and needy, but sustained by those who are wealthy who have come to Christ and given much of their fortunes to His cause. v. It isn't wrong to be a wealthy believer. It is simply wrong to use wealth for ends that do not seek God's Kingdom first. vi. No doubt Paul could have produced a bribe for Felix if he had asked for it. But Paul probably never even considered it. vii. The Old Testament speaks frequently against bribes given to leadership. viii. Therefore, the church would never give money to Paul for this reason, nor would Paul ever ask for it. ix. The irony is thick here. x. While fearing the justice of God against him, Felix continues to be an unjust ruler expecting bribes. xi. This paints a rather hopeless picture for Felix. He is afraid of what will happen to him If he continues in sin, but is unwilling to seek a Savior to free him from it. I would argue that this is the case for all sinners who encounter the gospel and reject it. xii. It also appears Felix and Paul are at an impasse. Paul won't bribe him and Felix won't rule on his case until he does. It is a stalemate. xiii. Until… d. [Slide 10] 27 - But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned. i. Two years pass. ii. Two years in prison, while a trial drags on. iii. Even in our broken justice system, this is very slow. iv. For 2 years the stalemate continues until Felix is recalled to Rome. v. The rebellion that occurred in AD 58, the one in which Felix took the side of the Gentiles against the Jews, has led to him being deposed and returned to Rome to face trial. vi. After which we have no idea what happens to Felix. He drops out of the history books never to be heard from again. vii. Porcius Festus becomes the new governor of Judea, Samaria, and Syra around AD 59. And he is actually a relatively competent ruler. viii. But we'll get to him later. ix. For now, we have to expose yet another reason that Felix held Paul in custody for 2 years. x. He wished to do the Jews a favor. xi. Felix was taken back to Rome to answer for his poor management of the area in which he governed. xii. Keeping Paul in prison and not deciding his case was a way of getting the Jews on his good side. xiii. Rather than declare him innocent before he left, he kept him in prison. xiv. The Jews traveled to Caesarea to bring their case against Paul. Maybe they would travel to Rome to bring their case against Felix. xv. If he keeps Paul in prison, perhaps this doesn't happen. e. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: So once again we see the injustice of Felix. He has utterly failed as a governor. He has pursued his own power and passions, stomping on everyone he could to get it, but now he must pay the piper. He will be held accountable for his deeds. But that doesn't help Paul, does it? He is still in prison. Nevertheless, we must see that God uses even this as the way He accomplishes His will. So, Paul in this situation sees the delay as an opportunity to share the gospel even to Felix. Perhaps he tailors that gospel message for the hearer, or perhaps the gospel always convicts a sinner personally when it convicts. In any case, Paul used this time for Kingdom work. And so we should see even displays of gross injustice as opportunities for the gospel to be preached. Conclusion: So what have we learned today CBC, and what can we break down into basic lessons for our faith and practice? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 12] Again, we see the faithfulness, power, and sovereignty of God to providentially orchestrate all things to accomplish the purposes of His will. Since no one can stop God from doing what He wants and no one can keep Him from accomplishing what He has decreed, and since He has decreed the end from the beginning we can logically arrive at the point that Paul's imprisonment is not an accident, it isn't a hiccup, and it isn't a delay in the plan of God coming about. It isn't God allowing Felix to exercise his free will to sin but simply moving around his injustice to still achieve what God had said. Instead, it is a strategic part of God's plan to bring Paul to Rome at the proper time. During this imprisonment, he would be allowed to bear witness to the gospel of Christ before Felix and Drucilla and his faith would be tested and perfected in trusting Jesus' words that he would go to Rome and preach the gospel. Since God's providence even includes when people abuse power and become unjust tyrants – we still must trust God and use every opportunity we are given to preach the gospel. But let us look more specifically on this for our everyday lives. 1.) [Slide 13] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God uses injustice to accomplish His purposes. a. We've seen this theme on repeat for the last several weeks. b. Luke could simply have told us that God orchestrates all things to accomplish the purposes of His will, but following the life of Paul we see this idea expressed in several specific ways. c. Today, we see the utter failure of the governor Felix. He is an unjust ruler who seeks his own benefit from those over whom he rules. d. But we've seen this kind of thing before. God uses the sin of men to accomplish His purposes. e. God is never the tempter. Nor does He force men to sin. But through secondary causes He orchestrates the sin of men to accomplish His purpose. f. Here we see that even tyrants, in their tyranny, can be used to accomplish His purposes. g. Through the injustice of Felix Paul is held for 2 years before appearing before Festus and eventually appealing to Caesar. But this is not a delay in God's plan. Instead, it is part of God's plan. h. You see in every situation God is accomplishing our good and His glory. i. But it is especially difficult to see this when we are denied justice. When we are treated unjustly… it is difficult to trust that it is for our good. Why? Because we have trouble seeing how it is good. j. Even in this particular case, it is not readily apparent why Paul's denial of justice is good for him. We as the reader are challenged along with Paul in real time. k. But the scriptures leave us very little room to wiggle. l. We must decide, do we believe in a God who is incapable of preventing the sinfulness of men and must all His plans to get Paul to Rome to be delayed? Do we believe in a God who to the best of His ability was not able to give justice to Paul for 2 years? m. Or will we believe that this 2 year refusal of justice is actually an intentional plan of the Most High God? n. If we are going to be consistent with scripture and if we are going to believe the promises God makes to us – then we are forced to conclude the latter. Even if we don't see the reason why. o. God has an orchestrated purpose for Paul being here an additional 2 years in judicial limbo. p. And we must affirm that this is always the case. God is always orchestrating all events to execute the counsel of His will. And He's never been on plan B. q. What response does that require from His children? 2.) [Slide 14] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must trust the Lord. a. We must trust the Lord that His promises are true. b. Not only has Jesus Himself assured Paul that he must go to Rome to share the gospel there. God also had given the promise that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. c. And that verse, Romans 8:28 was penned by Paul under the inspiration of God only a few years before this. d. And no matter how much injustice - even if this was as 15 year wait – Paul has no other option but to trust the Lord. e. I would wager that part of the reason God planned for Paul to be in prison for two years under the unjust Felix was to test and strengthen Paul's faith. f. We too may find ourselves in situations with unjust judges and unjust magistrates who are swayed by money, power, lust, greed, or various other gods. Rulers who rather than fulfilling the laws of justice from God Himself, instead cast His justice aside for their own gain. g. In these cases, we must trust that even this breach of justice is part of God's plan for us… which has our good and His glory guaranteed. h. Not only should we trust the Lord in situations like this, but we should also 3.) [Slide 15] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must use every opportunity to preach the gospel. a. Notice that repeatedly Paul was brought before Felix. b. Rather than Paul using this as an opportunity to demand justice or continue to plead his innocence – Paul saw this as primarily an opportunity to share the gospel of Christ. c. If Paul was thinking selfishly or from an earthly temporal perspective, he might have been tempted to continue to try to defend himself. Instead, Luke records for us his continued efforts to share the gospel with Felix and Drucilla. d. And even though those efforts ultimately fell on deaf ears and dead hearts – God's gospel call went to both of them. e. We too must be more concerned about furthering the Kingdom of God and sharing the gospel then we are about personal justice and vindication. f. We must also notice something else that isn't always true… 4.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that it is always good to fight against injustice. a. Now let me be clear… b. We should not rejoice when injustice occurs. We should not be ok with people abusing their power that has been given to them by God to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. c. When judges and rulers do the opposite, God makes it very clear that He will judge them for this. d. And at times and in appropriate and legal ways we should voice our concerns about the abuse of power and injustice. e. There is, after all, no King but Jesus. And our civil magistrates need to know that they are not gods but are given their power by God and that they should use it in fear of His justice. f. But just because we are unhappy with rulers abusing power and becoming tyrants, does not mean we can sacrifice our primary calling to be salt and light in this world and to show forth the good works our Father has foreordained for us to do so that others may see them and glorify Him. g. Being displeased with injustice does not necessarily mean we rise up against it. h. Paul didn't fight against the injustice against him. He used his rights when he had to, like when he claimed his rights as a Roman citizen. i. But here we do not find any hint that Paul demands justice or to be released from prison. j. Instead, he lives a godly life before his jailors and preaches the gospel to Felix as often as he would allow it. k. We too must be careful that when we fight injustice we aren't doing it to the detriment of the greater Kingdom that is coming. May we seek God's Kingdom first and not some earthly kingdom. l. Because notice how Paul got here in the first place… m. How was it that Paul made it to this stalemate limbo? n. It was because Christians had a reputation of being peaceful and civilly responsible. 5.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must maintain a reputation of peace and civil responsibility as followers of Christ. a. Christians had a history of not being the rebellious types. b. They were not riot-makers. They were not rabble rousers. They were not those who stir the crowd up. c. Jesus had one Zealot among his apostles. Simon. Just one out of 12. And during the Zealot uprising, most of the Christians had fled Jerusalem rather than participating. d. Christ told the disciples to take 2 swords for 12 men. He told them, it was enough. Enough for defense – but not necessarily for offense. e. I am convinced that we Christians must have a reputation of being at peace with all people. That we must pursue peace so that we can live a quiet life of godliness. f. The fight of the church is against spiritual kingdoms not against earthly injustices. g. There certainly is some cross over there. But we must be people who are known to be civilly responsible and peaceful. h. So much so that when we do actually resist something, it is because we have reached the end of accommodation and peacemaking and have been forced to choose between a direct command of God and a direct command of men. i. In that instance we passively obey. Meaning we obey God but submit to whatever punishment the civil magistrate hands to us for violating their unjust law. j. This is the ONLY example we have in scripture. k. Christ followers should be known as peaceful and responsible people. 6.) [Slide 18] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Though the gospel is truly good news, it is only good to those who truly understand and fear the bad news. a. At the heart of the gospel presentation to Felix and Drucilla were the truths recorded that we might call the bad news that comes before the good news. b. The gospel is said to be good news, but it is only good to those who have believed the bad news. c. The bad news is that God demands righteousness, that is right living and justice. He demands self-control, that is love of others as you already love yourself. d. Furthermore, the gospel comes with the threat that God is always just and will judge according to an established standard. He will not allow any who are unrighteous or lack self-control to enter His Kingdom. e. What a terrifying piece of news. God will judge any who are not righteous and who are not completely self-controlled. f. Anyone who has ears to hear just heard that all people are going to be rejected by God. Because no one is righteous and no one is self-controlled. g. That should be terrifying to everyone. h. So, my friends. Don't be like Felix. Don't say – we'll talk about it some other time preacher. i. I know I'm not righteous and I can't control myself- but when I have time we will talk about that further. j. We can talk later about faith in Jesus. k. I don't feel comfortable talking about it now. l. Let me think on it a bit. m. DON'T BE LIKE FELIX. n. If you are terrified by the Justice of God… then don't wait. Come find an Elder who can tell you more about His justice and His ability to Justify. [Slide 19(end)] Let me close with a prayer by the English Reformer William Tyndale who was burned at the stake for translating the bible into English. Lord, since you are Father and King over all, and we are your children, make us obedient to seek and to do your will, as the angels do in heaven. May none of us seek our own will, but all yours. But if rulers command what is contrary to your will, then help us to stand fast by your word, and to offer ourselves to suffer rather than to obey. You know everything, Lord. Your son Jesus gave us an example when he desired (if it had been possible) that that cup of bitter death might have departed from him, saying, "Yet not as I will, but as you will.” So if we pray to you in our temptations and adversities, and you see a better way to your glory and our profit, then your will be done—not ours. It is in Jesus' name we pray this, amen. Benediction: May the God who's watchful eye never sleeps; The God of wonders, power and love; May He keep your feet from falling, And make your thanks endless be, Until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Until we meet again, go in peace.

Matthew 27:27-38New King James VersionThe Soldiers Mock Jesus27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the [a]Praetorium and gathered the whole [b]garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had [c]twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.The King on a Cross32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him [d]sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, [e]that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:“They divided My garments among them,And for My clothing they cast lots.”36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

Rev. Prof. Brian Klebig was preacher for this service. John 18:33-38: Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.”

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 287 - Jesus, I Will Ponder Now: vv. 1, 4, 5 - John 18:33-38: Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.” - Devotion - Prayer - Hymn 284 - Go To Dark Gethsemane - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Rev. Prof. Brian Klebig (Preacher), Micah Smith (Organist)

Today’s Bible Verse: “Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. (28) They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, (29) and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. (30) They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.” - Matthew 27:27-30

Chaplain Don Moldstad was preacher for this service. Matthew 27:27-29: Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

Order of Service: - Prelude - Announcement: Welcome to Premier Registration Saturday. - Hymn 55 - Crown Him With Many Crowns: vv. 1 - 3 - Matthew 27:27-29: Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. - Devotion - The King of Love: The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never. I nothing lack if I am his, and he is mine forever. Where streams of living water flow, my ransomed soul he leadeth; and where the verdant pastures grow, with food celestial feedeth. And so through all the length of days, thy goodness faileth never; Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise within thy house forever. (Arr. by Paul Christiansen. Text by Henry Williams Baker) - Prayer - Hymn 55 - Crown Him With Many Crowns: vv. 4, 5 - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Hannah Caauwe (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director)

John Farley Pastor Teacher Sunday, March 30, 2025 Who was really on trial? Joh 18:28-40 In Joh 18:28, the civil trial was about to begin. The city of Jerusalem simmered with religious fervor, and discontent with Roman rule. Pilate's home for most the year was in Caesarea. He came to Jerusalem for the Jewish feasts. He was there to keep the peace, and to nip any insurrection in the bud. The governor's headquarters was called the Praetorium. The dominant theme in John's account is the kingdom: the authority of Jesus. Joh 18:36 John's account of the trial brings out the sharp contrast between the character of Pilate and the Person of Jesus. Pilate was on trial before Jesus, not the other way around. Joh... for full notes: http://www.lbible.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1732

Experience the dramatic trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. This podcast will strengthen your faith and your understanding of the Bible. Hosted by author, attorney, pastor, and founder of Covenant Journey, Mat Staver. Learn more and get involved at CovenantJourney.org

Chaplain Don Moldstad was preacher for this service. John 18:28-40: Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.” Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 257 - When in the Hour of Utmost Need - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - Psalm 130 (setting by Fernand de la Tombelle): From out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. Listen to my pleading, O Lord, And hear my voice. If You should, O Lord, mark our sins, Lord, who could stand before Your judgment? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared and honored. My soul waits for the Lord, I wait and in His Word I place my hope. O Israel, hope in the Lord, for He is gracious. With Him is abundant redemption. He shall redeem us. He shall redeem us. He shall redeem us. Amen. - John 18:28-40: Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.” Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. - Homily - Hymn 285 - Jesus Christ, Our Lord Most Holy - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 275 - We Bless Thee, Jesus Christ Our Lord - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Simon Kovaciny (Soloist)

He was born sometime in the mid-fourth century on an island in the Aegean. For a time he lived successfully in the world, receiving a good education in Constantinople, then serving for a time for the Prefect of the Praetorium. But, becoming aware of the vanity of worldly things, he answered Christ's call, gave away all his goods to the poor and entered a monastery in Syria. After four years in obedience, he came to feel that the security of monastic life was inconsistent with the Gospel command to take no thought for the morrow; so he withdrew to the desert, taking with him only his garment and the Book of the Gospel. There he lived alone for seven years.   At the end of this period he set out on an apostolic mission to Mesopotamia, where he brought many to Christ: the city prefect Rabbula was converted after Alexander brought down fire from heaven, and a band of brigands who accosted the Saint on the road were transformed into a monastic community. He finally fled the city when the Christians there rose up demanding that he be made bishop. He once again took up a solitary life in the desert beyond the Euphrates, spending the day in prayer and part of the night sheltered in a barrel. There he remained for forty years. His holiness gradually attracted more than four hundred disciples, whom Alexander organized into a monastic community. Each disciple owned only one tunic, and was required to give away anything that they did not need for that day. Despite this threadbare life, the monastery was able to set up and run a hospice for the poor!   Alexander was perplexed as to how the admonition Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) could be fulfilled by frail human flesh, but after three years of fasting and prayer, God showed him a method. He organized his monks into four groups according to whether their native language was Greek, Latin, Syriac or Coptic, and the groups prayed in shifts throughout the day and night. Twenty-four divine services were appointed each day, and the monks would chant from the Psalter between services. The community henceforth came to be known as the Akoimetoi, the Unsleeping Ones. (Similar communities later sprang up in the West, practicing what was there called Laus Perennis; St Columban founded many of these.)   Always desiring to spread the holy Gospel, Saint Alexander sent companies of missionaries to the pagans of southern Egypt. He and a company of 150 disciples set out as a kind of traveling monastery, living entirely on the charity of the villages they visited. Eventually they settled in some abandoned baths in Antioch, setting up a there a monastery dedicated to the unceasing praise of God; but a jealous bishop drove them from the city. Making his way to Constantinople, he settled there with four monks. In a few days, more than four hundred monks had left their monasteries to join his community. The Saint organized them into three companies — Greeks, Latins and Syrians — and restored the program of unsleeping prayer that his community had practiced in Mesopotamia. Not surprisingly, his success aroused the envy and anger of the abbots whose monasteries had been nearly emptied; they managed to have him condemned as a Messalian at a council held in 426. (The Messalians were an over-spiritualizing sect who believed that the Christian life consisted exclusively of prayer.) Alexander was sent back to Syria, and most of his monks were imprisoned; but as soon as they were released, most fled the city to join him again. The Saint spent his last years traveling from place to place, founding monasteries, often persecuted, until he reposed in 430, 'to join the Angelic choirs which he had so well imitated on earth.' (Synaxarion)   The practice of unceasing praise, established by St Alexander, spread throughout the Empire. The Monastery of the Akoimetoi, founded by a St Marcellus, a successor of Alexander, was established in Constantinople and became a beacon to the Christian world. 'Even though it has not been retained in today's practice, the unceasing praise established by Saint Alexander was influential in the formation of the daily cycle of liturgical offices in the East and even more so in the West.' (Synaxarion)

He was born sometime in the mid-fourth century on an island in the Aegean. For a time he lived successfully in the world, receiving a good education in Constantinople, then serving for a time for the Prefect of the Praetorium. But, becoming aware of the vanity of worldly things, he answered Christ's call, gave away all his goods to the poor and entered a monastery in Syria. After four years in obedience, he came to feel that the security of monastic life was inconsistent with the Gospel command to take no thought for the morrow; so he withdrew to the desert, taking with him only his garment and the Book of the Gospel. There he lived alone for seven years.   At the end of this period he set out on an apostolic mission to Mesopotamia, where he brought many to Christ: the city prefect Rabbula was converted after Alexander brought down fire from heaven, and a band of brigands who accosted the Saint on the road were transformed into a monastic community. He finally fled the city when the Christians there rose up demanding that he be made bishop. He once again took up a solitary life in the desert beyond the Euphrates, spending the day in prayer and part of the night sheltered in a barrel. There he remained for forty years. His holiness gradually attracted more than four hundred disciples, whom Alexander organized into a monastic community. Each disciple owned only one tunic, and was required to give away anything that they did not need for that day. Despite this threadbare life, the monastery was able to set up and run a hospice for the poor!   Alexander was perplexed as to how the admonition Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) could be fulfilled by frail human flesh, but after three years of fasting and prayer, God showed him a method. He organized his monks into four groups according to whether their native language was Greek, Latin, Syriac or Coptic, and the groups prayed in shifts throughout the day and night. Twenty-four divine services were appointed each day, and the monks would chant from the Psalter between services. The community henceforth came to be known as the Akoimetoi, the Unsleeping Ones. (Similar communities later sprang up in the West, practicing what was there called Laus Perennis; St Columban founded many of these.)   Always desiring to spread the holy Gospel, Saint Alexander sent companies of missionaries to the pagans of southern Egypt. He and a company of 150 disciples set out as a kind of traveling monastery, living entirely on the charity of the villages they visited. Eventually they settled in some abandoned baths in Antioch, setting up a there a monastery dedicated to the unceasing praise of God; but a jealous bishop drove them from the city. Making his way to Constantinople, he settled there with four monks. In a few days, more than four hundred monks had left their monasteries to join his community. The Saint organized them into three companies — Greeks, Latins and Syrians — and restored the program of unsleeping prayer that his community had practiced in Mesopotamia. Not surprisingly, his success aroused the envy and anger of the abbots whose monasteries had been nearly emptied; they managed to have him condemned as a Messalian at a council held in 426. (The Messalians were an over-spiritualizing sect who believed that the Christian life consisted exclusively of prayer.) Alexander was sent back to Syria, and most of his monks were imprisoned; but as soon as they were released, most fled the city to join him again. The Saint spent his last years traveling from place to place, founding monasteries, often persecuted, until he reposed in 430, 'to join the Angelic choirs which he had so well imitated on earth.' (Synaxarion)   The practice of unceasing praise, established by St Alexander, spread throughout the Empire. The Monastery of the Akoimetoi, founded by a St Marcellus, a successor of Alexander, was established in Constantinople and became a beacon to the Christian world. 'Even though it has not been retained in today's practice, the unceasing praise established by Saint Alexander was influential in the formation of the daily cycle of liturgical offices in the East and even more so in the West.' (Synaxarion)

John 18:28-19:16   28 Then they *brought Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.29 Therefore Pilate came out to them and *said, “What accusation are you bringing against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.” 31 So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 This happened so that the word of Jesus which He said, indicating what kind of death He was going to die, would be fulfilled. 33 Therefore Pilate entered the Praetorium again, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “You are the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” 38 Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?” And after saying this, he came out again to the Jews and *said to them, “I find no grounds at all for charges in His case. 39 However, you have a custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover; therefore do you wish that I release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they shouted again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a rebel.  19:1 So Pilate then took Jesus and had Him flogged. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head, and put a purple cloak on Him; 3 and they repeatedly came up to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapped Him in the face again and again. 4 And then Pilate came out again and *said to them, “See, I am bringing Him out to you so that you will know that I find no grounds at all for charges in His case.” 5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the Man!” 6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate *said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him; for I find no grounds for charges in His case!” 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 the Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate *said to Him, “Are you not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over Me at all, if it had not been given to you from above; for this reason the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 As a result of this, Pilate made efforts to release Him; but the Jews shouted, saying, “If you release this Man, you are not a 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. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Look, your King!” 15 So they shouted, “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 except Caesar.” 16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.   BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Paul was being arrested for preaching the gospel and he was giving a plea to the crowd as he walked up the steps. Then he has to go before Felix and others to plead his case and they wanted to send him back to Jerusalem to have his trial. He refused because he knew there were Jews waiting to ambush him and kill him so, in a quick outburst, Paul appeals to Caesar because he knew it would keep him alive. But prior to going on this trip, Paul was warned by Agabus the prophet that if he went, he would die. Paul chose to go anyway, but God continued to use Paul, even while he was in jail awaiting his opportunity before Caesar. Every jailer, every person in the Praetorium heard the gospel because Paul, in his confinement, told them all about Jesus. The cool thing is, he converted some to Jesus! God can use us, even when we do things quickly, hurriedly, and our crazy decisions!

10/27/24 - John 18:28a - "Into The Praetorium" (Rev. Justin L. Hunter)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. What is the most political thing you will do this week? Christian theologian Oliver O'Donovan points out that the act of public worship is a political act. Have you ever thought of it that way?  What is the outrageously bold political act that we do every Sunday? Well, we gather publicly and declare our allegiance to King Jesus—that He is both Christ (the anointed King) and Lord of heaven…and earth! The kings, congresses, and courts of this world do not ultimately determine our fate. Jesus does. Furthermore, we declare that He is coming back to judge the living and the dead—that the citizens of planet earth and its rulers are all ultimately accountable to but one King—a King who was brutally executed for us on a bloody Roman cross, a frightful symbol of state authority and power in the Ancient World. Now, how this has escaped our notice can only be explained by how severely we have neutered the historic gospel. Our contemporary notion of Jesus is way too innocuous, way too harmless. He has become merely a “personal savior” endowed only with as much power that we allot Him in our compartmentalized world. But such a Jesus is not the true Jesus. The true Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. And when we fix our eyes on this Jesus, it undercuts the angsty hopelessness that plagues us in these modern times. As we see the kingdoms of this world tremble and even crumble, we remember that the real king was already “crucified, dead and buried for us…. He rose again from the dead…and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.”1 No one and no thing can escape the reach of King Jesus. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Therefore Pilate entered the Praetorium again, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “You are the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”~ John 18:33-38 (NASB) 1 Excerpts from the Apostles Creeds.

Talk 46 Mark 15:16-39 The Crucifixion Welcome to Talk 46 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Before we begin, I want to apologise to those of you who have been trying to visit my website. We've been facing some technical difficulties which have yet to be resolved and this has resulted in some delay in the production of these podcasts. However, as you must have discovered if you are now listening to this podcast, all my podcasts are accessible from the usual podcast providers. If in doubt, please google Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts. But sincere apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced so far. But now, for today's talk.   Last time we considered Mark 15:1-15 where Jesus is tried before Pontius Pilate. We noted: 1.     The continued determination of the Jewish leaders to have Jesus crucified 2.     The total commitment of Jesus to the way of the cross 3.     The complete moral failure of Pilate to do what was right. And we saw that at the end of that passage Pilate has Jesus flogged and hands him over to be crucified. Today we pick up, the story in verses 16-20:   16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spat on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.   Jesus had said yes when Pilate asked him, Are you the king of the Jews? (v2). Of course, the soldiers would have thought that this was an absurd claim, and so they decided that, before they led him away to be crucified, they'd have some fun at his expense. So they put a purple robe on him. They put a crown of thorns on his head and called out, Hail, king of the Jews!" They fell on their knees and paid mock homage to him. Then, when their fun was over, they led him away to be crucified. But, as we shall see later, the soldiers weren't the only ones to mock him. But first, verses 21-26:   21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.   Simon, the man who was forced to carry Jesus' cross, was from Cyrene in Libya, north Africa. It's possible he had come on pilgrimage for the Passover festival and was staying in the countryside just outside Jerusalem. It's equally likely that, although he had originally come from Cyrene, he was now permanently living near Jerusalem, as Acts 6:9 seems to indicate that there was in Jerusalem a so-called Synagogue of Freedmen some of whom were men from Cyrene. The fact is, we simply do not know. Neither do we know who his sons, Alexander and Rufus were, although it's possible that Rufus is referred to in Romans 16. The fact that Mark refers to them both by name does seem to suggest that they were known to the early Christian community for whom Mark was writing. We can't help wondering whether they had become Christians as a result of their father's unexpected encounter with Jesus.   What we do know is that Simon was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. It was one of those occasions when something totally unexpected occurs in our lives. At first sight it might seem like sheer coincidence. He just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Or was it the right place at the right time? The Saviour of the world is on his way to be crucified. It's the most important event in history. Is God in Heaven going to allow anything to happen by accident? Surely not. And if not, there was a divine purpose in Simon's encounter with Jesus. He follows Jesus, carrying his cross all the way to Calvary. It's hard to imagine that he did not remain to witness the events of the crucifixion and, having done so, to continue to follow him for the rest of his life. We're reminded that we're all called to take up our cross and follow Jesus.   But let's pause for a moment and think about unexpected things that may happen in our lives or the lives of people we know who are not yet Christians. Of course, we all love to see miracles of healing that come unexpectedly and are positively life transforming. But what about events that seem negative, rather than positive, like being forced to carry someone else's cross? Has it ever occurred to you that God might have a purpose in allowing these things to happen?   One Sunday morning in June 2016 I was preaching in Ireland on that passage in Matthew 8 where Jesus calms the storm. I remember saying that storms may arise in our lives, even during the coming week, but that Jesus would bring us safely through them. Little did I know that two days later my wife would suffer a massive stroke that was to leave her confined to a wheelchair for the next eight years.   And little did I know on 28th February this year that within less than 24 hours she would be in Heaven. Both were totally unexpected and life-changing events for both of us, but God brought us through, and Eileen has now safely arrived on the other side. Even when unexpected events seem totally negative, God can bring a positive outcome, even if we can't see it at the time. And he can bring about unexpected events in the lives of those who don't yet know him that will draw them to himself.   But back to our passage. They bring Jesus to the place of execution, and they offer him wine mixed with myrrh. This was an act of mercy to condemned criminals usually provided by the women of Jerusalem, but here passed on to Jesus by the soldiers. But Jesus does not accept it. He wants to remain in full possession of his faculties. No anaesthetic can ease the pain of the suffering he is about to endure. He is to bear the full agony of crucifixion, the full penalty for all our sins.   And so they crucify him. The Gospel writers spare us the physical details, perhaps because they were all too familiar to their readers, but also because Jesus' suffering was far more than physical, and far more than the psychological torture he endured at the hands of those who humiliated him. His greatest agony was separation from his Father as the spotless Lamb of God bore the sins of the whole world. Most of the accusations brought against him were false, but he was finally condemned to death for telling the truth, for admitting who he really was, the Christ, the Son of God, the king of the Jews. But it mattered little to the Roman soldiers. They were too busy gambling for his clothes.   But now verses 27-32. 27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!" 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.   Mark doesn't say much about the two robbers crucified each side of Jesus. It's Luke who tells us how one of them joined in with the mocking of the crowd and the soldiers, but is rebuked by the other one who says, Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. And then says, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.   This man could certainly not have understood the fully developed doctrine of salvation initiated by Jesus and later taught by the first apostles, but somehow he grasped enough to acknowledge that he was guilty, that he deserved his punishment, that Jesus was innocent and was indeed a king for whom death would not be the end but would lead to a kingdom in which somehow he, a robber, hoped to be remembered. He could hardly ask for more, but Jesus grants him far more than he asks for: I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).   That was what Jesus was dying for – the salvation of sinners, sinners like this robber, even sinners like Barabbas whose place on that cross Jesus had taken, and sinners like you and me.   But back to our passage in Mark. We saw in verses 16-20 how the soldiers humiliated, mocked and abused Jesus. Now in verses 29-32 we see the mockery continuing, this time not just by those who passed by but by the chief priests and teachers of the law as well. Looking at the passage as a whole, we see that Jesus was mocked by the soldiers who crucified him, the unrepentant thief on the cross beside him, those who were passing by without even stopping to think, the chief priests and teachers of the law, and, as we see in the next section, the man who offered Jesus wine vinegar to drink.   Verses 33-34. 33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. This darkness lasted from 12 noon until 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It can't have been a normal eclipse of the sun, as Passover was celebrated at the time of the full moon when the moon would have been in the wrong part of the sky. This darkness was a supernatural event initiated by God himself. All attempts at astronomical explanation of such events, including incidentally the star followed by the Magi in Matthew 2, are totally futile. When God works a miracle there is no natural explanation. If there were, it would not be a miracle!   But what was the purpose of this darkness? It's mentioned in Matthew and Luke as well as Mark, but none of them tell us its purpose, so we need to tread carefully here. We're on holy ground. But perhaps we can find an answer in the events that are closely connected with it in the Gospel records – Jesus' cry, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?, the tearing of the temple curtain from the top to the bottom, the earthquake that accompanied it, the constant demands of the Jews for a sign from Heaven, the final cry of Jesus, It is finished, and the cry of the centurion, Surely this man was the Son of God.   Combined with these events we can surely interpret the darkness as a sign of God's anger at human sin, and at the rejection of his Son by the Jewish leaders. It was a sign that this crucifixion was no ordinary crucifixion. It was a sign that temple worship was now terminated. It was the sign that the Jewish leaders had constantly demanded but still would not accept.  It was a sign of God's vindication of all that Jesus had claimed to be. It was a sign, for all who, like the centurion, would receive it, that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.   34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" – which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" From before time began, back in eternity, Jesus, the Son of God, had enjoyed intimate fellowship with his Father. But now, as Jesus carries our sin, God who is holy and cannot look on sin (Habakkuk 1:13), turns his face away. This for Jesus was the greatest agony of the cross. But his cry must not be seen as a cry of despair. Jesus was well aware that he was quoting Psalm 22 which in so many ways was prophetic of the crucifixion, but which concludes in glorious triumph, for all the ends of the earth will turn to the Lord and all the families of the nations will bow down before him. It was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).   Verses 35-39 complete the story. 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." 36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"   Jesus' cry had been in Aramaic, but some mistakenly thought he was calling for Elijah. The mocking continues right to the end - Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down.   John 19:28-30 supplies some information not given in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus says, I am thirsty and in response he is offered wine vinegar to drink, which he accepts and then cries, It is finished. This is undoubtedly the loud cry referred to in Mark 15:37. Jesus had refused the wine offered to him earlier, but now the work of atonement was complete. He accepts the drink to clear his voice for one last final cry. It is finished.   There was so much that was finished at that moment, not just his earthly life and suffering, but the reason for that suffering was now accomplished, the work of atonement, the bearing of our sin, the means of entry into the presence of a holy God as the veil of the temple is split in two from the top to the bottom. No longer the need for the animal sacrifices demanded by the Law, no longer a temple made with human hands… Jesus has done it all – and he did it for me!   The Roman centurion could not possibly have understood all that, but he understood enough to know that Jesus really was the Son of God. Perhaps he came to understand later, not only that Jesus was the Soon of God, but that he was, in the words of Paul, The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Charles Wesley certainly understood it when he wrote:   It's finished, the Messiah dies, cut off for sins, but not his own. Accomplished is the sacrifice, the great redeeming work is done. It's finished, all the debt is paid, justice divine is satisfied, The grand and full atonement made; God for guilty world has died. The veil is rent in Christ alone, the living way to heaven is seen, The middle wall is broken down and all mankind my enter in. The types and figures are fulfilled; exacted is the legal pain. The precious promises are sealed, the spotless Lamb of God is slain. The reign of sin and death is o'er, and all may live from since set free. Satan has lost his mortal power. It's swallowed up in victory! Saved from the legal curse I am. My saviour hangs on yonder tree. See there the meek expiring Lamb. It's finished, he expires for me. Accepted in the well beloved and clothed in righteousness divine I see the bar to heaven removed, and all thy merits, Lord, are mine. Death, hell, and sin are now subdued. All grace is now to sinners given. And lo, I plead the atoning blood, and in thy right I claim thy heaven.   God bless you.

Send us a text“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.” 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.” 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.” Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 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?” 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.” 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.” 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. 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!” 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.””‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬-‭15‬ ‭Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

Send us a text“Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. Then they *led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and *said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and *said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.”‭‭John‬ ‭18‬:‭25‬-‭40‬ Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

Faith is not built on __________________ alone, but on God's __________________. [Mark 15:42-46 NIV] It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, [43] Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. [44] Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. [45] When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. [46] So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. The __________________ scientists in the world can't explain how the __________________ was made. [Mark 15:15-20] So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. [16] The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor's headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. [17] They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. [18] Then they saluted him and taunted, "Hail! King of the Jews!" [19] And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. [20] When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. Crucifixion was designed to be the most ________________ way to die. [John 19:32-34] So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. [33] But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn't break his legs. [34] One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. It is a __________________ how a dead man could live again. [John 20:3-7] Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. [4] They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. [5] He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in. [6] Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, [7] while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. The ______________________ is the ultimate evidence of God's victory over __________________.

Dissension in the capitolBased on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“My guards were out in the city last night,” the Empress said. “They can confirm some of the captain’s reports. There is real wealth, real organization behind some of these dissenters.”“Traitors,” Belisarius growled. The dark-haired general’s cheeks were red with anger. “Augustus, let me bring my legions into the city. I can have the worst of the factions hanged by sunset.”The Emperor, Justinian, massaged the bridge of his nose. “I’m not going to let stratiotai loose in my own capital, Bel. The people aren’t our enemy.”“They’re burning the city down around us!”“Captain,” Theodora said before her husband could speak. She addressed the nervous-looking commander of the city guard. “We’ve had riots before. Why haven’t you been able to keep the peace these past few days?”The guardsman bowed low. “Your pardon, Augusta. I have few men under my command, and the Blues and Greens are well entrenched in most parts of the city. In the past, they’ve done a lot of the work in keeping their own neighborhoods orderly. Now, however,” He trailed off into a grimace."Now, they’re the bastards doing all the damage,” Antonina said from where she sat beside her husband.Belisarius’ wife had swept her blonde hair back from her face, sifting through a stack of reports on the table in front of her. Antonina accompanied the general nearly every time he went out on campaign. She was well used to helping him untangle the mess of paperwork that taking any sort of decision inevitably produced.“You cannot control the city, then?” The Empress said.“Forgive me, Augusta, but I cannot. Not on my own. I’ve lost dozens already in the attempt.”“Then let me bring in the legions,” Belisarius said, his fist slamming against the table. “We’re letting the mob run us over!”“Enough!” The Emperor snapped. “I am not slaughtering hundreds because a few nobles are stirring up discontent! We are an Empire of laws, and I will not taint our efforts with the senseless spilling of blood.”The two men glared at each other. They were men of power, both used to getting their own way. But of course, only one was Emperor.Belisarius looked away. “Of course, Augustus.”The Empress let out a breath. She dismissed the captain with a few words of thanks, before going to her husband. She leaned into him from behind his chair, wrapping her arms around his chest.Justinian slumped back. “The Blues and the Greens; why did my damned predecessors have to cede so much to them?”Theodora kissed him on the cheek. “We always knew that curtailing them would be difficult, love. Don’t lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish.”The Emperor breathed deeply of his wife’s scent, leaning into her touch. He let out a long sigh and straightened.“Okay. They want me to pardon the escaped prisoners, right? Will satisfy them?”“Seems like the minimum,” Antonina said, fanning her summer-reddened face. “They’ve already escaped, so what’s the harm?”“The harm,” Belisarius said. “Is that they were condemned to die.”“Bel is right, my love,” the Empress said. “You spoke of upholding our laws; what message does it send to those watching us for weakness if we capitulate on this now?”I shifted in my place against one of the walls. Helena and I were the only other ones in the room now, our post only a protective lunge from the Empress’ seat.They had been at this for an hour and more, a series of officials, titled aristocrats and soldiers streaming in and out of the Emperor’s office. They’d been summoned to give their official opinions, testimonies, and reports; the mass of information intended to aid the Emperor in handling the developing crisis.Or not handling it, as seemed to be the case.I turned away, looking towards the open window. Outside, the sun was high in the sky. I could see the sloping roofs of the Hagia Sofia and the Patriarch’s residence. The city stretched beyond, baking in the afternoon heat.The scorching summer temperature, not at all helped by the pall of smoke that hung over the capital’s streets.The planned chariot races were due to begin soon, when there was a loud knock at the door. One of the Excubitors on duty poked his head in.“Senator Hypatius is here, Augustus,” the man said.“What?” The Emperor responded. “This is a closed meeting. Send him away.”The guard hesitated. “Of course, sire. He says that he’s come from the city, however. And that he holds a list of the people’s demands.Justinian and his wife exchanged a glance. "Very well. Send him in.”“You Imperial Majesties,” the senator said, sweeping his robes out in a deep bow. “Thank you for seeing me.”“Out with it, Hypatius,” Belisarius growled. “We don’t have time for your pretty words.”“Of course, general,” the senator said. He approached after a nod from the Emperor, pulling a roll of parchment from somewhere on his person. “I’ll speak plainly. Representatives from the Blues and Greens approached me earlier today. We sat down together to speak of their grievances. This is the result of that meeting.”He set the parchment down. The Emperor, Belisarius, and Antonina set upon it like wolves; ripping it open and devouring its content. The Empress, however, watched the senator.“You’re uninterested in the people’s demands, Augusta?” Hypatius asked.“I have a good idea as to what they are already, senator,” she said. “I’m more interested in what role you play in all this.”The man smoothed his robes. “That of simple messenger, Augusta.”“But why you?” She said. “And who were these ‘representatives’ you met with.”Hypatius shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I’ve worked hard to cultivate a reputation as a fair man who is much agreeable to reason. So, perhaps it is for that.”“Indeed,” the Empress said. “It must be your, reputation.”The senator bristled, but the Emperor chose that moment to speak. “This is absurd! The dismissal of my prefect, John, and of my quaestor? The full pardon of the prisoners and the repeal of my new laws?”“Not every single one of your new laws, Augustus,” Hypatius said, smoothly. “I believe those changes most desired are spelled out.”“No,” the Emperor said. “Not all. Mainly those towards women and the change in the aristocracy’s share of tax.”“The people are aggrieved, your Majesty,” Hypatius said. “You’ve stripped the Blues and Greens of power and have changed many of the basic tenants of our laws. Add to this, the ruinous cost of our campaigns in the east; surely you must understand some of the people’s plight?”“I’m not agreeing to any of this,” the Emperor growled.“Augustus, please. There is wisdom in giving a little to gain a lot.”Theodora snorted. “Explain to me the wisdom of completely folding over?”They continued in this vein for the rest of the time they had, arguing back and forth until we left for the Hippodrome. Hypatius accompanied us through the halls of the Imperial Palace, one of several that had been invited to watch that afternoon’s races in the presence of the Emperor.The stadium was full when we arrived, the crowd a roiling mass of anger. They roared when Justinian stepped into view, drunk on wine and the victories they’d already had against the city.The Emperor called for quiet, biding them to let him answer their resentments. It was several long minutes before the mob was still enough for his voice to be heard. He began his speech, and on the sands, the first of the charioteers emerged.Theodora had not yet taken her seat, remaining back by Helena and me while her husband spoke. There were a dozen or so Excubitors in the box as well, there to make sure no harm came to the Imperial family and their guests.Hypatius approached while Justinian was halfway through his prepared words.“The Emperor is wise to give into these demands.”The Empress didn’t let any of her anger show. She’d argued hard against any sort of concession. “There are some things that he will not bend on. No matter how much of your wisdom that you share.”The senator’s eyes moved about, making sure that none but we were within earshot. Disdain flooded his tone.“You mean the repeal of your laws?” He smirked. “I fear that it is only a matter of time, Empress.”“Victory is an ugly color on you, Hypatius. But it is a bit premature, is it not?”“Premature?” The senator swept his arm out. “Look at this. The people cry for change! Will you really try to keep forcing your unwanted beliefs onto so many who want nothing of them?”“Unwanted?” The Empress said. “The elevation of women is good for the Empire as a whole, senator. Are we too, not God’s creatures.”“Of course, though none other possess such delusions of grandeur.”The Empress snorted. “Only those born to privilege see equality as a loss.”“A privilege,” Hypatius said, “that was granted to us by God. And how wise a decision it was. Did a woman’s choice not already cost us the paradise of Eden?”“Ah, of course,” Theodora said. “That old tale. What a stupid girl she was, to listen to the serpent and hide her naked perfection. As if clothing herself against a man’s crawling eyes could ever bring some sort of comfort.”“A wholly false interpretation.” The senator sneered. “But I suppose that we should trust a whore’s mind to see lust as the root of all things.”I tensed, my anger flaring. I made to step forward, but the Empress flicked her open palm towards me.“I was a whore, senator,” she said. “And so, you may trust me when I say that it wasn’t women that came to me with minds full of lust.”“As you well know,” Hypatius said, face reddening. “Eve’s sin was disobedience; her refusal to submit herself to man and God. A sin which you seek to drive us back into.”“Was it not God who made me Empress?” Theodora said. “It is by His divine authority I rule.”“Your authority,” he spat, “comes from trapping a powerful enough man between your legs. You would determine the course of our Empire through the ungodly use of your sex!”“Does my husband’s love and respect for me somehow cloud his mind?”“Love,” he said. “Or is it your flesh that you use to steer him towards your ends?”“My husband is no slave to his desires, Hypatius. Great men do not possess the flaws of the majority.”Hypatius’ eyes flashed, but the Empress wasn’t finished.“And surely, senator, a man like you can come up with something other than the same fearful lamentations? God has granted gifts to all his creations. Is it not the most pathetic sort of weakness; that the man who lords over his family with the strength of his arm, suddenly cries sin when his own base lust is used against him?”“Our laws are clear,” Hypatius said through gritted teeth. “Do not expect us to sit quietly by as you trample over nature and tradition.”“Ah, so it is 'us’ now?” Theodora said. “How easy you speak of disobedience when it is the sin of another. Your Emperor, the one who you have sworn to obey as your master, has commanded that you cease this insurrection.”The Empress’ expression was hard, looking down towards the senator from an eagle’s height. “Do you too, as Eve once did, refuse to submit yourself?”Hypatius didn’t respond, glaring at the Empress with barely-held fury. But she wasn’t finished speaking, leaning forward.“You cannot see past your own failings. You’re weak, and your insecurities disgust me. Men like you make us out to be frail, simple creatures that are good for nothing more than venting your lust and bearing your children. Your fragile egos cannot bear the thought that a woman might, in truth, be a stronger, more intelligent, more capable being than you will ever be.”The Empress moved towards him; the deadly grace of the raptor’s dive. Her words, filled with the eagle’s unshakable pride, pinned him like talons.“But I will liberate us. I will show all of you what a woman can really be.”She reached out to run a finger along Hypatius’ jaw. He flinched back at the sudden contact, looking away from the Empress’ languid smile.“And be sure,” she purred, her silken chest so near to his. “That I will use every weapon in my arsenal.”“Vile woman,” he hissed. His face blazed. “You don’t know what’s coming, you stupid whore. I’ll,”The mob’s rising roar swallowed his next words. I turned in time to see the crowd flooding onto the sands of the Hippodrome.”Nika! Nika! “They crashed against the palace walls; swords and axes and pitchforks flashing in the summer sun. The Emperor shouted, but the mob didn’t hear. They pounded against the walls, flames rising from where men held torches to the stadium’s wooden stands.The Hippodrome was burning, smoke rising with the thunder of the crowd’s battle cry.”Nika! Nika! Nika! Nika! “We were under siege. And when I looked back towards the Empress, Hypatius was gone.Act 3An Empress besieged."Have you ever been under siege, my Leontius?”I turned at the sound of the Empress’ voice, stiffening into a salute. “Augusta! ”She rolled her eyes. “And a good morning to you too. Has three days of confinement truly done nothing to ease your sense of property?”“That’s like asking whether the sight of the sun makes the fish want to fly,” Helena called from where she stood by the door.“Oh?” Theodora said. “And what does this fish have in common with our Leontius?”Helena grinned. “Neither of them can actually comprehend the question.”The Empress laughed, and I leveled my best glare toward my shield mate. This, of course, had the unfortunate result of drawing laughter from her as well.“We’re under siege,” I reminded both women.The Empress came to stand beside me at the window. She lay a warm palm against my forearm and gazed out.Beneath us, Constantinople burned.The sky was choked with a haze of smoke and ash. The mid-morning sun appeared dark, hanging there like a disk of smudged bronze. The fog was noxious, cloying; it blocked the sun’s light though it did nothing to shield us from the summer heat. Rather, it seemed to trap it like some great oven; magnifying it so that the already thick air turned positively suffocating.“So much destruction,” she said. Her palm flexed on my forearm. “The labor of decades and centuries gone, just like that.”“Augusta." Then, after a moment’s hesitation, I added. "I caught a few glimpses through the smoke. It looks like there’s a lot less damage further out.”She squeezed my arm, smiling without feeling. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s not their own homes they wish to burn, after all.”I followed the Empress’ gaze as she took in the shattered villas, pavilions, and monuments that now surrounded the Imperial Palace. Many of the ruins still smoldered, adding the stench of their own unique blend of char to the air.The Praetorium, the military headquarters of the Empire, had been gutted. A centuries-old courthouse had been torn down; its statues shattered. And in the distance, where great Hagia Sofia had once stood, there was nothing more than an empty patch of sky.Theodora stared at that empty place for several long moments, eventually pulling the heavy golden cross out from between her breasts to press it against her lips.Last was the Hippodrome. We could see the edge of it from the Empress’ window. And though its venerable stones were scarred by fire and rage, it still rose high above the city. It was at once a reassuring reminder of the Empire’s might and the cradle from which its destruction might have been birthed.“You never answered my question,” the Empress said.“Augusta?”Theodora smiled. “Have you ever been besieged?”“Your pardon, Augusta,” I said, flushing. “No, I was never garrisoned along the border. I’ve only ever been on the attacking side.”“Hmm,” she said. “And what do you think our chances are here?”“They’re good, Augusta. In a lot of ways, it’s harder to sit around outside the walls than within. It takes a lot of will, discipline, and organization to properly besiege a fortress.”“Things that you don’t believe our citizens have?”I shrugged. “They’re focused now, Augusta. But that becomes more difficult as days become weeks.”“Hmm,” she said. “Perhaps.”We could see them from up here; the mob. They swirled through the streets below, stained with soot and fueled by wine and victory. They were not so much an organized force as a writhing mass of blue and green with iron in their hands and cries of war on their lips.Nika! Nika! Nika!I could hear them now, the crowd pulsing with their chant of conquest and fury. They were swirling about the Hippodrome’s entrance, keeping clear, as of yet, of the palace’s walls. They seemed to be going into the arena, funneling into the still-smoking interior.“It’s hard to believe,” the Empress said. “That so few of my husband’s guards can keep out so many.”“Three hundred Excubitors is not so small a number, Augusta, when put behind strong walls.”“Neither are those extra few hundred that Belisarius called in, I suppose.” She squeezed my arm one more time before letting go. “I shall defer to your judgment then, my Leontius. Now, trapped nobles and dignitaries will soon begin to pester my husband. Before I go to help him, however, I wish to see what the

Dissension in the capitolBased on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“My guards were out in the city last night,” the Empress said. “They can confirm some of the captain’s reports. There is real wealth, real organization behind some of these dissenters.”“Traitors,” Belisarius growled. The dark-haired general’s cheeks were red with anger. “Augustus, let me bring my legions into the city. I can have the worst of the factions hanged by sunset.”The Emperor, Justinian, massaged the bridge of his nose. “I’m not going to let stratiotai loose in my own capital, Bel. The people aren’t our enemy.”“They’re burning the city down around us!”“Captain,” Theodora said before her husband could speak. She addressed the nervous-looking commander of the city guard. “We’ve had riots before. Why haven’t you been able to keep the peace these past few days?”The guardsman bowed low. “Your pardon, Augusta. I have few men under my command, and the Blues and Greens are well entrenched in most parts of the city. In the past, they’ve done a lot of the work in keeping their own neighborhoods orderly. Now, however,” He trailed off into a grimace."Now, they’re the bastards doing all the damage,” Antonina said from where she sat beside her husband.Belisarius’ wife had swept her blonde hair back from her face, sifting through a stack of reports on the table in front of her. Antonina accompanied the general nearly every time he went out on campaign. She was well used to helping him untangle the mess of paperwork that taking any sort of decision inevitably produced.“You cannot control the city, then?” The Empress said.“Forgive me, Augusta, but I cannot. Not on my own. I’ve lost dozens already in the attempt.”“Then let me bring in the legions,” Belisarius said, his fist slamming against the table. “We’re letting the mob run us over!”“Enough!” The Emperor snapped. “I am not slaughtering hundreds because a few nobles are stirring up discontent! We are an Empire of laws, and I will not taint our efforts with the senseless spilling of blood.”The two men glared at each other. They were men of power, both used to getting their own way. But of course, only one was Emperor.Belisarius looked away. “Of course, Augustus.”The Empress let out a breath. She dismissed the captain with a few words of thanks, before going to her husband. She leaned into him from behind his chair, wrapping her arms around his chest.Justinian slumped back. “The Blues and the Greens; why did my damned predecessors have to cede so much to them?”Theodora kissed him on the cheek. “We always knew that curtailing them would be difficult, love. Don’t lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish.”The Emperor breathed deeply of his wife’s scent, leaning into her touch. He let out a long sigh and straightened.“Okay. They want me to pardon the escaped prisoners, right? Will satisfy them?”“Seems like the minimum,” Antonina said, fanning her summer-reddened face. “They’ve already escaped, so what’s the harm?”“The harm,” Belisarius said. “Is that they were condemned to die.”“Bel is right, my love,” the Empress said. “You spoke of upholding our laws; what message does it send to those watching us for weakness if we capitulate on this now?”I shifted in my place against one of the walls. Helena and I were the only other ones in the room now, our post only a protective lunge from the Empress’ seat.They had been at this for an hour and more, a series of officials, titled aristocrats and soldiers streaming in and out of the Emperor’s office. They’d been summoned to give their official opinions, testimonies, and reports; the mass of information intended to aid the Emperor in handling the developing crisis.Or not handling it, as seemed to be the case.I turned away, looking towards the open window. Outside, the sun was high in the sky. I could see the sloping roofs of the Hagia Sofia and the Patriarch’s residence. The city stretched beyond, baking in the afternoon heat.The scorching summer temperature, not at all helped by the pall of smoke that hung over the capital’s streets.The planned chariot races were due to begin soon, when there was a loud knock at the door. One of the Excubitors on duty poked his head in.“Senator Hypatius is here, Augustus,” the man said.“What?” The Emperor responded. “This is a closed meeting. Send him away.”The guard hesitated. “Of course, sire. He says that he’s come from the city, however. And that he holds a list of the people’s demands.Justinian and his wife exchanged a glance. "Very well. Send him in.”“You Imperial Majesties,” the senator said, sweeping his robes out in a deep bow. “Thank you for seeing me.”“Out with it, Hypatius,” Belisarius growled. “We don’t have time for your pretty words.”“Of course, general,” the senator said. He approached after a nod from the Emperor, pulling a roll of parchment from somewhere on his person. “I’ll speak plainly. Representatives from the Blues and Greens approached me earlier today. We sat down together to speak of their grievances. This is the result of that meeting.”He set the parchment down. The Emperor, Belisarius, and Antonina set upon it like wolves; ripping it open and devouring its content. The Empress, however, watched the senator.“You’re uninterested in the people’s demands, Augusta?” Hypatius asked.“I have a good idea as to what they are already, senator,” she said. “I’m more interested in what role you play in all this.”The man smoothed his robes. “That of simple messenger, Augusta.”“But why you?” She said. “And who were these ‘representatives’ you met with.”Hypatius shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I’ve worked hard to cultivate a reputation as a fair man who is much agreeable to reason. So, perhaps it is for that.”“Indeed,” the Empress said. “It must be your, reputation.”The senator bristled, but the Emperor chose that moment to speak. “This is absurd! The dismissal of my prefect, John, and of my quaestor? The full pardon of the prisoners and the repeal of my new laws?”“Not every single one of your new laws, Augustus,” Hypatius said, smoothly. “I believe those changes most desired are spelled out.”“No,” the Emperor said. “Not all. Mainly those towards women and the change in the aristocracy’s share of tax.”“The people are aggrieved, your Majesty,” Hypatius said. “You’ve stripped the Blues and Greens of power and have changed many of the basic tenants of our laws. Add to this, the ruinous cost of our campaigns in the east; surely you must understand some of the people’s plight?”“I’m not agreeing to any of this,” the Emperor growled.“Augustus, please. There is wisdom in giving a little to gain a lot.”Theodora snorted. “Explain to me the wisdom of completely folding over?”They continued in this vein for the rest of the time they had, arguing back and forth until we left for the Hippodrome. Hypatius accompanied us through the halls of the Imperial Palace, one of several that had been invited to watch that afternoon’s races in the presence of the Emperor.The stadium was full when we arrived, the crowd a roiling mass of anger. They roared when Justinian stepped into view, drunk on wine and the victories they’d already had against the city.The Emperor called for quiet, biding them to let him answer their resentments. It was several long minutes before the mob was still enough for his voice to be heard. He began his speech, and on the sands, the first of the charioteers emerged.Theodora had not yet taken her seat, remaining back by Helena and me while her husband spoke. There were a dozen or so Excubitors in the box as well, there to make sure no harm came to the Imperial family and their guests.Hypatius approached while Justinian was halfway through his prepared words.“The Emperor is wise to give into these demands.”The Empress didn’t let any of her anger show. She’d argued hard against any sort of concession. “There are some things that he will not bend on. No matter how much of your wisdom that you share.”The senator’s eyes moved about, making sure that none but we were within earshot. Disdain flooded his tone.“You mean the repeal of your laws?” He smirked. “I fear that it is only a matter of time, Empress.”“Victory is an ugly color on you, Hypatius. But it is a bit premature, is it not?”“Premature?” The senator swept his arm out. “Look at this. The people cry for change! Will you really try to keep forcing your unwanted beliefs onto so many who want nothing of them?”“Unwanted?” The Empress said. “The elevation of women is good for the Empire as a whole, senator. Are we too, not God’s creatures.”“Of course, though none other possess such delusions of grandeur.”The Empress snorted. “Only those born to privilege see equality as a loss.”“A privilege,” Hypatius said, “that was granted to us by God. And how wise a decision it was. Did a woman’s choice not already cost us the paradise of Eden?”“Ah, of course,” Theodora said. “That old tale. What a stupid girl she was, to listen to the serpent and hide her naked perfection. As if clothing herself against a man’s crawling eyes could ever bring some sort of comfort.”“A wholly false interpretation.” The senator sneered. “But I suppose that we should trust a whore’s mind to see lust as the root of all things.”I tensed, my anger flaring. I made to step forward, but the Empress flicked her open palm towards me.“I was a whore, senator,” she said. “And so, you may trust me when I say that it wasn’t women that came to me with minds full of lust.”“As you well know,” Hypatius said, face reddening. “Eve’s sin was disobedience; her refusal to submit herself to man and God. A sin which you seek to drive us back into.”“Was it not God who made me Empress?” Theodora said. “It is by His divine authority I rule.”“Your authority,” he spat, “comes from trapping a powerful enough man between your legs. You would determine the course of our Empire through the ungodly use of your sex!”“Does my husband’s love and respect for me somehow cloud his mind?”“Love,” he said. “Or is it your flesh that you use to steer him towards your ends?”“My husband is no slave to his desires, Hypatius. Great men do not possess the flaws of the majority.”Hypatius’ eyes flashed, but the Empress wasn’t finished.“And surely, senator, a man like you can come up with something other than the same fearful lamentations? God has granted gifts to all his creations. Is it not the most pathetic sort of weakness; that the man who lords over his family with the strength of his arm, suddenly cries sin when his own base lust is used against him?”“Our laws are clear,” Hypatius said through gritted teeth. “Do not expect us to sit quietly by as you trample over nature and tradition.”“Ah, so it is 'us’ now?” Theodora said. “How easy you speak of disobedience when it is the sin of another. Your Emperor, the one who you have sworn to obey as your master, has commanded that you cease this insurrection.”The Empress’ expression was hard, looking down towards the senator from an eagle’s height. “Do you too, as Eve once did, refuse to submit yourself?”Hypatius didn’t respond, glaring at the Empress with barely-held fury. But she wasn’t finished speaking, leaning forward.“You cannot see past your own failings. You’re weak, and your insecurities disgust me. Men like you make us out to be frail, simple creatures that are good for nothing more than venting your lust and bearing your children. Your fragile egos cannot bear the thought that a woman might, in truth, be a stronger, more intelligent, more capable being than you will ever be.”The Empress moved towards him; the deadly grace of the raptor’s dive. Her words, filled with the eagle’s unshakable pride, pinned him like talons.“But I will liberate us. I will show all of you what a woman can really be.”She reached out to run a finger along Hypatius’ jaw. He flinched back at the sudden contact, looking away from the Empress’ languid smile.“And be sure,” she purred, her silken chest so near to his. “That I will use every weapon in my arsenal.”“Vile woman,” he hissed. His face blazed. “You don’t know what’s coming, you stupid whore. I’ll,”The mob’s rising roar swallowed his next words. I turned in time to see the crowd flooding onto the sands of the Hippodrome.”Nika! Nika! “They crashed against the palace walls; swords and axes and pitchforks flashing in the summer sun. The Emperor shouted, but the mob didn’t hear. They pounded against the walls, flames rising from where men held torches to the stadium’s wooden stands.The Hippodrome was burning, smoke rising with the thunder of the crowd’s battle cry.”Nika! Nika! Nika! Nika! “We were under siege. And when I looked back towards the Empress, Hypatius was gone.Act 3An Empress besieged."Have you ever been under siege, my Leontius?”I turned at the sound of the Empress’ voice, stiffening into a salute. “Augusta! ”She rolled her eyes. “And a good morning to you too. Has three days of confinement truly done nothing to ease your sense of property?”“That’s like asking whether the sight of the sun makes the fish want to fly,” Helena called from where she stood by the door.“Oh?” Theodora said. “And what does this fish have in common with our Leontius?”Helena grinned. “Neither of them can actually comprehend the question.”The Empress laughed, and I leveled my best glare toward my shield mate. This, of course, had the unfortunate result of drawing laughter from her as well.“We’re under siege,” I reminded both women.The Empress came to stand beside me at the window. She lay a warm palm against my forearm and gazed out.Beneath us, Constantinople burned.The sky was choked with a haze of smoke and ash. The mid-morning sun appeared dark, hanging there like a disk of smudged bronze. The fog was noxious, cloying; it blocked the sun’s light though it did nothing to shield us from the summer heat. Rather, it seemed to trap it like some great oven; magnifying it so that the already thick air turned positively suffocating.“So much destruction,” she said. Her palm flexed on my forearm. “The labor of decades and centuries gone, just like that.”“Augusta." Then, after a moment’s hesitation, I added. "I caught a few glimpses through the smoke. It looks like there’s a lot less damage further out.”She squeezed my arm, smiling without feeling. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s not their own homes they wish to burn, after all.”I followed the Empress’ gaze as she took in the shattered villas, pavilions, and monuments that now surrounded the Imperial Palace. Many of the ruins still smoldered, adding the stench of their own unique blend of char to the air.The Praetorium, the military headquarters of the Empire, had been gutted. A centuries-old courthouse had been torn down; its statues shattered. And in the distance, where great Hagia Sofia had once stood, there was nothing more than an empty patch of sky.Theodora stared at that empty place for several long moments, eventually pulling the heavy golden cross out from between her breasts to press it against her lips.Last was the Hippodrome. We could see the edge of it from the Empress’ window. And though its venerable stones were scarred by fire and rage, it still rose high above the city. It was at once a reassuring reminder of the Empire’s might and the cradle from which its destruction might have been birthed.“You never answered my question,” the Empress said.“Augusta?”Theodora smiled. “Have you ever been besieged?”“Your pardon, Augusta,” I said, flushing. “No, I was never garrisoned along the border. I’ve only ever been on the attacking side.”“Hmm,” she said. “And what do you think our chances are here?”“They’re good, Augusta. In a lot of ways, it’s harder to sit around outside the walls than within. It takes a lot of will, discipline, and organization to properly besiege a fortress.”“Things that you don’t believe our citizens have?”I shrugged. “They’re focused now, Augusta. But that becomes more difficult as days become weeks.”“Hmm,” she said. “Perhaps.”We could see them from up here; the mob. They swirled through the streets below, stained with soot and fueled by wine and victory. They were not so much an organized force as a writhing mass of blue and green with iron in their hands and cries of war on their lips.Nika! Nika! Nika!I could hear them now, the crowd pulsing with their chant of conquest and fury. They were swirling about the Hippodrome’s entrance, keeping clear, as of yet, of the palace’s walls. They seemed to be going into the arena, funneling into the still-smoking interior.“It’s hard to believe,” the Empress said. “That so few of my husband’s guards can keep out so many.”“Three hundred Excubitors is not so small a number, Augusta, when put behind strong walls.”“Neither are those extra few hundred that Belisarius called in, I suppose.” She squeezed my arm one more time before letting go. “I shall defer to your judgment then, my Leontius. Now, trapped nobles and dignitaries will soon begin to pester my husband. Before I go to help him, however, I wish to see what the

"Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked a these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: 'Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.' When the Emperor heard of this, he asked him: 'Have you lost your mind?' Adrian replied: 'I haven't lost it, but found it!' Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and, when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken with hammers. This was done and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days, Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord's hands." (Prologue)

"Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked a these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: 'Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.' When the Emperor heard of this, he asked him: 'Have you lost your mind?' Adrian replied: 'I haven't lost it, but found it!' Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and, when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken with hammers. This was done and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days, Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord's hands." (Prologue)

Matthew 27:1-32   27:1 Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him and led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor. 3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You shall see to it yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and left; and he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” 7 And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter's Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; 10 andthey gave them for the Potter's Field, just as the Lord directed me.” 11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “So You are the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not offer any answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” 14 And still He did not answer him in regard to even a single charge, so the governor was greatly amazed. 15 Now at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted.16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was because of envy that they had handed Him over. 19 And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “See that you have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. 21 And the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all *said, “Crucify Him!”23 But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!” 24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man's blood; you yourselves shall see.” 25 And all the people replied, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified. 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort to Him.28 And they stripped Him and put a red cloak on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”30 And they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. 31 And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. 32 As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they compelled to carry His cross.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net  

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Experience the dramatic trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. This podcast will strengthen your faith and your understanding of the Bible. Hosted by author, attorney, pastor, and founder of Covenant Journey, Mat Staver. Learn more and get involved at CovenantJourney.org

See the signs of the cross: the hellish darkness, the torn curtain, the anguished cry, and the heartfelt confession, and believe in Jesus as the Son of God. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT- Almost two weeks ago, the staff went out and went onto the roof over here to look at the solar eclipse. Some of you may have done that day as well, it was about 3:15 in the afternoon. We had a similar eclipse back in August of 2017. I went out there and there were these special glasses, these NASA approved glasses that you were supposed to use when you looked at the sun. I hadn't had my turn yet, and I thought, "What can the harm be in taking a quick glance." I mean, we look at the sun all the time, don't we? The answer is no, we don't. We learned a long time ago not to do that. There's way too much brilliance that comes from the sun and it's blinding. So those special glasses that are designed to enable us to look directly at the sun without damaging our eyes. That whole thing is kind of a strange metaphor as we come this morning to the cross of Christ. The glory of God is the radiant display of the attributes, the perfections of God. I've said for many years there's no greater display of the glory of God than the cross of Jesus Christ. But amazingly when we look at it, we don't see most of the light that comes from it. We have a different kind of blindness that's on us. We need a different kind of glasses to look at the cross— the glasses are faith. It is by faith that we can see invisible spiritual reality, and none of us sees all of the light that flows from the cross of Christ. None of us takes it all in. It's impossible. But it's important for us to come again and again to this greatest display of the glory of God and understand it. The theme of today's sermon is how easy it is to misinterpret the cross, to misinterpret the events and the significance. Across the centuries people have done this. They have misunderstood and misinterpreted the cross of Christ. It was going on even while Jesus was dying. They didn't even hear His statement correctly. They thought He was calling Elijah, so they didn't even interpret that properly, waited to see if Elijah could come get Him. Jesus' enemies utterly hated Him and despised Him. They didn't understand who He was. They considered Him a blasphemer and a deceiver of the people. So for them, Jesus hanging on a Roman cross was clear vindication of these views. He was condemned by the high priest who tore his clothes and says, "You've heard the blasphemy. What do you think? He's worthy of death because of his blasphemy.” Therefore, these religious leaders saw Jesus' death on the cross as a punishment directly from God for His blasphemies and His deceptions. The chief priests and the Pharisees, the teacher of the law mocked Him, saying, "He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now. If he wants him for he said I'm the son of God." For these religious leaders this shameful death on the cross was proof that Jesus was dying under the curse of God and obvious proof that He was not the Messiah and still less the son of God. Instead, God was killing Him for His blasphemies. It's amazing that Isaiah centuries before that, and David, centuries even before Isaiah, had predicted this misunderstanding. In Isaiah 53:4, it says, "We considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted." Psalm 22:7 and 8, "All who see me mock me. They hurl insults, shaking their heads. 'He trusts in the Lord. Let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him if he delights in him.'" And when He didn't, it's proof that He didn't delight in Him. The population of Jerusalem at that time also misinterpreted the cross of Christ. As they passed by in the road, they called out this exact mockery as well, "Come down from the cross if you are the son of God." The Roman soldiers, as we saw last time in the Praetorium, had taken part in this shameful mocking. They knew less about Jesus' life and ministry and doctrine. To them, He was just a rabble-rousing Jew accused of being king of the Jews. So they mocked Him, putting a scarlet robe on His shoulders, a crown of thorns on His head, a scepter of reed in His hand, and they scourged Him and beat Him and spat upon Him. Finally they led Him away to be crucified. How did they interpret the cross of Christ? Just another dead Jew, like thousands of others. This has been going on across 2000 years of history. People have misinterpreted the cross of Christ. Thomas Jefferson went through all of the Gospels and culled out Jesus' moralistic teachings. He said it was as easy for him to do as finding diamonds in a dung heap. He thought that Jesus was a moral reformer who came to bring the Jews into a more enlightened morality, better than that of the old covenant. But they couldn't handle it. They weren't ready for it, and so they killed Him. In his abbreviated gospel, Jefferson cut out any reference to the atoning sacrifice, any reference to the resurrection or any of that at all. He was a moral teacher whose teachings were ahead of his time and He died for that reason. The 12th century French theologian Peter Abelard came up with a moral influence theory saying Jesus died as a demonstration of love. That we're estranged from God. God doesn't want us to be estranged, so He kills His son to win us or woo us back to Him. But there was no substitutionary atonement in his theory. Mahatma Gandhi said this, "I could accept Jesus as a martyr and embodiment of sacrifice and a divine teacher, but not as the most perfect man ever born. His death on the cross was a great example to the world. But that there was anything like a mysterious, miraculous virtue in it, my heart could not accept. The pious lives of Christians, including Christ, did not give me anything that the lives of men of other faiths had failed to give." To Gandhi the cross of Christ is just another example of heroism, no different than any other inspirational example. To others the cross of Christ is worthy of scorn. So it was to the philosopher elites in Athens at Mars Hill when Paul preached the crucifixion and resurrection, they mocked and scoffed. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." He also wrote, "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." All of these people were misinterpreting the cross of Christ even to this present day. But frankly so to did Jesus' closest followers. They grieved over the death of Christ. They mourned over it, and that grief continued after accounts of His resurrection had come. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were depressed and downcast. Mary is weeping in front of the empty tomb looking directly at the evidence of His resurrection and weeping and mourning over it. None of them expected an atoning death and a bodily resurrection. It says in Luke 9:45, when Jesus warned them ahead of time what was going to happen, it says they did not understand. It was hidden from them so that they could not grasp it. They had the opposite of those dark glasses; they had blindness over their mind so they could not see the light of the glory of God in the cross of Christ. In the end, only God the Father can properly interpret the cross for us. He's the only one that can tell us what it really means. This lines up with one of my favorite lines from William Cooper's hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” The final stanza says this: "Blind unbelief is sure to err and scan his work in vain. God is his own interpreter and he will make it plain." That's especially true when it comes to the cross of Christ. God must interpret the cross to us. He must tell us what it means, and He began to do it that very day. He did it even more on the third day when He raised Christ from the dead, and even more after that when He inspired the apostles to write the epistles giving us the theology of the cross. But it began when Jesus was still on the cross. We're going to look at four elements of it from the account: the darkness, the cry, the curtain, and the confession. I want to seek to show how the Father was interpreting the cross through each of those elements. I. The Darkness First, the darkness. Look at verse 33, "At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour." This was a physical darkness, a literal physical, actual darkness that came over the land. God shut the daylight down for three hours from about noon until about three in the afternoon, usually the height of the sun's rays. There is evidence, historical evidence that this stunning celestial event was not merely local but extended over that entire region of the inhabited world. The text says darkness came over the whole land, and that could either mean just that immediate area, Palestine, or it could go further than that. The Christian apologist Tertullian writing in the 2nd century called it a cosmic or a world event, evidently visible in Rome, Athens and other Mediterranean cities and challenged his non-Christian adversaries to explain it. He wrote, "At the moment of Christ's death, the light departed from the sun and the land was darkened at noonday, which wonder is related in your own annals, and is preserved in your archives to this day." The Greek writer Phlegon writing in 137 AD reported that in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, that's around 32, 33 AD, there was the greatest eclipse of the sun so it became night in the sixth hour of the day so that the stars even appeared in the heavens. 2nd century chronicler Phlegon records that during the reign of Tiberius Caesar there was a complete solar eclipse at full moon from the sixth hour to the ninth hour. Eusebius of Caesarea, the historian in his chronicle quotes him, Phlegon, saying, "A great eclipse of the sun occurred at the six hour that excelled every other before it, turning the day into such darkness of night that the stars could be seen in the heaven and the earth moved in Bithynia, toppling many buildings in the city of Nicaea." He added a testimony of an earthquake. It's amazing. How did God do this? We'll never know. Similar to the star that led the Magi to Bethlehem, it's a celestial event that we can't really explain. We know in the days of Joshua, He actually elongated the sunlight so that Joshua could finish his military work that day. God controls the cosmos. He can do this anytime he wants. The physical darkness is also a symbol of the spiritual darkness that Jesus came to destroy. It seems reasonable that Almighty God, the ruler of the heavens and the earth, was communicating to the human race about this darkness. But what was He saying? In the Bible, light consistently represents goodness. It represents God. In 1 John 1:5, "God is light, and in Him there's no darkness at all.” God created the light and He called the light good, He didn't call the darkness good." Jesus Christ said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Darkness then represents sin and death, whereas light represents truth and life. As Isaiah 9:2 says, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” Satan's kingdom is called the kingdom of darkness. "He has delivered us," Colossians 1:13, "from the dominion of darkness." And also Ephesians 6:12 says, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this present darkness and against the spiritual force of evil in the heavenly realms." When Jesus entered the world at His birth, an angel appeared and the glory of the Lord shown around him. That glory that was visible light represented the glory of God. But now that Jesus is dying, it seems the physical light was taken out of the world. The misinterpretations of the cross shows that people that day were walking in spiritual darkness. They could not understand what was really going on. The future of darkness, if we look at where we're heading in history and also in our own personal lives and the lives of the world, the day of the Lord is coming. The day of the Lord is Judgment Day and it's presented in Amos 5:20 as a day of darkness, not of light. "Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light, pitch dark without a ray of brightness." So to some degree, it was the day of the Lord for Jesus when He was dying, it was Judgment Day on Him. So also the future day of the Lord in Isaiah 13 will be a day of darkness. It says, "behold," this is Isaiah 13:9-11, "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sins." But even worse is the darkness of hell itself. Hell, Jesus taught is a place of outer darkness. Matthew 25:30, "bind them, the condemned, hand and foot and throw them outside into the darkness where there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth." If light represents everything good from God and the display of the glory of God and all that, there is none of that in hell. I believe that Jesus as He was drinking the cup of God's wrath, was experiencing the darkness of hell for us. The physical darkness that surrounded, the eerie supernatural darkness was a picture of the uniqueness of that moment. Conversely, for us who believe in Christ, the new heaven, new earth and the new Jerusalem will be constantly awash, radiantly illuminated with the glory of God. II. The Cry Secondly, the cry. Look at verse 34, "And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,' which means my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This cry of Jesus of total abandonment by God is infinitely mysterious. The doxology in Romans 11 says, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments." What does that mean? You can't get to the bottom of it. It's bottomless. You don't have enough to plumb the depths of what God has done, and that's especially true when it comes to the cross. When it comes to this cry, we'll never fully understand it. "This cry of Jesus of total abandonment by God is infinitely mysterious. The doxology in Romans 11 says, 'Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments.'" This cry is so deep and so significant that the Holy Spirit wanted the very sounds of it, the syllables of it, what it sounded like to be permanently rendered in the gospel accounts so that every translator of the Bible into every language all over the world would have to find some way with their phonology to communicate these syllables, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani." I went and got my Japanese Bible, and sure enough, there it is in the Katakana syllables their attempt to get Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani into the Japanese language. Why? It's just incredibly significant moment. It's like a time capsule ,and an aroma comes out. It’s like you're there. Then immediately we’re told what it means. It's not enough just hear the sounds because we don't speak Aramaic. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Here is the infinite mystery of God's activity on the cross. Here we're looking down into the abyss. Number of years ago I went with my daughter, Daphne, to the Grand Canyon and they have something called the Rim Walk. You can walk along the actual rim of the Grand Canyon and there's no fence, and they have occasional signs there warning you. Effectively, your blood's on your own head. But people just keep getting too close to the edge and looking down. And every year people fall down to their death. The height of the rim above the Colorado River is about 5,000 feet. Here we're supposed to get as close as we can and look down into that abyss and try to understand what Jesus was experiencing at that moment. Here we have the infinite mysteries of theology, of the Trinity and of the Incarnation. So first, the Trinity. We believe as Christians that the Bible reveals that there is one God and only one God, but that this one God has eternally existed in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. And that the Father is the one God and the Son is the one God, and the Spirit is the one God. But the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. We believe that's eternal. We believe the entire universe depends on that reality. So Jesus on the cross did not cease to be God. It's impossible. The relationship between the Father and the Son within the Trinity was not altered in any sense because the entire universe, physical and spiritual depends on that relationship forever. The universe, both physical and spiritual, is constantly upheld by the power and the will of the Trinity. The Father's will, the Son, the word of God, the Spirit, the power. By this, the universe continues to exist. That didn't stop when Jesus was dying on the cross. But then you've got the mystery of the incarnation, which is that Jesus is fully human and fully God. So by Jesus' cry from the cross, we peer into the invisible spiritual world to see what God the Father is doing to Him as the son of man, as a human. Jesus cries out as if from the pit of hell, total abandonment by God and total wrath poured out on Him by God. This is, I believe, the most dreadful part of hell. Absolute final, total abandonment, forsakenness by God. God is in no sense there to bless, only to curse. It's terrifying. In hell the damned can experience no pleasure, no joy, no friendship, no gifts, no happiness of any kind, a cold, empty terror of sheer loneliness and isolation. Now, this was unique, this cry. Unlike anybody else that will ever experience the wrath of God in hell and the condemnation, Jesus uniquely can say these words, "My God, my God, why do this to me?” Everyone else in hell will know that they're there because of the justice of God. They deserve what they're getting, like the thief on the cross said, “I deserve it.” I don't know if they'll come to that true recognition. It may well be they'll forever think they're there as a miscarriage of justice. I don't know. But it's not like they have no idea. "Unlike anybody else that will ever experience the wrath of God in hell and the condemnation, Jesus uniquely can say these words, "My God, my God, why do this to me?” Everyone else in hell will know that they're there because of the justice of God." But Jesus was sinless. Not only was He sinless, He had a perfect, constant and intimate relationship with God. "The Father has not left me alone. He's always with me," He says. He said before raising Lazarus from the dead, "I thank you, Father that you heard me. I know that you always hear me.” Many others have gone through terrible things and felt intimately close to God as they walk through, as in Psalm 23. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Why? Because you are with me." Jesus didn't feel that. Why? Because Jesus is unique. He's completely unique. He was sinless and yet completely sinful. How? By substitutionary atonement, by the mysterious transfer of guilt, by 2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." Isaiah 53:5-6 are the clearest verses in the entire Bible on the transfer of guilt and substitutionary atonement, clearer than anything even in the New Testament, Isaiah 53. "He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” You could read through that in the spirit of Galatians 2:20 and make it singular. "Christ loved me and gave himself for me." You can just say that's true of me. He was pierced for my transgressions. He was crushed for my iniquities. The punishment I deserved was upon Him. I should be crying. "Why have you forsaken me? It should have been me." If we don't understand this, we don't understand the cross. Abelard's moral example is foolishness. It's insanity. If there is no transfer of guilt, if there's no required death penalty paid, if there's nothing actually achieved, just a moral example, it's a picture of insanity rather than love. Instead, the substitutionary atonement was essential to the salvation of sinners like you and me from all over the world. Without it, we go to hell. This is God the Father's activity at the cross. Now a side note, and I think it's significant. In a very practical sense, as Jesus is crying this out, He's urging all people all over the world throughout all time to read Psalm 22 because He's quoting directly Psalm 22 in verse 1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is a clear prophecy of crucifixion written 1000 years before Jesus was born. In that prophecy, David lays out clearly how the Messiah would die for the sins of the world and that would be by crucifixion. In Psalm 22:16-18, "Dogs have surrounded me. A band of evil men has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. People staring gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." Those details phrase by phrase, line by line, were fulfilled as Jesus was dying. But by Him crying out the direct quote of Psalm 22 in verse 1, He's urging us to read it. The crowd, as was predicted in the Psalm and also in Isaiah, misinterpreted this, as I said. They didn't hear it properly, “Eloi, Eloi.” They heard like “Elijah's Elijah,” like “my God is Yahweh”. That's what “Elijah” means, so they thought He's calling for Elijah, and they wanted to see if Elijah could get Him. They want to go get Him a drink. In verse 36, "One man filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick and offered it to Jesus to drink. 'Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes and takes him down.’" The apostle John in his account tells us this drink being offered to Jesus was a direct fulfillment of a specific prophecy. John writes in John 19:28-29, "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.' A jar of wine vinegar was there.” Stop for a moment, how in the world did that get there? Who put it there? We'll never know. Some woman, some man, some boy or girl— I don't know— thought, "Hey, I think I'll fill a jar of wine vinegar and put it here at Golgotha." But it was essential to this prophecy being fulfilled. What prophecy? Psalm 69:21, "They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst." And at that moment, having received the drink, all the prophecies were now fulfilled. Mark tells us in verse 37, "with a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last." Typical of Mark, he doesn't tell us what He said with the loud cry. He keeps it very simple. Luke and John, however do. Luke 23:46, "Jesus called out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.'" And then John said, "Jesus said, 'It is finished.' And with that, He gave up His spirit.” Jesus is in absolute control of His death in the exact same way that He'd been in absolute control of His birth. He chose to enter the world in the fullness of time at the right time by the Virgin Mary. Then He chose to die in a way that no human could ever say, "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the authority to lay it down and I have the authority to take it back up again. This command I receive from my Father." He's the only one that can say that. When everything was fulfilled at just the right time, He died. That death was essential for our salvation. Why? Because the wages of sin is death, and we deserve to die, and an actual death had to be paid for us. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Ephesians 1:7, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace.” III. The Curtain Next we have the curtain. Look at verse 38, "The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." As I was reviewing the Gospel of Mark, memorizing it over a year and a half, a couple of years ago, something hit me, something I'd never noticed before, and that was that Mark just tells us about this event but doesn't explain its significance at all. I find that fascinating. Why do I find it fascinating? Because most scholars say that the Gospel of Mark was written for a Gentile, probably a Roman audience. Most of them reading this— imagine it's just floating around —all you have is the Gospel of Mark, you're reading this, you would've had no idea of the significance of that statement. But the Holy Spirit had a limited role for Mark. He had to stay in his lane. He had to just tell us what happened. He was going to give to the author of the book of Hebrews, the job of explaining it fully. It got me to think about the function of each of the 66 books of the Bible, what they're written for. I've never stopped thinking about this. It's very fascinating. Why does the Holy Spirit want us to know this? It's a very important question. So what is the significance of the tearing of the curtain? We're told in the Jewish temple there was a Holy Place where the priest went constantly to do their daily sacrifices, animal sacrifices. But then there was a Most Holy Place where only the high priest could go once a year with the blood of the Leviticus 16 sacrifice, the date of atonement sacrifice, and separating them was a curtain. The old covenant was all about barriers of access. It's all about this far you may come but no farther. That's what the old covenant's about. It's about walls and barriers, and you may not come. It's the first thing that the angel of the Lord said to Moses at the burning bush, "Do not come any closer." At Mount Sinai, there was a fence put around the base of the mountain, forbidding the people from going up, blocking them from going up into the presence of God, lest they be killed. The tabernacle and then later the temple was all about walls telling you you're not allowed to come. This curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was a substantial physical thing, very substantial. It was 60 feet long, 30 feet high. It was about four inches thick. It was composed of 72 squares sewn together. It was so heavy it required 300 priests to put in place. Right at the moment, at the tearing of the curtain, Jesus said, "It is finished.” Right at that moment, the curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This is the Father interpreting the cross for us right at that moment. It's a direct cause and effect because Jesus has finished the atoning work on the cross. The curtain was torn from top to bottom, and the text is direct cause and effect. How did Mark the Gospel writer know that the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom? One of two possible ways. Number one, God, the Holy Spirit told it to him directly and he wrote it. There are many verses, and that's the only way we would know is that the Spirit told him. That's fine. We also know that there was a process that Luke had of accumulating testimonies and doing some research and collating in writing. That's what Luke did. In Luke 1: 3-4 he says, “Since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” Mark probably did similar things. The only way that you would know that the curtain was torn was by coming the next day and seeing that it was torn. But you would not have known that it was torn from top to bottom. You had to be there. You had to see it. You had to see it happening, and the only ones that could do that would be the priests. We're told in Acts 6 that later a large number of priests came to faith in Christ. I think that's what happened. It's significant that it was torn in two from top to bottom because we think of God as up. Jesus looked up when He broke the bread and the fish, and there's this sense that God is up and the spirit descended from above. Jesus ascended up into heaven, so God's up there. God is the one that did it. He's the one that tore it. And frankly, He's the only one that had the right to do it. It's very significant. If you saw somebody making a point and they picked up, let's say, a significant document like the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights, and they did this to it, what are they saying? It's obsolete, it's gone. That's exactly what God was saying to the old covenant at that moment. The old covenant is obsolete. It's finished, and He's the only one that had the right to do it. Not only that, but as I said, the old covenant was about barriers of access. We're not allowed to get close to God, but God wants us close. Let me say that again, God loves you. He wants you close. He wants you intimate. He looks at sin amazingly as a temporary problem, and for us who will end up in heaven, that's what it will have been in the end, a temporary block between us and a holy God that Jesus dealt with that day. The moment that that curtain was torn from top to bottom, God is saying, "Come in. Come close. You don't have to stay out there anymore." The author to Hebrews tells us, first of all, of the obsolescence of the old covenant [Hebrews 8:13], "by calling this covenant new, he's made the first one obsolete." What a strong word that is. What is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. Therefore, it's all about access to God. Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Again, Ephesians 3:12, "In Christ and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Now that Jesus' blood has been shed, the curtain is torn and we are invited, I would say even commanded to come close. Hebrews 10:19-22, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." That's God the Father's interpretation of the cross. The entire purpose of Christ's incarnation and his atonement was to bring distant sinners like you and me close to God. It's also a picture of heaven itself in which the gates will stand open forever and nothing impure or unclean will ever enter that place, but only for those who have trusted in Christ. They'll come in there, and all the enemies will be gone. There'll be no danger. The new Jerusalem gates will stand open forever and we will have full and free access to God. It says in Revelation 22:3, "His servants will see His face and serve Him forever." That's the access that we have. Tragically, at some point, what do you think happened to those two pieces of the curtain? Someone picked it up and sewed it back together or they made a new one, and animal sacrifice continued at the temple for another generation. That's terrible. It says of marriage, what God has joined together let man not separate. Well, let me tell you something, what God has torn apart, let man not sew back together. As Jesus said in Matthew 23 of the Scribes and Pharisees, the chief priests and all the enemies, “You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves don't enter and you won't let those enter who are trying to.” It's tragic. But Jesus, it says of Him in Revelation 3:7, "What he opens, no one can shut. And what he shuts, no one can open." Amen. IV. The Confession Finally, the confession. Look at verse 39, “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’” Amen. I consider this to be kind of the omega, the alpha and the omega of the Gospel of Mark, the purpose of the whole thing. Why did Mark write the Gospel? He says right at the start, Mark 1:1, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the son of God." And now here at the end, what does this onlooking centurion say? "But truly, this man was this son of God.” I believe all four Gospels, as I've said this countless times, had the same purpose. John 20:31 tells us, "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing that you may have life in his name." I believe that this centurion's confession was a display of genuine saving faith on his part. He was speaking for his team, or at least some of his team at that moment. Why do I say that? Because Jesus prayed for them while He was dying on the cross. Remember? In Luke 23:34, He said, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing.” I have a very high view of Jesus' prayer life. I believe everything Jesus asked for, He gets. Amen. Did He get this? Did they get forgiveness? Forgiven for that, but not for anything else. That's worthless. What good is partial forgiveness by God? You still go to hell. He's praying for complete forgiveness for a group of people who crucified Him not knowing what they were doing. And who was that? The centurion and his team that was there to crucify Jesus. Why do I say team? It was just the centurion that said, "Truly this man was the son of God." But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing.” I believe no one can make this confession, "Truly, this man was the son of God," unless the spirit of God works it in him and the Father reveals the son to that sinner. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me, draws him. Just like the thief on the cross, so also this centurion, I expect to see him in heaven. Imagine being the one who killed Jesus, who actually literally drove the nails through Him up in heaven worshiping forever. But isn't that just like God? Isn't that just like the mercy and the love of God? V. Applications Spurgeon, when he was preaching on this passage, sums it up saying, "What manner of people ought we to be if these things are true? What kind of love should we show to Jesus if these things are true?" Just look at the four things, the darkness. God is interpreting the cross by saying that Jesus is truly the only answer to the darkness of sin and death in hell. Jesus is the light of the world. Follow him. The cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Understand that is a cry, which if you believe in Jesus, you'll never make from hell, never. You will never make. As a matter of fact, you'll be able to say what the author of Hebrew says concerning his relationship with you, "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you." Why? Because Jesus was forsaken in your place. So if you're feeling forsaken, you're feeling abandoned, just know if you're a Christian, that's impossible. God is with you. And then you can take Psalm 23 and says, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear for you are with me." What about the curtain? Hebrews tells you what to do. Draw near to God, draw near to him. Don't stay distant. If you feel guilty today because of some pattern of sin, read Hebrews 10:19-22. Let your faith in Christ cleanse you from a guilty conscience and let your body be washed with the pure water of the word. Repent of the sins that are making you feel guilty and draw near to God. Don't let the sin keep you far away, but draw near. Finally, by the confession of the centurion, understand what the purpose of all of this is. It's missions. It's evangelism. It's winning lost people so they can make this same confession. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the time we've had to study today. We thank you for the incredible truths of the cross of Christ. We'll never be able to plumb the depths. And I pray that you would take these truths and press them sweetly and powerfully into our hearts so that we may believe that we may draw near, that we may live holy lives, that we may see other people make this confession, "Truly, this man was the son of God." Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the [f]Praetorium and gathered the whole [g]garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had [h]twisted a crown of thorns, they put iton His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His ownclothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. The King on a Cross 32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him [i]sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. 35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, [j]that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them,And for My clothing they cast lots.” 36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the [k]scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. [l]If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe [m]Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.' ” 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Jesus Dies on the Cross 45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled itwith sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and [n]Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. Jesus Buried in Joseph's Tomb 57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting [o]opposite the tomb.

Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. – John 18:28

Seven Days Pt. 5 | March 24th, 2024Pastor Wes Morris Hebrews 12:2-4 (MSG) Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! ✓  BETRAYEDJohn 18:1-3 (NIV) When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees.✓  RIDICULEDMatthew 26:63-65 (NIV) The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” ...Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. ✓  REJECTEDJohn 18:25-27 (NIV) Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren't one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn't I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.✓  ABUSEDMatthew 27:27-32 (NIV) Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.Hebrews 2:18 (TLB) For since he himself has now been through suffering and temptation, he knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and he is wonderfully able to help us.Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV) Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. THE FINAL WORDI. BE QUICK TO FORGIVE.Luke 23:32-34 (NIV) Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” II. SURRENDER YOUR LIFE AND YOUR SITUATION TO GOD. Luke 23:44-46 (NIV) It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. Learn more about Bay Chapel at baychapel.com

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore to him, “You aren't also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, being a relative of him whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn't I see you in the garden with him?” Peter therefore denied it again, and immediately the rooster crowed. They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. It was early, and they themselves didn't enter into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man weren't an evildoer, we wouldn't have delivered him up to you.” Pilate therefore said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is illegal for us to put anyone to death,” that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke, signifying by what kind of death he should die. Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Do you say this by yourself, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate answered, “I'm not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn't be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But you have a custom, that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Therefore, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

This podcast covers the mock trial where Pilate goes in and out of the Praetorium and label chaos continues till the Savior and Messiah is hung on a Roman Cross to die. Listen to hear all the prophetic fulfillments in almost every action of Jesus. 

He was born sometime in the mid-fourth century on an island in the Aegean. For a time he lived successfully in the world, receiving a good education in Constantinople, then serving for a time for the Prefect of the Praetorium. But, becoming aware of the vanity of worldly things, he answered Christ's call, gave away all his goods to the poor and entered a monastery in Syria. After four years in obedience, he came to feel that the security of monastic life was inconsistent with the Gospel command to take no thought for the morrow; so he withdrew to the desert, taking with him only his garment and the Book of the Gospel. There he lived alone for seven years.   At the end of this period he set out on an apostolic mission to Mesopotamia, where he brought many to Christ: the city prefect Rabbula was converted after Alexander brought down fire from heaven, and a band of brigands who accosted the Saint on the road were transformed into a monastic community. He finally fled the city when the Christians there rose up demanding that he be made bishop. He once again took up a solitary life in the desert beyond the Euphrates, spending the day in prayer and part of the night sheltered in a barrel. There he remained for forty years. His holiness gradually attracted more than four hundred disciples, whom Alexander organized into a monastic community. Each disciple owned only one tunic, and was required to give away anything that they did not need for that day. Despite this threadbare life, the monastery was able to set up and run a hospice for the poor!   Alexander was perplexed as to how the admonition Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) could be fulfilled by frail human flesh, but after three years of fasting and prayer, God showed him a method. He organized his monks into four groups according to whether their native language was Greek, Latin, Syriac or Coptic, and the groups prayed in shifts throughout the day and night. Twenty-four divine services were appointed each day, and the monks would chant from the Psalter between services. The community henceforth came to be known as the Akoimetoi, the Unsleeping Ones. (Similar communities later sprang up in the West, practicing what was there called Laus Perennis; St Columban founded many of these.)   Always desiring to spread the holy Gospel, Saint Alexander sent companies of missionaries to the pagans of southern Egypt. He and a company of 150 disciples set out as a kind of traveling monastery, living entirely on the charity of the villages they visited. Eventually they settled in some abandoned baths in Antioch, setting up a there a monastery dedicated to the unceasing praise of God; but a jealous bishop drove them from the city. Making his way to Constantinople, he settled there with four monks. In a few days, more than four hundred monks had left their monasteries to join his community. The Saint organized them into three companies — Greeks, Latins and Syrians — and restored the program of unsleeping prayer that his community had practiced in Mesopotamia. Not surprisingly, his success aroused the envy and anger of the abbots whose monasteries had been nearly emptied; they managed to have him condemned as a Messalian at a council held in 426. (The Messalians were an over-spiritualizing sect who believed that the Christian life consisted exclusively of prayer.) Alexander was sent back to Syria, and most of his monks were imprisoned; but as soon as they were released, most fled the city to join him again. The Saint spent his last years traveling from place to place, founding monasteries, often persecuted, until he reposed in 430, 'to join the Angelic choirs which he had so well imitated on earth.' (Synaxarion)   The practice of unceasing praise, established by St Alexander, spread throughout the Empire. The Monastery of the Akoimetoi, founded by a St Marcellus, a successor of Alexander, was established in Constantinople and became a beacon to the Christian world. 'Even though it has not been retained in today's practice, the unceasing praise established by Saint Alexander was influential in the formation of the daily cycle of liturgical offices in the East and even more so in the West.' (Synaxarion)

He was born sometime in the mid-fourth century on an island in the Aegean. For a time he lived successfully in the world, receiving a good education in Constantinople, then serving for a time for the Prefect of the Praetorium. But, becoming aware of the vanity of worldly things, he answered Christ's call, gave away all his goods to the poor and entered a monastery in Syria. After four years in obedience, he came to feel that the security of monastic life was inconsistent with the Gospel command to take no thought for the morrow; so he withdrew to the desert, taking with him only his garment and the Book of the Gospel. There he lived alone for seven years.   At the end of this period he set out on an apostolic mission to Mesopotamia, where he brought many to Christ: the city prefect Rabbula was converted after Alexander brought down fire from heaven, and a band of brigands who accosted the Saint on the road were transformed into a monastic community. He finally fled the city when the Christians there rose up demanding that he be made bishop. He once again took up a solitary life in the desert beyond the Euphrates, spending the day in prayer and part of the night sheltered in a barrel. There he remained for forty years. His holiness gradually attracted more than four hundred disciples, whom Alexander organized into a monastic community. Each disciple owned only one tunic, and was required to give away anything that they did not need for that day. Despite this threadbare life, the monastery was able to set up and run a hospice for the poor!   Alexander was perplexed as to how the admonition Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) could be fulfilled by frail human flesh, but after three years of fasting and prayer, God showed him a method. He organized his monks into four groups according to whether their native language was Greek, Latin, Syriac or Coptic, and the groups prayed in shifts throughout the day and night. Twenty-four divine services were appointed each day, and the monks would chant from the Psalter between services. The community henceforth came to be known as the Akoimetoi, the Unsleeping Ones. (Similar communities later sprang up in the West, practicing what was there called Laus Perennis; St Columban founded many of these.)   Always desiring to spread the holy Gospel, Saint Alexander sent companies of missionaries to the pagans of southern Egypt. He and a company of 150 disciples set out as a kind of traveling monastery, living entirely on the charity of the villages they visited. Eventually they settled in some abandoned baths in Antioch, setting up a there a monastery dedicated to the unceasing praise of God; but a jealous bishop drove them from the city. Making his way to Constantinople, he settled there with four monks. In a few days, more than four hundred monks had left their monasteries to join his community. The Saint organized them into three companies — Greeks, Latins and Syrians — and restored the program of unsleeping prayer that his community had practiced in Mesopotamia. Not surprisingly, his success aroused the envy and anger of the abbots whose monasteries had been nearly emptied; they managed to have him condemned as a Messalian at a council held in 426. (The Messalians were an over-spiritualizing sect who believed that the Christian life consisted exclusively of prayer.) Alexander was sent back to Syria, and most of his monks were imprisoned; but as soon as they were released, most fled the city to join him again. The Saint spent his last years traveling from place to place, founding monasteries, often persecuted, until he reposed in 430, 'to join the Angelic choirs which he had so well imitated on earth.' (Synaxarion)   The practice of unceasing praise, established by St Alexander, spread throughout the Empire. The Monastery of the Akoimetoi, founded by a St Marcellus, a successor of Alexander, was established in Constantinople and became a beacon to the Christian world. 'Even though it has not been retained in today's practice, the unceasing praise established by Saint Alexander was influential in the formation of the daily cycle of liturgical offices in the East and even more so in the West.' (Synaxarion)

He was born sometime in the mid-fourth century on an island in the Aegean. For a time he lived successfully in the world, receiving a good education in Constantinople, then serving for a time for the Prefect of the Praetorium. But, becoming aware of the vanity of worldly things, he answered Christ's call, gave away all his goods to the poor and entered a monastery in Syria. After four years in obedience, he came to feel that the security of monastic life was inconsistent with the Gospel command to take no thought for the morrow; so he withdrew to the desert, taking with him only his garment and the Book of the Gospel. There he lived alone for seven years.   At the end of this period he set out on an apostolic mission to Mesopotamia, where he brought many to Christ: the city prefect Rabbula was converted after Alexander brought down fire from heaven, and a band of brigands who accosted the Saint on the road were transformed into a monastic community. He finally fled the city when the Christians there rose up demanding that he be made bishop. He once again took up a solitary life in the desert beyond the Euphrates, spending the day in prayer and part of the night sheltered in a barrel. There he remained for forty years. His holiness gradually attracted more than four hundred disciples, whom Alexander organized into a monastic community. Each disciple owned only one tunic, and was required to give away anything that they did not need for that day. Despite this threadbare life, the monastery was able to set up and run a hospice for the poor!   Alexander was perplexed as to how the admonition Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) could be fulfilled by frail human flesh, but after three years of fasting and prayer, God showed him a method. He organized his monks into four groups according to whether their native language was Greek, Latin, Syriac or Coptic, and the groups prayed in shifts throughout the day and night. Twenty-four divine services were appointed each day, and the monks would chant from the Psalter between services. The community henceforth came to be known as the Akoimetoi, the Unsleeping Ones. (Similar communities later sprang up in the West, practicing what was there called Laus Perennis; St Columban founded many of these.)   Always desiring to spread the holy Gospel, Saint Alexander sent companies of missionaries to the pagans of southern Egypt. He and a company of 150 disciples set out as a kind of traveling monastery, living entirely on the charity of the villages they visited. Eventually they settled in some abandoned baths in Antioch, setting up a there a monastery dedicated to the unceasing praise of God; but a jealous bishop drove them from the city. Making his way to Constantinople, he settled there with four monks. In a few days, more than four hundred monks had left their monasteries to join his community. The Saint organized them into three companies — Greeks, Latins and Syrians — and restored the program of unsleeping prayer that his community had practiced in Mesopotamia. Not surprisingly, his success aroused the envy and anger of the abbots whose monasteries had been nearly emptied; they managed to have him condemned as a Messalian at a council held in 426. (The Messalians were an over-spiritualizing sect who believed that the Christian life consisted exclusively of prayer.) Alexander was sent back to Syria, and most of his monks were imprisoned; but as soon as they were released, most fled the city to join him again. The Saint spent his last years traveling from place to place, founding monasteries, often persecuted, until he reposed in 430, 'to join the Angelic choirs which he had so well imitated on earth.' (Synaxarion)   The practice of unceasing praise, established by St Alexander, spread throughout the Empire. The Monastery of the Akoimetoi, founded by a St Marcellus, a successor of Alexander, was established in Constantinople and became a beacon to the Christian world. 'Even though it has not been retained in today's practice, the unceasing praise established by Saint Alexander was influential in the formation of the daily cycle of liturgical offices in the East and even more so in the West.' (Synaxarion)

"Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked a these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: 'Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.' When the Emperor heard of this, he asked him: 'Have you lost your mind?' Adrian replied: 'I haven't lost it, but found it!' Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and, when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken with hammers. This was done and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days, Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord's hands." (Prologue)

"Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked a these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: 'Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.' When the Emperor heard of this, he asked him: 'Have you lost your mind?' Adrian replied: 'I haven't lost it, but found it!' Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and, when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken with hammers. This was done and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days, Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord's hands." (Prologue)

"Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked a these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: 'Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.' When the Emperor heard of this, he asked him: 'Have you lost your mind?' Adrian replied: 'I haven't lost it, but found it!' Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and, when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken with hammers. This was done and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days, Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord's hands." (Prologue)