Podcasts about Praetorium

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.

Title: The Lawyer Vs. The Tentmaker Text: Acts 24:1-21 FCF: We often struggle defending ourselves with wrong motives or beliefs. Prop: Because God's providence includes wicked people accusing His children falsely, we mut not fear for ourselves but defend the gospel against attack. Scripture Intro: ESV [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 24. In a moment we'll begin reading in the English Standard Version starting from verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last time we saw Paul delivered safely from a plot on his life. Now this Roman prisoner has been transported to Caesarea to face his accusers before the governor of Judea, Antonius Felix. But Paul is still not out of danger. What will the apostle face in this trial? Will Felix be reasonable? Will his accusers even show up? Let's look. Stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Creator and Designer of the Universe and all that is within it, we humbly come before You today to seek clarity. We often face the ridicule, mockery, and disdain of those who are deceived. We often are slandered and maligned, labeled with unkind and unfair labels. Yet we confess and believe that You, our Lord, are the Designer and Maker of all that is. We confess that You have promised that all things work for the good of Your people. And so we must confess that even these things are for our good. Help us Lord to learn from Your servant Paul today. Help us to trust Your infallible plan. We pray this in Jesus' name Amen. Transition: Let us get right to the text this morning to find out what happens to Paul in Caesarea. I.) God's providence includes wicked people accusing His children falsely, so we must not fear false accusations. (1-9) a. [Slide 2] 1 - And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. i. Although the Chief Priests, the Elders, and the Sanhedrin were ready to execute a scheme to kill Paul with very little preparation, to actually bring a Roman suit against Paul would be far more difficult than simply killing him. ii. Paul stayed in Herod's Praetorium for 5 days while Ananias gathered some Elders who would go with him as well as one other important member of their entourage. iii. Although the ESV calls him a spokesperson here, more likely, as other translations indicate, Tertullus was an attorney specializing in Roman Law. iv. His name is Latin, so we recognize that he is probably not a Jew. Certainly not a Jew from Judea. v. So, in the 5 days between Paul's move to Caesarea and his accusers actually arriving, they have been quite busy. vi. They have hired an attorney and have formed their Roman case against Paul. vii. So, what is their case? viii. Well before we get to hear about that, Let's spend some time talking about Felix. Afterall, that is how Tertullus starts his prosecution of Paul. b. [Slide 3] 2 - And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 - in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 - But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. i. Although it would be easy to see this as Tertullus' attempt to butter up Felix, we should recognize that Tertullus is a professional orator and attorney. Nothing he says in these opening remarks are without some purpose. ii. Certainly, part of that purpose would be to ingratiate Felix to their cause. iii. We actually still have some of this in our legal system. We refer to the judges as “Your Honor” and it is generally wise to be on the good side or at least not be on the BAD side of a judge even in our legal system. iv. But Tertullus has built a legal case against Paul and everything he says to Felix about Felix is designed to bring stark contrast between the judge and the accused. To the extent that for the judge to find Paul guilty is because Paul is the opposite of Felix. v. In the text we see a great many things spoken that present Felix in quite the positive light. vi. But what do we know about this man? Was he really a good governor? How long did he serve? And what was his track record? vii. Much of what we know about Antonius Felix is taken from the Roman historian Tacitus and the Jewish historian Josephus. viii. Although their accounts of the man are not completely consistent on some details, the fact of the matter is that largely both historians agree on a few key facts. 1. First, Felix was formerly a slave along with his brother Pallas. a. Pallas was a friend and confidant of the Emperor Claudius and was freed from slavery by Cladius' mother. b. Along with Pallas Felix too was freed. c. So his freedom was given on account of someone else. 2. Second, Felix married three times in his life. And because of those marriages he advanced in power and authority. a. His first wife was the daughter of Marc Antony and Cleopatra and his third wife was Drucilla the daughter of Herod Agrippa the First. b. So, once again, because of others he advanced into positions he did not earn. 3. Third, in the situation we spoke of a few weeks ago where Ananias, the high priest of Israel, was sent to Rome for excessive brutality against the Samaritans – you guessed it, Felix was in the middle of this too. a. The man who was governor of Samaria at that time took all the blame instead of Ananias. He was exiled. And guess who took his place? Yep. Felix. b. Again, he was given a position, he did not earn. 4. Finally, both Josephus and Tacitus agree that Felix' governing of the province was marked by increasing unrest and brutality. a. Tacitus says “with savagery and lust he exercised the powers of a king with the disposition of a slave.” b. In AD 55 he put down an Egyptian man who claimed to be the Messiah. We've already talked about this some since Paul was thought to be that man by Lysias. c. Felix put down this Egyptian with mercilessness and brutality. d. And generally speaking, the Jews hated Felix. He continually did things to frustrate them and took rather liberal approaches to their laws. This infuriated especially the Pharisees who had a rather conservative view of scripture. ix. So, in light of this background, what are we to make of Tertullus' words about Felix? x. He says that they are thankful to Felix because he has brought much peace and many reforms. xi. Either Tertullus is just lying or, what is more likely, is that this just shows us the cunning and wickedness of Ananias and the spiritual leaders of Israel. xii. Even though Felix was merciless, savage, and brutal being recognized by even Roman historians as being barbaric – Ananias had no issues with his rule. And that is kind of that problem, right? xiii. Ananias and Felix are two peas in a pod. xiv. Furthermore, the attributes ascribed to Felix are the exact opposite of the charges they are about to bring against Paul. xv. So, what are those charges? c. [Slide 4] 5 - For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world i. Felix is described as a bringer of peace, but Paul is described as a plague. A blight. One who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world. ii. This first charge against Paul is a rather unfair assessment of Paul's history over his missionary journeys. iii. Paul certainly had been involved in a number of riots and angry mobs but we can accurately say that he never instigated them nor did he perpetuate them. iv. In many cases we see Paul leave a city, many times by his own choosing, in order to avoid further unrest. v. We also would point out that it was actually the Jews in every case who started the aggression then hunted Paul down following him from city to city in order to continue to stir people up against him. vi. So, this first charge is exactly backward. Paul incited no riots… the Jews simply hated what he said so much that THEY stirred up people against him. vii. And there is a good bet that Felix knows that this is actually the way it was. Why? viii. The Jews were notorious for causing riots and issues in the Roman Empire for decades. Since before the Romans even controlled Judea. ix. We should also observe how absolutely insignificant this charge is to Paul or Felix at this particular time. x. Even if it were true that Paul started riots in various parts of the Roman Empire, that really has no bearing on this trial before Felix. xi. Even if Felix wanted to find him guilty, he would have to investigate reports from various locations about these incidents. xii. This is why Paul's defense focuses on what has happened in the last few days not in the last several years. Because that is all Felix can really focus on anyway. xiii. But this charge has done its damage. It has compared Felix the peacemaker to Paul the troublemaker. xiv. Paul is starting riots everywhere and Jerusalem is just another in a long list. xv. As we know, Rome doesn't look too kindly on rabble rousers and riot makers. That he is a riot-starting-plague is a serious charge against him. xvi. What is the next charge? d. [Slide 5] and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. i. A second charge brought against Paul is connected to the first. ii. Paul instigates these riots among the Jews because he is the ringleader or peddler of the heresy known as Nazarene. iii. This charge comes somewhat closer to being an issue Felix must deal with since Rome had granted Judaism a special status among religions that could be practiced in the Roman Empire. iv. If the Nazarene teaching of The Way is indeed a heresy of Judaism, then it would not have the same freedoms that Judaism had been given. v. But is Paul really the ringleader? vi. As Paul will go on to testify in future trials, the ringleader is very clearly the Risen Jesus of Nazareth. He is merely a servant of this Jesus. vii. But the fact that he is the leader of this heresy is actually a secondary matter. Paul will go to great lengths in his response not to combat the idea that he is the leader of this group but to deny that it is a heresy of Judaism. We'll get there in a few minutes. viii. Tertullus said that Felix had, through masterful providence, designed many reforms which reinterpreted cultural and religious laws for the better of the people. But Paul is charged with being a leader of a heresy that leads to nothing but riots and unrest. e. [Slide 6] 6 - He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. i. Here is the final charge laid to Paul and it is also related to the previous two. ii. Paul is a plague and incites riots among the Jews because he is the ringleader of the Nazarene Heresy and the proof of that is that he tried to profane the temple with his heretical teachings. iii. This is the charge that could really get him killed. iv. Roman practice throughout the empire was to support the worship of local deities and the prevention of the desecration of any temples or gods. v. They were remarkably syncretistic. And although the Romans did not generally allow the Jews to execute their criminals. When it came to temple desecration the Romans would allow them to execute those who violated their law. vi. So here we see the Jews are fighting for their right to protect their own temple and enforce their own religious laws. vii. This is what is at stake. viii. Felix knows this. ix. If this charge is proven to be true, and Felix does not allow the Jews to execute Paul… then tensions would no doubt continue to rise between Rome and the Jews. x. This is as much a political move as it is a legal one. xi. Of course, what they failed to bring with them is evidence and witnesses… something Paul will point out in his defense. f. [Slide 7] [We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. 7 But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, 8 ordering his accusers to come before you.] i. Every word on the screen is omitted from most modern translations of the bible. Some put the text in brackets with a foot note explaining that there is doubt about the inspiration of these words. ii. It boils down to textual criticism and understanding how we harmonize manuscripts from different times and in different manuscript families. iii. Within the discipline of textual criticism there are several rules or guidelines we follow to determine which manuscripts are closer to the original autographs. iv. [Slide 8] In this particular case, every rule points to this section not being written originally by Luke. v. Most likely it was added in at a later date to attempt to provide commentary on how the Jews may have seen the events unfold. g. [Slide 9] 8 - By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.” i. The final point that Tertullus makes is to abdicate their role as accusers to produce any evidence for their claims and grant that to Felix. ii. This is actually not all that uncommon in Roman cases. iii. As we study Roman culture, Felix would have had absolute authority to not only do the work of Judge and jury but also to do the work of detective. iv. And Tertullus is saying that if Felix cannot substantiate their claims against Paul by interrogating him, then it is Felix's failure to interrogate him properly. v. And here we see some subtle pressure put on a man that everyone knows doesn't deserve the position he is in. h. [Slide 10] 9 - The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so. i. Again, this clues us in to the fact that Tertullus is probably not Jewish. ii. If he was, we are left to wonder who these Jews are. iii. But because he wasn't, the Jews present at this trial are the High Priest and the Elders who had made the journey to Casarea to accuse him. iv. In any case, it seems like the case is closed. v. There are three charges, all of them with serious consequences if they are found to be true. vi. All Felix has to do is say the word and Paul will die. i. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: What is God's will for Paul? It has been revealed to him by Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus came to him that night in the barracks of the Anatolian Fortress, just after the debacle of the Sanhedrin trial. Jesus told him that he must have courage because just like he bore witness to the gospel in Jerusalem, he must go and do the same in Rome. God is getting Paul to Rome. And yet we see in this text a top-notch attorney has just laid out three charges against Paul all of which could earn him serious penalties and even death. Paul's life hangs on a thread. But we know better. It isn't just that God will prevent this from keeping Paul from going to Rome… but my friends as the weeks go on we will see that these charges will actually serve to get Paul to Rome. Once again, we are reminded that the providential and sovereign hand of God is always working all things according to the counsel of His will. There is nothing that happens that He has not already foreordained. So what does that mean for us? We must not fear what wicked men say about us when they slander us and accuse us falsely. Transition: [Slide 12 (blank)] So what does not fearing men's false accusations look like? If Paul is given a chance to speak, will he just quietly say, “I am trusting the Lord to bring me to Rome safely.” And then sit down? Let's see what Paul does. II.) God providence includes wicked people accusing His children falsely, but we must make a defense of the hope that we have in us. (10-21) a. [Slide 13] 10 - And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. i. Paul is invited by the governor to speak. Felix needs to hear his side of the case, especially since Tertullus invited Felix to examine him. ii. Paul begins by acknowledging Felix's last decade of service in the area. iii. Because he has had such a long tenure, Paul feels confident and even happy to bring his defenses before him. Hoping that he will be reasonable. b. [Slide 14] 11 - You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12 - and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. i. Paul pivots and exploits the failure in the first charge against him. ii. Their charge was he had caused riots all over the Roman Empire with Jews. iii. However, Paul points out that he did not do so in Jerusalem only 12 days ago. iv. In this he recognizes that Felix has no jurisdiction or concern about things that have happened in the distant past in other provinces. v. What he is concerned about is what has happened most recently in his province. vi. And most recently, Paul did not cause any issues in the temple, in the synagogues or even in the city itself. vii. Further Paul invites Felix to verify this. viii. There is some question about how to interpret Paul's 12 day comment. We can talk about it more on Thursday, but the best way to see it is as if Paul was saying, “I only spent a total of 12 days in Jerusalem, which isn't enough time to start a riot.” ix. In this way, Paul effectively defeats their first charge. x. They say that I am a plague and a riot maker among the Jews. xi. But I spent 12 days in Jerusalem and neither had time to start a riot nor can they produce one witness to accuse me of stirring up crowds in the temple, the synagogues or even in the city itself. xii. In other words, if this is all related to me being some kind of heretical religious zealot, I am doing a pretty poor job at peddling my beliefs. c. [Slide 15] 13 - Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. i. Paul confronts the other two charges against him with the same general statement. ii. They are unable to prove anything that they have accused him of. iii. They cannot prove that he is the ringleader of the Nazarene heresy, nor can they prove that he attempted to desecrate the temple. iv. But Paul doesn't want to allow them to get away with calling those who follow Jesus, heretics. d. [Slide 16] 14 - But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 - having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 16 - So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. i. This is actually a brilliant defense used in some of the more famous Roman cases we have documented. ii. The person without admitting to a crime does confess something about themselves that vindicates them. iii. What is Paul saying? iv. Although I am certainly a follower of The Way, The Way is not a heresy of Judaism, but is rather the next step in Judaism. v. It is verified by the law and the prophets which spoke of this time in Judaism where the Messiah would come and give a New Covenant. vi. And a key part of that New Covenant is the belief that both the just and the unjust will be raised from the dead. vii. Now it is clear that Ananias would not believe in the resurrection. He was a Sadducee. viii. But some of the Elders Ananias brought with him no doubt were Pharisees. ix. Really his defense here is that he has not created a heresy of Judaism or another faith altogether, instead he is following what has been prophesied… the real Judaism is following Jesus of Nazareth because He died and rose again just as He said He would. x. And in this way Paul's conscience is clear. He is not doing this for money, for power, or prestige, but because the Fathers of Israel and the prophets spoke of this long ago. e. [Slide 17] 17 - Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 18 - While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— i. Again, Paul is just clearly proclaiming that he is Jewish. ii. After several years being away, he came to give to the poor (probably the financial relief package he had collected from Asian and Greek churches to bring to the church of Jerusalem). iii. It was while he was being a good Jew, having been purified, in the temple, a place he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to do, that they found him. iv. And there were no crowds around him or tumults at all. v. Until what? vi. Until some Jews from Asia. vii. But that's the problem right. viii. Paul actually interrupts himself here… f. [Slide 18] 19 - they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. i. Absent from these witnesses are the Jews who actually stirred up the crowd against Paul. ii. Where are they? iii. Tertullus wasn't in the temple that day. Ananias wasn't in the temple that day. The Elders of Israel weren't there. iv. Where are the Jews from Asia who were there? Why are they not present to make an accusation? v. Why indeed. vi. Paul is aiming for the dismissal of the case here. vii. How? viii. In Roman law, a witness who abandons their responsibility to bring an accusation against someone in court would actually be guilty of a crime themselves. ix. In that case the charges levied without a plaintiff are dismissed and in most cases the trial is dismissed as well. x. But if the charges against him weren't seen personally by the Jews present, what is their experience with Paul? What crimes have they observed him do? g. [Slide 19] 20 - Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21 - other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.' ” i. Paul points out that these men should speak concerning what they found him guilty of at the trial before the Sanhedrin. ii. And there lies the rub. iii. That trial was a debacle. iv. They broke out into a theological dispute and brought NO charges against Paul except for theological disagreements. v. Disagreements where SOME OF THEM even AGREED with Paul. It can't be heresy if some of the ruling religious council of Israel agree with what he says. vi. Certainly, at this trial of the Sanhedrin, they did not mention any of the charges which they brought to Felix this day. vii. The only thing they had against him was what he had said bout the resurrection of the dead. viii. Paul points out that the only reason he is on trial is because they want Rome to solve this sectarian dispute between the Jews and the Christians. ix. And that is a great defense… because Rome has no interest in doing that. x. Paul deftly points out in his defense that none of the charges he has been formally accused with were personally witnessed by anyone present at the trial that day. xi. What does that mean? xii. It means that this should be… case dismissed. It is actually a fairly easy decision for Felix to make. xiii. But… we'll wait until next week to find out what he decides. h. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: God is working in this trial. God is using the false accusations against Paul and really against Christianity to move Paul down the road to Rome. But Paul does not sit idlily by and trust the Lord passively. Instead, he actively trusts the Lord by giving a defense for the hope he has in him. Tertullus made a huge mistake, guided by God's hand. That mistake was to bring into the trial the reputation of followers of Jesus. If this trial was only about Paul… perhaps Paul remains more passive. But Tertullus makes this about the church and if he makes it about the church, he makes it about the gospel. Paul defends the gospel. He flips the script and explains how the followers of Jesus are rooted in the same scriptures and prophets that the Jews also claim and shows how he has not been the cause of trouble but that these Jews are making accusations that they are unwilling to back up in a trail setting. Thus, Paul provides a positive example that when we are falsely accused, we must give a defense for the hope we have in us. We must contend for the gospel. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Whare are some basics of faith and practice we should observe through this. Basics of Faith and Practice: In many ways, knowing how the book of Acts ends helps us to understand the primary point of teaching or doctrine that Luke is revealing throughout all the events of Paul's journey to Rome. But verse 11 of chapter 23 is the interpretive guide for how we are to apply that doctrinal truth. God's providential hand is guiding Paul through many twists and turns to arrive in Rome at precisely the right time. Meaning that even this strong case against Paul raised with false accusations by a professional attorney is part of that plan God has for Paul. But Jesus' words to Paul help us to know what to do when we are in situations where we don't know the details of God's plan but do know the end of God's plan. God's plan for us, His children, those who are in Christ, is to save us from death and resurrect us to life eternal in His Son. And so our response to every threat, every false accusation, every bad thing we face must depend on those promises which the Lord has given us. In the text today we recognize two specific responses. First is to not fear false accusations of men. Other New Testament writers encourage us to continue living godly lives so that these accusations will bring shame to our accusers and glory to our God the Father. The second response is to defend the gospel from misrepresentations or false accusations. But let us seek to apply these things more specifically this morning. 1.) 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's providence includes false accusations from wicked people. a. Through the church age, the forces of darkness, working in conjunction with man's natural wickedness, have levied countless false charges against God's people. b. Even a cursory reading of John Foxes' book of martyrs displays that through every age of the church wicked men have hunted down and within the legal government system brought to bear against God's children charges which they did not commit. c. Many times, this led to imprisonment, torture, and even death. d. If God is all knowing, He would have known of these plans of the wicked. e. If God is all powerful, he could have orchestrated events to keep His people from being in such a position. f. If God is all good, he would be highly motivated to not allow injustice to be executed upon His people. g. But because all these are true, we must conclude that God's hidden plan, which He has made since before the foundation of the world, even includes when people falsely accuse us of wrongdoing. h. Once again, I won't belabor the point, because it will continue to come up… i. But the only option we have as bible believing people is to affirm that God providentially orchestrates all events in our lives to accomplish His hidden will. j. Because we know He is all powerful, all good, and all knowing, this must be true. k. What does this mean for us? 2.) De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not fear what wicked men may do through false charges and injustice. a. We as Americans have a particular hatred of injustice, impingement on our freedoms, or being labeled as guilty when we aren't. b. That is why our legal system was designed to assume the innocence of a person unless it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that we are actually guilty. c. Our culture is shifting to declare guilt and innocence by popular opinion rather than by a court of law, but there is still a tenacious desire in us to defend or prosecute those we feel are innocent or guilty. d. Along with this we might grow fearful or even angry when we are accused of something that we did not do. e. We have all heard stories of people who were convicted in a court of law for doing something which earned them a life sentence or even the death sentence, only to discover 20 years later new evidence that the person did not actually commit the crime. f. Stories like these fuel the fear that we might be misrepresented or even slandered for doing something we didn't do. g. But affirming that God providentially moves in all the events of life to accomplish the counsel of His will allows us to take a step back and do as Jesus instructs in the sermon on the mount. h. Rather than expressing fear or anger over false charges, we should instead rejoice for suffering these false accusations against us. We should rejoice for having the opportunity to suffer for the sake of Christ. i. We don't need to fear what men may do to us or what crazy schemes they may concoct to cancel us. j. We need only to trust the Lord who knows all our ways and has a plan that He has already accomplished to save us from this life and resurrect us to life eternal. k. Of course, God's sovereign decrees dwell in the paradox of human responsibility. And that is the nature of our next application. 3.) 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 trusting God's sovereign providential hand means to do nothing. a. Paul rises in defense here. b. We'll get to why he does this in a moment but for now let us just recognize that Paul acted. c. Paul did not sit back and decline to speak because he knew he would get to Rome since Jesus said it would be so. d. If God told us that we would go to Africa tomorrow and lead someone to Christ, but we never booked a flight or did anything to get ourselves there, well that is just plain disobedience. e. God telling us what will be does not give us liberty to do nothing. f. Instead, just like it always does, belief that God is telling the truth requires us to obey as if it is true. g. Because of this, if we are in the same position as Paul we must… 4.) 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 be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us. a. While I cannot say that it is morally wrong or a sin to defend ourselves against false charges, I can say that we don't see that happening here for Paul. b. Not really. c. Paul doesn't debate that he isn't the ringleader of the Nazarene Heresy. He doesn't debate that he was involved in riots. d. But he does debate the charge that Christianity is opposed to God's law. Because that cannot be allowed to go unchecked. e. Paul very clearly outlines how he as a follower of Christ did not start a fight in Jerusalem, he was in the temple following the law. f. He says that The Way is rooted in the same Fathers and prophets that all his accusers believed in too. g. For the sake of the gospel and the reputation of Christ followers, Paul makes his defense. Certainly, this vindicates himself to some degree, but it is obvious his aim is greater than that. h. We too must be laser focused on what is important. i. Again, I do not think it is wrong to defend ourselves or even make a legal defense for ourselves if we are accused falsely. But, our primary goal in every instance in life is to make much of the gospel of Jesus Christ and if necessary, contend for it. j. Sadly, oftentimes we care more about defending ourselves than we do the gospel or our gospel witness. k. Natural man is well equipped to defend himself. And this is often our default setting. l. But it takes a spiritually mature person to defend themselves righteously and also prioritize the Kingdom of God in their defense. m. Paul strikes that perfect balance in our text today. And we must strive to emulate him. 5.) Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” In God's courtroom all men are judged by a perfect and just God. a. Though our courts have some of the fairest rules in place to assure that only the guilty are punished for their crimes, the fact of the matter is that the judicial system, even in this nation, is full of injustice. b. It may happen in our lives that we will be falsely accused and though we make a strong defense we are imprisoned or even killed for something we did not do. c. But the Christian worries little about this life. They know that in God's courtroom, the only courtroom that really matters, they will be declared righteous, not of themselves, but on the account of Christ who became their sin so that they might become the righteousness of God. d. We find comfort in the kingdom that is coming… not in the kingdom that is. 6.) Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The gospel produces a law keeping and blameless church. a. Paul finds it especially necessary for followers of Christ to be known as people who follow the law of God and draw their teachings from the Fathers and the Prophets. b. In our time the gospel has been reduced to a magical prayer that you pray which God is somehow obligated to honor because you said the right words. c. But Paul defends the godly and noble character of the church. Why? d. Because God's true children are godly and holy people. e. In Matthew 7 Jesus talks about those who in the midst of being cast from his presence object on the grounds that they had done mighty works in his name. But Jesus still rejects them because as He says, I never knew you. f. And then the clincher… you lawless ones. Or you lawbreakers. g. You see although the gospel certainly tells us that we cannot earn God's grace or forgiveness and that only Christ can purchase our salvation…. The gospel also clearly teaches us that those who are truly saved are being conformed into the image of Christ. We are, as I said a moment ago, the righteousness of God. h. The fact of the matter is that no man will enter the kingdom of heaven if they purposefully continue to violate God's law. i. So, my friends, if you are here today and you have prayed a prayer – but your life is still lived intentionally violating God's law… then you must realize that you have no hope. j. Those whom the Lord has set free are free indeed. Meaning free not only from the penalty of sin but from its power as well. Let me close with a prayer recorded in the Didache (did-ah-kay) which is a very early record of church worship and teaching. We give thanks to you, Father, for your holy name which you made to dwell in our hearts. Thank you for the knowledge, faith, and immortality which you made known to us through Jesus your Son. To you be glory forever. You, Lord Almighty, created all things for your name's sake, and gave people food and drink for their enjoyment, that they might give thanks to you. And you have blessed us with spiritual food and drink and eternal light through your Son. Above all we give thanks to you that you are mighty. To you be glory forever. Remember your church, Lord, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in your love, and gather it together in its holiness from the four winds to your kingdom which you have prepared for it. For yours is the power and the glory forever. Let grace come and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David. If any one is holy, let them come! If any one be not, let them repent. Maranatha-our Lord, come! We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Benediction: May the Lord of Hosts be with you So that you will become greater and greater still, Until you receive that crown of life Which the Lord has prepared for those that love Him. Until we meet again, go in peace.

Title: Schemers, Sharks, and A Snitch Text: Acts 23:12-35 FCF: We often struggle trusting God when enemies surround us. Prop: Because man makes their plans but God guides their steps, we must trust the Lord. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 23. In a moment we'll begin reading from the LSB starting in verse 12. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. After Paul narrowly escapes the clutches of the Sanhedrin, Jesus comes to him in the night and comforts him. He tells Paul to have courage because just as he has declared the gospel in Jerusalem he must also go to Rome and do the same. But we are still two and a half years away from Jesus' promise being fulfilled. In the remaining 5 and a half chapters of this book, we will see God's hand of providence working to have His apostle arrive in Rome at precisely the right time for him to be there. An apostle of God is never early, nor is he late, but arrives precisely when God needs him to. And that all begins with the episode today. Because of the events recorded in today's text, Paul's trip to Rome will be put on God's time table. So, let's stand to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Sovereign Lord, You know the plans of the wicked. You have seen their devices and You know their hearts. You have measured the pride of men vying for power while they use others to get it. In a world that seems to be spiraling out of control, where the wicked prosper and the righteous fall, You have your eye even on the sparrows. Not one of them falls down dead without Your knowledge and You have ordered all things for the good of Your people – who are far more valuable than the birds. The Son has given us infinite worth by sending the Comforter to indwell us. Father use Your Spirit to give to us insight into Your word today to see Your good plan for Your children … even amid and through the plotting and power grabbing of ungodly men. Open our eyes today we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Transition: Proverbs 16 kept flitting through my mind as I studied this passage. Let me read that to you now, by way of an introduction, even before we dive into the text of Acts 23. The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh. 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own sight, But Yahweh weighs the motives. 3 Commit your works to Yahweh And your plans will be established. 4 Yahweh has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. 5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished. 6 By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of Yahweh one turns away from evil. 7 When a man's ways are pleasing to Yahweh, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 8 Better is a little with righteousness Than great produce with injustice. 9 The heart of man plans his way, But Yahweh directs his steps. With these words in mind, look with me at verse 12. I.) Mankind makes their wicked plans in secret, but we must trust the Lord. (12-15) a. [Slide 2] 12 - Now when it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 - And there were more than forty who formed this scheme. i. Right on the heels of Paul being rescued out of the hands of the Jews… AGAIN… we find that the very next day he is right back in the fire. ii. The first scene of this episode opens with a group of 40 Jews who come up with a plan to do something especially vile. iii. Through our study of the gospel of Matthew and the book of Acts, we've seen the first century Jews do a lot of wicked things. Chief among them the betrayal and murder of their own Messiah. iv. Although the events of this text do not compare to the murder of their own God-King, it certainly has a rather sinister stench about it. v. Why is this so wicked? vi. First, we must understand the nature of a curse. 1. The words translated “bound under a curse” is one word. It is the word Anathematize. It means to submit to divine destruction for failure to uphold their end. 2. Even to submit to eternal Divine punishment if they eat or drink anything before they kill Paul. 3. May God cast me in hell if I eat or drink anything before I kill Paul. vii. Secondly, we must understand the foolishness of this curse. 1. First, there are two ways they fail this curse. Either they eat or drink something before they kill Paul, or they never kill Paul and die of starvation. 2. Second, this curse is only succeeded by them committing an act which God expressly forbids in the decalogue… You shall not murder. 3. Particularly heinous in the Mosaic law was someone who premeditated murder. 4. God hates hands that shed innocent blood and a heart that devises wicked schemes. Prov 6:16-19 viii. 40 Jewish men form this wicked plan. But they are not alone… b. [Slide 3] 14 - They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 - So now you, along with the Sanhedrin, notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more carefully; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near.” i. They inform the chief priests and elders of Israel about the curse they have placed on themselves. ii. If the chief priests and elders were righteous, they would have these men thrown in jail. They would have at least refused to aid them. iii. Instead, they help to facilitate the plan. But what is the plan? iv. To go with the Sanhedrin to the Roman commander and notify him that the Sanhedrin would like a do over on the trial. They want to look more carefully at his case. v. This is, of course, a lie. vi. Add that to the growing list of sins that God hates wrapped up in this plot. vii. The plan then, is that while he is enroute to the Sanhedrin's chambers, these 40 men will accost and kill Paul. viii. Which is a plan that isn't without risk. Paul certainly would have some sort of Roman escort. It is possible that some of them may die or be executed for their hand in this. ix. This is the length to which these Jews will go to kill Paul. c. [Slide 4] Summary of the Point: Luke once again shows us the agency and responsibility of men. These 40 Jews, the chief priests, the elders, the Sanhedrin, all form this conspiracy, these secret plans whispered in empty halls with murder on their lips. God doesn't intervene here. He doesn't snap his fingers and snuff out the breathe of these conspirators. He doesn't prevent them from thinking of these sinful deeds. He doesn't kill them in their sleep. God allows wicked men to be wicked. To make their plans. However much we make of God's absolute Sovereignty we must not cross the threshold as some have in saying that if God doesn't want me to do something, He can stop me from doing it. This is true… but God often doesn't stop men from sinning. Nor can we say that God can't judge me for my actions if He Himself has orchestrated them to accomplish His purposes. Just ask Pharoah about that one. God permits, at very least, the perception of human agency and responsibility to ensure that He is never the first cause of someone sinning. They are. These men are responsible for their wicked deeds. So what must we do in response? We must trust the Lord. God has promised to never leave us, and to preserve us. But that doesn't mean He will not allow men to form and even execute wicked plans against us. Trusting God doesn't mean we'll never experience hardship… it means we trust that God even uses hardship for our good and His glory. Transition: [Slide 5(blank)] The plan has been made and the stage is set. It seems like no one will be able to stop them from killing Paul this time. It looks like Jesus' promise will end up being false. Of course, we know that cannot be true. So how does God frustrate the plans of the wicked? II.) God providentially guides the steps of all men, so we must trust the Lord. (16-35) a. [Slide 6] 16 - But when the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, he came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul. i. Debate abounds on how exactly Paul's nephew heard about this plan. ii. In reality the options are almost endless. Luke doesn't think the details relevant to convey – only the fact that this young man heard of the plot. iii. We also get a rare look at the family of Paul here. iv. It is supposed by many that Paul's family rejected him after he became a Christian. Some even suggest that Paul was probably married and his wife was granted a divorce because of his conversion to Christ. This is all conjecture of course. v. But we do know at least that Paul's nephew, the son of his sister, is living in Jerusalem. If he has also turned his back on Paul it seems odd that he would take an interest in preserving Paul's life. vi. Perhaps catching wind of such a wicked plot turns his heart toward helping Paul. Perhaps he has converted to Christ. Much of this, again, is conjecture and not details that Luke chooses to share. vii. But what does his nephew do? viii. He does the righteous thing and informs Paul immediately. ix. Let this be a lesson to all, informing others of someone's plan to do evil is not narcing or snitching or in some way a betrayal to those doing wicked things. We must be on the side of righteousness not tribalism or even loyalty to other human beings. Let God's kingdom and righteousness be your only loyalty… even if it costs you friends or associates. b. [Slide 7] 17 - And Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Lead this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 - So he took him and led him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.” 19 - And the commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 - And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the Sanhedrin, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more carefully about him. 21 - “So do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of them—who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him—are lying in wait for him and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you.” i. In this rather lengthy section of scripture, not a lot actually transpires in the narrative. ii. Luke establishes the chain of information for us in that Paul calls a centurion to take his young nephew to the Roman commander with an urgent piece of information. iii. Notice that Paul does not tell the centurion what the boy told him. iv. A couple reasons for this. 1. It would probably be more believable coming from the boy than from Paul 2. It keeps fewer people knowing about the plot and the fact that Paul now knows about it. v. So the centurion takes the boy to the commander. vi. The commander takes him to a private place, probably because he understood that the information he was to convey needed to be spoken privately. vii. After this Paul's nephew informs the Roman commander of the scheme of these 40 Jews and the Sanhedrin who have conspired together to kill Paul before he arrived. viii. Again, it is helpful for us to remember that Paul is a prisoner of the Roman Empire. He is probably not in some kind of formal custody. Perhaps simply protective custody. But custody nonetheless. ix. And for the commander to allow a prisoner to be accosted and killed under his watch would have made him look like he wasn't doing his job. x. Thus, we do not have this commander shaking off this information as if it matters little to him. xi. Quite the contrary. c. [Slide 8] 22 - So the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.” 23 - And when he called to him two of the centurions, he said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to proceed to Caesarea by the third hour of the night, 24 - and provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” i. The commander first instructs the young man not to tell ANYONE that he told the commander this. ii. He doesn't want the fact that he knows about this to get back to the schemers. iii. Immediately the Roman Commander makes plans to get Paul out of Jerusalem. iv. If these Jews are going to start plotting and scheming while Rome protects him, then it seems best to get him out of Jerusalem. v. The Commander makes quite the plan to see Paul to safety. vi. He gathers 470 soldiers in total to escort Paul the 60 miles to Caesarea. He does so on the third hour of the night, which would be around 9pm. vii. He also makes sure that Paul rides on a mount and charges the whole company to bring Paul safely to Felix the governor of Judea. viii. But The commander also sends his own account to the governor. ix. In order for a proper transfer of a case and to submit a chain of evidence to that trial, this would probably be a normal practice within the Roman Empire's legal proceedings. x. As such, some questions have arisen as to how Luke could have gotten his hands on this letter. And the fact of the matter is that this letter would have followed Paul all the way to Rome as part of the case notes. And certainly, at some point Paul or Luke would have either heard it presented or gotten to see it himself. xi. Therefore, we don't need to doubt the authenticity of the letter, nor do we need to assume Luke is summarizing what the commander says. He probably heard it read several times, and potentially even was able to make a copy of it himself. d. [Slide 9] 25 - And he wrote a letter having this form: 26 - “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings. 27 - When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28 - And wanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin; 29 - and I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but under no accusation deserving death or imprisonment. 30 - And when I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to speak against him before you.” i. Here we learn the name of the Roman commander who has been God's agent of rescuing Paul through these various attempts on his life. ii. He identifies himself as Claudius Lysias. A Greek name, indicating to us as we've said before that this man was no doubt from a wealthy Greek family who purchased his future within the Roman Empire. Starting with his citizenship and even his position as a Commander in Judea. iii. He sends his account of all that has happened and his account is very interesting indeed. iv. The first point is a rather self-aggrandizing version of the story Luke told. 1. The Jews did not actually arrest Paul, they were simply beating him and the Lysias stopped it. 2. Furthermore, Lysias makes it seem like he rescued Paul because he had learned that Paul was a Roman citizen. With a little logic and reasoning we could easily determine that this would be quite difficult to do in the midst of the Jews arresting him and trying to kill him. 3. Again, this doesn't quite jive with Luke's version of the story. But we can see why Lysias would want to fudge a few details to get himself out of trouble. 4. To admit that he allowed a riot to break out on the temple mount only a couple flights of stairs from the Anatolian fortress would not be good for him to report to the higher ups. 5. We also see he does not mention how he ACTUALLY found out Paul was a Roman citizen, which was in the midst of binding and almost flogging him. 6. This is as much a political letter as it is a legal document. Lysias is portraying himself as a great hero to try to score some points with his superiors. v. The second point is fairly consistent with what Luke recorded. 1. Lysias did want to determine the real reason he was in trouble with the Jews. 2. Lysias' perspective on that Sanhedrin debacle was essentially that Paul had said something about their law that was a controversial issue. 3. His assessment, which is quite vindicating for us reading Luke's narrative, is that this is nothing deserving of death OR imprisonment. Lysias essentially says that Paul is innocent of anything Rome might find against him. 4. We might wonder why Paul will have to wait over two and a half years to be released from Roman custody if the Roman officer in charge thinks he should go free… but we will see that there is a lot more political intrigue left to go in the book of Acts. vi. The third point is consistent except it reveals not only that Lysias has saved Paul once again, but that he plans to tell Paul's accusers to go to Caesarea to state their case before Felix. vii. We'll talk more about Felix next week. He is a rather… interesting character to say the least. e. [Slide 10] 31 - So, the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 - But the next day, leaving the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the barracks. 33 - When these had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. i. So, we see that the soldiers followed Lysias' orders and took Paul by night to Antipatris, which was a military fort about 37 miles from Jerusalem. ii. Travelers from Caesarea and Jerusalem would often stop at this place for rest and provisions. iii. Traveling this far in one night, over half the journey to Caesarea, means they were BOOKIN. iv. Given the conditioning of a Roman soldier and the fact that they would travel a road which would be relatively unpopulated at night, it seems that they could cover the 37 miles in around 4-6 hours. This would put their arrival time at around 2am the following morning. v. After resting the remainder of the night, the next day the soldiers traveling on foot went back to Jerusalem, because at this point the danger on Paul's life would have been mitigated. vi. Only the 70 horsemen rode on with Paul to Caesarea. The remaining 23 miles could easily have been covered in an hour or two on horseback depending on the pace they wanted to set. vii. After arriving they finished their orders by giving the letter to Felix and presenting Paul to him. viii. This means that probably about the time that Lysais informs the Sanhedrin that Paul has been transferred to Felix in Caesarea, is about the same time that Paul is presented to Felix in Caesarea. f. [Slide 11] 34 - And when he had read it, he asked from what province he was, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 - he said, “I will give you a hearing after your accusers arrive also,” giving orders for him to be kept in Herod's Praetorium. i. Felix seems to be a good governor, at least initially. ii. He reads the letter and asks Paul from which Roman province he hails from. iii. The reason for this question is probably two-fold 1. First, to determine if he had jurisdiction over this person. a. We see a similar thing happen to Jesus and Pilate. Pilate, finding out that Jesus was from Galilee, sent him to Herod. b. If Felix could offload this case to someone else… he probably would. c. But Paul being from Cilicia would mean that he would still be within Felix's jurisdiction since Syria and Judea would have fallen in the same authority at this time. 2. Second, probably to check on the status of Paul being a Roman Citizen. a. As we said before, Roman records would be kept of citizenship, primarily in the cities or provincial capitals of your birthplace. b. No doubt Felix desires to make certain that Paul was indeed a Roman citizen. iv. Having heard that Paul is within his province he assures him that he will hear his case after his accusers arrive. v. In the meantime, Paul is to be held, again – in protective custody, in Felix's own home. A sprawling estate called Herod's Praetorium. vi. He is still a prisoner of Rome, so he is kept in the Praetorium, but he is probably afforded many liberties, including having his traveling companions either stay there with him or able to visit often. vii. This is why as we go forward into chapter 24, the pronoun “we” will begin to be in use again. Informing us subtly that Luke has joined the apostle. g. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: In the last point we saw that God allows men to make evil plans. But in this point we see that God not only allows men to plan their wicked deeds… He even orchestrates and uses these wicked deeds to get His apostle one step closer to Rome. In this we see Proverbs 16:9 come screaming through. Men make their plans but the Lord guides their steps. These wicked Jews inadvertently forced the Roman commander to move Paul out of Jerusalem where he would eventually be moved to Rome, as the Lord Jesus said he would. By their wicked scheme, the Lord ushered His apostle to where He wanted him to go. In this the application is the same. We must trust the Lord. The role of many prophets in the Old Testament was to call the current Israelites to remember what God had done for them in the past so they could trust Him for their future. Occasionally our Lord recalls to us things we have experienced in our lives and traces His fingerprints on those events to show us how He has guided us to the exact spot we are in. Can I submit to you that in those cases, God provides merely an example of what He ALWAYS DOES! Meaning that even when we cannot see His hand guiding the events of our life to His design for us – that doesn't make it any less true. Thus we must trust the Lord! For all our ways are known to Him for He has planned them from before the foundation of the world. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? What are some basic applications for faith and practice we get from this text? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 13] Once again, we are confronted with the paradoxical truths that mankind operates with free agency and responsibility for his actions, but God is in absolute and sovereign control over all things in His creation, including the decisions and choices of men. While we may be tempted to steal from one of these truths to help the other, this truth has long been summarized in Proverbs 16:9 and is on display in our text this morning. Man makes his plans but the Lord guides His steps. Mankind has free agency and responsibility to choose his path according to what has been revealed to him. But as the saying goes, you don't know what you don't know. God's eternal decreed will is hidden and therefore, He who has ordained every day has also orchestrated every event to accomplish the counsel of His will. In the text today we see God allow and orchestrate the wicked schemes of men to move His apostle toward Rome. So what is our response? What is our responsibility and our agency? It is to trust the Lord, that He is good, and that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. What are some specific expressions of these rules for faith and practice? 1.) [Slide 14] 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 orchestrates even wicked schemes and political power grabs to accomplish His perfect will. a. Again, I'll try not to spend too much time on this, since this seems to be a point that Luke will beat into our heads for the remainder of the book of Acts. b. But still, it is worth noting, that not only sins of passion but even premeditated sins, sown in secret, to do terrible things, are orchestrated by God to accomplish His purposes. c. Even self-serving political opportunists, like Claudius Lysias who clearly just wants to climb the ladder of power, even this is orchestrated by the Lord to accomplish His will. d. Everything in this text serves to get Paul to Rome safely. Even the selfishness of Lysias and even the bloodthirstiness of the Jews. e. If God can work even these things to accomplish His will, do you think He can't do the same in your life? f. Have you ever had 40 men devise a plot to kill you? Have you ever had political opportunists use you as a bargaining chip for personal profit? Ok… don't answer that.

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)

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)

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.

Mark 15:16-39 NIV - The 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. 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!”

Mark 15:16-39 NIV - The 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. 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!”

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.

While Jesus’ substitutionary suffering and crucifixion means that he took upon himself what suffering and judgment was rightly due us; the gospel narratives of the crucifixion also challenges the Christian to share Christ's suffering. Via Dolorosa literally means “The Way of Sorrows”, marking the Stations of the Cross, the route that Jesus supposedly took from Pontius Pilate’s palace where he was sentenced to death, to the site of his crucifixion on the hill at Golgotha, beyond the city walls. Tourists & pilgrims have traveled that road for centuries reflecting on Christ’s procession through the streets of Jerusalem since the time of the Medieval Church. They want to experience Christ’s suffering and pain by walking in the supposedly same steps on the same streets that Christ stumbled through on his way to Golgotha and our salvation. Walking through a tourist area of Jerusalem can be a reflective exercise on who might have shared the same streets throughout history. But honest reflection of the soul and one’s response to Christ’s suffering can only happen in meditation on Scripture through prayer. A close & prayerful reflection on Matthew’s account of Jesus’ stumbling journey to his crucifixion reveals fulfillment of prophecy and two responses to Jesus and his suffering. One can either: 1. Share Christ’s Suffering: Simon of Cyrene 2. Save Yourself from Christ’s Suffering: the Mob, the Sanhedrin, and two Robbers [Insurrectionists] Let’s dig into Matthew’s account of Jesus’ journey from the Praetorium to Golgotha. While details on the steps taken by Jesus can be found in Luke’s and John’s gospels, Matthew wants his readers to reflect on the different reactions of a Gentile against the religious people of God.

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)

Monday, 22 January 2024   he said, “I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's Praetorium. Acts 23:35   The Greek more literally reads, “‘I will thoroughly hear you, he said, when your accusers also may have arrived,' having commanded him to be guarded in the Praetorium of Herod” (CG).   The previous verse flows into this one, having ended with the words, “and having learned that from Cilicia.” That thought now continues with, “I will thoroughly hear you.”   Whatever the correct interpretation of Paul's standing was concerning his being from Cilicia, as discussed in the previous verse, it was sufficient for Felix to accept responsibility for the investigation.   Apparently, there would be no conflict in his doing so. The word translated as “I will thoroughly hear you” is diakouó. It comes from dia, “through,” and akouo, “a hearing.” This is its only use in the Bible. It is obvious when connecting the two words that a “thorough hearing” in a judicial sense is what is intended.   The questions from Felix thus far were only preparatory, and Paul would be given an entire and thorough chance to speak when those who accused him might come before him. That is seen in what Luke next records, “he said, ‘when your accusers also may have arrived.'”   Felix continues his thoughts using an aorist subjunctive verb. In other words, “when this, then this.” The anticipated trial is wholly dependent on the coming of his accusers. If none come, then there will be no trial. Every protection for Paul's status as a Roman citizen is being afforded to him. Therefore, it next says, “having commanded him to be guarded in the Praetorium of Herod.”   Herod's Praetorium was built by Herod the Great. A great deal of this building is still standing today. The praetorium itself was a judgment hall. Paul was to be kept in that area, but in this case the word translated as “guarded” apparently does not imply being held as a prisoner.   He would have been granted the respect of his citizenship while he awaited the trial to come. Thus, the act of guarding was less for the sake of keeping him bound as a prisoner than it was to keep him safe and secure as a citizen.   Life application: It has become evident in the UK and the US that being a citizen does not carry the same protections that it once did. Being a Christian who accepts the Bible as authoritative places a person at odds with the ruling authorities who reject the notion of the God who judges in righteousness.   Therefore, arresting citizens and holding them without due process under trumped up charges is becoming more common. The legal system does fight back against this, but all it will take is minor tweaks in the structure of these governments for even that to change.   From here on out, Christians must be willing to accept the fact that the faith they possess will be challenged by wholly corrupted leaders who are willing to test the true metal of those who profess their faith. Many will yield and deny what they have claimed all along. Others will be willing to hold fast to Jesus with all their hearts and souls.   The difference will be found in how they have been instructed on the salvation they have received and what that means for their future in Christ's presence. Those who hold the absolute assurance that their faith is grounded on reality will be much more likely to put their lives aside now for the greater and eternal glory that lies ahead.   Be ready! The time may not be far off. When it comes, decisions will have to be made. Where do you intend to stand should the Lord tarry in His coming?   We praise You, Lord God! Nothing in this life compares to what You have promised Your people in the life to come, which is true life in Christ. In that day, give us the strength and fortitude to stand on the truth of Your word, never compromising with those who hate You and the doctrines You have conveyed to us in Your word. Yes, Lord, be with us. And we know You will be. Hallelujah and amen.

Operation Archon continues as we take the fight to the heart of the Garlean Empire's foothold in Eorzea: Castrum Meridianum. If we are to strike at our true target, the Ultima Weapon, we must first take down the shield that protects it. Join us as we continue the Eorzean counteroffensive! We also talk about the original implementations of Meridianum and the Praetorium during the back half of this episode.   You can reach us at: https://discord.gg/SUHTBVMVxj  podreturnffxiv@gmail   FINAL FANTASY is a registered trademark of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. © SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

"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)

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.“You have said so,” Jesus replied.The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.“Crucify him!” they shouted.“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.The 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.Mark 15:1-37—Give towards what God is doing through Passion City Church: https://passioncitychurch.com/give-online—With Passion City Online, you can join us every Sunday live at 9:30a and 11:45a, and our gatherings are available on-demand starting at 7p! Join us at https://passioncitychurch.com/online—Subscribe to our channel to see more messages from Passion City Church: https://www.youtube.com/passioncitychurch1—Looking for content for your Kids? Subscribe to our Passion Kids Channel:https://passion.link/passionkidsonline—At Passion City Church, we believe that because God has displayed the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus, our response to that in worship must be extravagant. It is our privilege, and our created purpose, to reflect God's Glory to Him through our praise, our sacrifice, and our song.

Episode: This episode is part two of the three-part series on the archaeology of Passion Week. Chris and Kyle take a detailed look at how archaeological finds in Jerusalem can help us better situate and understand the events of this fateful week. They delve into the Gospel of John, the Last Supper, and Jesus' trials. (republished from 2021) Hosts: Chris and Kyle Summary: Chris and Kyle discuss the following topics: - Archaeology and the Gospel of John—the pools of Siloam and Bethesda - The Garden of Gethsemane - The room of the last supper - Jesus' Jewish and Roman trials - Herod's palace - The Praetorium and Gabatha - The Via Dolorosa. Resources: Archaeology of the Passion Week Bibliography; Archaeology of Passion Week Visuals (pt 2). Give: Help support OnScript's Biblical World as we grow and develop. Click HERE. Image by Heather Truett from Pixabay

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)