So let's talk about the meaning of this psalm. We'll sing the first part of it before the section in John. So, Psalm 22, Part 1. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? In case you didn't get it by reading the second half, the answer is, He didn't. He didn't forsake Him. He's not forsaken. He was not forsaken. Jesus was not forsaken. God the Father did not forsake the Lord Jesus Christ. The eternal Son of God was not forsaken by the eternal Father. This is a lie. And I do not understand how it has become such a heresy, such a lie. It has taken root in the church Our ignorance is profound. 2,000 years since Jesus said this. Commentary after commentary after commentary tells you that this is the psalm He's quoting. But men will not take the time to turn the page to read it. The second half of the psalm says He wasn't. He's not. He won't be. He can't be. It looks like he is. The point is that appearances are not reality. Appearances are not reality. The way this is often explained is to say, well, Jesus was forsaken in the sense that God's wrath was poured out on Him. And if we mean God's wrath in His literal sense, what is wrath? Wrath is hatred. Wrath is hatred. So is it true that God the Father for a very limited time, hated, hated, hated the Lord Jesus Christ. The scriptures plainly teach that God is not a man that he should repent. God is not a man that he should repent. And his compassions change not, lest he consume you, Jacob, He's talking to the people of God. He is eternal. He is unchangeable. He is outside of time. He does not change. He is a mind. And so that means His mind, He, does not change. He does not hate persons and then love them. His love is eternal. And His hatred is eternal. When we talk about the wrath of God being poured out on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are not saying that God literally hated the second person of the Trinity. What we are saying is he behaved in a manner that is fitting to hatred. How? By pouring out his curse. He was covenanted before the foundations of the earth that out of love, the father would crush the son, that it would please him to crush him so that he could glorify the son. Simply doing something that is painful to another is not an act of hatred. The spanking of your children is not an act of hatred. You cause them pain because you love them and desire their good. A surgeon does not cut into the body of a patient because he desires the destruction of the patient. He does something that is hurtful in order to be helpful. God the Father crushed the Son in order to glorify the Son. So the death of Christ looks like the Father has forsaken Him. But the resurrection of Christ, and the ascension of Christ, and the enthronement of Christ at the right hand of the Father, and descending out of the Spirit by Christ, and His bringing in many souls to the church in a great harvest, are all things that show that this very short period of external humiliation was an act of the Father to glorify and exalt the Son. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Oh, why are you so far from helping me and from my groaning words? Did God the Father not hear him? Did God the Father not help. Oh my God I cry in the day but you do not hear me. Is this the reality or is this what everybody is saying? Is this the appearance of things? And in the night I'm not silent. We have just read about the prayer of the sun in the night. We in the other Gospels read about him in Gethsemane praying. And so if we have the high priestly prayers and the prayers of Gethsemane, were those prayers ignored? Those groanings in the night? Oh, but you are holy. You are rightly enthroned within the praise of Israel. Notice our praise is an enthronement of God. It's ornament around Him to display His rule. Our praise we should offer. Oh, our fathers trusted in you and you delivered them. He delivered them. Would he deliver Christ from death? Yes, our fathers cried out to you and they were delivered. They put their confidence in you and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man. a reproach and despise. This is the humiliation of Christ. He's viewed as a reproach of Israel. They're rejected by Israel. They're ashamed of Him. They despise Him. They hate Him. They choose a rebel, murderer, thief over Him. They choose Caesar over Him. And He's a worm. He's counted as all the sin of all the elect. That accounting does not cause the father to hate him. The accounting of the sins of the elect to Christ and the reception of the curse of God is a meritorious work on the part of Christ that is viewed by the father as glorious. All those who see me laugh with scorn. They mock him. They shake their heads and say, He trusted in the Lord to save, to deliver from harm. Let God then come to set him free, since He delights in him. You will see that mockery. We see part two. You are the one who took me from out of my mother's womb. My God the Father cared providentially for the human nature of Christ. and took him out of his mother's womb safely. He did it in Bethlehem because of the call of Caesar Augustus. And you did make me to hope when placed on my mother's breast. So we have Christ's faith even as a baby. I was cast on you from the womb, even in the womb, Christ trusted in the Father. Since then you are my God. Since the womb, since conception. Be not far from me. Trouble's near, for there is none to help. He's been abandoned by his disciples, by all of the civil authorities. Many the bowls encompassing Strong, bastion bulls surround. They gape in me with open mouths. Bulls here, bulls are used frequently as a symbol for the Levitical priesthood. The priests that persecuted him, including the high priest. He's betrayed by them and they are, in fact, like ravenous lions. They roar. They are consumers. They are destroyers of the church and they are like Satan, their father. They are like ravenous lions. I am poured out just like water. My bones are out of joint. My strength is dried. My tongue is parched. you brought me to death's dust." When David is writing this in about 1000 BC, crucifixion had not yet been invented by man. And we have Christ who is killed on the cross. We have the spear that enters his side and as a result there's a blood and water mixture that pours out. So he pours out just like water. His bones are out of joint because he's hanging on the cross. And his heart melts like wax because the way you get water to pour out is that there is this material that surrounds the heart that has water around it. And the piercing of that material causes the water to go out. And so as a result, this encasing of the heart It sort of melts as the water that would be there is removed. And it mixes with my bowels. How does his heart mix with his bowels? Because the encasing of the heart has been torn by a spirit. My strength is dried. My tongue is parched. You've brought me to death's dust. Do you remember Christ saying, I thirst? For dogs have come encircling me. Dogs is a common way of referring to Gentiles. Who was crucifying? Gentiles, soldiers. It was dogs that circled him around, the Roman soldiers. Unclean. The wicked assemble and with their numbers enclose me. That happened in the courts repeatedly, but also is happening at the crucifixion. They pierced my hands and feet." What a weird thing to do to a person, especially a few centuries before the invention of crucifixion. Why would David say this about the Messiah? A shocking prophecy. And still, I count all of my bones. Normally, when you want to hurry up a crucifixion, you break the bones of the crucified people so they can't use their legs anymore. See, the way you die in crucifixion is typically by suffocation, because your arms are being pulled, because your weight's there. And so you have to put weight on your feet so that you can breathe. And that's difficult, because there's a nail in your feet. And so you have to put pressure at the point where there's a nail in your feet. in order to push yourself up. And so in order to make it so that doesn't keep happening, the thing to do is to break the legs of the people that are on the crosses. And that typically reduces their capacity to push themselves up to breathe. Jesus was going to have that happen. You read about the soldiers going to break the legs of the people being crucified. And they saw he was already dead, which is why they didn't break his bones, which was prophesied. Remarkable, considering that they were in the process of going to break his bones. And that's why they put a spear in his side to confirm his death. Remarkable, because that is not ordinary in the process of crucifixion. The fulfilling of prophecies starts to stack up in a shocking way in such a short period of time. Dogs have come encircling me, the wicked assemble, and with their numbers enclose me. They pierced my hands and feet, and still I count all of my bones. They look and stare at me. So let's sing Psalm 22. Please stand. Parts 1 and 2. In chapter 18, back at verse 28, we are introduced to Pilate as a trying authority. He goes from, Jesus goes from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. And it was early morning. We find that through the rest of the day, the middle of the day, that Pilate is going about doing all the things we've just read about. Now every time Jesus and Pilate go back into the Praetorium, they're alone because the Jews don't want to follow them in, because they don't want to be unclean. You remember that from the earlier part. So we have this interesting scene of Pilate going back and forth out to the Jews and back into his palace with Jesus. And we see an increasing franticness in Pilate. At first he is mocking of Jesus' assertion that he came to speak the truth. He's trying to figure out, are you a king? Are you a rebel? Are you a threat to the imperium of Rome? In verse 37, Pilate therefore said to him, Are you a king then? And 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. Now, we think about the truth-telling of Jesus, and obviously he's a prophet who speaks the truth. is witness-bearing. But in the context of judicial action, a king tells the truth by making judgments that are true. And at first, Pilate mocks this idea. What is truth? And then he goes out and makes a true judgment. I find no fault in him. He's dismissive of it, mocking of it, but then makes a true judgment. And then, because he thinks that's insufficient to resolve everything, he takes up an opportunity to shift responsibility to the people, because his goal is to have the people turn against the leadership of the Jews. And he knows that the people very much liked Jesus just a very short period ago. being aware of the triumphal entry and the various rumors that are abuzz about Jesus. So in verse 39, 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? That claim would further undermine the Jewish leaders and make them have to compete with Jesus. Pilate is thinking, if I can create rivalry between them, That's useful because they will be less likely to kick against the goads of Roman rule. Let them fight for the scraps of the table amongst themselves. Then they all cried again saying, not this man, but Barabbas. Well, the public opinion polls did not swing the way that Pontius Pilate expected them to swing. Now, Barabbas was a robber, and we're told in Mark 15, verse 7, that he's a rebel and a murderer. In Luke 23, verses 18 and 19, Barabbas is also called a rebel and a murderer. So apparently he is involved in a rebellion in which there is the killing of persons and the stealing of stuff. From the Roman perspective, he would be a terrorist. From the Jewish perspective, a member of the zealots involved in resistance against Roman occupation. One of the other things that it seems that Pilate was hoping for here was an opportunity to get the Jews, by accepting Jesus, to reject the Zealots. This has all gone exactly the opposite way that he was hoping for. An affirmation of the Jewish leadership, an affirmation of the Zealots, and a rejection of Jesus. Verse 1, chapter 19. So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. There seem to be two scourging events. One is a general beating of Jesus. All right, fine. You don't like Jesus. That's fine. I will beat him, and then we'll release him since he's an innocent man. And maybe then you'll be satisfied with that beating. There's another scourging that is the scourging before crucifixion that is more significant, that would accelerate the death of a person in a crucifixion. Verse two, when the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head and they put on him a purple robe. The crown of thorns obviously painful. The crown of thorns a mocking crown. But though they mean to mock him, it is a recognition of him as a king by the Roman army. And they put on him a purple robe. You know, in Rome, there was a great hatred of kings. There was a long period of time where the Republic existed. And the principal political maxim was, in Rome, we don't have kings. Their remembrance back to the early kings of Rome was viewed with horror because of the way that there was tyranny. And so the entire system of Roman rule was designed to prevent the concentration of power into a monarchy. Their chief executive was a fascinating system. They didn't have one chief executive. They had two. The consuls of Rome would rotate command of armies and could veto each other's actions. Two chief executives. The Republic had a Senate. It had tribunes of the plebs that could cancel actions of the Senate. The number of institutions that could veto each other was enormous. things that Romans seemed to love most were vetoes. Their systems of government had more opportunities to veto than any other system ever devised by man. And even with the highest officers, they were not given purple robes. Purple robes were only given to men when they would have a great conquest and they, for a very limited time, were able to go into Rome in a grand parade called a triumph. And in this triumph, they would be dressed as though they were the king of the gods, red-faced, purple-robed. And a man would stand behind them to remind them, just in case you forgot, you're not actually a god, you are mortal. The rest of the time, the consuls were allowed to have a Thread of purple on the edges of their toga. But to Jesus, to Jesus, they just gave him a purple robe. A Roman army. They mean to mock him. Verse three. Then they said, Hail, King of the Jews. They mean to mock him, but it's true. And they struck him with their hands. Pilate then went out again and said to them, behold, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in him. For a man who mocks the idea of truth, he has now made two true judgments, saying he finds no fault. He's declared this judgment twice now. No fault. Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said to them, behold the man, the man you have contempt for. But interestingly, he has two public declarations as a magistrate right in a row here. One, he's innocent. And two, he is the man. the archetypal man, the form that all other men should strive to be. This man is a king enrobed. This man is a prophet who is coming to the world to tell the truth, to bear testimony to the truth. And this man is a high priest who is offering himself as a sacrifice at this very time. He is the man. The power of Rome, the world empire, the system of governance prophesied that Christ would come into the world of, whose kingdom would shatter this empire, is declaring him innocent and is calling him the archetypal man. Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him! Crucify him! So the government of the Jews, the ecclesiastical government and the civil government of the Jews, is lending its voice to the condemnation of the King of the Jews. The world, representing the Gentiles, Rome, and the Jews, the covenant people of God. The whole race of man. Pilate said to them, you take him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. A third declaration of no fault. And the Jews answered him, we have a law, and according to our law, he ought to die, because he made himself the son of God. The Jews have declared here. that he is guilty of blasphemy. This is an ecclesiastical judgment. And they're also making a civil judgment because they're saying that he should be executed. The church has never had the sword, only the stake. Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid. Why more afraid? Pilate has three things to fear here. and a fourth one that he ought to be more cognizant of. The first is, he has already received warning from extra-biblical sources. We know he's already received warning that he needs to maintain order in Judea because if there's another revolt, he will be executed. It's a powerful motivator to get your executives to operate the way you want them to. Accomplish the goals or you will die. Next, He is concerned for the resistance that the Jewish government might give against him and their opposition. He's concerned to deal with them, especially now that they have the people rallied around them. Thirdly, he is concerned about the people and their potential resistance or rebellion against his rule and the increased support of the zealots. So this idea that Jesus claims to be the Son of God and therefore ought to die If he sides with Jesus, the zealots will receive support that Pilate is a blasphemer and supporter of blasphemers. Furthermore, he will give support to the Jewish government and that of course would make him have consequences if there's a rebellion because the Emperor will kill him. On the other side, he has already made three public statements that he finds this man innocent. What kind of integrity would that display? It would show exactly the integrity that he revealed to Jesus when he was standing with him in the praetorium and said to him, what is truth? What an ironic justice. Paunches Pilate to mock the idea of truth, then to make three true declarations, and to be stressed out about these three true declarations, and not being able to act in accordance with what he has said is true. Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium and said to Jesus, Where are you from? The fourth fear is the fear of Jesus. The man whom he had previously mocked with, what is truth? Are you the king of the Jews? Are you asking for yourself? Am I a Jew? He mocked Jesus before. And now he walks back in and asks him, where are you from? That's an interesting question in light of he said he's the son of God. checking which zip code God lives in. Where are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then Pilate said to him, are you not speaking to me? Pilate is concerned about the pragmatics of the politics. Pilate is concerned about being killed by a Roman Emperor. Pilate is very concerned about those who have power over him. He is very concerned about what happens to the physical body. Are you not speaking to me? Do you not know That I have power to crucify you? And power to release you? Don't you know that I have political gifts in my hand? Don't you know that I have power to give to you? Don't you know that if you just talk to me, if you kowtow to me, if you just seek my favor, Jesus, I can give you all sorts of things? And Jesus answered. you could have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above therefore the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin who delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate? Judas? the two Jewish courts, the Jewish people, and who gave Pontius Pilate power? The Roman Empire. Caesar bears greater guilt than Pilate. Judas and the two Jewish courts and the Jewish people. How could that be? Pontius Pilate's higher ranking than some of them. I mean, Caesar, you get it, right? Higher rank, sure. More responsibility. Get it. Jesus is not concerned for justice. He's concerned for the pragmatics of government. Understood. Judas, he was an apostle. Betrayed Jesus in the inner circle. Understood. The Jewish courts, get it, civil magistrates, church courts, they have lots of knowledge. What about the Jewish people? They were under the ordinances and oracles of God. They had received preaching in the synagogues from their youth, had gone to the temple, and every time the blood of the sacrifice was spilled, it pointed to the blood of Jesus. knowledge that should have been obtained to establishes a greater culpability. Pilate was not raised under the ordinances and oracles. The one who delivered me to you has the greater sin. From then on, Pilate sought to release him. Pilate wanted Jesus to kowtow. Never got the answer to his question. But he is so impressed and afraid that even though he knows this is a balancing beam, he starts to seek to get him released. He goes from I'm not a Jew. I don't care if you're claiming to be the king of the Jews. And what is truth to being afraid of Him and trying to get Him released? But the Jews cried out saying, if you let this man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. Now think about this statement next to the other statement of the Jews. He claims to be the Son of God. and therefore makes himself the equal of God and deserves to die. He also claims to be a king and therefore speaks against Caesar. They are pitting the kingship of God against the kingship of Caesar. I might think they're separating it cleverly. Oh, in this sense, he's claiming to be a human king. In this sense, he's claiming to be divine. But this is exactly the conflict that the early church will have against Caesar. And they will say, just throw a pinch of incense into the altar and say, Caesar is Lord. You can even whisper it. Christ is Lord. Christ is sovereign. Christ is God. in opposition to the state. We should not put our hope in princes, in Pontius Pilate, in ecclesiastical officers. We should put our hope in Jesus. He will bring his church to victory. He rises over his enemies. The appearance of conquest over him is a ruse used for counter-attack. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. When Pilate, therefore, heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the preparation day of the Passover, about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, behold your king. Preparation day of Passover. We've got two Holy Days. This is a Thursday. It's not what is called Good Friday. This will be a Thursday. We're in the middle of the day. And He said to the Jews, Behold your King. But they cried out, Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him! And Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priest answered, we have no king but Caesar. Then he delivered him to be crucified. Pontius Pilate looked like he was on a good trajectory. And then he just hands Jesus over to be crucified and pretends like that somehow makes him not responsible. Then they took Jesus and led him away. John's pilot is a tragic figure. He mocks the idea of truth and cannot escape it. He is haunted by the idea of truth. His conscience harasses him. He is fearful of men and government, popular opinion. He is fearful of the mob. And he also has a fear of God that he suppresses. And in the midst of that fear, he chooses to fear man more than God and acts as though he is without fault. That case will not hold up on the day of judgment. The next time Pontius Pilate sees Jesus, There will be no mocking questions about what is truth. And am I a Jew? All there will be is judgment, condemnation, and a clapping of the host of heaven at the reign of justice and the manifestation of truth. comments, questions, and objections from the voting members and those with speaking rights.