Sunday School Lessons
April 4
Lesson 5 (KJV)
THE SUFFERING SERVANT
DEVOTIONAL READING: Philippians 2:1–11
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Luke 24:1–35
ISAIAH 53:4–11A
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11a He shall see of the travail of his soul.
KEY VERSE
He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.—Isaiah 53:5
PROPHETS FAITHFUL TO GOD’S COVENANT
Unit 2: Prophets of Restoration
LESSONS 5–8
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Restate what the servant of the Lord would accomplish through suffering.
2. Explain how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy.
3. Write a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord, using language from today’s passage, and use it as a source of family or personal devotions each day this week.
HOW TO SAY IT
Arimathaea Air-uh-muh-thee-uh (th as in thin).
Cyrus Sigh-russ.
Esaias E-zay-us.
Hezekiah Hez-ih-kye-uh.
Isaiah Eye-zay-uh.
Messiah Meh-sigh-uh.
Sennacherib Sen-nack-er-ib.
Introduction
A. Climbing to the Summit
Kyle Yates, an Old Testament scholar who taught seminary for many years, once referred to Isaiah 53 as the “Mount Everest” of Old Testament prophecy. That analogy brings to mind the reality that mountain summits are not reached without first doing a lot of hiking up difficult terrain. Sometimes during our “hike” through the Bible, we may question the value or relevance of what we are reading. And so we struggle through the laws and regulations in Leviticus and rush quickly through the genealogies that fill the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles. As we do, we may wonder why we even began the climb in the first place!
But reaching a summit-passage like Isaiah 53 makes us realize that the climb is worthwhile. This is all the more so when we consider that the existence of the New Testament ensures that Old Testament summit-passages are clearer to us than they were even to the original readers. Specialized “guides” such as Acts 8:32–34 and Romans 10:16 assist us in our journey to understand Isaiah 53 specifically while the general guides of Romans 15:4 and 2 Timothy 3:16 establish the importance of doing so for the Old Testament as a whole.
B. Lesson Context:
The Prophecies of Isaiah
The importance of the book of Isaiah is seen in the fact that it is quoted over five dozen times in the New Testament. Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem during dismal times for God’s people. His prophetic call came “in the year that king Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1), which would have been 740 BC. The latest historical event recorded (not prophesied) by the prophet is the death of the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib (37:37–38), which occurred in 681 BC. That makes for a lengthy period of ministry, so it is not out of the question to assume that Isaiah’s call came when he was a teenager or a bit older.
The span of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry included the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria in 722 BC. The southern kingdom of Judah was in danger of going the same route in 701 BC. However, the presence and the prayers of a godly king, Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:14–20), resulted in an outcome far different from what the north experienced. Isaiah assured the king that the capital city of Jerusalem would be spared (37:33–35), and it was—in a miraculous act of deliverance (37:36).
With Spirit-empowered insight, Isaiah spoke of a future day when Jerusalem would not be delivered; it would come under the control of the Babylonians (Isaiah 39:5–7). But Isaiah also promised that the Lord was not finished with Jerusalem or with His people. The Lord would rebuild the city through the efforts of a ruler whom Isaiah named: Cyrus (44:24–45:1). But Isaiah looked beyond even this restoration to someone far greater than Cyrus.
C. Lesson Context: The Servant
The Lord’s “servant” is one of the most striking figures in the book of Isaiah. The term servant is sometimes a reference to the entire nation of Israel, describing the special relationship the covenant people have with the Lord (example: Isaiah 41:8). In other places, servant appears to describe a remnant of God’s people, referring specifically to those who remained following captivity in Babylon (example: 48:20).
There are still other passages where the word servant points to one individual who was assigned a very special role to fulfill. Four passages in Isaiah—often called Servant Songs—function in this way to point to the Messiah: Isaiah 42:1–9; 49:1–6; 50:4–9; and 52:13–53:12. (Isaiah 61:1–4 can also be included since Jesus applied it to himself [Luke 4:16–21].) This servant would carry out his tasks in a way that neither the nation of Israel nor the remnant could ever do.
The servant passage studied today is the fourth in the list, beginning, “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high” (Isaiah 52:13). The passage then describes the astonishment and rejection that many would experience at the servant’s lowly and repulsive appearance (52:14–53:3). It seems so inappropriate for someone “exalted and extolled” not to also have a striking physical presence! But nothing in the servant’s background speaks of greatness at first glance. Our printed text begins with an explanation of the servant’s sorrows and griefs that are introduced in Isaiah 53:3.
Christians have long and rightly interpreted the prophetic Servant Songs as fulfilled in Jesus alone. For instance, Isaiah 53:7–8 (see below) makes up the passage that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading when Philip approached his chariot. The Ethiopian asked whether the prophet was speaking of himself or someone else. And Philip “began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus” (Acts 8:35). No other figure appears in Scripture who claims to be the servant, and only Christ fulfills all that was written about that servant in these passages. The importance of today’s text is seen in the fact that the New Testament quotes from the song in which it occurs seven times.
I. The Servant’s Death
(ISAIAH 53:4–9)
A. Grief, Sorrow, Affliction (vv.4–6)
4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
In keeping with how suffering was often viewed in biblical times (both Old and New Testaments; examples: Job 4:7–8; John 9:2), those who witnessed the servant’s suffering saw it as a punishment from God. The servant was deemed to be bearing the griefs and sorrows associated with his own sinful actions. No one would assume that he was suffering on account of the wrongdoings of others.
Followers of Jesus can readily see these words as a compelling description of Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Those who mocked Him there voiced their belief that God had abandoned Him—that He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted (see Matthew 27:43–44). There was a sense in which the servant was stricken by God, in that Jesus fulfilled God’s “determinate counsel and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23). But why He suffered matters tremendously. Being only partially right about Jesus’ suffering means being terribly wrong about what it could accomplish.
Jesus’ death was the ultimate example of substitutionary atonement. In the Law of Moses, atonement for sins was fulfilled through God’s accepting the sacrifice of animals (Leviticus 1:4–5; Numbers 6:16; etc.). They were substitutes for the people who had sinned and so deserved to die (Romans 6:23). Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for others’ sins (Romans 3:25; 1 Peter 2:24). For this reason, we no longer offer sacrifices of grain or oil or animals; Jesus is the last and perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10–14).
While we usually focus on the impact of Jesus’ death as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, we must keep in mind that this impact affects every aspect of our humanity, both spiritual and physical. Jesus died so that a complete reversal of the curse of sin could be accomplished (see Genesis 3:14–19; Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:5). The wholeness of body accomplished by Jesus’ servanthood is illustrated in Matthew 8:14–17. Immediately following a description of Jesus’ healing ministry and His power to cast out unclean spirits, Matthew wrote that all this happened “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet” (Matthew 8:17).
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, miracles and signs demonstrated that He possessed power to heal all brokenness, sinful or otherwise (example: Mark 2:1–12). His return will usher in new heavens and a new earth from which sin and its consequences will be banished (Revelation 21:1–4). Until that day, Jesus takes our infirmities and sicknesses, not by healing them immediately in every instance but by providing grace in those circumstances. His grace empowers us and enhances our testimony to others (see 2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
The emphasis on how the servant suffered for humanity continues. We are guilty, but Jesus was treated as though He were. Chastisement signals the consequence for sin, the consequence we deserved. Peace with God is the result (Romans 5:1); indeed Christ is our peace (Ephesians 2:14–17).
WHY DO WE SUFFER?
Patricia was my wife for 58 years before succumbing to cancer. She also had endured decades of chronic, severe pain. She had contracted polio as a child. As the years added up, she experienced the effects of degenerative disc disease, then post-polio regression syndrome.
At one point during those years, a well-meaning Christian woman approached Pat. “I can’t understand why God is doing this to you,” she said. “There must be something terribly wrong with your spiritual life to make God give you all this pain.”
Pat’s response was twofold: “God isn’t doing this to me; it’s the effect of disease. And why this is happening is far less important than how I respond to it.”
The woman’s misguided concern was based on an ancient misunderstanding of how God works: that when someone suffers, it is because of one’s sin (example: John 9:2). In this mistaken light, Jesus—given His degree of suffering—must have been the most terrible sinner ever! However, Jesus’ suffering came to Him because we have sinned. How does Jesus’ suffering help you overcome the stigma of your own wounds? —C. R. B.
6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Here human beings are compared to sheep, which are known for easily wandering astray into what is harmful to them. While we were all born inclined to sin (Psalm 51:5), we also choose sin (compare Romans 6:1–2). Humanity’s descent into sin is not something we have no part in; we make choices to turn from God. Yet the one against whom we sin, whose law and standards we treat with contempt, placed our wrongdoings and their punishment on the servant. All is repeated to emphasize that every one of us has sinned, and the servant has given His life for each of us.
What Do You Think? Without beginning with Scripture, how would you respond to an unbeliever who claims to have no sin?
Digging Deeper
Consider Paul’s technique in Acts 17:16–31.
If we are sheep, who will shepherd us? At the risk of mixing metaphors (see Isaiah 53:7, below), we note that Jesus declared himself as our shepherd (John 10:1–18; 1 Peter 2:25). Like a shepherd, Jesus takes responsibility for our lives. If we are enticed by sin and so die, Jesus the shepherd takes the loss to heart and grieves over the consequences of our sinfully misguided actions (compare Luke 13:34).
B. Oppression, Slaughter,
Burial (vv. 7–9)
7a. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.
The servant would respond to his cruel treatment with silence. This may not seem very significant. But when we ponder who Jesus was and the power in His spoken word, such silence should produce a reverent silence within us. Jesus used His words to heal the sick (Matthew 8:5–13), raise the dead (John 11:43), calm storms (Mark 4:39), and work other miracles (example: Luke 4:31–36). Yet when it came to defending himself, He said nothing (Matthew 26:63a; 27:12–14).
Notably, however, Jesus did not remain silent when others were being harmed, especially by leaders who should have cared for them. He called out the enemies who would kill Him—the scribes and the Pharisees—for the ways their hypocrisy damaged the people of Israel (example: Matthew 23:13–36). His speech on behalf of others contributed to the hatred those powerful leaders felt for Jesus (26:3–5). Yet He did not argue on His own behalf to proclaim His innocence.
7b. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Sheep imagery links this concept to Isaiah 53:6. The comparison to a lamb being led to the slaughter emphasizes humility and (apparent) powerlessness. A lamb could not overpower the priest who would slaughter it for a sacrifice.
Such language did not become triumphal until the early believers began to understand Jesus as the Lamb of God. In that role, He fulfilled His Father’s plan to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 1:29). This same sacrificial Lamb is worshipped in Heaven and by every creature that exists: “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:13).
What Do You Think?
Under what circumstances would you take Isaiah 53:7 as a precedent for not responding to an oppressive situation?
Digging Deeper How do texts such as Amos 5:13; Matthew 26:62–64; Acts 16:37; 22:25; 24:10–16; and 1 Peter 2:20–23 influence your answer?
8a. He was taken from prison and from judgment.
This verse prophesied the travesty of a trial that Jesus experienced at the hands of His enemies. In their bitter hatred of Jesus, they denied Him any semblance of a fair proceeding. For example, a person could not be put to death except on the testimony of two or three witnesses according to Deuteronomy 17:6. The witnesses called to testify against Jesus did not agree in their testimony (Mark 14:55–59), but He was still found guilty and crucified.
8b. And who shall declare his generation?
This seems to be a indictment against Jesus’ fellow Jews. They not only failed to protest His condemnation, they demanded it (Luke 23:21).
8c. For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Jesus’ life was cut off out of the land of the living at about age 33 (compare Luke 3:23). Even so, the injustice that He, the servant, experienced and the shameful circumstances surrounding His execution fulfilled a high and holy purpose. Yes, He was stricken, but only so that His death could serve as a substitutionary atonement for us (again, Isaiah 53:5, above).
9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Jesus fulfilled this passage in two ways. First, Jesus was an innocent man who was convicted as if He were a notorious criminal; when a crowd was offered a choice between releasing Him or a man guilty of murder and insurrection, it chose the latter (Mark 15:6–15). As a result, Jesus was hung between two criminals as if He were one of them. Jesus had engaged in violence to clear the temple (John 2:14), but He never committed a violent act that would call for Roman crucifixion.
Second, Jesus was buried in the grave of a rich man. Normally criminals at the time of Jesus who were executed were left unburied. Eventually, the beasts and the birds consumed their flesh. Jesus, however, was treated differently as two factors came together: a request by Jewish leaders to get the bodies off the crosses, which was followed by Jesus’ interment in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea, a wealthy man (Matthew 27:57; John 19:31–42).
What Do You Think?
What would you say is the single-most important practice Christians could adopt or improve on to eliminate deceitful speech patterns?
Digging Deeper Do you see this as a big problem or a minor one? Why do you say that?
II. The Servant’s Delight (ISAIAH 53:10–11a)
A. Sovereign Purpose (v. 10)
10a. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.
The Lord was at work in and through the servant’s suffering, though not in the sense that God was punishing the servant for his own sins (see Isaiah 53:4, above). In truth, the servant’s suffering and death constituted an offering for sin. The Hebrew term used here refers to the trespass offering (see Leviticus 5:1–6:7).
What made this offering distinct from others was the connection between the sin committed and the remedy stipulated in the law. Jesus’ atoning death on the cross was exactly what humanity needed. And it was a sacrifice that needed to be offered only once (Hebrews 7:26–27; 9:24–28). By Jesus’ death He destroyed “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).
10b. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
The number of Jesus’ disciples—his seed—has continued to grow since the first century AD, when His church was established. That the servant shall prolong his days likely points to Jesus’ resurrection. That was by no means obvious to any Jewish interpreter before Jesus had actually been raised from the dead. Only then did His disciples begin to grasp how He fulfilled many prophecies, including this one. The Hebrew word translated pleasure is also translated “desire” in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 23:5; etc.), and that is the sense here.
What Do You Think?
How would you answer a person who questions the fairness of Jesus being punished for sins committed by others?
Digging Deeper
If you are unsure how to answer, study the nature of the grace system, beginning with 2 Corinthians 5:21.
AGING GRACEFULLY
Our culture is fixated on staying young. We use cosmetic surgery and hairpieces. We shun words that suggest we are growing old, and we use euphemisms such as “passed on” instead of speaking plainly about death. The hopeful phrase “She’s gone to be with the Lord” can be employed to soften the blunt fact that death has robbed us of the presence of a loved one.
However, many of us have found that there are advantages to getting old—advantages such as seniors’ discounts! But even better, wisdom can come with age. If we’ve been paying attention to what life’s experiences have taught us, we can bless younger generations with the benefit of knowledge we gained over the years.
Isaiah foretold Jesus’ suffering, but he also revealed that Jesus would see His spiritual children prosper. Jesus lives and sees countless generations of His followers living out their days in spiritual blessedness. For the Christian, aging gracefully means more than becoming a kindly grandparent or uncle or aunt. It is the grace of God at work, making us more like Jesus. —C. R. B.
B. Sacred Success (v. 11a)
11a. He shall see of the travail of his soul.
Jesus was able to look at the travail, or suffering, He went through and know that He did indeed accomplish the work given to Him. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Just as we cannot begin to understand the depth of Jesus’ suffering at the cross, we cannot imagine the joy that He felt after He uttered the words “It is finished” (John 19:30).
Conclusion
A. Relishing the View
As with many mountaintop experiences, it can be difficult to return to life below after leaving the magnificent scenery of Isaiah 53 behind. That is perhaps the most powerful of the Servant Songs in its prophetic depiction of the suffering experienced by Jesus at the cross as He died for the sins of others.
Jesus’ death was not an accident or random tragedy as we use those terms. Rather, His death was the fulfillment of a divine plan to rescue lost humanity. The study of a passage such as Isaiah 53 should not end with the lesson. We can return to it and scale its heights again and again, as often as we like—and we should.
Prophets like Isaiah yearned to know more about how their prophecies would come to pass (1 Peter 1:10–12). But it was not granted to those men to live in the era of fulfillment (Hebrews 11:39–40). That is our privilege as Christians, who possess the sacred Scriptures of both Old and New Testament. It is we who are able to see from the mountain’s summit what Isaiah could see only partially, from somewhere farther down.
What Do You Think? How will study of today’s text result in changes to your thoughts, words, and actions?
Digging Deeper Consider also use of today’s text in the New Testament: Matthew 8:16–17; Acts 8:32–35; 1 Peter 2:22–25.
B. Prayer
Father, thank You that Jesus came in the fullness of time to fulfill prophecies such as Your wonderful words recorded by Isaiah. Thank You for the amazing love demonstrated by Jesus in His undeserved suffering for undeserving sinners such as us. In Jesus’ name we praise You. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Jesus makes both the prophecies of Scripture and our lives complete.
KIDS’S CORNER
Why Murder a Righteous Man?
Sunday, April 4, 2021
John 18:25-32
John 18:25-32
(John 18:25) 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.”
In the courtyard of Annas the high priest (former high priests can retain the honorary title “high priest” after the Roman governor replaces them—Caiaphas was the officially Roman appointed high priest at the time), for a second time Peter denied that he followed Jesus. The questioner did not ask Peter directly, “Are you also a disciple of Jesus?” He asked with the words, “You are not,” which made it easier for Peter to quickly answer, “No.”
(John 18:26) 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 may have felt that those questioning him were closing in and he was about to be found out as a disciple of Jesus. He may have recognized this slave of the high priest, who was a relative of Malchus. They may have been standing close enough together for the slave to recognize Peter and ask, “Did I not see you,” in a way that once again would make it easier for Peter to quickly answer, “No,” almost without thinking. If Jesus had not healed the ear of Malchus, his relative might have loudly accused Peter saying, “I saw you in the garden with Jesus and you cut off the ear of Malchus!” If he had done so, Peter might have courageously drawn his sword and tried to fight his way out of the courtyard. But John 17:11, Jesus prayed to the Father, “And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” The Father answered Jesus’ prayer on behalf of Peter even though Peter denied His only Son—such is the deep love of the Father and Jesus for those who follow Jesus.
(John 18:27) Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
In John 13:37, “Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’” And in John 13:38, “Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.’” Though we might find it interesting, whether the cock’s crow was a rooster or a trumpet blast announcing the time in the night, it really does not matter. For what Jesus told Peter came true. The Bible reveals that whatever Jesus prophesied or promised came to pass, so we know that whatever He has promised us will come to pass, for He has risen and ascended to the right hand of God.
(John 18:28) 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.
The religious leaders of the Jews ordered the temple guards to arrest Jesus by night, preferring darkness because their deeds were evil, and they feared the crowds. After a trial before Caiaphas (not repeated by John but described in Matthew 26:57-68), they took Jesus to Pilate early in the morning so Pilate could sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion. They had plotted the murder of Jesus, an innocent man, for several months before finally succeeding in arresting Jesus. From their place of responsibility as priests and Pharisees, Jesus’ death was premeditated murder by the most prominent religious leaders in Jerusalem. Since Satan influenced and finally indwelt Judas, who betrayed Jesus, we have good reason to believe that these leaders were also indwelt by or committed to following Satan instead of God, whom they did not know. As Jesus had told them, these leaders consistently showed more concern for keeping their ceremonial laws of ritual purification than for honesty, love, truth, mercy, and justice. Perhaps they thought that God would forgive them for anything they did if they performed the religious rituals that they believed He required of them to be accepted by Him. Their Passover commemorated God freeing the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt immediately after the firstborn son of Pharoah and those who did not believe in God died as the angel of death passed over them (see Exodus 12). With Jesus’ death, the death of the Son of God, believers in Jesus are forgiven, freed from slavery to sin, and empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit to serve God in love and truth.
(John 18:29) Therefore Pilate went out to them and *said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”
Pilate appeared to act the part of a competent and just Roman ruler, who respected the religious rituals of the Jewish leaders when it was politically convenient. To accommodate their religious sensitivities, he went outside of his headquarters to speak to them and hear their accusations against Jesus. He certainly did not want any riots while he was the governor. The Jews thought they could stay right with God through ritualistic practices and worship, even if they murdered an innocent man using Roman legal procedures. For these leaders to come to Pilate early in the morning before preparing for and celebrating the Passover shows how urgent it was to them to kill Jesus as soon as possible.
(John 18:30) They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”
These Jewish leaders had already tried and convicted Jesus by using false witnesses who contradicted themselves and gave false evidence. So, without bringing official charges against Jesus that could be investigated by Pilate and found to be false, they simply told Pilate they were bringing a criminal to him. They did not tell Pilate that they had accused Jesus of blasphemy (the violation of a religious law), because He made himself equal to God by claiming to be the Son of God. Because Jesus is the Son of God, He did not commit blasphemy or any other crime or sin when He revealed himself as the Son of God. These priests and Pharisees rejected Jesus as a threat to their power as religious leaders. A few religious leaders, such as Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night, did investigate Jesus’ claims, came to see that He was the Son of God, and believed in Him. Rather than bring formal charges against Jesus that they knew Pilate would not accept (Jesus never broke a Roman law), they called Jesus a criminal, malefactor, or evildoer that they wanted Pilate to condemn to death.
(John 18:31) 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,”
Jesus demonstrated that He was a man of love, peace, justice, and mercy (He could have called down thousands of angels to rescue Him by force). He told His disciples the night of His arrest, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). However, because He told the truth about himself as God’s Son and Messiah, and because He challenged the false religious ideas and behavior of a corrupt religious establishment, they wanted Him killed and they showed no mercy. Jesus threatened their control over the people, their collaboration with their Roman occupiers to maintain their control, and their ill-gotten wealth from having turned the temple into a den of thieves. They rejected Jesus’ efforts to restore true faith and true worship of God the Father, to save His people from their sins, and to grant eternal life to all who would believe in Him.
(John 18:32) to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.
In John 12:31-33 we read how Jesus told His disciples, “‘Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” The Jewish leaders would murder whomever they chose when they felt they could do so without reprisals. They stoned Stephen to death of their own accord without Roman permission or legalities, because that was the prescribed Old Testament method of exercising capital punishment (Acts 7:59). They wanted the Romans to crucify Jesus because death by crucifixion was degrading, painful, and sometimes a long process involving much suffering. On several occasions, Jesus foretold that crucifixion would be His way of death, and God would glorify Him when He died by crucifixion. The evil men who murdered Jesus fulfilled the purpose of God by the way He died.
Why Murder a Righteous Man?
Sunday, April 4, 2021
John 18:25-32
They answered and said unto him, If he were not a
malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee
(John 18:30—KJV).
They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an
evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”
(John 18:30—NASB).
They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would
not have handed him over to you” (John 18:30—NRSV).
In John 18:29, Pilate asked the religious leaders, “What
accusation do you bring against this man?” His accusers knew
Jesus had not really done anything wrong they could legally
prove. They knew that if they charged Jesus with specific
wrongdoings that He could outthink them and prove He was
not guilty of breaking the Law of God, the Law of Love. So,
they simply called Jesus a “criminal,” “malefactor,” or
“evildoer.” Even today, we hear more name-calling than we
hear clear thinking and rational discussion. Why did the
religious elite really want Pilate to order Jesus’ death? First,
other than the Romans, these religious leaders were the most
privileged people in Israel. They wanted to maintain absolute
control over the people, and with Jesus attracting large
crowds He threatened their power. Second, they were the
richest people in Israel. Because these leaders controlled the
temple, they controlled the money-changing in the temple. If
someone brought a sacrifice to the temple that they had not
sold them, they could find some blemish and force them to
buy their sacrifices from them at exorbitant prices. Jesus had
cleansed their temple at least once, and they could not allow
Jesus to interfere with their lucrative source of riches.
Third, they wanted Jesus to suffer in the most cruel and
degrading way possible, so they convinced Pilate to order Jesus’
death on a cross. Though they appeared to fear God, Jesus
rightly said that inside they were “full of greed and selfindulgence.” Jesus also quoted Isaiah’s prophesy, “This people
honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (see
Matthew 23:25, Mark 7:6).
Thinking Further
Why Murder a Righteous Man?
Sunday, April 4, 2021
John 18:25-32
Name ____________________________________
1. Who was the last person to ask Peter if he were a disciple of
Jesus? Why did he think Peter might be a disciple of Jesus?
2. After Annas questioned Jesus, where did he send Jesus?
Where did Jesus go after that, and what was this person’s
name?
3. Why did those seeking Jesus’ murder refuse to enter the
headquarters of the Roman governor?
4. What did the Roman governor do when the Jewish leaders
refused to enter his headquarters? When the governor asked
what accusation they were bringing against Jesus, what was
their reply?
5. What reason did the Jewish leaders give the governor for not
judging Jesus themselves according to their law? Why did they
say this?
Discussion and Thinking Further
1. Who was the last person to ask Peter if he were a disciple of Jesus? Why did he think Peter might be a disciple of Jesus?
A slave of the high priest who was a relative of Malchus, the slave whose right ear Peter cut off. This slave was also in the garden with his relative when Peter cut off his ear. Peter must have looked like the one who cut off the ear of Malchus. If Jesus had not healed the ear of Malchus, this slave would no doubt have called for the soldiers to question Peter further.
2. After Annas questioned Jesus, where did he send Jesus? Where did Jesus go after that, and what was this person’s name?
Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Jesus went to the Roman governor, whose name was Pilate, for trial.
3. Why did those seeking Jesus’ murder refuse to enter the headquarters of the Roman governor?
They wanted to avoid ritual defilement to be able to eat the Passover.
4. What did the Roman governor do when the Jewish leaders refused to enter his headquarters? When the governor asked what accusation they were bringing against Jesus, what was their reply?
He went out to them. They did not have an accusation of a specific crime against Jesus, so they only said, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” [Jesus had only broken their applications and interpretations of the law and their traditions, for Jesus was without sin and never broke the law of God, the moral law, the law of love. Pilate would not put Jesus to death on these religious charges.]
5. What reason did the Jewish leaders give the governor for not judging Jesus themselves according to their law? Why did they say this?
The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” They said this because they wanted Jesus to be crucified by the Romans rather than die by stoning, as they later stoned Stephen. This fulfilled how Jesus indicated how He would die.
Word Search
Why Murder a Righteous Man?
Sunday, April 4, 2021
John 18:25-32
Name __________________________________
E Y F K C O C T F M F M T R O
N R V Y N T C P Y P C B P E K
F U E D K V W R S U S E J L O
I K F T X P Q V I F X Z M A H
D L V C E Y G L U M S G C T S
E C A U H P N D F L I E M I B
F E S E L P I C S I D N D V D
I T Y N O M I S N U F Z A E S
L A E D I Q C R O W E D C L B
E L J K E G K M I U K O A N R
M I X E M N X L T Z M V E D Y
E P U I S T I Z M P E D K E W
N L E D P U W E I S R Q W A L
T W P L R N S B D A C K B T X
D U E W Q C Y O G M E Y C H R
Simon
Peter
Disciples
Denied
Jesus
Slaves
Relative
Garden
Cock
Crowed
Headquarters
Defilement
Pilate
Criminal
Death
True and False Test
Why Murder a Righteous Man?
Sunday, April 4, 2021
John 18:25-32
Name ______________________________________
Not available currently
Prayer
Father, thank You that Jesus came in the fullness of time to fulfill prophecies such as Your wonderful words recorded by Isaiah. Thank You for the amazing love demonstrated by Jesus in His undeserved suffering for undeserving sinners such as us. In Jesus’ name we praise You. Amen.