Live Free with Josh Howerton - The King of the Jews | Ep. 299 | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Episode Date: March 28, 2024

Today, as Easter approaches, we look at events leading up to the most important moment in history. While in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed and was then betrayed. He knew what was coming and allowed Himself to be arrested, undergo a series of illegal trials and endure tremendous suffering. What love Jesus has for you! For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, hope you're doing great on this Thursday of Easter Week. My name is Mike Bro, and we are wrapping up our journey through the Gospel of John here on the Daily Drive. And these next two days, we're just going to focus on the greatest event in human history. You know, I've told you before in this podcast that the overview of the Bible goes something like this. God longs for a relationship with people like us. People like us broke that relationship. So God moved to restore the broken relationship with people like us. God takes the initiative. He makes the first move. and he does it through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Now, we don't have time to unpack all the events.

You can read them, and you ought to actually read Matthew, Mark, and Luke's account as well. But let's just look at some of what John writes about these days. He says, when he had finished praying, talking about Jesus, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side, there was a garden, and his disciples went into it. Now, the Kitron Valley that they crossed over would have been flowing that week with the blood of all the sacrificial lambs offered up during the Passover. And Jesus, the Lamb of God, crossed over that. The garden they get to was actually an olive grove called Gassimony.

It's elevated on the Mount of Olives. I got to stand there not long ago, looking back at Jerusalem. It's actually kind of a gnarly looking place. I mean, olive trees, honestly, look a little creepy in the moonlight. And Gassimony was a place where they would crush olives to produce olive oil. So Jesus, knowing what was about to happen to him, goes to a place where things get crushed, and he pours out his heart to his father with deep anguish. You can find that prayer in Matthew and Luke's accounts.

Jesus is in emotional and physical distress when he cries out to his father to let the cup of suffering be taken away, but then he says with deep resolve, yet what I want is for your will to be done. John in chapter 18 records the arrest of Jesus in that place. He says now Judas who betrayed him knew the place because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden guiding the detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priest and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons. Again, from the elevated place in the Olive Grove, there's a really clear view of the city of Jerusalem. You can see the gate that they would have come out of.

Jesus could have seen them coming with torches and lanterns. From his vantage point, he would have watched them cross over the Kidron Valley and start up the hill. John says this, verse four, Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, Who is it you want? Jesus of Nazareth, they replied, I am he, he said, and Judas the traitor was standing there with them. When Jesus said, I am he, they drew back. and fell to the ground. Wow, I would have loved to see that.

I mean, Jesus wasn't armed. He probably wasn't built like the rock and surrounded by skilled warriors. He just simply said, I am he. See, when the great I am speaks, you have to fall to the ground. John records how Peter clumsily grabs a sword and starts flailing it around,

and Jesus tells you, Peter, come on, put your sword up. You live by the sword, you're going to die by the sword. I have to drink. this cup. By the way, it was just a short time later that Peter, the big and bad, brave sword-slasher, he would deny even knowing Jesus. Well, they take Jesus to Anas, and then Caiaphas, the high priest, who was a central figure in the ongoing plot to kill Jesus. They slapped Jesus around, they throw some bogus questions at him, and then John writes this. Then the Jewish leaders took

Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. This kind of blew me away. I mean, I had to circle these words going, these guys were careful to observe the ceremonial rules, don't set foot in the pagan palace, while at the same time plotting to carry out the murder of the son of God. So Pilate, the governor, comes out and asks, what charges are you bringing against this man? They said, well, he's a criminal. He said, well, judge him by your own law. He said, but we don't have the right to execute him. That's why we're bringing him to you. Oh, now we're getting somewhere. Pilot agrees to talk with Jesus,

asking a few questions about being a king. Jesus tells him that his kingdom is not of this world, that he came to testify to and reveal the truth. Well, Pilate rolls his eyes and says, truth, come on, what is truth? Then he goes back out to the religious leaders and tells him, I don't find anything wrong with this man, there's no charges. Then he offers this up, verse 39. It's your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release this quote-unquote

king of the Jews to you? They shot it back. No, not him. Give us Barabbas. Barabbas was a murderous zealot who had taken part in an uprising. And let me just read the next 16 verses from chapter 19. Then

Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove of crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a purple robe on him. Hail, king of the Jews, they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. Pilot went out again and said to the people, I'm going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly, that I find him not guilty. Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, look, here's the man. When they saw him, the leading priest and temple guards began shouting,

crucify him, crucify him. Take him yourself and crucify him, Pilate said. I find him not guilty. The Jewish leaders replied, by our law, he ought to die, because he called himself the son of God. When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, where are you from?

But Jesus gave no answer. Why don't you talk to me, Pilate demanded. Don't you realize that I have the power to release you, or crucify you, then Jesus said, You would have no power over me at all, unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin. Then Pilate tried to release him,

but the Jewish leaders shouted, If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar. When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down the judgment seat of the platform, that is called the stone pavement. It was now about noon in the stay of preparation for the Passover,

and Pilate said to the people, look, here's your king. Away with him, they yell. Away with him. Crucify him. What? Crucify your king? Pilate asked. We have no king but Caesar.

The leading priest shot it back. Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. Tomorrow is Good Friday, and we'll pick it up, right here. And we will end with the best news you have ever heard in your life. Thanks for listening. See you back tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard

Time. For more information, visit lakepoint.com. daily drive.