Fear of Dying • John 19:1-16

Gospel of John

Sep 6

Teaching begins 17:22

Notes

The message you see everywhere is wear a mask, save lives. In the last six months governments all over the world are ordering extraordinary measures to save lives from a disease. There is a real fear of dying.

The fear of dying makes a person a slave to the control of another who promises life.

The fallacy to this is that we are going to die anyway. No one can keep us alive, but we can choose which way we die. Jesus is about to die and is suffering greatly, but nothing moves Him.

The way that Jesus faces death is how we are to face death. We are to face death in the Father, with the Holy Spirit of Jesus Himself living inside us.

We are reading in John 19.

1. Pilate continues to try to release Jesus.

A. The Jews are beginning to call out for Barabbas to be released, not Jesus.

B. Pilate thinks maybe I can appeal to the Jews’ natural sympathy. What if I humiliate and punish Jesus — really rough Him up, but don’t kill Him? Then they say, “Oh man, that’s rough, poor guy!” Then I let Him go, and He’ll thank me for sparing His life.

C. So the scourging is brutal. The whip has bits of bone and metal imbedded in the leather strips so they begin to break open the skin and then catch on opened bits. That gradually rips up the back. In extreme cases this can remove the skin and bare the internal organs.

D. And the soldiers are brutal. They say, “King of the Jews, You need a crown!” So they make a crown of thorns. Ironically, that is a symbol of sin. They clothe Him in a purple robe, the fabulously expensive colour that only royalty can afford. He is the King who is about to bear the sin of the world on the cross.

E. All this time Jesus is being obedient to the will of the Father and He is fulfilling Scripture. Isaiah 50:6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

F. So Pilate tries to set the mood: Here He is, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him: Behold the Man! I find no guilt in Him!

G. And there is Jesus, whipped, bleeding, slapped, crowned with thorns, mocked, humiliated. Is that enough for your hatred of Him? Does that mistreatment satisfy you? No! Crucify, crucify!

H. Pilate tries to get the Jews to take responsibility: you take Him and crucify Him! I find no fault in Him.

I. Now the high priest and the Jews get closer to the truth why they want Jesus killed. It’s not a political problem. They say we have a law and by that law He should die, because He made Himself out to be the Son of God! They accuse Jesus of blasphemy. He is not God! He’s lying!

2. Pilate tries to learn the truth from Jesus and finds out it’s too late for that.

A. He goes back into the Praetorium and asks Jesus, “Where are You from?”

B. No reply. This is another fulfilment of Scripture. Isaiah 53:7-8 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

C. Jesus keeps His composure but Pilate loses patience. Don’t You understand that I have authority to have You released and to have You crucified? I have the authority around here!

D. Jesus still speaks like no other man ever spoke.

1. You could have no authority over Me unless it had been given you from above. Remember, that’s where He said His kingdom was from. Above. He just answered Pilate’s question, where are You from?

2. You are sinning against God by abusing your God- given authority. And the one who handed Me to you has the greater abuse of that God-given authority. They are sinning more against God.

3. Pilate is doing wrong. He knows he is doing wrong. And he can’t figure a way out of his dilemma.

3. Pilate finds himself trapped with no way out but to abandon Jesus.

A. We don’t know what Pilate is doing as he attempts to release Jesus. He is practically frantic, or panicked.

B. The Jews see what is going on, and they threaten Pilate. They intimidate him. You let this guy go, we’re going to get you in trouble with Caesar. Pilate can only too well imagine what’s going to happen. Recall from being governor. Imperial inquiry. Their word against his. Humiliation. Banishment or execution or both? If these Jews don’t kill Jesus, they’re going to kill Pilate.

C. So Pilate gives in and gets ready to judge, and then the message from his wife comes!

1. Matthew 27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

2. Righteous! Pilate knows Jesus is righteous. Have nothing to do with Him! If only he could! One more pressure on Pilate, what do I do? What can I do?

D. He tries again to get the Jews to look at Jesus, do you want me to crucify your King? Really?

E. We have no king but Caesar! They are threatening, we are loyal true subjects, and you’re thinking of helping a rival king against Caesar. You’re life is in danger.

F. Pilate abandons Jesus to be crucified.

4. Look at the difference between Pilate and Jesus.

A. Pilate is steamrollered and pressured from all sides. Don’t have anything to do with that righteous Man. If you protect Him, you’re dead. We’ll get you. He has to choose between doing the right thing and saving his own life. It’s Jesus or me! So he saves his own life.

B. Jesus calmly suffers. He is humiliated. He is denied justice. He is taken for a liar. He is whipped till He is nearly dead. Slapped and mocked. Rejected and disowned. But He is still calm even going through this turbulent time. It’s not a surprise to Him.

1. He is always aware that the Father alone is in charge of His life. That’s where the authority is!

2. He is always aware that Scripture must be fulfilled. He knew all things that would happen to Him because it was already written down.

3. Because of the Father’s authority and the Scripture being fulfilled Jesus has this deep presence of mind. This is also written in Scripture! I read to you earlier from Isaiah 50:4-9. Now I’m going to read the full context.

The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord GOD has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.
I gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord GOD helps Me,
Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
He who vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand up to each other;
Who has a case against Me?
Let him draw near to Me.
Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.

C. Jesus was completely prepared to lay down His life according to the will of God. Pilate was totally unprepared, had no clue what to do, and out of sheer panic clung to his life and abandoned Jesus.

5. One of the biggest threats we as believers face is the fear of death. If a crisis comes as a surprise, a shock, something we don’t expect, will we lay down our lives according to the will of God, or will we be so shocked that we panic and try to save our lives?

A. This is the same exact thing that Peter faced. Not being prepared, faced with the nearness of danger and death, he reacted with preserving his life and abandoning Jesus.

B. Jesus came to save us from the fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. I can’t obey Jesus because I might die. Well, Jesus takes that all away.

C. Jesus teaches us to face death in an honest, straightforward way.

1. He teaches us by His own attitude toward death. The Lord God helps Me, He says. He taught that He was going to be crucified and that He would rise from the dead. Be of good courage, He says, for I have overcome the world.

2. Jesus always tells us the truth about being His disciple. Luke 9:23-26 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

D. The Apostle Paul teaches us the exact same thing. 2 Timothy 3:10-13 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

E. Every believer in Jesus has counted the cost of following Jesus. You pick up your cross now. You decide that I will lose my life for Jesus now. And tomorrow. Whatever happens, my life is hidden in Christ. He is my resurrection.

F. And then comes the crisis, like Peter, like Pilate. Shock! Surprise! You want to obey Jesus or save your life? It’s Him or you, you can’t save your life if you follow Him! Like the time we live in right now. The world is heading toward the return of Jesus Christ. Before that happens wickedness is going to increase. Lying is going to increase. There is going to be a focus on saving your life. You have to wear a mask and save lives! If you go to church you could die! People are going to find it real convenient to not attend church. It’s an effort we haven’t made for six months. If you witness for Jesus you could lose your job, you could die.

G. Let’s face this straightforward and honestly. No matter what happens you are going to die. You cannot save your life. The government cannot save your life. Many more people are dying every day from dementia, Alzheimer’s, lung cancer, and heart attacks than from COVID. Babies are being killed every day from abortion. The government is silent on that. The government cannot keep anyone alive. You can do everything the government wants you to do and still you are going to die. Let’s be honest about this.

H. The real question is, how are you going to die?

1. Are you going to face death as a shock, a crisis, I never knew this was coming? I’ll do anything to live another five minutes! Will you abandon Jesus?

2. Or are you going to face death like Jesus? I am going to die. I am going to glorify the Father with My death. I am going to die according to the word of God. I am going to suffer. The Father is in charge of My life. He is not going to lose Me. I am going to rise again. The Father is going to say to me, well done, good and faithful servant. I am going to be glorified, made immortal. I will live with Him forever and bless the Lord forever and know His love forever.

I. Remember your commitment as a disciple of Jesus Christ. You signed up to die with Jesus and to live with Him. Now you need to be filled with His Spirit. Let Jesus be your discipler. He suffered so that He can bring you through this life like He lived. Jesus is saying this through Isaiah:

Let’s pray.

Rob Dingman