The Innocence of Jesus and His Sacrificial Redemption

with the little ones are going to go out, those in primary school, and those of you who remain behind, please turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 23. And we're going to be looking at these verses that Deborah kindly read to us a few moments ago. For the benefit of those of you who don't regularly worship with us, we have been working our way for some time now through Luke's gospel. This is the point that we have got to. When A. Gordon was pastor of a church in Boston, he met a young boy at the church carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, son, where did you get those birds? The boy replied, I trapped them out in the field.

What are you going to do with them? The boy said, I'm going to play with them, and then I guess I'll just feed them to an old cat we have at home. When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, mister, you don't want them, they're just little old wild birds and can't sing very well. Gordon replied, I'll give you two dollars for the cage and the birds. Okay, said the boy, it's a deal, but you're making a bad bargain. The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue sky. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ's coming to seek and to save the lost, paying for them with his own precious blood.

That boy told me the birds were not songsters, said Gordon, but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, redeemed, redeemed, redeemed. Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem a people for himself on the cross so that they might sing, redeemed, redeemed, redeemed. Or as one song I used to sing says, I'm redeemed, yes I am, by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus came into this world to offer his life upon the cross to redeem, to set free a people for himself. But let me say this, and I'll say more about this at the end of the sermon, it was necessary that Jesus be an innocent or sinless man to provide a sacrifice acceptable to God.

What these verses do that we are looking at together this morning is this, they shout at us the innocence or the sinlessness of Jesus Christ. Now last week you may remember we saw that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, that is the second person of the Holy Trinity, and one with the Father and the Spirit.

The religious Jews considered Jesus' claim to be blasphemous, and that is why they wanted to put him to death. But they didn't have the power, they didn't have the authority to put him to death, and so verse 1, they took him to the Roman governor, that is they took him to Pilate.

Now of course they did not accuse Jesus of blasphemy, that wouldn't have done any good. Pilate was not interested in some religious concern. And so we find them making political accusations against Jesus, and they come up with three, and we see these three accusations in verse 2.

One, he subverts our nation. This Jesus who we brought before you today, he is a troublemaker, he plans on bringing about an uprising. Now I wonder where they got this idea from, really.

You see when Jesus ministered on earth, what was his great concern? It was to enable people to enter into the kingdom of heaven, wasn't it? It wasn't to overthrow the Romans. This Jesus, who we brought before you today, he is a troublemaker. He plans on bringing about an uprising. Now I wonder where they got this idea from, really.

You see, when Jesus ministered on earth, what was his great concern? It was to enable people to enter into the kingdom of heaven, wasn't it? It wasn't to overthrow the Romans. Two, he opposes paying taxes to Caesar. Really? What did Jesus say on one occasion when the question of taxes was raised? Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. This was nothing but a lie.

And the third accusation was he claims to be a Messiah, a king. Now this is probably the most significant accusation that they make against Jesus.

And of course, what they say is true. Jesus is a Messiah. He is a king. He is the Messiah. He is the king. But he's still no threat to Pilate or to the Romans, as we shall see in due time.

Now we're going to spend some time this morning focusing on Pilate's response to the accusations made against Jesus. But what we are really interested in is the innocence of Jesus.

So we're going to look at these verses under four headings. One, Pilate's affirmation. Two, Pilate's deferring. Three, Pilate's bargaining. And four, Pilate's yielding. So firstly, Pilate's affirmation.

Pilate's affirmation. It's the last accusation against Jesus by the religious leaders that Pilate latches on to and wants to talk about. Is this man Jesus really a threat to himself and to Rome? Are you the king of the Jews, he says to Jesus? And Jesus says, you have said so. And then interestingly, and perhaps rather surprisingly, we then go on to read in verse four, then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, I find no basis for a charge against this man. Now I say surprisingly because he seems to have come to a very quick decision, doesn't he?

As we read the gospel according to Luke, how has he come to this decision? Well, John's gospel helps us to see.

Listen to what we read in John 18, 28 to 37. Actually, I'm just going to pick things up from verse 33. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, are you the king of the Jews? Is that your own idea, Jesus asked, or did others talk to you about me? Am I a Jew? Pilate replied, your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done? And Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world.

If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my rest by the Jewish leaders, but now my kingdom is from another place. You are a king then, said Pilate. And Jesus answered, you say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. What is truth? Retorted Pilate. There's a sermon in and of itself there, isn't there?

What is truth? With this, he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, I find no basis for a charge against him. As far as Pilate is concerned, Jesus is of no real concern, no real threat to him or to the Roman authorities. He's just a man with a few rather interesting religious ideas about himself. Nothing more than that. So here firstly we have Pilate's affirmation.

Jesus is innocent of the charges that the Jewish religious authorities bring against him. Secondly, we see Pilate's deferring.

Pilate's deferring. Now it's always nice, isn't it?

If you've got a problem that's weighing heavily upon you, to defer it, to give it to someone else so that it becomes their problem rather than your problem. And this is exactly what Pilate tries to do. The religious leaders, they won't let the matter concerning Jesus lie. Look at what we read in verse 5.

But they insist, sorry, he insisted, he stirs up trouble all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and he has come all the way here. Now when Pilate hears them saying that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, his ears prick up.

And he asks if Jesus is a Galilean and he learns that Jesus is a Galilean. Well in that case, Pilate thinks to himself, he's under Herod's jurisdiction.

Herod, you may remember, was the man. Then saying that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, his ears prick up. And he asks if Jesus is a Galilean, and he learns that Jesus is a Galilean. Well in that case, Pilate thinks to himself, he's under Herod's jurisdiction.

Herod, you may remember, was the man who beheaded Jesus' forerunner, namely John the Baptist. So Pilate sends Jesus to Herod to deal with him.

And rather conveniently, Herod is in Jerusalem at this time, so it's an easy thing for him to do. But what does Herod do after examining Jesus?

Sends him back to Pilate again. And before we move on, we know that Herod found no reason to charge Jesus either. Herod too believed in the innocence of Jesus. Look at verses 14 and 15 of this chapter.

I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him, neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. As you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Now I don't wish to sound irreverent, but to Pilate, the case of Jesus seems to be like an annoying wasp that just won't go away.

Thirdly, we see Pilate's bargaining. Pilate's bargaining. In verse 13, we see Pilate calling together the chief priests and the people again. At this time, he picks up on the first charge against Jesus, that is, inciting the people to rebellion. But for the second time, he says that he has examined Jesus and found no basis for the charges brought against him.

Yet he can see the determination on the part of these religious authorities to see Jesus sentenced to death. And so he tries to do a deal with them.

Look at verse 16. Therefore, or is it verse 17? Verse 16.

Therefore, I will punish him and then release him. In other words, you think that he's deserving of punishment. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give him a really good beating and then I'll release him. I can't put him to death because he hasn't done anything that deserves death. But it's no good, is it?

Look at verse 18. But the whole crowd shouted, away with this man.

Release Barabbas to him. Can they make such a request? Yes, they can. It was customary at the time of Passover to release a prisoner. Release Barabbas to us, they cry. Of course, Barabbas is not a nice man. He's a notorious prisoner, Matthew 27, verse 46. He's a robber, John 18, verse 40, verse 19 of this chapter that we're looking at.

He's a murderer and an insurrectionist. In other words, he's a man guilty of the very thing that the Jews accuse Jesus of. They'd rather have such a man released than Jesus. That sounds so odd, doesn't it? It really does sound so odd because Jesus was the kindest, loveliest man who has ever walked the face of this planet. But they are so full of intense hatred towards him that they'd rather Barabbas be back on the street than Jesus.

But sin is illogical, isn't it? Sin doesn't make sense. Now look at verse 20.

Pilate really wants to release Jesus. He does not want his blood on his hands. But he knows that Jesus is not deserving of death.

And so he appeals to the crowd again. But they keep on shouting, crucify him, crucify him.

So for the third time, he spoke to them saying, why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him punished and then release him. It's important for us to note this three times. The Roman governor, Pilate, said that Jesus was innocent of all the charges that were brought against him. Now fourthly and lastly, we see Pilate's yielding.

Verse 23 and following. But with loud shouts, they insistently demanded that he be crucified and their shouts prevailed.

Three times the Roman governor Pilate said that Jesus was innocent of all the charges that were brought against him. Now fourthly and lastly we see Pilate's yielding.

Verse 23 and following, but with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.

He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. Why did the shouts to crucify Jesus prevail? Well here are three reasons as to why.

Firstly, Pilate did not want a riot in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. That would not have reflected well on him as the Roman governor, particularly in the eyes of Rome. And believe me, they were watching him. Two, he was fearful of an accusation the crowd made against him and he wanted it forgotten. He wanted it dropped as soon as possible. Listen to what we read in John 19 and verse 12. Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, if you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.

Well he did not want to get on the wrong side of Caesar. That would have meant real trouble for him. And then thirdly, he wanted to please the crowd. He was a crowd pleaser. He wanted to make his life more easy. Friends, there can be no doubt that Jesus was innocent of all the charges laid against him that led to his crucifixion. And Pilate, along with Herod, were not the only people to proclaim his innocence. Do you remember when Jesus was crucified, there were two soldiers crucified either side of him, and one of them said to the other, we are punished justly, but we are getting what our deeds deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong.

You may remember that there was a Roman centurion at the foot of the cross. Listen to what we read in Luke 23 and verse 47. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, surely this was a righteous man. The testimony of Scripture as a whole is that Jesus was sinless. Listen to what was prophesied concerning him. Isaiah 53 and verse 9.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Listen to what we read in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin. Paul writes to the church in Corinth saying God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And John in his first epistle writes, but you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins and in him is no sin. Now I've labored this somewhat, but that's because it is so important.

The innocence, the sinlessness of Jesus Christ is fundamental to the gospel of Jesus Christ, just as the deity of Jesus is fundamental to the gospel as we said last week. Now I want to conclude this morning by drawing our attention to 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19.

And this is what we read. Peter is writing incidentally to the Jews and to Gentiles. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. Now as we read the Old Testament we see that God required his people to sacrifice lots of animals to address their problem of sin.

And they did this for many years in the tabernacle and then for many years in the temple. But you know the only animals that God would accept.

Now as we read the Old Testament, we see that God required his people to sacrifice lots of animals to address their problem of sin. And they did this for many years in the tabernacle and then for many years in the temple. But you know the only animals that God would accept were those without defect.

In the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, we see the people of Israel bringing lame, deformed, sick animals to the temple to be sacrificed. And the priests who should have known better took these sacrifices and they offered them on the altar before God. But God was not pleased and God did not accept them.

And we might ask the question, why on earth did they do that? It was because it was a really low point in the spiritual life of the nation of Israel. It was as if any old thing would do for God. Jesus came into this world to offer his life as a sacrifice for sin, a bit like the lambs that were offered in Old Testament times. And it was necessary that he be a perfect, spotless sacrifice, that is, a man without sin. You see, if he had been a sinner, then God would not have accepted the sacrifice that he offered to atone for sin upon the cross. But unlike every other human being that's ever lived on the face of this earth, it really is quite remarkable, he lived a perfect life, a sinless life.

It's hard to get your head around it, isn't it, in some ways? But even as a little lad, he never sinned.

And thus he was able to offer his life upon the cross as a sacrifice acceptable to God to deal with the sins of his people. Why did Jesus offer his life as a sacrifice upon the cross? He did this to redeem or to set free his people from judgment and death on account of their many sins. Just think for a moment of the many Passover lambs that were slain in Egypt at the time of Moses. The blood of these lambs that were slain were put on the door frames of the Israelite houses. And so when the angel of death passed through the land, what did he do?

He passed over those homes. He never brought his just judgment upon them, despite all their idolatry. You see, the Israelites were just as idolatrous, well, maybe not just as idolatrous, but they were also idolatrous. Friends, Jesus suffered and died. He shed his blood to deliver his people from judgment and death and eternal death. But he also offered his life as a sacrifice for sin upon the cross to redeem, to set free his people from an empty or meaningless way of life.

Isn't it interesting how people without God in this world live their lives? They get up in the morning, they have a wash, they clean their teeth, they put on their clothes, they may have some breakfast, they go out to work, they come home, they make some tea or some dinner, they sit down for the evening and watch some television or perhaps go out with some friends and they go to bed and the next day they do the same all over again. They enjoy the weekend, they can do some things that they want to do for themselves, but it's not long before it's Monday morning. And they live on this earth for what, 70 years, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less, and then they die. And everything that they've acquired or done in this life is left behind, it's all forgotten. Maybe they thought that whilst they lived upon this earth they'd create a bit of a reputation for themselves. It seems to me that there are a number of world leaders at the moment who are determined to make a reputation for themselves. Do you think anybody's going to remember them in 100 years' time or 500 years' time?

Most of the earth's inhabitants won't even know their name. What's the point? What's the point of life without God? Do you know what the writer of Ecclesiastes says? He says it's meaningless. It's meaningless. Jesus gave his life upon the cross to redeem his people, to claim them as it were for himself, so that they might live for him. Without God.

You know what the writer of Ecclesiastes says? He says it's meaningless. It's meaningless. Jesus gave his life upon the cross to redeem his people. To clean them, as it were, for himself so that they might live for him. Not only in this life, but for all eternity. You see, he gives purpose. Why does the Christian live his or her life?

To make it count for Jesus. To make it count for all eternity. He suffered and died to redeem his people from an empty or meaningless, purposeless way of life. And how does Peter say he redeems his people? Not with silver or gold. No, he redeems his people with something infinitely more precious. He redeems them with his own blood. That is by laying down his life on the cross.

And I'm hoping, praying that someone here this morning might be saying, in the light of all that I have said, how can I become one of his people? How can I become someone who sings with joy in their hearts, redeemed, redeemed, redeemed? How can I become someone who is able to sing, I'm redeemed, yes I am, by the blood of the Lamb? And the answer is simple. Looking to the Lord Jesus in faith and receiving him as your Redeemer. You know, Jesus once said that if anyone comes to him, he'll not turn them away. He'll receive them. If you haven't already come to the Lord Jesus and received him as your Lord and as your Redeemer, why not come to him this morning?

Be able to sing with those birds that were set free from that cage, redeemed, redeemed, redeemed. Let's pray together. Our loving God and Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus' sacrifice upon the cross. We thank you that his sacrifice was a perfect sacrifice and that was acceptable to you. The blood that he shed did indeed address the problem of sin and we thank you for it and in a few moments time we're going to meet around the table of our Lord and remind ourselves of his death for us upon the cross. And as we do so, we would be mindful of the cost involved to redeem us. We're going to remind ourselves of how he did so with his own precious blood. Press these incredible thoughts upon our minds, O Lord, we pray and we ask these things in his name.

Amen. Amen. Let's stand, shall we, and sing together as we conclude. Number 436, No Weight of Gold or Silver Can Measure Human Worth, No Soul Secures Its Ransom With All the Wealth of Earth.

No Sinners Find Their Freedom By the Gift Unpriced, The Lamb of God Unblemished, The Precious Blood of Christ. Let's stand and sing. We will not be destroyed, no man made his own. We will not face the strong and the rich and the poor. His words are for our healing, our dearest life is saved. We hope the man of sorrow, the man forsaken, is saved. In Christ our God is overcome, the new world now begins. We rise to freedom, to save us from our sins.

We hold the man of sorrows, the man for sinners slain. In Christ our past is over, a new hope now begins. With him we rise to freedom, who saves us from our sins. We live by faith in Jesus, who made his glory known. We hold the man of sorrows, the man of his soul. We're going to have a very brief break, and then we're going to celebrate the Lord's Supper together as a church. As Laurie said at the beginning, if you know and love the Lord Jesus as your saviour, you're welcome to receive the bread and the wine. Please don't feel you have to rush off.

Please feel free to sit in on the meeting, but we would ask you not to receive the bread and wine. Well, may the grace of God be with you all.

Amen.