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      "Authority and Accountability"
      John 19:8-12
      Theme: People who exercise authority (regardless of setting) over others must remember that they represent God.

        1. The Assertion of Authority – 19:8-10

          1. The Insecurity of Godless Authority – vv. 8-9

            1. Pilate was at a tremendous disadvantage – he had not allowed any of the Jewish religious eccentricities to turn his head; he had no awareness of Jesus of Nazareth.
            2. When he heard that the man he had just scourged had "made Himself out to be the Son of God" (v. 7), he became fearful – "Therefore, when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid."
            3. In a superstitious way, Pilate became fearful that this man might actually be connected with the gods in a way that could cause Pilate some harm.
            4. Previously, Pilate had been fearful of the political situation with the Jews; but now, this revelation coupled with his wife’s warning (see Matthew 27:19b), he was afraid of Christ as a person.
            5. This superstitious fear was intense – the word "phobia" is the term used here to describe him; he is extremely insecure and seeks to get to the bottom of it.
            6. "and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, ‘Where are You from’?" – seeking to find out if He was truly from the gods (he knew that he was from Galilee – he had sent Him to Herod).
            7. Jesus, however, refuses to answer the question – "But Jesus gave him no answer."
              1. He refuses to assist Pilate with the superstitious fears that were overwhelming him.
              2. In reality, Jesus refuses to answer for two reason:
                1. First, knowing Pilate’s spiritual state, Jesus refuses to answer because it was over for Pilate – he had already demonstrated by scourging Jesus that he wasn’t interested in truth, only political gain.
                2. Second, Jesus was totally committed to going to the cross – and would refuse any course that might interfere with that result, and therefore refuses to encourage Pilate in the direction other than crucifixion.
            8. Whenever people allow themselves to become their own authority – as Pilate had – they do not have the resources they need to be assured that what they are doing is right – cp. Proverbs 16:25

          2. The Imbalance of Godless Authority – v. 10

            1. Because of Jesus refusal to answer him, Pilate reacts to him by vaunting himself and his authority – "So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You’?"
            2. Here he claims that he is free to do whatever he wants to do – that he is autonomous in the execution of his authority.
            3. He had no concept whatsoever that his authority was designated authority – not merely from Rome, but from God.

        2. The Accountability of Authority – 19:11

          1. The Clarification of the Perspective of Authority

            1. Jesus responds to Pilate’s imbalanced perspective by saying – "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above."
            2. Jesus states here that Pilate fails to grasp the stewardship of authority – that he is not free to exercise himself however he wishes, but is obligated to do what is right as the representative of God – cp. Romans 13:1-3
            3. Any person in authority has the obligation to represent the expressed purposes and will of God regardless of whether it is in politics, schools, churches, or homes.
            4. There is no such thing as inherent authority – that exists only in God – all other authority is delegated.
            5. Thus, Jesus gently rebukes Pilate for dishonoring the One whom he is obligated to represent.

          2. The Condemnation of the Perversion of Authority

            1. As great as Pilate’s prideful disloyalty is toward God, his is not the greatest offense in the scenario before them – "for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."
            2. There is another who had all the benefit of God’s Word, the prophets, and the hearing of the teaching and preaching of Jesus Christ – the High Priest.
            3. Caiaphas had delivered Jesus to Pilate using the authority of the High Priesthood to do so – despite the knowledge of the claims of Jesus and the truth of the Old Testament.
            4. This displays the fact that there are indeed degrees of sin – even as there are degrees of judgment – cp. Matthew 11:24
            5. It seems only appropriate for the last word for Pilate to hear from Jesus mouth prior to the crucifixion would be "sin" – that for which Jesus came to die.

        3. The Annulling of Authority – 19:12

          1. The Maneuvering by Godless Authority

            1. As Pilate observes Jesus clear grasp of authority and sensible responses, he attempts to release Him – "As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him …"
            2. In demonstration of the invalidity of his claim that he is free to do whatever he wishes, Pilate attempts "to release Him" but to no avail.
            3. Despite the tactic used, Pilate came up short – unable to effect the necessary ends to have Jesus freed.
            4. Again, because it was the will of God for Jesus to die, even when the pagan decided to show kindness, God refused to allow His purpose of Jesus’ death to be thwarted.
            5. Whenever we set ourselves in opposition to God we will always be frustrated – regardless of the seeming nobility of our cause.

          2. The Manipulability of Godless Authority

            1. Pilate seems to realize that Jesus is truly innocent and wants to release Him.
            2. However, he is committed not to God’s authority and the cause of righteousness and justice, but to political expediencies and advantages.
            3. When a person is motivated by some sense of arbitrary values and priorities, they have no anchor - a definitive standard by which things are decided.
            4. Consequently, Pilate is swayed by intimidation and threats – "but the Jews cried out saying, ‘If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar’ everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar’."
            5. The crowd threatens to defame Pilate as disloyal to Caesar if he shows any mercy at all to Jesus.
            6. Because of his sense of relativism and personal ambition, Pilate demonstrates that he is more committed to his own priorities than he is to godly principles.

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