The Substitute Convict
Luke 23:13-25 ·November 17, 2024· Joel Passmore
Part of: Luke, No Greater Love
Part 6 of a 7 week series called No Greater Love
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So we are continuing in our little mini-series in Luke, Luke 23, Luke 22 and 23, called No Greater Love. This is seven weeks, and we're looking at episodes of Jesus' passion, everything that's leading up to him on the cross, which is next week, week seven. So all the different episodes, some of you may be familiar with the things that happened to Jesus, along the way, everything from the garden up to the cross. But we're examining it from the lens of let's let each one of these episodes teach us something about Jesus, something unique about his ministry, about the particular Savior that he is to us.
And today we see vividly that in his suffering, in his trials, in his death, Jesus is taking our place. So our daughters are teenagers now. They just left the room. They're gone. Oh, they're both helping. Oh, okay. Well, good. I can say anything I want about them.
So our daughters are teenagers now. They are more and more independent, practically living on their own, at least in their minds they are. I can still remember when all of that started, when they were toddlers, when they were little, really, really young. When they were tying their shoes or putting on their winter coat or cutting something out and they were doing a craft or making a snack. Sometimes I would go over to them and I would say, here, here, I can help.
And they would say, no, no, daddy, no, daddy. I do it myself. I do it myself, daddy. No, no, no. And it was sweet, right? It was endearing. It was positive. It was them growing and learning. It was part of their growth. And it was okay that it, that if they pushed me away, it was okay that it meant that their shoes stayed tied for 20 seconds. And when they buttoned their coat, it was like, you know, mismatched like this. Or the cutouts were not quite on the lines.
Or there was peanut butter smeared all over the counter. It was fine. I do it myself. I do it myself. I do it myself. But there were times when, for a little one, I do it myself is dangerous. Like if they packed a suitcase for a trip that's the size of their body and dragged it over to the top of the stairs and started to take a step down the stairs. I do it myself, daddy. At that moment, a different side of parenting comes out, right? And all of you adults know, whether you're a parent or not, you know, you rush in.
You're like, no, no, no, no. I'll do it for you. I need to do this for you. Because if you start pulling a suitcase down the stairs that weighs more than you and is bigger than you, you could fall and really get hurt. Lord, we all have a spiritual burden that's like that suitcase.
We want to carry it ourselves. Our flesh tells us, handle it yourself. But if we try to carry it ourselves, it's going to crush us. But the Father sent the Son to say to us, I'll do it for you. So I'll do it for you.
Turn with me to Luke 23. Let's see this. As you're turning there in your bulletin or in your Bibles, I want to remind you this is God's holy word. He speaks to us through it. It's without error. It's reliable in every part, and we should build our lives on it. So let's receive it as God's speaking to us today, starting in verse 13.
Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people and said to them, You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him. But they all cried out together, Away with this man and release to us Barabbas, a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection, started in the city, and for murder.
However, Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, Crucify! Crucify him! A third time he said to them, Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him. But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked.
But he delivered Jesus over to their will. Pray with me. Lord God, work in us as we not just listen to your word, but Lord, help us to receive it with arms outstretched and hands open as hungry people, eagerly desiring to be fed and nourished by your word. This is exactly what you do to us, Lord. You feed hungry people with your living word. Lord, manifest your glory to us, Lord. Cast away every other hiding place that we might want for ourselves.
Show us the only one is in Christ. And how sufficient and wonderful it is to hide ourselves in the one and only Savior. Lord, make that happen today. Do that work in us. Lord, for your glory and for our good. In Jesus' name we pray.
The substitute convict. Jesus is the substitute convict. He was condemned to set the guilty free. This is a remarkable passage, I think. The greatest travesty of justice imaginable. There is no greater injustice than the one that happens in these verses that I have read to you. And yet, and yet, this travesty of justice was used by God to accomplish the greatest act of divine mercy in history.
And here we see a depiction of a very important spiritual truth, something that is at the heart of the gospel. Salvation comes through substitution. There is no other way. Salvation comes through substitution. Let's start with this. The people's choice.
Jesus is before Pilate. Pilate is the Roman governor of Judea. And Pilate is running out of options. He cannot get this Jesus problem to go away. There is an angry group in front of him. The passage says it's the scribes, the chief priests, and the rulers and the people. Three different facets of society all together. The chief priests, the rulers, the people. They're all accusing Jesus together of disturbing the peace, of causing insurrection, of claiming to be king and messiah.
This was Passover. This was feast time. Pilate wanted orderliness. Pilate wanted peace. He wanted these Jews to just do their thing and let me go to my parties. Let me be invited into people's houses. Let people kiss up to me. Let me enjoy all of the trappings, all of the pleasures of power.
The last thing he wanted was to deal with some Jewish grievances about religion. He examined Jesus, but it had yielded nothing. Nothing. He sent him to Herod, the ruler of Galilee, who interviewed Jesus and also found nothing. Pilate offers to punish Jesus before releasing him. The mob is not satisfied. That's not good enough, Pilate. So Pilate makes one last desperate move. The prisoner release custom. Now Luke does not give us all the details here.
We're going to have to turn to another gospel, to Matthew, to fill us in on everything that was happening here. This is Matthew 27. At the feast, the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ? For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.
Pilate is desperate to be rid of this Jesus problem in front of him, but he is too cowardly to just do the right thing and release him. So he puts forward this crafty little choice. He's invented something. He's come up with something that maybe he thinks can get him out of it. Barabbas or Jesus?
Now surely there were prisoners in the jail cells who were more popular than Barabbas. This guy was notorious. That's what Matthew says. He was a thug. He was a loose cannon. He basically was a terrorist. But that's why Pilate suggested him.
So their choice is a dangerous murderer or mild-mannered Jesus who didn't even speak up in his own defense at his trial. What do you want, people? Do you want me to free a terrorist or a teacher?
And the choice should be obvious, right? Pilate thinks this is going to get him off the decision, off the hook. He thought the crowd would find the suggestion of freeing Barabbas just so morally offensive.
They would be forced to choose Jesus. Barabbas actually did what Jesus was merely accused of. Right? Stirring up the people. That's what he did. The contrast between guilt and innocence was so obvious. Surely they would choose Jesus instead of Barabbas, he thought. But Pilate was wrong. They all cried out together, away with this man and release to us Barabbas. The people made their choice. They chose a terrorist over a teacher. They chose mayhem over peace.
They chose murder over life. Why? Why would they do this? Well, each part of the mob probably had its own reason. Now, follow me here. The chief priests, the religious leaders, they had long been offended that Jesus disregarded all of their law keeping, all of their obedience, all of their good deeds. In fact, Jesus defied their traditions and called them whitewashed tombs. Clean on the outside but filthy and full of death on the inside. He disrespected them.
This group of the crowd is thinking, how dare he tell us to repent? How dare he? Doesn't he know how hard we've been working? How zealously we have kept all of the rules? Now, the rulers and the elders of the people, they didn't like, probably, that in Jesus' kingdom power was inverted. It was flipped upside down. Uneducated fishermen and tax collectors could be close to God. What? Those people? They could not only be close to God, they could be leaders in the kingdom?
You've got to be kidding me, Jesus. You're saying, Jesus, that those in authority have got to be servants? Who do you think you are? Jesus undercut all of the cultural norms of what made people valuable and what made people important. And people who were already valuable and important by worldly standards did not like that one bit.
And the people, the common people, the everyday people, that part of the crowd, well, they might be disillusioned by his program. He was supposed to be a king. What is taking you so long?
Do something about these Romans. Where was the improved way of life that you promised that you talked about? Sure, you gave us food, Jesus, but what have you done for us lately?
If you're supposed to be a hero, you are a lame one. I'm tired of this. Do you see yourself in any of those categories? Deeply frustrated that Jesus doesn't look at the good deeds that you're doing and credit that to you as righteousness? Deeply frustrated about who gets in the kingdom of God? Or deeply frustrated that God is not working on your timing?
It seems really strange to us that the people would choose Barabbas over Jesus. It's a self-inflicted wound. But we do this all the time. If peace means accepting Jesus' authority about all three of these categories, then we would rather have mayhem.
That's why every student is excited when they walk into class and there's a substitute teacher there instead of the teacher. No work today. The authority is out of the room. There might be chaos in the room, but at least we can do our own thing.
Yes, we too choose Barabbas over Jesus. We choose mayhem over peace and life. We do it all the time. I do it. But the people are not the only ones making a very faithful choice here. Let's talk about Pilate's choice. Nothing, nothing has worked out for Pilate. The worst day of his life.
Sending Jesus to Herod didn't solve things. The Jewish leaders wouldn't handle it themselves. But they also wouldn't let Pilate just punish and release him either.
And now, his last-ditch effort of offering Barabbas instead of Jesus had failed to. Everything, everything has gone wrong. Pilate said over and over and over and over. Nothing he has done deserves death. Over and over he's tried to release Jesus, but the people just keep getting louder and more insistent and more frantic. and now they're shouting. Now they have a demand. It's become clear to them. Crucify. Crucify him.
This whole situation was getting way out of hand. Why? What evil has he done? But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. Pilate had one of the toughest governorships in the whole Roman Empire. This was supposed to be a stepping stone in his career. A pit stop for him. He puts in his time in a tough assignment. He gets rewarded with some cushy job closer to Rome.
But it was all starting to come unraveled right before his eyes. If there was a riot, he would get the blame. Especially because Jesus was accused of treason and the people that are confronting him with this, they know they know how to get to Pilate. John 19, 12 tells us the Jews cry out, if you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar. So they're getting to Pilate.
Pilate knows that Jesus doesn't deserve death. He's told them that Jesus doesn't deserve death, but he can't take the risk to set Jesus free. He's worked too hard to see it all slip away just because this guy says he's a king and these people just can't let it go.
So Pilate makes his choice. He decided that their demand should be granted. Matthew tells us he took water in this big show and went out and washed his hands before the crowd saying, I'm innocent of this man's blood.
This was a choice of self-interest, of self-protection. He can try to absolve himself, but we know it is in vain. We wouldn't do something like that, would we? We wouldn't cave into fear like that and then rationalize it and call ourselves innocent, would we? I think we would.
Taking Jesus' side feels risky and vulnerable. Allegiance to him puts our own plans in jeopardy. I had this whole thing mapped out. What will happen if we don't protect ourselves and serve ourselves? Pilate felt that his career was on the line. We feel that our relationships are on the line. Our autonomy is on the line. Our reputation is on the line. Our control is on the line.
We know Jesus is true, but we so often fail to follow through when the cost comes. And then we wash our hands and defend ourselves. I know he calls me to flee from sin, but I'm just under so much pressure. I know Jesus says to seek him and his kingdom first, but other people need me.
I know Jesus tells me to take up my cross and follow, but you know, I'm just all about self care right now. Pilate's self-protection didn't work out like he thought. And neither will ours.
Neither will ours. But for all of you like me who are convicted about bad choices, like the people and the pilot and pilot made bad choices, there's good news here. There's good news here and here it comes. We see it in Jesus's choice. Jesus made a choice here too, friends.
Pilate got one thing right, Jesus is innocent. He said it several times, I have found in him no guilt deserving death. And yet when Pilate delivers Jesus over to their will, what does the Son of God do? He doesn't resist, he doesn't protest, he doesn't even speak a word. He submits to their verdict, though it is unjust. Now here's where the good news begins because Jesus gets exactly what we deserve. We are the rebels. We are the insurrectionists.
We are those who have hated God and hated our neighbor. And what does Jesus say hatred is equal to? murder. It is good news that we see the innocent Son of Man delivered up in place of a murdering rebel because at the heart of the gospel is substitution. Listen, remember, Jesus didn't come to teach people how to be saved but to give himself to save people. Now that is a big difference between those two. He did not come to teach people how to be saved but to give himself to save people.
And to save people he had to take their place. He had to get into their place not just by becoming human that's just the beginning but also by standing before the judgment seat in their place by bearing the punishment of sin as a guilty conflict in their place and that is exactly what he did. He did it. He did it church. He got in our place. This was all over the scripture reading that we read earlier from Isaiah 53. Let's go back to it again though.
He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that belonged to us but it brought us peace and with his wounds we are what? We are healed. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, this righteous one my servant make many to be accounted righteous and he shall bear their iniquities. He got in our place. He took our place before the judge. this was Jesus' choice.
He knew it was coming and he did not turn away when the heat got turned up. He stepped in. He took our place so that we could take his. He becomes the guilty one so that the guilty can be pardoned and set free.
That's why the person in this story that I want you to identify with most is not any of the crowd, not any of the mob and not Pilate. It's good to find yourself in them but most of all I want you to find yourself in Barabbas. Barabbas is named in all four gospels. Not even all the apostles are named in all four gospels. Barabbas. He was a bad man. A wicked man. He resisted authority. He rebelled. He killed. He deserved imprisonment and death but he did not get what he deserved.
He got what Jesus deserved. Can you imagine him sitting in a cold dark squalid putrid prison chained up his hands and his feet to the wall staring day after day at the same floor and then he hears the jailer come over. Barabbas get up you've been released. What? Why have I been released? I don't know. All I know is that an innocent man named Jesus of Nazareth is about to be crucified.
So out he goes stumbles out of the prison walls out of the doors out into the sunlight beyond those walls the clamor in Jerusalem can still be heard the crowd shouting crucify him laughing and jeering and mocking the innocent one. The son of God is being stretched out at this very moment for flogging while the rebel the insurrectionist the murderer stands there a free man. there could hardly be a clearer illustration of the gospel than this.
This is the undeserved freedom from sin and death that is yours through Christ Jesus your substitute. If you haven't experienced this yet no really if you haven't experienced this yet this freedom what are you waiting for? Come to him today give all of yourself to him tell him that you are helpless stop saying I can do it myself I do it myself daddy I do it myself agree with him when he says I need to do this for you receive the substitutionary work of Jesus through faith ask him to save you put his put your faith in him and follow him for those of you who have experienced this and and you have put your faith in Christ listen remember this the freedom that you have is real it is not a metaphor it's not a metaphor it's not some clever illustration to try to pump you up and just inspire you it is not an inspirational message it's not a hallmark card it's real freedom from guilt and from sin it's real God himself looks at you even now no matter what kind of week you have had and says to you the same thing that Pilate says about Christ I found no guilt in you deserving death I found no guilt in you deserving death he says that when you feel like you can't get your act together he says that when you feel like a failure he says that when things don't turn out like you like you've hoped he says that when you're confused he says it every day because you are in Christ by faith and it's freedom my friends from the bondage of sin like Peter Peter says live as people who are free live as
people who are free not using your freedom as a cover up for evil but living as servants of God if the son has set you free you are free indeed only if the son has set you free but once he does you are free indeed that will not change no matter what cross you carry the place that you are headed because Jesus took your place