Pontius Pilate What do we do when TRUTH

Pontius Pilate What do we do when TRUTH comes into our life?

Before we study John 18 in our small groups… • We want to look at Pilate’s background. • We want to look at three other important events in the trial which Luke and Matthew mention. • We also want to ask what does this mean for people who have already decided to become Christians.

Reflecting on Jesus’s example of doing God’s will • For people deciding whether to follow Christ We must decide if we will follow him even when that includes the world’s rejection and mistreatment. • For Christians - to help us understand what “taking up the cross” means for our lives. • Luke 9: 23 耶�又�大家�： “如果有 人想要来跟从我，他就当否定自己，天 天背起自己的十字架，然后跟从我。 • Luke 9: 23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Pilate’s stone monument: “Prefect of Judea”

An official over a Province • Appointed 27 C. E. Responsible for taxation, public works, and enforcing law - with power of life and death over non-Romans. • Constructed an aqueduct which angered the Jews. • Had only police forces. The “legate” in Syria had four legions. • 37 AD Pilate forcefully stopped a demonstration by Samaritans and executed the leaders. The Samaritans complained to the legate. He suspended Pilate from office and sent him back to the emperor Tiberius. • Later his patron (guanxi) emperor Tiberius died. His nephew accused him of rebellion, and new emperor Caligula sent him into exile.

Tension of new ideas and old Ideals • Romans despised conquered nations and Jews looked down on the other nations. Pilate’s aquaduct offended the Jews. • Jewish writers Josephus and Philo are very critical of Pilate. • Romans taught ideal of fiat justitia ruat caelum “Let justice be done, though the heavens fall” Did Pilate live up to this? • Do we live up to our ideals?

One morning the Jewish leaders came by… • Luke 23: 1 Then the whole (Jewish) assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 于是他�全体民 众就起来，把耶��到彼拉多面前， • 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king. ” • 23 2 开始控告耶�，�： “我�� ��个人在�坏我�的同胞，阻止 �税��撒，�自称是基督、是王。 ”

Wife sends warning • Matt. 27: 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him. ” • 彼拉多正坐在�判席上，他的 妻子派人到他那里�： “��人 的事，你什么也不要管。要知 道，我今天因他的�故，在梦 中受了很多苦。”

Let a Jewish King investigate… • Luke 23: 5 But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here. ” 5 他�却更加�持�： “他在犹太全 地教�、煽�民众，从加利利开始，一直到�里。 ” • 6 Luke 23: 6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 彼拉多听了就�： “�人是不是加利利人？ ” • 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 当他了解耶�属于 希律管�，就把 他送到希律那里。在那些日子里，希律正好也在耶路撒冷。 7

Herod is curious… • Luke 23: 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. 8 希律�到耶�就极其�喜，因�他 听��耶�的事，早就想要�他， 一直希望看他行个神迹 • 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. • 。 9 于是他�了耶��多�，但是 耶�什么都不回答。

Luke 23: 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 祭司��和�文士�都站在那里， 极力控告他。 • 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 11 希律和他的�兵就藐�耶�，� 弄他，�他披上��的衣服，然 后把他送回彼拉多那里。 • 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends —before this they had been enemies. 12 在� 一天，希律和彼拉多竟互相成了 朋友；原来他�两个人一向是彼 此有仇的。

Can we be innocent when rejecting Jesus? • Matt. 27: 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood, ” he said. “It is your responsibility!” • 24 彼拉多知道自己无�于事， 反而�乱倒要�生，就拿水在 众人面前洗手，�： “流�人 [a] 的血，罪不在我，你�自己看 着�吧！ ”

Knowing God is worth more than anything else! • Phil. 3: 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 然而，以前�我有益的事 ，� 在因基督的�故，我已�把�些事 看 做是�失 。 • 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 不但如此，我甚至把 一切都看做是�失，因�我把��我 主基督耶�看�是至高无上的。我� 基督耶��失了一切，而且把一切都看 做是�土 ，�要�得基督，

Small groups: John 18: 33 -19: 8 • Ask the Lord to reveal truths to you that bring blessing and wisdom to your life!