Allen Jackson - Opportunities Lost - Part 1
You know, grace is the undeserved, the unmerited, the unearned blessing of God. When he shows us kindness that we don’t deserve, it’s not merit-based. If it’s merit-based, it’s not grace. Grace comes from the character of God, his great love for humanity. He loves us so much that he shows us blessings and favor that have nothing to do with what we justly deserve. Hallelujah. The mercy of God are those places where we deserve judgment and God withholds it. The Bible makes an interesting statement. It says realizing that God’s kindness leads us towards repentance. We live in an age where grace and mercy are leading discussion points in contemporary American Christendom. I’m okay with that.
If you look them up in the dictionary, you’ll probably find my picture. I need them. But the purpose of grace and mercy is to lead us towards repentance. It is not intended to extend license to us. We don’t want to lead lives presumptuous of the grace and mercy of God, and I came with good news. If you don’t take anything else away from this one session, please know this. You’re of incredible significance to God and the reality as I understand it from Scripture is that the grace of God is beyond knowing. It’s beyond my comprehension. No matter how much I study and how much I would work to be able to communicate it, I truly believe the grace of God is beyond knowing. Almighty God the creator of all things has shown his love towards us.
When we were rebellious and without God and without hope in this earth, God demonstrated his love for us in sending his Son and yet in spite of that we persist in our self-centered pursuits. We do, even those of us that file into churches and carry Bibles. God presents every one of us with opportunities to cooperate with him. He invites us into his purposes and his plans. There’s no real explanation for that in Scripture, why Almighty God the creator of all things would say to weak, frail human beings, a part of his creation, «I would like to include you in my purposes».
Can you imagine? It’s beyond my intellectual ability to grasp it. I’m still amazed at that. He provides direction to us on how to flourish in our journey through time so that we don’t waste our days and spend our years in futility. He’s established guidelines informed by the wisdom of the creator so that we can understand where destruction would be and where life would be. He even makes provision for our forgiveness and welcomes us back after our self-chosen detours. That’s the story that we all share. And in spite of all of this, in spite of all the expressions of the goodness and the kindness and the love and the mercy of God, our tendency is still to accuse him of injustice, of being calloused, of being indifferent towards us; many times even to his adversaries and to pay attention to the choices that they made to help us make choices that will bring the best of God into our lives.
If you want God’s best in your life, I can give you the key in a single phrase. You have to truly want God’s best. You can’t be indifferent. You can’t be casual. You can’t be lukewarm. If you want God’s best, you have to truly want God’s best. I learned that as a young boy from a voice that was a mentor in my life, and I’ve never lost it and it’s true today. So we’re going to look at some of Jesus’s invitations. It’s a remarkable collection of people from different walks of life, different life stations; and each one is going to be presented with an opportunity to cooperate with Jesus and yet as we will see in these next few moments the majority of them are going to reject that invitation. I say that because I don’t want one of us to do that. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to reject one of God’s invitations for my life.
I don’t want to turn it away. I don’t want to turn my head. I don’t want to act like I didn’t notice. I don’t want to turn up the music so I don’t have to listen. I want to learn to cooperate more fully with God than I ever have before, and I believe you do as well. I want to start with an individual that’s at the center of much of the Jesus narrative as he approached the end of his life. His name is Caiaphas. He’s a high priest. That language is a little blind to us. We have to put it in the grid of the religious world in which we live. The equivalent of a high priest, he was the most powerful religious figure in the day, one of the most powerful political figures of his day. He had access to tremendous power both in the religious sphere and the political sphere. He commanded great resources.
I suppose in the contemporary Christendom he would be the equivalent of the head of a denomination, if you come from one of those arenas. It wouldn’t be vastly different from the pope, but I don’t mean that disrespectfully to anybody around that equation. A very powerful religious leader that had tremendous influence in realms beyond a worship service. His name is Caiaphas. And in Matthew 26, verses 3 to 5 says, «The chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and to kill him. But they said, 'Not during the feast or there could be a riot among the people.'» So in this introduction I’m giving you, Caiaphas is not only the high priest, the most powerful religious leader and certainly one of the most powerful political leaders. We find out that he’s plotting the arrest and the destruction of Jesus.
Now, what’s troubling about that is he’s an expert in this, he’s not marginally associated with Scripture. He’s studied the Word of God since childhood. He knows all the prophecies about Messiah. The Jewish people are awaiting the arrival of their Messiah. In Greek it means Christ, christos. In Hebrew, mashiach. They’re all interchangeable. The anointed one, God’s deliverer, and he should be the one person in the midst of the people of God, the covenant people of God, he oversees the sacrifices in the temple. He oversees the activity on the day of atonement, the holiest days in the calendar of the covenant people of God; and the Son of God is in their midst, and he is plotting his destruction.
That’s a very awkward reality. There are some things you can learn from that little passage. Says the high priest resided in a palace. This particular gathering, the gathering that I just described to you took place in the palace of the high priest. Life is good for Caiaphas. He’s living the good life. He lives in gold circle seating and he has no intention of relinquishing any aspect of that no matter what might be perceived that God is doing. This is near the end of Jesus’s public ministry. He’s no longer a mystery. He’s raised the dead and opened blind eyes. He’s been doing it in Jerusalem this week. Lazarus just lives a few hundred yards from here. Everybody in Jerusalem knows the story. Certainly, Caiaphas knows the story.
Lazarus dead for several days, Jesus brought him back to life again. But he the high priest and those under his influence are scheming. He’s devious. He’s murderous. It’s uncomfortable just to say it. You would expect him to at least be neutral, on the fence, curious, intrigued, a learner. None of the above. He’s a murderous, devious, lying, it’s uncomfortable language. But, you know, the Scripture warns us, Jesus warned us that as we approach the end of the age that pattern will flourish amongst us. False prophets, he said, would abound. The false gospels were already plaguing the church as you read through the letters of the New Testament. Churches that were founded on the truth, that were anchored on the cornerstone of Jesus losing their momentum, being redirected by messages and messengers coming amongst them who were false.
We’re going to have to be more sophisticated. We’ve got to take time to read our Bibles. We have to be familiar with the Spirit of God. We have to know the true and the false, the authentic from the inauthentic and it’s intriguing to me, honestly, how the deception grows. You know, in more than one circle I find people will try to establish credibility by borrowing your name. «Oh, I believe what Allen believes,» or, «I believe what whoever believes». The people listening should know what you believe by who you are and how you live. We’ve got to be wiser. We’ve got to be more prudent. It’s a very important season. What we’re presented in the New Testament in the 1st century is flourishing in the 21st century.
Same chapter of Matthew, Matthew chapter 26 and verse 57. I’m sorry. They’ve arrested Jesus in Gethsemane. «And those who had arrested him took Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin». The Sanhedrin was the religious ruling body. They’re the power brokers. Caiaphas is the leader of that group. «The entire Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death». There is no integrity in the leadership in the community. They’ll plot, they’ll scheme, they’ll lie, and they will purposefully look for false evidence in order to indict Jesus. That’s the leadership he faced in the city of Jerusalem. It’s why he wept when he came down the Mount of Olives on that day of his triumphal entry. It’s why he said, «Judgment is coming for you».
Leadership matters, folks. «They didn’t find any false evidence,» Matthew says, «though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, 'This fellow said, „I’m able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days“.'» Herod’s temple had taken 40 years to build. «Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony these men are bringing against you? ' And Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him,» Caiaphas said to him, «I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you’re the Christ, the Son of God».
There it is. It’s on the table. There’s no mystery any longer. And, again, Jesus is not some professorial character. He hasn’t labored in a library. He’s been living amongst the people demonstrating the power and the authority of Almighty God. They haven’t been able to out reason him. They haven’t been able to trap him with his language. Now they’re paying people to bear false testimony, and finally Caiaphas says, «All right, are you the one»? «And Jesus replied, 'Yes, it is as you say. But I tell you: In the future you’ll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' And the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'He has spoken blasphemy.'»
At that point, Caiaphas faced a choice. Forget all the choices that had brought him up to this point. At that moment, he could have said, «I believe you’re right. I’ve exhaustively studied the Scripture and you checked every box. I’ve interviewed dozens of people that have benefited from your prayers and your miraculous intervention. They can’t be denied. I’ve talked to Lazarus. I’ve been to his home. I listened to him. I questioned his sisters Mary and Martha. I agree with you». But that wasn’t the path that Caiaphas chose. He chose something different. I want to read it to you. It’s unsettling. He said, «What do you think»? «'He’s worthy of death.' Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists, and others slapped him. And they said, 'Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you? '»
Choices made. Opportunities lost. There’s no record in Scripture that Caiaphas ever changed his mind. Well, there were some amongst the priest who did, but not Caiaphas. If I had to look for a category that describes his attitude and his incalcitrance, it’s self-righteousness. He thought he was good enough. He had enough power. He had enough prestige. He had enough resources. He had enough knowledge of Scripture. He wasn’t about to have his routine disrupted even if it was by Jesus.
I want to go to the opposite end of the spectrum with the next character. You know his name if you know anything about the New Testament and Easter weekend. He’s Pilate. He’s the Roman governor of Judea. He’s not Jewish. He doesn’t preside over the daily sacrifices. He’s not a student of Scripture. Very different character. Very different life story. Very different engagement with the community. He’s in Jerusalem and in Judea. Because of his Roman citizenship, he’s been given an appointment; a position of power, of political authority. But the Romans are the ones who do crucifixions. The Jews don’t crucify people. For Jesus to be crucified, the Jewish authorities need the blessing of the Roman governor.
And so after they’ve arrested Jesus in Gethsemane, they bring Jesus to Pilate’s palace early in the morning. They want to get this done before sunset. It’s a holiday and they need it to be done before the sun set. And they begin this interaction with Pilate, and in Luke 23 and verse 13 says, «Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers of the people, and he said to them, 'You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I’ve examined him in your presence and I have found no basis for your charges against him.'» That’s the opposite perspective that Caiaphas had. Caiaphas in spite of the miracles, in spite of all the biblical fulfillment that Jesus represented, he mocked him and wanted him condemned to death. Pilate says, «I’ve interviewed him. I’ve listened to your charges and I can find no basis for your charges against him».
In fact, he said, «I sent him to Herod, who’s the Jewish governor of the Galilee, and he sent him back to us. As you can see, he’s done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I’ll punish him and release him». «With one voice they cried out, 'Away with this man. Release Barabbas to us.'» You know what the liberal scholars will tell you when you read that? I know 'cause I listened to them. They said you can’t trust the authority of Scripture. The Romans crucified Jesus, but the Jewish people didn’t have the courage to say it so they blamed the Romans for it in the Gospels. I believe in the veracity of the report we have in the Gospels. Pilate said, «I find no reason to condemn this man».
And the people said, «We would rather have Barabbas». In the 20th verse of that same 23rd chapter of Luke, «Wanting to release Jesus,» it said, «Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, 'Crucify him. Crucify him.' For the third time Pilate spoke to them, 'Why? What crime has this man committed? I find in him no grounds for the death penalty.'» «I’ll have him punished, or we’ll have him beaten. We’ll make him suffer, but there’s no reason to kill him,» Pilate said. «But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand».
Pilate knows he’s innocent. He’s interviewed him. He’s used to the judgment seat. He passes judgment on the lives of men and women and allows them to live or die on a regular basis. He knows murderers and liars and thieves and his conclusion is that Jesus of Nazareth is as innocent. But there’s tremendous political on him because his assignment is to keep the peace in Jerusalem, to keep the peace in Judea. And if he loses the support of the most powerful religious, political leaders in the Jewish community, his posting is in jeopardy. He’s tried three times. But it doesn’t really stop there.
In Matthew 27 and verse 19, «While Pilate is sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: 'Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man. I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.'» His wife had a dream. The mercy of God. Pilate is given multiple opportunities. And then there’s this fascinating scene in Matthew 27. Begins in verse 24, it says, «When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting…» He couldn’t have that. He couldn’t stand for there to be a riot. «An uproar was starting, so he took water and he washed his hands in front of the crowd. 'I’m innocent of this man’s blood, ' he said. 'It’s your responsibility.' And all the people answered, 'Let his blood be on us and our children.' And he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified».
It’s a hard story. It’s hard just to read it. It’s more difficult to truly think about it. I want to ask you a question. I want to impanel you as expert witnesses. You know something of the character of God. You know something of the kingdom of God. We’re told in the narrative that Pilate knows Jesus is innocent. He understands him to be an innocent man. He’s been warned by his wife. She’s had a dream, saying, «Don’t touch this man». Pilate knowing all of that decides to condemn him to death, but his solution is a bowl of water. He has a bowl of water brought out, and he washes his hands in the bowl and he makes a very feeble attempt. He said, «Now I’m innocent of this man’s blood».
Here’s my question. How many of you think pouring a little water on Pilate’s hands made him innocent in the halls of heaven? Think that’ll do it? If a little water would make you innocent, I’d have brought out a tub. I’d have gone to the Sea of Galilee or the ocean, the Mediterranean or the… I’d have gone someplace for lots of water 'cause imagine the attitude in heaven. Can you hear the silence? Jesus before the judgment seat of the Roman governor, he can free him or he can condemn him to crucifixion. Pilate knows he’s innocent. If Caiaphas was guilty of self-righteousness, where did Pilate miss the grace of God? I would submit to you he made the choice that was expedient. It was the easiest. It was the one that satisfied his ambition for his career, for his future, for his retirement so he could overlook the innocence of an individual.
After all, he was capitulating to the voices of the leaders in the community and it’d be better to be applauded by the community than to take a stand for what you know to be right and he missed his invitation. Think how dramatically different Pontius Pilate’s life would have been if when Jesus said, «You’re right, I’m a king». If he had knelt and said, «My Lord and my king». Well, he would have lost his job no duh, but he would have changed his eternity. «Well, that’s not easy». Who said following Jesus was easy? I don’t intend to present a soft gospel and an easy path. Jesus said unless we take up our cross daily we should not consider ourselves his disciples. It’s free the ground at the foot of the cross and the entrance through that narrow door, but it’s not cheap. Pilate declined his opportunity and there’s no evidence that he ever was given another.
There’s a third character I would point you to. You know this one. He’s a part of Jesus’s inner circle. Jesus recruited him. He spent 3 years with him. He traveled with him. They shared meals together. He saw Jesus walk on the water and speak to the wind and the waves. He saw him raise the dead and open blind eyes. You know his name. He’s Judas. Now, we know he’s a traitor, but that’s an incomplete explanation. I’ve heard so many attempts to rescue Judas, that he betrayed Jesus because he wanted to accelerate Jesus’s acknowledgement as Messiah. Oh, bother. It doesn’t work for me. In Matthew 26 and verse 14, Jesus is speaking, said, «One of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and he asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you? ' So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. And from then on Jesus watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over».
Unbelievable. For 30 pieces of silver, he betrayed the Lord. Judas was the keeper of the money bag. He was the treasurer. There seems to be some question about his trustworthiness long before we get to the point where he actually betrayed the Lord. Jesus knew he would betray him. He told him he would betray him. He told him in front of the other disciples. I’m a bit amused at people who say that Jesus was always about kindness and a group hug, that he was never confrontational. Folks, he confronted the leaders in Jerusalem in public and in private within his own circle. He would say to Peter, «Get behind me, Satan. What you have in mind is not the purposes of God». Sharing the Last Supper with his closest friends, he said, «One of you is a traitor. One of you is going to betray me». And he called Judas out in front of the others. That’s an awkward meal.
You know, I really dislike the idea of a religious lecture. I believe the point of ministry or opening the Word of God is to be transformed by it. So before we go, I want to give you two invitations. One’s a prayer I’m going to pray with you, but the other is our offer this month. The book is «The Lord Is My Shepherd» by my friend Rob Morgan. It’s an important Word in this season to understand God’s direction, his abiding presence, his protection. We all need that. It’ll be a blessing in your life and something I think you want to share with some friends. But I want to pray with you before we go, that we’ll know we’re not alone.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the resources you give us, for the voices that you provide in our lives; that in a world of turmoil and confusion and honestly great fear that your calm assuring voice guides us, and I thank you for it today. Thank you for your faithfulness. In Jesus’s name, amen.