Matthew 27:11-26
You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do

I. Duty of Care
1. We have a duty to practice social distancing, groups smaller than 10, stay six feet apart, wash hands.
2. If you own a restaurant, you have a duty of care that the food you serve is healthy, not poisonous.
3. In 2009 Mary bought a ticket to Singapore and back but the airlines couldn’t get her past Atlanta.
4. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. We say that about some chore we wish we didn’t have to do.
II. The Evil of Envy (27:11-19)
A. Pontius Pilate’s Job
1. Pilate doesn’t care about theology; only politics. His duty is keep the taxes flowing to Rome.
2. Pilate’s question is political: “Are you the king of the Jews?” He wants to know if Jesus is a rebel.
3. When the chief priests and the elders accused Jesus, He said nothing. He’s silent like a lamb.
4. Pilate sees that Jesus is no hot-headed rebel. He is not that kind of revolutionary.
5. Pilate doesn’t have time for idealism. His job is to keep these cantankerous people under control.
B. Envy Is Behind the Murder of Jesus
1. The evil of envy that has brought Jesus before a Roman judge and the judge can see that now clearly.
2. Envy occurs when a person lacks another’s superior qualities, or achievements, or possessions.
3. The religious leaders envied His popularity. Earlier Jesus was hailed with “Hosanna!”
4. One reason some people get involved in religion is that they want to be thought of highly.
5. They wanted what He had and if they couldn’t get it, they wanted to take it away from Him.
III. The Mob-Mentality (27:20-23)
1. For the leaders to get their goal of crucifying Jesus, they must turn the crowd against Jesus.
2. Here, the crowd who had greeted Jesus before with “Hosanna” now turn against Him.
3. In a stampede, either of cattle or people, the individuals don’t know why they are running.
4. Here, the herd is steered to call for the execution of Jesus. They thought so many people can’t be wrong.
5. The mob-mentality has taken over. If the individuals thought for themselves may have chosen Jesus.
6. On the one hand, they have Jesus, who has done nothing wrong. He’s straightened people out.
7. On the other hand, there is Barabbas, who is a “notorious prisoner.” He was infamous.
8. He probably thought this would be an easy choice. He wanted to let Jesus go. He made the choice easy.
9. The mob-mentality drives them, here, to ask for the infamous villain and kill Jesus.
IV. The Requirement of Responsibility (27:24-26)
A. Pilate’s Wife’s Dream and Responsibility
1. Because Pilate thinks he’s got to do it, he condemns Jesus to death. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent.
2. Mrs. Pilate had a dream. She suffered much because of seeing her husband condemn Jesus.
3. Pilate’s duty is to keep the peace. If there’s a riot, he’d have to call in the troops and give a report.
4. Those are the things we tell ourselves when we choose what is expedient, the easy way.
5. The leaders are working that crowd hard to steer the herd in the right way. Pilate tries to let Jesus go.
6. Like he’s in a covid19 epidemic, he’ll wash his hands, as though, with that, he’s not responsible.
7. Pilate is responsible. He can wash his hands all he wants but the blood is still on them.
B. Pilate Does What is Expedient
1. Pilate can see the paper work he might get bogged down in if he has to put down a riot.
2. So the Lord Jesus is condemned. He was condemned by a man who thought he was doing his duty.
3. Pilate makes a show out of avoiding responsibility. The people take responsibility.
4. The religious believe their sins are in service to God. They’ll be proud to take responsibility.
5. Forty years later Roman armies crucified thousands of Jewish men, including some of those here.
6. Some day they will wish they were not being held responsible for that righteous man’s blood.
7. Today many think they will not be held responsible for their sins; that sins don’t have to be paid for.
8. Some think no one has to be punished for sins, certainly not scourged or crucified for them.
9. The evil of envy steered a mob mentality causing Pilate to avoid the requirement of responsibility.
10. Pilate gives the order. Jesus is to be scourged. It was vicious torture. The flogging tore lacerations.
11. Ripping and slashing, flaying the skin, flinging blood, tearing flesh. Leaving stripe after stripe.
V. Invitation: By those stripes we are healed. What you’ve got to do, your duty, your responsibility, is stop following the mob, stop envying the world or the rich. See His stripes. Then sacrifice all the vain things that charm you most, sacrifice them to His blood.