What Will You Do with the Son of God? (John 18:38-19:15)

·43 min·4 clips

Jesus endured a brutal Roman scourging with a whip embedded with lead and glass, yet remained silent.

The episode is a sermon delivered by a pastor at Orchard Hills Bible Church, expounding on the biblical passage John 18:38-19:15. It begins by reintroducing the key figures from the previous week: Caiaphas, the high priest representing Jewish opposition to Jesus, and Pilate, the Roman governor representing Gentile authority. The host uses graphics from Answers in Genesis to illustrate these characters. He explains Caiaphas's role in prophesying Jesus' death without understanding it and his efforts to manipulate the legal process to have Jesus executed. The sermon then shifts to Pilate, describing his position as governor of Judea, his pride and cruelty, and his dilemma during the festival in Jerusalem. The host reads parallel accounts from Matthew and Luke to enrich the narrative, noting Jesus' silence before accusations and Pilate's amazement. The core of the sermon covers the events in John 18:38-19:15, including Pilate's question 'What is truth?', the scourging of Jesus with a detailed description of the brutal whip, the crown of thorns, and the purple robe used for mockery. The host emphasizes Jesus' voluntary submission to suffering as part of God's will. He discusses Pilate's attempts to release Jesus, the Jews' insistence on crucifixion, and their accusation that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. The sermon explores Pilate's fear and his private conversation with Jesus, where Jesus states that Pilate's authority comes from God and that the Jews bear greater sin. Theological points are made about divine sovereignty, referencing Daniel and Romans. The host describes Pilate's final decision on the judgment seat at Gabbatha, pressured by the Jews' threat about Caesar. Applications are drawn for Christians, warning against envy and hypocrisy, and for all listeners, comparing them to Barabbas who was released in Jesus' place. The sermon ends with a call to non-believers to submit to Jesus, referencing Matthew 27:22 and Luke 11:23.

As heard by us

John 18 is presented as a direct call to submit to Jesus.

The sermon frames John 18 by setting Caiaphas and Pilate as signs of two worlds around Jesus, then keeps circling back to the trial itself. It moves from Pilate's role to the soldiers' crown of thorns, the purple robe, and the blows that follow, and its central claim stays…

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Why you'd press play

If you want John 18, Caiaphas, Pilate, and the graphics remembered this time, press play.

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