[inspiring music]
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[inspiring music]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that
you are joining us.
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We are on a journey
through the Gospel of John,
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looking at the great themes
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that run through
this incredible book.
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We are at the
very-- near the very end
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of our study
together, a 13-lesson study.
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This is lesson number
12, and we're taking a look
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at what everything
has been leading up to.
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This is "The Hour of Glory:
The Cross and the Resurrection,"
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an incredible
study, and we're glad
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that you are here
to join us for it.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we ask that
You'll be with us today
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as we look at
this incredible time
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in Jesus' life and
truly an incredible time
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in the history of the universe.
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We ask that You'll
bless us with a greater
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and deeper
understanding of Christ's glory,
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and we thank You in Jesus' name,
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[together] amen.
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Well, we're happy to
have with us once again
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Dr. Tom Shepherd.
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He is the senior
research professor
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of New Testament at
the Theological Seminary,
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Andrews University.
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Tom, thanks for
joining us again.
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>>Tom Shepherd:
A joy to be here.
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>>Eric: So we've been leading
up to this for quite some time,
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11 weeks, 12 weeks
have led us up to this.
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We're looking now at
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"The Hour of [Christ's] Glory:
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The Cross and
[the] Resurrection."
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Let's get down to
where we are in this story.
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We're leading into the
last hours of Christ's life
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and Jesus'
encounter with Pontius Pilate.
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Walk us through this encounter.
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>>Tom: Okay, so this is
found in John, chapter 18.
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We noted before that
throughout the Gospel of John,
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there's these
interesting experiences
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where Jesus is one-on-one
with another individual.
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We saw Jesus with Nicodemus,
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Jesus with the
woman at the well,
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Jesus with the man
at the Pool of Bethesda.
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Now we're coming down to
the end, and lo and behold,
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Jesus has an encounter
one-on-one with the governor,
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Pilate, Pontius Pilate,
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and it's found in John
18, verses 33 through 38.
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>>Eric: "Then Pilate
entered the Praetorium again,
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"called Jesus, and said to Him,
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"'Are You the King of the Jews?'
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"Jesus answered him,
'Are you speaking for yourself
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"about this, or did others
tell you this concerning me?'
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"Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew?
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"'Your own nation
and the chief priests
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"have delivered You to
me. What have You done?'
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"Jesus answered, 'My
kingdom is not of this world.
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"'If my kingdom
were of this world,
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"'my servants would
fight, so that I should not be
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"'delivered to the Jews;
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"but now my
kingdom is not from here.'
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"Pilate therefore said to
Him, 'Are You a king then?'
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"Jesus answered, 'You
say rightly that I am a king.
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"'For this cause I was
born, and for this cause
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"'I have come into the world,
that I should bear witness
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"'to the truth.
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"Everyone who is of
the truth hears my voice.'
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"Pilate said to
Him, 'What is truth?'
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"And when he had said this,
he went out again to the Jews,
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and said to them, 'I
find no fault in Him at all.'"
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>>Tom: Okay, it's quite
an interesting encounter
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that Pilate has with Jesus.
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Roman governors had,
when they would try somebody,
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they had a rule
that they had to ask them
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three times
questions related to the crime
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that they're involved with.
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And you'll see that
there's three questions
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that he asks of Jesus.
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And the first
one that he says is,
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"Are You the King of the Jews?"
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So this was not the way
that Jesus was condemned
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by the religious leaders.
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They condemned him for
blasphemy, but they knew
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that with Pilate that
wouldn't bear any weight at all.
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And so, since
He is the Messiah--
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that's a kingly
kind of terminology--
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so, they are
presenting Him as somebody
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who is usurping Caesar's
role in the Roman Empire.
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He's a danger to
the Roman government.
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So Pilate asks
Him that question,
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"Are You the King of the Jews?"
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Now, Jesus'
response is interesting
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because He
says, "Do you say this
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of your own accord, or do
others say it to you about me?"
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Now, why does He do this?
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Because Jesus
doesn't give up on anybody.
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He gives them the opportunity,
and He's really talking
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to Pilate. He's kind
of turning the tables now.
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He's not the one on trial.
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Now, Pilate's really kind
of the one that's on trial.
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Is he really
interested in truth?
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Is he really interested in
knowing who Jesus really is,
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or is this just a
question of, you know,
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what the Jews are
bringing before him,
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and he has no
interest in, you know,
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in a deeper understanding.
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So Pilate answers
by saying, "Am I a Jew?
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"Your own nation
and the chief priests
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have delivered You over to me."
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Here's his question:
"What have You done?"
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So, when Pilate
says, "Am I a Jew?"
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he's indicating he's
not interested in Judaism.
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He's not
interested in who Jesus is,
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in the spiritual sense.
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He's just interested
in the facts of the case.
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And so he says,
"What have You done?"
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Now, Jesus then responds, "My
kingdom is not of this world."
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Now, what that
means is, you know,
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sometimes this is
taken as the kingdom of Jesus
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has nothing to do
with affairs here on earth.
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Not quite. [chuckles]
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Because Jesus was very involved
with things here on earth.
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He says, "My kingdom
is not of this world."
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It's actually not from here.
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His kingdom comes from
God, not from human authority,
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all right?
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But then He says, "If my
kingdom were of this world,
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"my servants
would have been fighting
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that I might not be
delivered to the Jews."
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So He says, "My kingdom
is not political in nature
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"like other
kingdoms in this world.
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"I'm no threat to you.
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I'm no threat to
the Roman Empire."
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That's really what He's saying.
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But He does say, you
know, He has a kingdom, right?
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"'But my kingdom is
not from the world.'
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"Then Pilate said to
Him, 'So You are a king?'
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"Jesus answered,
'You say that I am a king.
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For this purpose I was born.'"
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So He's agreeing with
Pilate: "Yes, I am a King."
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See, the kingdom of God is about
the rule of God over His people,
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His covenant with them,
and their obedience to Him,
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their relationship with Him.
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This was the
covenant in the Old Testament;
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the New Covenant has
the same kind of concept
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that we're under
the rulership of God.
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You see, we are
citizens of heaven.
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We are citizens
of earthly kingdoms
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and earthly countries here,
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but that's not our
primary allegiance.
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Our primary
allegiance is to God Himself.
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So Jesus said, "I
have come into this world
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"to bear witness to the truth.
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Everyone who is of the
truth listens to my voice."
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Now, Pilate's response has been
repeated over the centuries:
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"What is truth?"
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You can say that
question several ways.
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[curiously] "What is truth?"
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Or you can say, [contemptuously]
"What is truth?"
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Probably Pilate's
more like the second one--
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[contemptuously]
"What is truth?"--
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because he doesn't
wait for an answer.
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"After he said this, he
went back outside to the Jews
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and told them, 'I
find no fault in Him.'"
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So Pilate has now said,
"This man is not guilty.
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This man is not guilty."
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So He actually
should be released.
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He should be released.
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But of course, that's
not what's going to happen.
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>>Eric: No, and
things get worse from there.
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>>Tom: They do. >>Eric: In fact,
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let's pick this up in John 19.
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I'm going to read
verses 1 through 6 here.
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"So...Pilate took
Jesus and scourged Him.
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"And the soldiers
twisted a crown of thorns
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"and put it on His head, and
they put on Him a purple robe.
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"Then they said,
'Hail, King of the Jews!'
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"And they struck
Him with their hands.
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"Pilate then went out
again, and said to them,
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"'Behold, I am
bringing Him out to you,
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"that you may know that
I find no fault in Him.'
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"Then Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns
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"and the purple robe.
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"And Pilate said to
them, 'Behold the Man!'
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"Therefore, when
the chief priests
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"and officers saw Him,
they cried out, saying,
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"'Crucify Him, crucify Him!'
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"Pilate said to them,
'You take Him and crucify Him,
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for I find no fault in Him.'"
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So what are some lessons
about the cost of discipleship
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that we can learn
from this passage here?
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>>Tom: All right, so
Pilate has Jesus flogged.
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In this setting here
in John, it may be to try
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to, you know, let the leaders
and let the Jewish people know
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that he's, like,
"teaching Jesus a lesson,"
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but he wants to let Him
go, and that the flogging
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should be enough, and
they will have none of it.
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He brings Him out and
says, "'Behold the Man!'
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"And the chief priests
and the officers cry out,
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"'Crucify Him, crucify Him!'
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"Pilate said,
'Take him yourselves
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and crucify Him, for I
find no guilt in Him.'"
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That's the third
time he's said that.
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So he asked
Jesus three questions.
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This is the third time he
said, "I find him as innocent."
00:09:46.15\00:09:50.19
So then, actually in
verse 7, "The Jews answered him,
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"'We have a law, and
according to that law
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"'He ought to die
because He has made Himself
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the Son of God.'"
00:09:58.63\00:09:59.79
Now, this scares Pilate.
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He's like, "Oh,
is this Man a God?"
00:10:02.00\00:10:05.63
He goes back in
and talks to Jesus,
00:10:05.67\00:10:08.10
and Jesus won't talk to
him, won't say anything.
00:10:08.14\00:10:12.97
And he says, "Don't you
realize I have the authority
00:10:13.01\00:10:14.81
to release you or
to put you to death?"
00:10:14.84\00:10:17.75
Jesus answers in
verse 11, "You would have
00:10:17.78\00:10:20.08
"no authority over me at
all unless it had been given you
00:10:20.12\00:10:23.25
"'from above. Therefore he
who delivered me over to you
00:10:23.28\00:10:26.69
has the greater sin."
00:10:26.72\00:10:28.59
So now Pilate
tries to release him,
00:10:28.62\00:10:31.03
but here we really see
the cost of discipleship.
00:10:31.06\00:10:34.36
In verse 12, "The Jews [cry]
out, 'If you release this Man,
00:10:34.36\00:10:38.47
"'you are not Caesar's friend.
00:10:38.50\00:10:41.14
"Everyone who makes
himself a king opposes Caesar.'
00:10:41.17\00:10:45.37
So when Pilate heard
these words"--verse 13--
00:10:45.41\00:10:48.74
"He brought Jesus out
and sat on the judgment seat
00:10:48.78\00:10:51.51
"at a place called
The Stone Pavement,
00:10:51.55\00:10:53.35
"and in Aramaic Gabbatha.
00:10:53.38\00:10:55.38
"Now it was the day of
Preparation of the Passover.
00:10:55.42\00:10:57.85
"It was about the sixth hour.
00:10:57.89\00:10:59.29
"[And] he said...,
'Behold your King.'"
00:10:59.32\00:11:01.62
So this is
interesting because Pilate knows
00:11:01.66\00:11:04.33
he's not going to get
away with not crucifying Jesus,
00:11:04.36\00:11:07.03
but he's really going
to make them pay for it.
00:11:07.03\00:11:10.40
"He said..., 'Behold your King!'
00:11:10.43\00:11:12.37
"They cried out, 'Away with
Him, away with..., crucify Him!'
00:11:12.40\00:11:15.37
"Pilate said to them,
'Shall I crucify your King?'
00:11:15.40\00:11:18.74
"The chief priests answered,
'We have no king but Caesar.'
00:11:18.77\00:11:21.91
So he delivered Him
over to be crucified."
00:11:21.94\00:11:24.15
Now, this is striking
because Caiaphas had said
00:11:24.18\00:11:29.82
earlier back in chapter 12,
"It's better for one man to die
00:11:29.85\00:11:33.12
than that the
whole nation perish."
00:11:33.15\00:11:34.79
They hated Jesus so
much that they were willing
00:11:34.82\00:11:38.39
to set aside their
nationhood and say,
00:11:38.43\00:11:41.23
"We have no king but Caesar."
00:11:41.26\00:11:43.40
So, really, they showed
their own hatred of Jesus.
00:11:43.43\00:11:49.54
It was worse than
their love for their nation.
00:11:49.57\00:11:52.31
And it's a powerful
kind of a statement.
00:11:52.34\00:11:55.78
The cost of discipleship, Pilate
didn't pay the price, did he?
00:11:55.81\00:12:00.42
When he heard that he would
lose his role as governor--
00:12:00.45\00:12:05.89
if everyone who makes
himself a king opposes Caesar--
00:12:05.92\00:12:08.86
he couldn't accept
that He would do that.
00:12:08.89\00:12:11.69
And so he sets that
aside, and he won't have Jesus
00:12:11.73\00:12:15.73
as his Master or as his King.
00:12:15.76\00:12:19.73
He's chosen Caesar
instead of Jesus--tragic.
00:12:19.77\00:12:23.44
>>Eric: And unfortunately,
many people's decisions
00:12:23.47\00:12:25.94
are motivated, or
there's a catalyst
00:12:25.97\00:12:30.38
very similar to that, and
they choose wrong decisions,
00:12:30.41\00:12:33.25
make wrong
decisions today about Jesus.
00:12:33.28\00:12:35.98
We have a companion
book that delves more deeply
00:12:36.02\00:12:38.12
into what we're
looking at right now.
00:12:38.15\00:12:39.49
Share with us a
little bit about that.
00:12:39.52\00:12:40.86
>>Tom: The companion book
is published by Pacific Press.
00:12:40.89\00:12:43.29
You can buy it there.
00:12:43.32\00:12:44.93
Our friend here, Eric,
will tell you how to get it
00:12:44.96\00:12:47.23
at It Is Written. But it
gives you more information
00:12:47.30\00:12:49.90
about the study,
about the background,
00:12:49.93\00:12:53.77
about information
that's interesting,
00:12:53.80\00:12:55.67
about the materials
that are being discussed
00:12:55.70\00:12:58.41
in the lesson.
00:12:58.44\00:12:59.74
More
information than the lesson,
00:12:59.77\00:13:01.14
more information
than the teacher's lesson,
00:13:01.18\00:13:04.11
very good resource
to have, pick up a copy.
00:13:04.15\00:13:07.15
>>Eric: And you can pick
it up at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:07.18\00:13:09.88
Again, that is itiswritten.shop.
00:13:09.92\00:13:12.09
It goes right along
with what we're studying,
00:13:12.12\00:13:13.96
gives you more
detailed information,
00:13:13.99\00:13:15.99
the background on Pilate
and the judgment hall scene
00:13:16.02\00:13:18.46
and so forth.
00:13:18.49\00:13:19.79
You can pick that up
again at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:19.83\00:13:21.93
We're going to come
back in just a moment,
00:13:21.96\00:13:23.43
and we're going
to continue looking
00:13:23.47\00:13:25.00
at the hour of Christ's glory.
00:13:25.03\00:13:28.04
We'll be right back
here on "Sabbath School,"
00:13:28.07\00:13:29.97
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:13:30.01\00:13:32.17
[inspiring music]
00:13:32.21\00:13:34.21
>>John
Bradshaw: It's everywhere,
00:13:35.88\00:13:37.71
adorning
churches, adorning people.
00:13:37.75\00:13:40.82
There's a season every
year commemorating the cross.
00:13:40.85\00:13:44.49
But beyond eggs and
rabbits, there's a power,
00:13:44.52\00:13:47.99
the power of a sacrifice,
the power of the love of God.
00:13:48.02\00:13:52.13
Be sure you see "At the Cross"
and learn about the single event
00:13:52.16\00:13:56.93
that changed the
course of history,
00:13:56.97\00:13:59.57
the event that can
change your life forever.
00:13:59.60\00:14:03.27
Predicted by prophets and
foretold by Jesus Himself,
00:14:03.30\00:14:06.88
what happened at the
cross was a demonstration
00:14:06.91\00:14:09.64
of God's love like no other.
00:14:09.68\00:14:12.21
Humanity's fall into
sin in the Garden of Eden
00:14:12.25\00:14:14.95
brought upon Adam and
Eve and their descendants
00:14:14.98\00:14:17.82
inescapable consequences.
00:14:17.85\00:14:20.22
But into that
turmoil stepped Jesus,
00:14:20.26\00:14:22.26
promising the
planet a way of escape.
00:14:22.29\00:14:25.63
Don't miss "At the Cross,"
00:14:25.66\00:14:28.23
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:28.26\00:14:31.77
[inspiring music]
00:14:36.47\00:14:40.44
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:40.48\00:14:42.11
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:42.14\00:14:44.01
We're taking a
look at the book of John
00:14:44.05\00:14:46.01
and the very closing
hours of Christ's life.
00:14:46.05\00:14:50.12
Tom, I'm gonna
read a little bit more
00:14:50.15\00:14:52.25
from John, chapter
19, verses 17 through 22.
00:14:52.29\00:14:57.29
It says, "And He"--that
is, Jesus--"bearing His cross,
00:14:57.33\00:14:59.83
"went out to a place
called the Place of a Skull,
00:14:59.86\00:15:02.83
"which is called
in Hebrew, Golgotha,
00:15:02.86\00:15:05.77
"where they crucified
Him, and two others with Him,
00:15:05.80\00:15:08.24
"one on either side,
and Jesus in the center.
00:15:08.27\00:15:10.87
"Now Pilate wrote a
title and put it on the cross.
00:15:10.91\00:15:13.84
"And the writing
was: 'JESUS OF NAZARETH,
00:15:13.88\00:15:16.75
"THE KING OF THE JEWS.'
00:15:16.78\00:15:18.28
"Then many of the
Jews read this title,
00:15:18.31\00:15:20.52
"for the place
where Jesus was crucified
00:15:20.55\00:15:22.38
"was near the city; and
it was written in Hebrew,
00:15:22.42\00:15:24.99
"Greek, and Latin.
00:15:25.02\00:15:27.59
"Therefore the chief priests
of the Jews said to Pilate,
00:15:27.62\00:15:30.23
"'Do not write,
"The King of the Jews,"
00:15:30.26\00:15:31.96
"'but, "He said, 'I am
the King of the Jews.'"'
00:15:31.99\00:15:34.86
Pilate answered, 'What I
have written, I have written.'"
00:15:34.93\00:15:38.93
What's the
significance of this title
00:15:38.97\00:15:42.20
that Pilate has
written on the cross?
00:15:42.24\00:15:45.51
>>Tom: Well, of course, this is
00:15:45.54\00:15:47.04
what He was accused of.
00:15:47.08\00:15:49.24
Jesus of Nazareth,
the King of the Jews.
00:15:49.28\00:15:52.25
He's being
crucified as the Messiah,
00:15:52.28\00:15:54.48
as the King of the Jews.
00:15:54.52\00:15:56.32
Now, the reason that
the religious leaders
00:15:56.35\00:16:00.16
don't want that on the cross
00:16:00.19\00:16:01.96
but rather "This Man said,
'I am the King of the Jews'"
00:16:01.99\00:16:05.56
is because it would very easily,
very quickly become known
00:16:05.59\00:16:10.90
why He was
crucified and who got Him
00:16:10.93\00:16:14.00
put on the cross, and it
was the religious leaders.
00:16:14.04\00:16:18.21
Now, some scholars--years ago
I was at professional meetings.
00:16:18.24\00:16:22.48
This is where many
scholars from all kinds
00:16:22.51\00:16:24.85
of different universities
and denominations come together,
00:16:24.88\00:16:28.98
and they talk
about issues like this.
00:16:29.02\00:16:32.69
Somebody said that the
disciples couldn't know
00:16:32.72\00:16:35.69
about the events of Jesus' trial
00:16:35.72\00:16:38.56
because they
weren't there, all right?
00:16:38.59\00:16:41.93
I had recently come back
as a missionary from Africa,
00:16:41.96\00:16:45.67
and I stood up, and I said,
"You know, I was in a country"--
00:16:45.70\00:16:49.40
I didn't name the country--
"I was in a country in Africa
00:16:49.44\00:16:51.94
"where the president had one
of his ministers assassinated.
00:16:51.97\00:16:56.68
"And the government
paper said that he had had
00:16:56.71\00:17:00.72
"an auto accident.
00:17:00.75\00:17:02.45
"Nobody, nobody
was fooled about this.
00:17:02.48\00:17:06.19
Everybody was
talking about this."
00:17:06.22\00:17:08.99
And I said, "You know,
the events of Jesus' trial
00:17:09.02\00:17:14.13
"and death wouldn't
be able to be hidden.
00:17:14.20\00:17:16.87
The truth would come out."
00:17:16.90\00:17:18.20
In fact, you see this
in the Gospel of Luke.
00:17:18.23\00:17:20.70
When Jesus rises from the dead
and He's on the walk to Emmaus,
00:17:20.74\00:17:24.04
you have these two fellows,
and they're walking along,
00:17:24.07\00:17:26.14
and Jesus comes to join them.
00:17:26.17\00:17:27.48
Their eyes are held,
or being holden by God,
00:17:27.51\00:17:30.35
so that they
can't see who He is.
00:17:30.38\00:17:32.25
And He says,
"What are these things
00:17:32.28\00:17:34.28
you're talking about?"
00:17:34.32\00:17:35.98
And they stop, and their faces
are downcast, and they say,
00:17:36.02\00:17:40.02
"Are You the only
stranger in Jerusalem
00:17:40.06\00:17:42.82
who doesn't know what happened?"
00:17:42.86\00:17:45.09
And He says, "What things?"
00:17:45.13\00:17:46.43
And then they tell Him
the story. So it's true.
00:17:46.46\00:17:49.16
Everybody was
talking about this.
00:17:49.20\00:17:52.03
So that's why they
were upset that, you know,
00:17:52.07\00:17:55.70
that this is what
was written on the cross.
00:17:55.74\00:17:58.07
Well, Pilate finally
gets strength in his backbone,
00:17:58.11\00:18:01.08
and he says, "What I
have written stays written."
00:18:01.11\00:18:04.41
So Ellen White says
in "Desire of Ages,"
00:18:04.45\00:18:07.18
there was a divine
hand that guided him
00:18:07.22\00:18:11.09
in what he wrote.
00:18:11.12\00:18:12.42
Because this is a declaration
that He was crucified
00:18:12.45\00:18:15.86
as the Messiah,
the King of the Jews--
00:18:15.89\00:18:18.33
very interesting.
>>Eric: Fascinating.
00:18:18.36\00:18:21.33
Let's drop down
just a few verses.
00:18:21.36\00:18:23.97
We'll read verses 25 through
27. >>Tom: Very beautiful.
00:18:24.00\00:18:27.90
>>Eric: "Now there
stood by the cross of Jesus
00:18:27.94\00:18:29.77
"His mother, and
His mother's sister,
00:18:29.80\00:18:31.51
"Mary the wife of
Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
00:18:31.54\00:18:34.58
"When Jesus
therefore saw His mother,
00:18:34.61\00:18:36.78
"and the disciple
whom He loved standing by,
00:18:36.81\00:18:39.65
"He said to His mother,
'Woman, behold your son!'
00:18:39.68\00:18:42.98
"Then He said to the
disciple, 'Behold your mother!'
00:18:43.02\00:18:46.15
And from that hour that disciple
took her to his own home."
00:18:46.19\00:18:49.99
>>Tom: This is a very touching
scene, actually, very tragic.
00:18:50.03\00:18:54.63
You can imagine Jesus is a
young man. He's in His 30s.
00:18:54.66\00:18:59.47
His mother is
probably in her 50s or 60s.
00:18:59.50\00:19:03.44
And here she is watching her Son
00:19:03.47\00:19:04.87
die on the cross in shame.
00:19:04.91\00:19:07.58
And it had to be just
terribly hard for her.
00:19:07.61\00:19:11.58
There's actually
three Marys here:
00:19:11.61\00:19:13.15
Mary His mother,
Mary the wife of Clopas,
00:19:13.18\00:19:16.28
and Mary Magdalene.
00:19:16.32\00:19:18.15
In Portuguese they
call this "Las Tres Marias,"
00:19:18.19\00:19:21.72
the three Marys.
00:19:21.76\00:19:23.93
So when Jesus saw His
mother there at the cross
00:19:23.96\00:19:27.30
and the disciple whom
He loved--that's John--
00:19:27.30\00:19:29.26
standing nearby,
He says to His mother,
00:19:29.30\00:19:33.30
"Woman, behold your son!"
00:19:33.34\00:19:35.47
And He says to the
disciple, "Behold your mother!"
00:19:35.50\00:19:38.44
Now, remember, being crucified,
00:19:38.47\00:19:40.44
it was very
difficult to breathe.
00:19:40.48\00:19:43.04
So any statements that
you made, you had to make--
00:19:43.08\00:19:47.25
they were short statements.
00:19:47.28\00:19:48.75
So this is very
typical, would fit perfectly
00:19:48.78\00:19:52.45
with this idea--"Woman,
behold your son." [inhales]
00:19:52.49\00:19:55.89
"Behold your mother."
00:19:55.92\00:19:57.86
And John immediately understood
what Jesus was saying.
00:19:57.89\00:20:01.93
He didn't have
anything to give for her.
00:20:01.96\00:20:04.00
His clothes
were being, you know,
00:20:04.03\00:20:06.94
divided up among the soldiers.
00:20:06.97\00:20:08.77
And so He did have a
disciple who loved Him, though,
00:20:08.80\00:20:12.97
and would care for His mother.
00:20:13.01\00:20:15.18
So it's a beautiful expression
of His love for His family,
00:20:15.21\00:20:21.12
love for His mother.
00:20:21.15\00:20:22.45
Even when He's suffering,
suffering terribly on the cross,
00:20:22.48\00:20:25.85
suffering under
the sins of the world,
00:20:25.89\00:20:27.69
He cared for His
mother, took care of her.
00:20:27.72\00:20:29.92
It's beautiful.
00:20:29.96\00:20:31.56
>>Eric: And that love
and care, as you said,
00:20:31.59\00:20:33.53
extends right to the
very end of Jesus' life.
00:20:33.56\00:20:35.90
Let's look at
verses 28 through 30.
00:20:35.93\00:20:38.47
"After this, Jesus,
knowing that all things
00:20:38.50\00:20:40.80
"were now
accomplished, that the Scripture
00:20:40.84\00:20:42.94
"might be
fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!'
00:20:42.97\00:20:45.94
"Now a vessel full of
sour wine was sitting there;
00:20:45.97\00:20:48.58
"and they filled a
sponge with sour wine,
00:20:48.61\00:20:50.68
"put it on hyssop,
and put it to His mouth.
00:20:50.71\00:20:53.28
"So when Jesus had
received the sour wine, He said,
00:20:53.31\00:20:56.48
"'It is finished!'
00:20:56.52\00:20:57.82
And bowing His head,
He gave up His spirit."
00:20:57.85\00:21:00.62
>>Tom: Okay.
00:21:00.66\00:21:01.96
>>Eric: So what does this
statement "It is finished" mean?
00:21:01.99\00:21:05.56
What was finished here?
00:21:05.59\00:21:07.13
>>Tom: All right, so
what was finished was--
00:21:07.13\00:21:08.43
what was
accomplished was our salvation.
00:21:08.46\00:21:10.60
Jesus said back
earlier in chapter 4
00:21:10.63\00:21:14.47
that He came to
complete His Father's work,
00:21:14.50\00:21:17.31
and His work is the
salvation of the world.
00:21:17.34\00:21:18.87
"God so loved the world,
that He gave His only Son,
00:21:18.91\00:21:21.58
"that whoever believes
in Him should not perish
00:21:21.61\00:21:23.58
but have [everlasting] life."
00:21:23.61\00:21:24.95
That's what He accomplished.
00:21:24.98\00:21:27.28
In chapter 10
and verse 18 He makes
00:21:27.32\00:21:30.99
a significant
statement, Jesus Himself.
00:21:31.02\00:21:33.76
He says, "No one
takes it from me"--His life.
00:21:33.79\00:21:37.09
He says, "No one
takes it from me,
00:21:37.13\00:21:39.03
"but I lay it
down of my own accord.
00:21:39.06\00:21:41.36
"I have
authority to lay it down,
00:21:41.40\00:21:43.10
"and I have
authority to take it up again.
00:21:43.13\00:21:46.00
This charge I have
received from my Father."
00:21:46.03\00:21:49.57
So, He came to redeem the world,
and He accomplished that work
00:21:49.60\00:21:54.04
at the cross, so,
"It is finished"--
00:21:54.08\00:21:56.61
that means the plan
of salvation is secure.
00:21:56.64\00:21:59.78
It's beautiful.
00:21:59.81\00:22:01.18
>>Eric: If that was
where the story ended,
00:22:01.22\00:22:03.05
it would be
powerful, but not as powerful
00:22:03.08\00:22:06.39
as what happens when
we get to chapter 20.
00:22:06.42\00:22:08.26
>>Tom: That's right.
>>Eric: In chapter 20,
00:22:08.29\00:22:09.92
verse number 1,
it begins with this:
00:22:09.96\00:22:12.26
"Now on the
first day of the week
00:22:12.29\00:22:13.60
"Mary Magdalene
went to the tomb early,
00:22:13.63\00:22:15.76
"while it was still
dark, and saw that the stone
00:22:15.80\00:22:17.87
"had been taken
away from the tomb.
00:22:17.90\00:22:19.97
"Then she ran and
came to Simon Peter,
00:22:20.00\00:22:22.04
"and to the other
disciple, whom Jesus loved,
00:22:22.07\00:22:24.17
"and said to them,
'They have taken away
00:22:24.21\00:22:26.31
"'the Lord out of the
tomb, and we do not know
00:22:26.34\00:22:28.64
"where they have laid Him.'
00:22:28.68\00:22:30.28
"Peter therefore went
out, and the other disciple,
00:22:30.31\00:22:32.71
"and were going to the tomb.
00:22:32.75\00:22:34.58
"So they both ran
together, and the other disciple
00:22:34.62\00:22:36.82
"outran Peter and
came to the tomb first.
00:22:36.85\00:22:39.92
"And he, stooping
down and looking in,
00:22:39.95\00:22:42.79
"saw the linen [clothes] lying
there; yet he did not go in.
00:22:42.82\00:22:47.23
"Then Simon Peter
came, following him,
00:22:47.30\00:22:49.13
"and went into the tomb;
and he saw the linen cloths
00:22:49.16\00:22:51.67
"lying there,
and the handkerchief
00:22:51.70\00:22:53.47
"that had been around His head,
not lying with the linen cloths,
00:22:53.50\00:22:56.40
"but folded together
in a place by itself.
00:22:56.44\00:22:59.01
"Then the other disciple,
who came to the tomb first,
00:22:59.04\00:23:01.44
"went in also; and
he saw and believed.
00:23:01.48\00:23:04.45
"For as yet they did
not know the Scripture
00:23:04.48\00:23:06.51
"that He must rise
again from the dead.
00:23:06.55\00:23:08.68
Then the disciples went
away again to their own homes."
00:23:08.72\00:23:13.62
There's an empty tomb,
which is not what you expect
00:23:13.66\00:23:17.36
after someone
has been laid there.
00:23:17.39\00:23:18.69
>>Tom: That's right.
00:23:18.73\00:23:20.20
And of course,
the first supposition
00:23:20.23\00:23:22.66
that Mary makes is that somebody
00:23:22.70\00:23:25.50
has stolen the body, right?
00:23:25.53\00:23:27.30
So she ran, and she
says, "They have taken the Lord
00:23:27.34\00:23:30.41
"out of the tomb,
and we do not know
00:23:30.44\00:23:32.74
where they have laid Him."
00:23:32.77\00:23:33.91
She doesn't think
He's risen from the dead.
00:23:33.94\00:23:36.18
She believes that
somebody has moved His body,
00:23:36.21\00:23:38.68
and this bothers her, of
course, and the other disciples
00:23:38.71\00:23:41.08
are concerned about this
as well. So they run there.
00:23:41.12\00:23:44.79
And then they
come into the tomb,
00:23:44.82\00:23:47.32
Simon Peter is
the one who goes in,
00:23:47.36\00:23:49.89
"And he saw the
linen cloths lying there,
00:23:49.92\00:23:52.16
"and the face cloth,
which had been on Jesus' head,
00:23:52.19\00:23:54.93
"not lying with
the linen cloths,
00:23:54.96\00:23:56.50
but folded up in
a place by itself."
00:23:56.53\00:23:59.80
Now, remember, we've
said before that any detail
00:23:59.83\00:24:02.24
that appears in Scripture
is almost always important
00:24:02.27\00:24:05.71
to the story, right?
00:24:05.74\00:24:07.44
So this is
important to the story
00:24:07.48\00:24:09.61
because it indicates
that Jesus rose from the dead.
00:24:09.64\00:24:13.95
Because thieves
will not take the body,
00:24:13.98\00:24:17.79
they'll take the
expensive perfume
00:24:17.82\00:24:19.25
that's there.
00:24:19.29\00:24:20.59
They will not fold grave cloths
00:24:20.62\00:24:22.39
because they're in
a hurry to get away.
00:24:22.42\00:24:24.56
So this says
something else has taken place,
00:24:24.59\00:24:28.03
and that
something else, of course,
00:24:28.06\00:24:29.70
is the resurrection of Jesus.
00:24:29.73\00:24:32.27
And it's interesting--
John goes in; it says,
00:24:32.30\00:24:35.04
"And he saw and believed."
00:24:35.07\00:24:37.47
Hey, he seems to have
been the one more open
00:24:37.51\00:24:40.01
to these kinds of experiences.
00:24:40.04\00:24:41.41
But then they go back, and
Mary is left there at the tomb.
00:24:41.44\00:24:44.95
So we should read
that part, verses 11 to 18.
00:24:44.98\00:24:47.55
>>Eric: "But Mary stood
outside by the tomb weeping,
00:24:47.58\00:24:50.15
"and as she
wept she stooped down
00:24:50.19\00:24:51.65
"and looked into the tomb.
00:24:51.69\00:24:53.12
"And she saw two
angels in white sitting,
00:24:53.15\00:24:55.86
"one at the head and
the other at the feet,
00:24:55.89\00:24:57.63
"where the body
of Jesus had lain.
00:24:57.66\00:24:59.56
"Then they said to her,
'Woman, why are you weeping?'
00:24:59.59\00:25:02.63
"She said to them, 'Because
they have taken away my Lord,
00:25:02.66\00:25:05.30
"and I do not know
where they have laid Him.'
00:25:05.33\00:25:07.64
"Now when she had said
this, she turned around
00:25:07.67\00:25:09.90
"and saw Jesus
standing there, and did not know
00:25:09.94\00:25:12.41
"that it was Jesus.
00:25:12.44\00:25:13.74
"Jesus said to her,
'Woman, why are you weeping?
00:25:13.78\00:25:16.38
"Whom are you seeking?'
00:25:16.41\00:25:17.78
"She, supposing
Him to be the gardener,
00:25:17.81\00:25:19.71
"said to Him, 'Sir, if
You have carried Him away,
00:25:19.75\00:25:22.25
"'tell me where
You have laid Him,
00:25:22.28\00:25:23.59
"and I will take Him away.'
00:25:23.62\00:25:25.22
"Jesus said to her, 'Mary!'
00:25:25.25\00:25:27.79
"She turned and
said to Him, 'Rabboni!'
00:25:27.82\00:25:30.43
"(which is to say, Teacher).
00:25:30.46\00:25:32.23
"Jesus said to her,
'Do not cling to me,
00:25:32.26\00:25:34.56
"'for I have not yet
ascended to my Father;
00:25:34.60\00:25:37.17
"'but go to my
brethren and say to them,
00:25:37.20\00:25:39.67
"'"I am ascending to
my Father and your Father,
00:25:39.70\00:25:41.87
"and to my God and your God."'
00:25:41.90\00:25:43.87
"Mary Magdalene came
and told the disciples
00:25:43.91\00:25:46.54
"that she had seen the
Lord, and that He had spoken
00:25:46.57\00:25:48.78
these things to her."
00:25:48.81\00:25:50.11
>>Tom: That's a great
story. That's a great story.
00:25:50.15\00:25:52.45
Now, here's the
interesting thing.
00:25:52.48\00:25:54.45
He said one word to her.
00:25:54.48\00:25:56.72
We're reminded of Nathaniel
at the beginning of the Gospel,
00:25:56.75\00:25:59.79
who, when Jesus said, "I
saw you under the fig tree,"
00:25:59.82\00:26:02.22
a small, little revelation that
led to this amazing declaration
00:26:02.26\00:26:07.13
of Nathaniel
that He's the Messiah.
00:26:07.13\00:26:09.70
And when Jesus says, "Mary,"
00:26:09.73\00:26:12.57
she immediately
recognizes that it's Jesus
00:26:12.60\00:26:15.57
who was risen from the dead.
00:26:15.60\00:26:17.27
The small
revelation, one-word revelation,
00:26:17.31\00:26:19.84
changed the world,
that she said, you know,
00:26:19.87\00:26:22.78
He's now the risen Lord.
00:26:22.81\00:26:24.98
And He says, "Don't hold
me back because I haven't gone
00:26:25.01\00:26:28.45
"to the Father yet,
but go tell my brothers
00:26:28.48\00:26:30.69
what has taken place."
00:26:30.72\00:26:32.02
And she goes and says,
"I have seen the Lord."
00:26:32.05\00:26:35.26
It's a wonderful,
wonderful ending to the story.
00:26:35.29\00:26:39.06
But of course, we're not really
at the total end of the book.
00:26:39.09\00:26:42.60
We are closer to the end
of the Resurrection story.
00:26:42.63\00:26:47.07
You know, we have
stories about Him appearing
00:26:47.10\00:26:49.40
to the disciples
and appearing to Thomas.
00:26:49.44\00:26:51.81
And then it
concludes that chapter
00:26:51.84\00:26:54.64
with the purpose of the book.
00:26:54.68\00:26:56.31
But surprisingly, the
book's not quite over yet.
00:26:56.34\00:26:59.48
There's still yet
another chapter to come.
00:26:59.51\00:27:01.85
But now we have the good news
of the risen Lord from the dead.
00:27:01.88\00:27:06.69
>>Eric: And with
that news we get to be led
00:27:06.72\00:27:09.42
into the very
tail end of the book,
00:27:09.46\00:27:11.93
the epilogue, if you will.
00:27:11.96\00:27:13.86
And next week we are
going to be looking at, finally,
00:27:13.90\00:27:16.73
lesson number 13,
the very last lesson
00:27:16.77\00:27:20.17
in our study of the book
of John and the great themes
00:27:20.20\00:27:23.67
that run through this book.
00:27:23.71\00:27:25.81
If you happen to have missed
any of our preceding episodes,
00:27:25.84\00:27:28.98
lessons, you can find them
00:27:29.01\00:27:30.28
at itiswritten.tv,
they're archived there,
00:27:30.31\00:27:33.08
or on the It Is
Written YouTube channel.
00:27:33.11\00:27:35.95
But don't miss
the very last lesson.
00:27:35.98\00:27:38.99
That's going to be next week.
00:27:39.02\00:27:40.39
We're looking at the epilogue
tying everything together
00:27:40.42\00:27:42.96
here on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:42.99\00:27:44.36
brought to you by It Is Written.
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