(Compare Matthew 27:25–30; Mark 15:16–19)
DISCOVERY OF THE FACTS
1. Behold the Man, vv. 1–7
To what indignity do we see Jesus subjected in v. 1 of the lesson? For whom was He scourged? (Is. 53:5.) What is the result of His stripes? (24" class="scriptRef">1 Peter 2:24.) What was Pilate’s purpose in scourging Him (vv. 2, 3)? What further indignities were heaped upon Jesus? Why did the soldiers do these things? What is revealed in all this treatment of Jesus? Is it true that “if we live as Christ lived all men will love us”? (John 15:18–20.) How did Jesus receive all these indignities? (Is. 53:7.) What did Pilate next do? What was Pilate’s testimony regarding Jesus? Did he give this testimony more than once? (c. 18:38, v. 6.) Did anyone else give a similar testimony? (Matt. 27:4, 19, 24, 54; Luke 23:41, 47; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19; 2:22; 1 John 3:5.) What did Pilate say as Jesus appeared? Is that a good thing to do? Is there anything better to do? (John 1:29.) What did they behold as they looked? What feelings did Pilate expect the sight would awaken? What feelings might we expect the sight would awaken? What feelings did the sight awaken? What is here revealed? What feelings does the sight of Jesus, bruised and torn, with mocking robe and crown of thorns, awaken in your heart? Are there any who are moved to anger at the sight? What did Pilate say to their yell, “Crucify Him”? Could they crucify Him? Why then did Pilate say this? Could He get Jesus off His hands? Can we? Was there much logic in Pilate’s “Take, crucify Him; for I find no fault in Him”? What was the answer of the Jews (v. 7)? Had they such law (Lev. 24:16; Deut. 18:20.) Were they right in saying He made Himself the Son of God? In what case then would they have been right in demanding His death?
2. Behold Your King, vv. 8–16
What was the effect of that statement upon Pilate? Was he afraid already? What made him afraid? (Matt. 27:19.) What did he do (v. 9)? Was not that a proper question? Was it asked seriously? Did Jesus answer it? Why not? Had Pilate received the declarations that Jesus had already made as he ought? (18:37–39.) If we do not rightly use the light we have, of what may we be pretty sure? How do we know that Pilate would not have acted upon the truth if Jesus had told him? Did he have truth enough already to act upon? Do men who are asking for more light usually have enough to act upon already? Was it more light he needed? What was Jesus doing in all this strange silence (Matt. 27:12–14; Mark 15:3–5. “Silent communion with God, silent submission to His murderers, in silent pity for us, in silent contemplation of the joy that was set before Him.”) What was the effect upon Pilate of Jesus’ silence? What does that show as to the depth of his awe and earnestness in his question? What was Jesus’ answer (v. 11)? From whom had Pilate received his power? (Ro. 13:1; Acts 2:23; Dan. 5:21.) Has any one power for good or evil except from above? Is there any comfort in that thought? Where does our responsibility come in? What does Jesus further add? How had he the “greater sin”? Did these words of Jesus rebuking Pilate’s arrogance and reminding him of his dependence go as deep as an answer to his question would have gone? How does this come out in the text? Had Pilate sought to release Him up to this point? How was Pilate kept back from this good design? Would the reigning emperor have been likely to listen to a charge like that? Ought that fact to have influenced Pilate? (Acts 4:19.)
Was Pilate very different from many men today in the way he acted? Give some illustrations of men acting on similar principle today? What was it proved Pilate’s ruin? (Prov. 29:25.) What did Pilate do (vv. 13, 14)? What day was it? What hour? What did he say? What was the purpose of these words? Was there more in these words than Pilate realized? What can we say as we set Jesus before men? Would it have been well for them if they had beheld their King in Him? What would they have escaped? Will one today who beholds His King in Jesus escape as much as the Jews would if they had beheld their King in Him? What was their answer? What does the world say today when Jesus is held up before it and it is said, “Behold your King”? What was Pilate’s last attempt to bring them to a better mind? What was their answer? What were they renouncing? What goaded them on to this frightful renunciation? What kind of a King was the Cæsar then reigning? If one will not have Christ as King to what sort of a master must he bow? What did Pilate finally do? What made it sure from the beginning that this would be the issue? When we have on the one side determined champions of wrong and on the other side, weak, vacillating, compromising champions of right, what will the issue be? How does compromise always end?
CLASSIFICATION OF TEACHINGS
1. Jesus
(1). What He was:
Divine, 7; human, 1–16; sinless, 4, 6.
(2). What He suffered:
Bitter hatred, 1, 2, 3, 6; scourging, 1; mockery, 2, 3; a crown of thorns, 2; smiting, 3; the hearing of clamorous cries for His crucifixion, 6, 15; condemnation as a blasphemer, 7; crucifixion, 16.
(3). What He received:
Testimony to His guiltlessness, 4, 6.
(4). What He did:
Kept silent under all the indignities heaped upon Him, 1–16; kept silent before the inquiry for further light by the one who was not acting up to the light he had, 9; rebuked Pilate’s arrogant assumption of power independent of God, 11; taught Pilate his utter impotence and dependence upon God, 11.
2. Pilate
Yielded temporarily to the wicked demands of the Jews, 1; reported temporarily and attempted again the release of Jesus, 4, 5; testified to Jesus Christ’s immanence, 4, 6; made many vacillating attempts to dissuade the Jews from their hellish purposes, 4, 12, 14, 15; lacked the courage to do right at any cost, 6, 12, 13, 16; tried to get Jesus off his hands, 6; was moved to fear at Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God, 8; sought to learn the truth of this claim, 9; received no answer to his inquiries—the failure to act upon the light he had debarred him from receiving more light, 9; was piqued in his pride at Jesus’ refusal to answer his question, 10; imagined he had some power independent of God, 10; possessed no power but what God allowed him, 11; received a crushing rebuke to this baseless profession of power, 11; moved by Jesus’ words, he sought the more to release Jesus, 12; was desirous of doing right by Jesus but not willing to risk his own position or head to do it, 12–16; ruined by the fear of man, 12–16; his weak, vacillating, compromising desire to do right finally and utterly overcome by the determined, unyielding purpose of the Jews to make him do wrong, 16.
3. The Jews
Hated Jesus, 6, 15; cried for His blood, 6, 15; could not be turned from their hellish purpose either by the sight of His suffering or the declaration of His majesty, 5, 6, 14, 15; moved only to fury by the sight of the suffering Saviour, 5, 6; demanded the crucifixion of Jesus when presented to them as the suffering one, 5, 6; cried “Away with Him” when presented as their King, 14, 15; defended their murderous hate by an appeal to Scripture, 7; greater guilt than Pilate’s, 11; renounced Christ as King and chose a monster of tyranny, 15.
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R.A. Torrey (1856 - 1928)
An American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. Called by D. L. Moody to head Bible institute in Chicago (now Moody Bible Institute). Dean of Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Pastorates included Chicago Avenue Church (now Moody Memorial) and Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles. Worldwide evangelistic meetings with Charlie Alexander. Founded Montrose Bible Conference, PA. Wrote more than forty books.Torrey held his last evangelistic meeting in Florida in 1927, additional meetings being canceled because of his failing health. He died at home in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 26, 1928, having preached throughout the world and written more than 40 books. Torrey-Gray Auditorium, the main auditorium at Moody, was named for Torrey and his successor, James M. Gray. At Biola, the Torrey Honors Institute honors him, as does the university's annual Bible conference.
Reuben Archer Torrey was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. Held evangelistic meetings around the world with song leader Charlie Alexander. Called by D.L. Moody to head the Bible Institute of the Chicago Evangelization Society (now Moody Bible Institute); Dean of Bible Institute of Los Angeles; pastorates included Chicago Avenue Church (now Moody Memorial Church) and Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles.
Besides his obvious gifts in all these areas, he was also a man of prayer, a student of the Bible, and an outstanding personal soul-winner. It is said that he daily read the Bible in four languages, having a good working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. Some students of church history feel he did more to promote personal evangelism than any other one man since the days of the apostles. His prayer life has seldom been equaled in the annals of Christendom.
Reuben A. Torrey wrote some forty books and his practical writings on the Holy Spirit, prayer, salvation, soul-winning, and evangelism are still favorites of many Christians.