Village Church Annandale (Sydney) sermons

Tucked away in the gospel narratives is this lovely account of Jesus dying in the place of a guilty man. Of course it's an enacted parable of what happens in the big picture with all of humanity.

In today's Daily Bible Time, I look at some of the historical and political issues that are swirling around.

But then we listen to Nathan Tasker's wonderful song 'Call Me Barabbas.'

I knew Nathan Tasker 25 years ago when he was playing itinerantly around Sydney and I was speaking itinerantly around Sydney, and we ended up presenting at the same things a few times.

It remains one of my favourite songs of his.

“Crucify Him!” they shouted so loud
The angry death wish from the rabble crowd
“We want Barabbas set free”.

The choice had been made the hands had been washed
The death of one man is all his freedom cost
But I can’t help thinking Barabbas is me
And Jesus set me free

So call me Barabbas ’cause that’s who I am
All I deserve has been given to Him
The guilty set free, the innocent must die
A lifetime of sin is all that I know
I should’ve been killed but Jesus let me go
NATHAN TASKER

Mark 156 At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. 7 There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. 9 Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” 10 For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. 12 Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?” 13 Again they shouted, “Crucify him! 14 Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

There are all sorts of traditions in our lives, many of them we do without even thinking 'why?'. But what if someone were to redefine one of your traditions... how would you respond? It really depends on who redefines it and what the new definition is.

Join us as Jon Kwan opens up Mark 14:1–26, as we see how Jesus responds to an important tradition for the Jews, the Passover, and what impact does it have on us if he redefines it?

Jesus was prosecuted in the Jewish court of the Sanhedrin - for Blaspheme.

Whereas when they hand him over to the Romans, he is prosecuted in the Roman court - for high treason - for claiming to be another king other than Caesar.

And although Jesus was King of the Jews by virtue of being Messiah. The implications that he wanted to challenge the Roman Emperor is not true.

Mark 15:1 As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

He answered him, “You say so.”

3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” 5 But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.

Peter’s solemn and emphatic denials of Jesus - after such clear promise of fidelity - are such a big warning to us, that we might promise to be faithful, but that doesn’t guarantee faithfulness. 

Peter was likely the source of this story. An example of 2 Corinthians 4:5 ‘For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake.’

Mark 15:66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”

68 But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.

69 When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”

70 But again he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.”

71 Then he started to curse and swear, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”

72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

It is highly ironic and tragic. God’s plan for the messiah in the scriptures was for the Messiah to suffer death for us.  The plan of God is being fulfilled. The Messiah is to suffer death as the Messiah.

But it is tragic. Here are the people of God. The leaders of God’s people. The leaders of God’s chosen race who have his revelation, law and promise and covenants,  And the Messiah comes to them and they condemn him to death for claiming to be the Messiah. 

We want to pray that we would not make that mistake.  That we would recognise Jesus. 

Mark 14:63 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?” They all condemned him as deserving death.

The Sanhedrin is almost out of tricks. All of their witnesses have given conflicting evidence and so don’t meet the standards required for gaining a conviction.

In a last ditch move, the High Priest Caiaphas puts a question to Jesus and gets more than he bargained for.  Jesus confirms that he is the Messiah, but also that he is the living God who spoke to Moses in Exodus 3, and the one who would come on the clouds to the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7. 

Mark 14:60 Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 61 But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

At the trial of Jesus, his accusers misquote him, from a verbal clash in the temple courts early in his ministry. 

They accuse him of threatening to destroy the temple, speaking against the temple itself, which would have been a capitol offence.

But when Jesus spoke in John 2, he was effectively saying ‘You destroy this temple and I will raise it up….’ 

But they didn’t hear it like that.  Or at least they didn’t take it like that. Or at least they chose not to take it like that. 

Mark 14:57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’” 59 Yet their testimony did not agree even on this. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 61 But he kept silent and did not answer.