(Text and Audio)
Title: Evil Plans and How to Stop Them
I’ve always thought the term “counter-intelligence” was an interesting one. Who can tell us what counter-intelligence is?
Define: activities designed to prevent or thwart spying, intelligence gathering, and sabotage by an enemy or other foreign entity.
What is the goal of counter-intelligence, in one sentence?
To stop evil BEFORE it starts.
(read/pray)
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
Parallels:
Mark 15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.
Luke 15:18-20
18 And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.
20 Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. 21 But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
John 18:49-40
39 “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
Conclusions from Parallels:
- The Chief Priests manipulated the crowd (presumably through fear) so that Jesus would be condemned. Both Matthew and Mark confirm this.
- The crowd understood that condemning Jesus also meant freeing a legitimately dangerous criminal in Barabbas. They did not care.
- Three of the four Gospels (Matthew, Luke, John) express Pilate showing favoritism to Jesus.
- In Matthew he flat out asks, “Why do you want me to release Jesus? What Evil has he done?” (He wants them to reconsider)
- We see something similar in Luke. In Luke 18:20 we read, “Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.” He wants them to think about this again, to compare what Jesus has supposedly done, to what everyone knows Barabbas has absolutely done.
- In John we see two evidences of Pilate’s favoritism to Jesus over Barabbas. First, he says to the crowd, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” And then verse 40 says, “They cried out again, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’” Notice they cried out “again” suggesting Pilate is asking for the second time here.
Also, consider the impact this account had on the early Church, which was almost exclusively Jewish. Consider.
Acts 3:11-15
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
What can we wean from this?
- Peter tells us Pilate was “determined” to let Jesus go.
- He also chastises the Jews for choosing to kill their king and simultaneously release a murderer back into civilization (a double sin.)
- This testimony was a powerful call to reconsideration and repentance from the apostles of the early church. Peter was telling them, “You screwed up. Big time. But it’s not too late to acknowledge this and change your ways!” (Paul’s story is the prime example of a life lived in hatred toward Jesus, only to have that moment of surrender.)
Points of application:
- Evil plans have an inertia. If they are not stopped early, more and more people can get swept up in the sin. (Examples of this? PTL ministries, political scandals, “culpable deniability”)
- Therefore, we have a Christian duty to make examination and enact accountability BEFORE action is taken. (PB’s how to make a tough decision-pray, gather counselors, find at least one you respect who you think may disagree and give them every opportunity to talk you out of it.)
- God is sovereign, but we are also absolutely responsible for our actions. (Do you get the impression that Peter is letting the Jews “off the hook” for what they’ve done?)