Luke 23:13-26 Pilate, Barabbas, and Simon from Cyrene

Introduction

Throughout history people had made many bad decisions in their lives. Inventor named Alexander
Graham Bell made an appointment with western union to sell them an idea of something called a
telephone. Western Union president gave this answer: “what use could this company make of an
electrical toy?” Bad decision. Michigan banker advised Henry Ford’s lawyer to invest in the new motor
car company assuring him, “horse is here to stay but the automobile is a novelty”. Bad decision. More
recent inventor named Chester Carlson came up with a new machine that was able to make copies of
documents. He approached IBM, but they told him they weren’t interested. Told them the same. Finally
Carson approached a small company called Haloid Corporation, which took the idea and renamed itself
Xerox. Good decision.

We can all look back on bad decision in our lives we have made and said if I only had known then what I
know now, I would have decided much differently. The more the consequential the decision, the more
important it is to make wise decisions. The most consequential decision that any person can make is one
that affects his eternal destiny. As we look into this passage, we’ll look at three people: Pilate, Barabbas,
and Simon from Cyrene. We’ll learn about their relationship to Jesus. As we look into the passage, we’ll
get into detail, but the Jews and Pilate’s decision to condemn Jesus Christ to die was, of course, not a
good decision. God was sovereignly working on it to fulfill his will, and it brought awful judgment on
Jewish nation for rejection of Christ which later revolted against Rome and was wiped out, A.D. 70, and
Jews were scattered among nations for about 1900 years.

But as we look at these three people, we will learn what to decision in our lives, what to do in our lives. I
believe these three people were written for couple reasons. One is for historical facts. Luke, as we
looked at chapter 1, investigated and talked to people who have actually seen Jesus. So, they’re here for
historical facts. Pilate, historical person, Barabbas, people knew at that time that he actually was freed
in place of Jesus, and Simon Cyrene, historical facts. But I believe the emphasis of this text especially is
that they are all there to show the innocence, sinlessness, innocence of Jesus Christ who died in the
place of sinners. So these are the three sinners, Pilate, Barabbas, Simon from Cyrene, but Jesus is
innocent. He’s going to die in their place. So we will learn. If they’re sinners, there’s gotta be some
correlation to them and to us. So we will learn lessons for ourselves as well as we look at these three
people’s relationship with Jesus.
Jesus and Pilate

A. (Luke 23:13) Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people. Few things about
Pilate that we can learn in this text. First of all, Pilate judged Jesus. Verse 13, Luke 23 says, Pilate
called together chief priests, and rulers, and the people. Pilate was in charge, and he was
judging Jesus. This literal picture is helpful in Matthew 27 about his account. (Matthew 27:19)
While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have
anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a
dream because of him.” Now that’s a whole another sermon in itself, but I just wanted to point
out that Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat. Jews had to bring Jesus to Pilate, Roman official,
because they had no authority to kill criminal. So, Pilate is the Roman official in charge of area
of Jerusalem at those times, and he’s in place of judgment seat to judge the execution of Jesus.
It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it? One day there will be reversal of the position between Pilate and
Jesus Christ. Jesus will be on the judgment seat, and Pilate will be judged. In this text, men pour
their wrath on Jesus who is God Himself. But after the final judgment seat of Christ, it is God
who will pour wrath on mankind. In some sense, we are kind of like Pilate that we do make
judgment of Christ in our lifetime. While we are alive, we see and we hear about Jesus, and all
of us had made judgment about Jesus, and in some sense, we are in the judgment seat, judging
whether to receive or reject Jesus. There is a lot of correlation between us and Pilate. Pilate
judged Jesus.

B. (Luke 23:13-15) 13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said
to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have
examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against
him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to
deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” Second thing about Pilate:
Pilate found Jesus to be innocent. Couple things here: Jesus was innocent under Roman law.
Pilate found Jesus to be innocent. Jesus was innocent in both Roman and Jewish law, which
Luke emphasizes. Pilate says, I have found no charges (Luke 23:13-15) against Him. And Luke
emphasizes Herod found the same: Jesus has done nothing to deserve his death. Jesus was
innocent under all human law. This shows Jesus was voluntarily submitting to God. (Luke 23:14).
Jesus was most submissive: under God and under human law as well. He was not the one in
 rebellion, but the mankind. He died in place of human’s rebellion, out of His love. He did not
grumble, but died so voluntarily. The point is, He was the innocent one who died in place of
guilty sinners.

C. (Luke 23:23-24) 23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their
shouts prevailed.24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had
been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered
Jesus to their will. Pilate rejected Jesus and chose Barabbas instead of Jesus. (verse 23)
Incessantly, the crowd demanded Barabbas to be released, and he followed their demand. He
found no offense in Jesus, however (verse 24). In attempt to pass the buck, Pilate sends Jesus to
Herod. But Herod mock Jesus and send him back to Pilate. And Pilate says to the crowd again,
that both him and Herod finds no guilt in Jesus. To appease the crowd, Pilate attempts to
substitute something else other than the cross which sometimes results in death. Harsher part
of beating in passion of Christ, the movie, it was pretty harsh punishment. A man would be
whipped with leather tongs with sharp metal on the ends, and it would shred pieces of flesh.
But the crowd would not be satisfied. Pilate thought the crowd would say ’ok, that’s enough’ if
they beat Jesus really bad. Then he thought of another tactic, where one prisoner would be
released. Pilate thought that they would clearly choose Jesus over Barabbas, notorious robber,
guilty of murder. But the crowd called for Barabbas. Pilate wanted to really release Jesus, so he
kept asking the crowd ‘why, what has this man done?’ Pilate says three times, that Jesus is
innocent. But tragically, Pilate finally made a choice that crowd’s demand to be satisfied.
Symbolically, Pilate passively chose Jesus over Barabbas. The crowd actively rejected Jesus, but
if you think about it, there are far more people who passively reject Jesus. Whether you
passively reject Jesus, or actively reject Him, consequence is still the same. It’s either receive or
reject. Just because voices are louder, it doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Listen to the truth of Jesus
Christ. Pilate did not listen to the truth, but he chose the loud voices of Crowd. If you chose
anything other than Jesus, you chose yourself. Pilate was choosing his popularity over Jesus.
Choosing Jesus ultimately leads to your own eternal happiness.

Jesus and Barabbas

Barabbas has a lot in common with us. There are five things about him we see in scripture
 A. He is a rebellious man. Verse 19 says he is guilty of insurrection in the city and of murder. That
is like us; we are all in rebellion against God’s nations. All felt short of the glory of God.

B. Barabbas was a robber. We are robbers of what God has given us. Whole world’s God’s, but we
ruin it. Even our lives are God’s but we live for ourselves.

C. Third, Barabbas was a murderer. Luke chapter 23:19. We are murders of our own souls we sin
and we are killed because of that. and as well as other people. You hate, you murder. All of us
are murderers of Christ because It is our sin that crucified Christ.

D. Fourth, Barabbas was waiting to die, just like we are sentenced to death, waiting for our
physical death, which is just a warning of eternal death. Before that, we need to receive Christ.
We are in prison, waiting for executing.

E. Fifth, Barabbas was saved because Jesus died in place of him. I believe the author intended to
show us our own lives. Luke 23, the crowd cries out, away with this man, we want Barabbas.
Because of Jesus’s death, Barabbas received life. He literally experienced Jesus dying in his place.
To great irony, name Barabbas means son of father. But the real son of the father suffered and
died in sinful son of man, while son of God dies in place! Barabbas probably was terrified all day,
hearing hammering sound nearby because it indicated his future. The crucification site was
close enough that Barabbas could hear everything nearby. Put yourself in Barabbas’s shoes.
Think about what he was hearing: when Pilate asked, ‘who should I free?’, the crowd was crying
out, “Barabbas! Barabbas!” and when Pilate asked, ‘what should I do with Jesus’, the crowd
cried out “crucify Him, crucify Him!’ in faraway place, all Barabbas hears is his name and “crucify
Him, crucify Him!.’ When the jail door finally opens, he is told that ‘you are free to go. Jesus
died in place for you.’ Application: forever! Be thankful for Jesus who died in your place!

Jesus and Simon

Luke 23:26

I believe Simon pictures who we are to be as Christians, carrying the cross. There are four things we can
learn:
A. first, faithfully serve god every day. Simon was a Jewish name, but he was from Cyrene,
probably an African region. People debate Simon’s nativity, but he was probably a Jew who
traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover or take a census or both. On that day when Jesus
was crucified, he was being faithful in worship. If he was being lazy and did not get up, he would
have missed this incredible opportunity of his name being in the bible and carrying the cross of
Jesus Christ. In our life, we don’t really know when we will meet the opportunities. You will
meet opportunities unexpected! You can’t pick and choose when important moment like that
will come! You have to be faithful daily! The greatest privilege came, when he was going to
worship. His family was probably traveling to worship, to be a faithful person.

B. Remember that Jesus carried the cross for you. You might ask, didn’t Simon carry the cross
instead and not Jesus? But it was actually Simon who was supposed to carry the cross, just like
us. It was Jesus who took over Simon’s and our place. He carried sinner’s cross in behalf of
sinners. Jesus carried the cross for you. We have to carry our own cross, but always remember
that He already carried it for you. When you fall, remember the blood of Christ. Look at the
blood. I also thought myself like this: according to Old Testament law, if you touch the blood,
you are defiled. But Simon bears the cross, and he has blood of Jesus all over him. My question
to you is: does the blood of Jesus make Simon defiled? No, it’s a cleansing blood. So when you
fall remember the blood that is on you that cleanses you. Keep on getting up, keep on going,
and keep on carrying the cross.

C. Third lesson, you need to carry your cross daily. (23) I believe this is the key verse of the Luke,
though some say otherwise. But this is at least one if not the main verse of the gospel of Luke.
As you know, the cross was not just an irritation of trouble. It was instrument of death, for the
worst of criminals. When Jesus talked about denying himself and taking up the cross, He meant
that we, I, are meant to follow him. It means saying no to myself, no to sin, no to my selfish
desires. If you think about it, Simon did not do something he wanted to do. Sometimes, we
need to do the same.

D. Colossians says that Christ’s affliction was lacking, not because His atoning work is lacking, but
His displaying work is lacking; we need to spread the gospel by carry the cross. Show Jesus in
the world, so people can receive His atoning, saving, redeeming work. When my children were
younger, and when I would carry a heavy bag, my two sons would come over to me and put
their hands on the sides of the bag, as if to help me. And they expect me to thank them or
 something [laughs], but now they are all grown and can carry their own bag. We need to carry
the cross. Mark says that a certain man called Simon from Cyrene had sons, Alexander and
Rufus. Romans says, greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother. It’s a good probability that
the family became servant of the Lord because Simon taught others to carry their cross for
Jesus. Simple application: carry your cross daily for Jesus. It’s the most worthy thing to do.

Conclusion

Think about Pilate: Do not reject Jesus. Think about Barabbas Know that Jesus died in your place. Think
about Simon, carry your cross daily. Yesterday was my two children’s birthday. There are five thoughts I
have had: many people think that having many kids would burden me on their birthday, but they don’t
realize that some birthdays can overlap. Ah ha. Second, though they are physically grown, I wish they
would still grow spiritually. Three, I was there when they were born. Fourth, we are all born in the same
place of spiritual birth-the foot of cross. Fifth, my face is the first face they see when they are born. How
pleasant is it that when we are born spiritually, we see the face of Jesus the first. Daily put your hands
on the cross, if you can’t carry it. May we daily carry the cross and follow Jesus and we are gonna grow
so that the world can see Jesus.