Rev. Steven S. Billings
Lent 4 Mid-Week
Sermon
3-5-2008

St. John 19:5

Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!"

By the time we get to today's text, the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ has taken a decidedly somber turn. Those who joined Him in the Upper Room have fled. The ones who slept during His agony in the garden are all gone. The crowd that surrounds Him now has dramatically changed. It started with the deceitful schemes of the religious leaders. This was followed by the abusive mob of soldiers. A crown of thorns was made. A royal robe was mockingly draped around His shoulders. Spittle and sweat, blood and bruising have all commingled to make Jesus a ghastly sight. How far this mighty teacher has fallen! Now, stripped of His dignity, strength and vitality, He is reduced to a spectacle.

Even Pilate, an otherwise cruel and heartless man, is somewhat disturbed by the sight. Feeling as if he has been dragged into the midst of a family fight, Pilate draws the curtain back, reveals the battered figure of Christ, and utters his double-edged proclamation: "Ecce homo - Behold the man!"

And what a sight to behold! What was once an authoritative rabbi has been beaten to a pulp. The cat-of-nine-tails has done its worst - ripped flesh, streaming blood, muscles exposed. Stomachs turn. Behold the man. Pilate has put Jesus on display. Maybe he was mocking the religious leaders. Or maybe this was a rebuttal to anyone who might have thought he had grown too soft.

Or perhaps he is in awe. What would make a man endure so much? He could have renounced his claims and been set free. But Jesus says nothing in His own defense. Like a sheep that is silent before its shearer (Is. 53), Jesus says nothing. Behold the Man.

But, like the shrill cry of some hideous beast, the voice of the crowd is heard: CRUCIFY HIM! To Pilate, this man was no threat. To the governor, this man did not deserve to die. But to the people, there was blood-lust. Whoever this man was, He was marked - marked for death. The crowd would demand it. And Pilate's own future was dependant on how well he kept that crowd under control. That's what made Jesus a threat to Pilate - not His teaching, not His miracles, not even who He claimed to be - but the fact that He had riled the mob. He had been punished for that - and brutally so. But it wasn't enough. Nothing short of death would be enough for these unruly Jews. Behold The Man!

We know what they beheld. But what do we behold? We see a Man who bears in His body everything that we deserve. When we behold this Man we behold the very words of Isaiah the prophet: "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (Is. 53). The blows He received were meant for us. The blood shed was supposed to be ours. Our transgressions, our sins, our punishment - these were all laid on Him. When we behold this man - bloodied, bruised, beaten nearly to death - we behold the handiwork of our own rebellion. Take a good long look! Behold The Man.

And as you look, remember. Remember that this man - whom we see in all His weakness - the One from whom we might be tempted to avert our eyes - this Man is like no other. This Man is the Son of God. He is the one and only man we need, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5). This man, as horrid as He looks, is the ONLY man that can bring the kind of help that lasts. No amount of sacrifice or self-righteousness could ever benefit us. No amount of contrition and confession on our part would ever do. Only THIS MAN can make a difference. Only THIS MAN will intercede between you and God, between your sin and His righteousness. Behold the MAN.

In the weeks to come we will continue to behold this man. There is still much more for us to see. There is more He will say and do. There is a cross that lies ahead. We need to behold this man on that cross. There, in the ultimate human weakness we see God's ultimate strength - driven by nothing other than His unfathomable love FOR YOU.

Behold this man. Behold Him and see just how far YOUR Lord will go for you. Behold Him and see just how much He will endure FOR YOU. Behold Him as He drags His weakened human frame toward a cross that was constructed FOR YOU. Behold THIS MAN. And when you do, behold your Salvation. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen