John 19:16-18
Hands on the Hammer
John 19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto
them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and
led him away.
17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a
place called the place of a skull, which is
called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
18 Where they crucified him, and two other with
him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
We are approaching one of Christendom’s most sacred days. Although
it is most often called Easter, I like the more descriptive term,
Resurrection Sunday. However, before there could be a Resurrection
Sunday, there had to first be a crucifixion day. If Easter is
coming this Sunday, then on another day this week, we should be
marking the crucifixion.
There is some disagreement about which day of the week on which the
crucifixion occurred. Most believe Friday. Some believe Thursday.
A few believe Wednesday, but one thing is for certain. One day that
week, men’s hands grabbed a hammer and nailed Jesus to a cross, and
before we celebrate the resurrection it seems good that we remember
the crucifixion.
Whose hands took that hammer? Let’s consider that for a moment this
morning.
I. Political hands were on the hammer.
A. Some do not like to discuss politics and religion. They think
they do not go together, but I do not believe you can
separate them for the hands that rule the world rule the
religious as well. That is evident in the crucifixion of
Jesus
B. The Politically Incorrect had their hands on the hammer at the
crucifixion.
1. We sometimes think our time is unique, but…
Ecc 1:9 …there’s no new thing under the sun.
a. The concepts of being socially unacceptable in
behavior is one of the many things that is NOT new.
b. Herod was a man whom the Bible presents as always
being politically incorrect.
(1) This was not Herod the Great, the Herod who was
alive when Jesus was born and who had all the
infants around Bethlehem killed.
(2) This was his son, Herod Jr; but he was pretty
much a chip off the old block.
2. \\#Luke 23:7-12\\ records Jesus quick trip to King Herod.
a. Both Pilate and Herod were appointed rulers by Rome,
but Pilate was only a governor appointed over the
city of Jerusalem while Herod was a king appointed
over the area of Galilee.
b. When Pilate found out that Jesus was from Galilee, and
that Herod was in town on business, he happily sent
Jesus to Herod to let him figure out what to do with
Jesus.
c. The Bible describes this man’s reaction to seeing
Jesus:
Luke 23:8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was
exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of
a long season, because he had heard many things
of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle
done by him.
9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but
he answered him nothing.
d. Like the first Herod, this Herod had made up his mind
about Jesus without ever knowing Him.
(1) It is amazing to me how many do that.
(2) They hear someone make a derogatory comment about
God, the Bible, or even the condition of this
world, and they become instant authorities on
all that is spiritual.
(3) You have a free will and are welcome to do that,
but you will one day find—as this Herod already
has—that doing so makes you an eternal fool.
3. Herod was so politically incorrect that Jesus would not
speak to him and once referred to him as a fox.
a. Herod had it within his power to set Jesus free, but
he did not.
b. Instead, Herod had Jesus beaten and sent Him back to
Pilate.
c. The Herod of Luke 23 was cruel, sadistic, and a
murderer, who showed no regard for anyone but
himself.
d. His hand, the hand of the politically incorrect, was
on the hammer that nailed Jesus to the cross.
C. But the Politically Correct had their hands on the hammer too.
1. As far as Herod was in the politically incorrect field,
that is how far Pilate was in the politically correct
field—for this event.
a. History tells us that Pilate’s role in Jesus’ death
was unusual for him.
b. Pilate seemed to sense something about Jesus and
worked to get Jesus released.
c. Maybe he did that to aggravate the religious for he
knew immediately why they had condemned Jesus, for
envy.
d. Perhaps he did it supposing the people would have
turned further against him for the rumor was Jesus
did good to the people.
2. One thing is for sure, Pilate did not want to condemn
Jesus.
a. Within a few minutes of talking with Jesus, Pilate
sent Jesus to Herod’s, hoping to drop that political
bomb hell into Herod’s lap.
(1) But Herod sent Jesus back!
(2) Jesus bruised and battered for the wear but still
Herod sent Jesus back.
b. Pilate then examined Jesus and told the people no less
than three times, "I find no fault in Him!"
\\#John 18:38, 19:4, 6\\; but still the people, who
Pilate thought loved Jesus, wanted Jesus crucified.
c. Pilate scourged Jesus, seemingly to gather pity for
Him from the crowd; yet the crowd had no pity for
Jesus.
d. Pilate offered them the people a choice of releasing
either Jesus, their miracle-worker, or Barabbas, a
rebel-rouser and killer; but the people chose to
release Barabbas.
e. And when Pilate had no more tricks up his sleeve,
Matthew tells what he did last.
Matt 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail
nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he
took water, and washed his hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of
this just person: see ye to it.
3. Yet all the water in all the oceans and rivers could not
wash the blood of this "innocent and just person" off of
Pilate’s hands.
a. In the end, like so many of the politically correct of
our day, Pilate was just a politician attempting to
ride a popular political wave.
b. But the politically correct had their hands on the
hammer at the crucifixion.
II. The priestly had their hands on the hammer at the crucifixion.
A. There are so many Scripture references to the religious having
a part in the crucifixion, that I could not list them all!
1. If you want one, just open your Bible to most any chapter
in a gospel and read it. You’ll probably find it.
2. What can you say when the forces that should stand FOR God
are standing AGAINST God?
3. That is the stand the religious have taken at most every
important, historical turn.
B. It was the religious who:
1. first persecuted Jesus.
2. arrested Jesus.
3. first beat Jesus.
4. lied about Jesus.
5. paid others to lie about Jesus.
6. condemned Jesus to death.
7. lead others to condemn Jesus to death.
8. took pleasure in the death of Jesus.
9. then started the process all over for those who followed
Jesus.
C. Down through the corridors of time, the religious have stood
on the wrong side of God’s affairs, and I do not see that
changing anytime soon.
D. The religious had their hands on the hammer at the
crucifixion.
III. The people had their hand on the hammer at the crucifixion.
A. Pilate summed up the role of the people in Jesus’ crucifixion.
John 18:35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? THINE
OWN NATION and the chief priests have delivered
thee unto me: what hast thou done?
1. Of late, I have been noticing the order of words in the
Bible, and I am coming to the conclusion that they mean
something.
2. Pilate did not say "the chief priests and thine own
nation" have delivered You to me, but "thine own nation
and the chief priests" have delivered You unto me.
3. I know the religious had stirred up the people, but the
people were not without blame in Jesus’ crucifixion.
4. The people could have stopped the crucifixion, but they
did not.
B. In fact, the religious leaders were fearful that the people
WOULD stop it.
1. Both Matthew and Mark recorded the religious leaders
making their plans to take Jesus.
Mt 26:5/Mark 14:2 But they said, Not on the feast
day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
2. The only reason they took Jesus during the feast days was
that Jesus revealed to Judas that He knew Jesus had
betrayed Him.
a. That revelation spooked Judas who immediately left the
supper and told the religious leaders he had been
found out.
b. They, in turn, decided to arrest Jesus that very night
and have Him on the cross the first thing the next
morning, BEFORE THE PUBLIC COULD DO ANYTHING TO STOP
IT.
(1) That is why they broke their own laws and had
Jesus’ trail during the night.
(2) That is why they were at Pilate’s palace the
first thing the next morning.
(3) And that is why by the third hour (9 AM) they
had Jesus nailed to the cross.
C. But even Pilate supposed that the Jewish people would defend
Jesus!
1. The first two of three times that Pilate pronounced Jesus
innocent was directly to the people
\\#John 18:38, 19:4\\.
a. \\#John 18:38\\ To empahsize that, Pilate said, "I find
in Him no fault AT ALL."
b. \\#Matt 27:24\\ Pilate called Jesus a "just Man."
2. When Pilate had Jesus scourged, he presented Him to the
people!
3. When Pilate offered a choice between Jesus and Barabbas,
the offer was made to the people.
4. Listen to what happened on Pilate’s portico as he
attempted to reason with the people.
Luke 23:20 Pilate therefore, willing (wanting)
to release Jesus, spake again to them.
21 But they (the people) cried, saying, Crucify
him, crucify him.
22 And he said unto them the third time, Why,
what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of
death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and
let him go.
23 And they were instant with loud voices,
requiring that he might be crucified. And the
voices of them (the people) and of the chief
priests prevailed.
24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be
as they required.
5. And when Pilate, in a last-ditch effort, attempted to
change the people’s minds by washing his hands in front
of them, listen to what the people said.
Matt 27:25 Then answered all the people, and
said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
D. No. I do not think Pilate misspoke when he told Jesus, "thine
own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me,"
for the people had their hand on the hammer at the crucifixion
that day too.
E. But I think we should list at least one more group who had
their hands on the hammer at the crucifixion.
IV. The politically dominated had their hands on the hammer at the
crucifixion.
A. In the midst of that group who screamed, "Crucify Him, crucify
Him," there had to be a few who stood in silence, perhaps
even with tears running down the faces.
1. Goodness. There just had to be.
a. There had to be a man who had received his sight.
b. There had to be a mother whose son has been freed from
a demon.
c. There had to be hungry belly that had been fed.
d. There had to be soul that had trusted in the Messiah.
e. There had to be a disciple who had followed from a far.
2. There just had to be.
B. But they stood in silence, weeping, for they were afraid of
the consequences of speaking up.
1. There are things that I just do not understand, and I will
never understand how a city that on Sunday bowed before
Jesus could on Thursday demand his crucifixion, but at
least some did.
a. Maybe the crowd at Pilate’s palace was a planted
crowd.
b. Maybe most of the everyday people were still in their
hammocks and enjoying public adventures.
2. But from everything the Bible plainly says, even those who
loved Jesus, on that day stood in silence.
3. Are sheep born or made, that is a question we should be
asking ourselves today for on that day, those who were
dominated by political winds as good as put their hands
on the hammer that nailed Jesus to the cross.
C. Who stood with our Lord that day? Whose voice spoke out?
Whose hands were not on the hammer? I do not see a one.
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