Yes and No
St. Matthew 27:11-54
March 24, 2023 anno Domini
Dylan, Gavin, Taylor, Austin. Are you sinners? The answer is yes and no. It’s one of those strange answers Lutherans get from God’s Word. Yes, you are a sinner, but that isn’t all there is to be said of you because of Jesus. Sinner isn’t your full, real, or final identity. Yes, you sin, but because of Jesus you are also a saint, a child of God, a new creation, a son of your heavenly Father.
Is the water in baptism plain water? Yes and no. Yes, it is plain old Saint Cloud water. No, it isn’t plain water because God has taken hold of it to wash away your sins. That water is the water of death for your old Adam and the water of life that creates a new man in you – a Christian.
Catechesis taught you a lot of yeses and nos. You learned from God’s Word that what you see isn’t all there is. What you think you know isn’t the whole truth. What the world believes is not the whole picture. You learned that from Jesus and that’s why so much of the Christian faith is yes and no.
Take today as an example. The Sunday of the Passion. Passion means suffering. Is suffering good? Yes and no. Suffering is not good because it is the result of sin, but the suffering of Jesus is good because He suffers for your sin. God worked His greatest good in the suffering of His Son because He worked your salvation.
Let’s look at today’s Gospel reading using yes and no.
Was Jesus King of the Jews? Yes and no. He told Pontius Pilate He was, but when asked by the Jews Jesus didn’t say a thing. Jesus wasn’t a threat to Roman rule and that’s one reason the Jews hated Him. The Jews wanted a Mighty Messiah, someone who would make Israel great again. They all had their MIGA hats on during the Palm Sunday processional. But Jesus didn’t come to put Israel in power over Rome. He came to save sinners from their sin. That’s not nearly as exciting or popular, but it’s what the Jews needed. It’s what you need. And that is why He is put to death. It’s the charge Pilate put on the cross. Jesus of Nazareth. The King of the Jews. He is the King of all who believe He is the Son of God and who welcome His reign of forgiveness and life.
Was it justice that Barabbas went free? Yes and no. There is something I never realized about Barabbas until this past week. In Greek his name means “son of a father.” It’s kind of a generic name. Simon was called Simon Bar-Jonah – which means Simon son of John, that’s like Taylor son of Joseph or Gavin son of Daniel. Barabbas probably had a rough childhood. What’s your name? “Son,” Who’s your dad? Father. Barabbas was a nobody until he was notorious for being a murderer.
Opposite Barabbas was Jesus bar-Joseph, but in reality Jesus bar-Theos. Jesus the Son of God. Jesus means the Lord saves. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father in human flesh. What did He do? He made water out of wine, fed 5000 men with a few loaves of bread and some fish. He made crippled men walk, blind men see, sick women well, and dead people alive.
Barabbas was a murderer and an insurrectionist. He was likely the worst criminal Pontius Pilate could find in his jail. Would you release a pedophile back into the population or a murderer, or an Islamic terrorist who had already planted one bomb? If you had to choose between that guy and a preacher who did life-saving miracles and preached sermons that ticked off the self-righteous who would it be? Pilate was banking on Jesus. It was a no brainer, but the crowd chose Barabbas. Barabbas receives mercy, but there is justice in Jesus going to the cross. Sin deserves death. In order for our sins to be taken away Jesus had to die. His Father worked our mercy by justly punishing sin in His Son.
Was Pontius Pilate innocent? Yes and no. No, Pilate was a cowardly politician. He finally caved when “he saw he was getting nowhere.” He was so typical of those who rule. It’s mostly about getting reelected. He ignored his wise wife, which is never good. She had a dream about Jesus and the dreams in Matthew’s gospel are all warnings from God. The Wise men were warned not to return to Herod. Joseph is warned to flee Bethlehem and Pilate is warned through his wife to let Jesus go. Pilate failed as a husband, a governor, and a judge. You should not be surprised that many of our politicians worship at the same altar. They have few qualms about murdering the innocent and are willing to sacrifice God Himself to remain in power. Pontius Pilate is their patron saint.
At least Pilate recognizes his guilt. That is why he washed his hands before the crowd he said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.” He was trying to dodge responsibility, blame his constituents, but miraculously in a few hours he would be innocent.
The blood of Jesus Christ atones for the sin of the whole world, even Pontius Pilate. When Jesus declared “It is finished,” breathed His last, and gave up His Spirit, all the sin of all the world was paid for. Some theologians call that “Universal Objective Justification.” Boys, you don’t need to remember that. You had your exam last week, but you need to believe it. Universal – Christ died for all sinners. Objective – it is not based on you or your feelings, but on a real man dying on a real cross after He shed real blood and offered His real life for your sins. This wasn’t any man. That man is the Son of God. God’s life for the life of the world. God’s blood for the sin of the world. That sacrifice makes you right with God and when you believe Jesus did that, you have all that Jesus did.
Was the crowd right in their request? Yes and no. They asked for the guilt of Jesus’ death to be fully their responsibility. “His blood be on us and on our children.” They asked that they and their children could take the blame and suffering of putting God to death. History seems to indicate God has answered their prayer. On the other hand, as a believer, you might want to pray that often. What better request for you and yours than that the blood of Christ be on you or in you through the Lord’s Supper. It might be the only prayer you want to pray for your children. Don’t let them lose Jesus. Don’t let them stray from His atoning blood.
Today marks the beginning of Holy week, but we should not enter it depressed or downhearted, like we’re heading to Jesus’ funeral. Yes, it is a messed up story with a murderer going free, an innocent man convicted, a self-serving politician, and a crowd of influential people wanting God dead. Is that all there was? Is that all there is today? No. In all this mess, God is at work. This is the greatest event in the history of the world. It is the turning point of human history. God uses a murderer, a coward, and a complaining riotous crowd of activists to sacrifice His Son. It was man at his worst, but it is God at His best. There’s no reason to despair. God is at work for your salvation now as He was then.
The early church believed that Barabbas, Pontius Pilate and Pilate’s wife Procula, all became Christians. It’s possible. They heard the Word of God, saw the Word in the flesh, and certainly Barabbas tasted the miracle of forgiveness as he went free and Jesus was sent to His cross. Maybe that early Christian belief was their way of confessing God’s yes and no. Were Pontius Pilate, his wife, and Barabbas worthy of salvation? Are you? No and yes. Their sins rule them out, but God’s mercy in Christ’s suffering rules them in. The good news today is that God’s yes is always greater than His no. Are you a saint? Your sin says no, but God says yes, most certainly yes, eternally yes, for He has shown you mercy and forgiven you in the name of His Son, Jesus. Amen.