Courageous: The Governor Meets Jesus Courage Demands . - John 18:33-38 John 18:33 - (NASB), Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” ·Pilate also notices that one is defending Jesus – not even Jesus. Pilate does the right thing and examines Jesus privately. ·Jesus explains His Kingdom and His Kingship are not of this world. Jesus came to testify to the truth, not to commit treason. ·What is the truth! How can there be justice, if there is no truth. ·This was his first step of cowardice – putting politics and envy over the truth. Courage Acts . - John 18:38b – 19:4 And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. 39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber. Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3 and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. 4 Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” ·Pilate says twice, “I find no guilt in Him.” ·If Pilate had an ounce of courage, he would act decisively, do justice, and release Jesus immediately. ·Pilate asks the prosecution and their rent a mob who he should release! ·Because Pilate lacked courage, the crowd would soon take control. Courage Recognizes . - John 19:6-11 John 19:6-11, So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” 8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” ·Pilate is losing patience. He is full of fear. His courage is gone. ·For the third times says, “I find no guilt in Him.” But, no one listening. Pilate is a pawn of the mob and we know a pawn of Providence. ·When a leader does not have clarity, and is not decisive, he loses moral authority. Courage recognizes authority, exercises authority, and always remains under authority. ·Lawlessness is for cowards. Courage Stands up to the . - John 19:12-16 John 19:12, As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” 15 So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. ·Pilate is ready to release Jesus, but he is now the pawn of the mob, and the pawn of Providence. ·Pilate was stuck. His lack of courage, clarity, decisiveness – put him on trial. Now he is being dictated to by the mob. ·It was now His life or Jesus’ life. Tim Kimmel says in his book Strong Willed People, that you have to stand up to bullies. If you do, they will either leave you alone or learn to respect you. CONCLUSION: C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky.”