Jeff Chamblee The Bible. It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions. Welcome to Exploring the Word.
Alex McFarland Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Well, welcome to Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here, and we invite you to get a copy of God's Word and turn to the NewSong Testament book, Book of Matthew, Matthew 27. We're going to pick it up about verse 15, and Dillon Burroughs and I are going to go through Matthew 27. We're kind of coming to a conclusion of our study of the Gospel of Matthew. Bert Harper is at the Fishbowl retreat this week ministering to pastors and wives from around America. And so we're very honored always when we have Dillon on. And so, Dillon, first of all, thank you for being with us on Exploring the Word this week.
Dillon Oh, great to be with you as always. One of my favorite books, the Gospel of Matthew. And a very pivotal moment in the gospel as we dive into the middle of chapter 27 today, talking about Pilate and then Barabbas and what that means both in that time and applications for us today.
Alex McFarland Indeed. And today is the day of prayer on, Exploring the Word. it was Brent Austin's idea and a really good idea for a couple of years now. On Tuesdays, we take prayer requests. And if you've got things on your heart that you'd like us to pray with you and agree in prayer, I'm going to give that number, although we won't get to the phones until later on in the show. But it's 888-589-8840 and you can share prayer requests. Dillon, when we get to this part of Matthew 27, we're going to come to a verse that is, just one of the saddest verses in all the Bible. But, Jesus has been before Pilate, there was that interaction. We kind of read through that and talked through it yesterday. But there was a custom in verse 15 about releasing a prisoner at Passover. It says now at the feast, that's Passover. And of course, Passover was very famously when they were slaves in Egypt and the death angel passed through. If the blood was on the doorpost of the house, death would pass by. Otherwise the firstborn of every house would die. So the death angel passed over. And of course, the very vivid Gospel implication Of that when the blood of Jesus is on our heart and soul were washed clean, death has passed over because it was put onto Christ for us. And how appropriate that Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world. And, at Passover because he, after centuries of slaughtering lambs and making blood sacrifices, Jesus is the Lamb of God. There would never be anymore, no need anymore for sacrifice. But there was a custom and they asked the people, and it says verse 16, there was a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. And therefore when they had gathered together, Pilate said, whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ? For they had handed him over because of envy. Now, Dillon, I think what Pilate was wanting and frankly assuming certainly they would say release Jesus because Jesus was kind and godly and merciful and healed and taught Scripture. I think Pilate was hoping, here's the way, that I'm not going to be a participant in the guilt of this man's execution. Certainly a wicked criminal like Barabbas will get crucified. A godly servant of the people like Jesus won't get crucified. That's not the way it turned out, was it?
Dillon No, not at all. And we often miss the significance of what is happening here. Jesus has been up all night through various trials. He's been arrested, he's been beaten, he's been mocked, and now he's before Pilate, who's the leader of this region. And Pilate sees the situation from a political standpoint. He's thinking, how do I get out of this, in the best shape possible? And so he's there on the Passover, it's already a holiday. And he's thinking, I'm going to go to my tradition of releasing a prisoner. Maybe I can use this as my out in this situation. And as you mentioned, he mentions Barabbas, who is a well known prisoner apparently during that time for rebellion. And some even think that the other men who were on the, the other two crosses beside J were associated with Barabbas. We don't know for sure. but he thought that for certain these political leaders had handed him over with envy, but that the crowd would side with Jesus of Nazareth who is called the Christ. And so he pitches that as the option to get him out of his political situation. But he's surprised by what happens both by the crowd and by a message from his wife that we see in these following verses.
Alex McFarland So while Pilate is sitting on the judgment seat, and that's you know, very pictorial in itself. Because the one that they're dealing with, the crucifixion of, Christ will be the judge of the human race. But his what Pilate's wife sent him a message saying, have nothing to do with that just man. For I've suffered many things today in a dream because of him. Apparently, Pilate's wife had a dream that Jesus is righteous. Some translations say that righteous man. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. In other words, it was a whisper campaign and the people feared the priest. I mean, Dillon, we've, got to, I think, point out that the soul of people was assumed to be at least, to some degree in the hands of these priests and elders. And I mean, when the priests and elders, you know, gave a directive, you know, the. The people were pretty compliant and felt like they'd better do it. And they said, look, ask for Barabbas. So pilate asked, verse 21, which of the two do you want me to release to you? And they said, barabbas. Pilate said to them, what then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They said, let him be crucified. Now, verse 23 is, not really part of the protocol. I wouldn't think Pilate would have probably ordinarily said, okay, whatever, we'll, release the one you asked for. But there's almost desperation here. Pilate says, why, what evil has he done? But they cried out all the more, saying, let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising or a riot, really, he took the water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it. Now, before we go to the next verse, Dillon, this is very significant. You know, we have an idiom or a saying, you know, well, I wash my hands of the whole affair. Well, it comes from Pilate. Very visibly. He washes his hands. He says, look, I have tried, and you guys are bent and determined that Jesus is going to be crucified and a known, criminal insurrectionist Barabbas, is going to get released. notice in verse 23, Dillon, when Pilate asks, what has he done? They didn't give any charges. They just said, crucify him. Crucify him. This is not just. It's not due process. It's not even reasonable, is it?
Dillon No. And we see that theme three times in this passage, you know, in verse 22, let him be crucified. Verse 23, let him be crucified. And then at the end of that passage, he delivered him over to be crucified. So there's that emphasis on going from this extreme of a person who didn't even deserve to be punished to being wrongly punished with a death sentence. And for us, looking at it from the outside, it's easy to. To point fingers at Pilate and say, how could you do such a thing? He was under some pretty strong pressure, as you mentioned, There was an uprising taking place among the people. His job as a political leader in that area was to keep calm, keep the law. And he saw this as something he needed to do to keep the peace among the Jewish people in Jerusalem at the time. And so instead of doing the right thing, he went along with the crowd and sought to, you know, remove himself as a guilty party and hand him over to be crucified. There are a couple of important things here to mention. One is that the Jews could not put Jesus to death without the consent of the Roman leaders in their area. And so this had to be done for him to be crucified, because it was a Roman form of capital punishment, not a Jewish form of capital punishment. But the other thing that I see that's very significant in terms of application is that we see Pilate going along with the crowd. He was the top political leader in his area, and yet he was going along with the popular vote, so to speak. this is very, intriguing to me because it's something that we deal with in our lives today is that there's that temptation to do what other people are doing and not stand for what is right. And this is a classic example of what happens. You can't just wash your hands and remove yourself from doing, what the crowd is doing. You have to make a bold stand to do what is right and stand with Jesus and stand on the side of truth.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen. you know, in some church history books, they theorize that maybe Judas and Barabbas knew each other. They may have been in a sect that had, banded together to try to go to war with Rome. because, you know, one of the things like Pilate is this regional governor and Rome was an occupying presence in Jerusalem. And the most devout and really, I guess, most committed, Jews, they really, really didn't like that because they felt like, this is our land. these gentile Romans have no place here. And so there were different factions that wanted to go to war with Rome. And Judas and Barabbas, and maybe these other two criminals on the other two crosses, were part of some insurrectionist sect that wanted to, go to war with Rome. But the crowd is insistent. They want Barabbas released, a guilty man rather than the sinless son of God. And so, you know, it's interesting, Dillon, how it all comes together. God didn't force it. God doesn't force evil. but, you know, God foreknew it all. Now, here's what's so sad. because we love the Jewish people now. They need to get born again, like anybody does. Somebody wrote into me, by the way, I've been very vocal in my support for the nation of Israel. And I got an email, in fact, this person might be listening even right now. And they said, why don't you believe that Jews need Christ like all the rest of us? I do. I have never, nor would I ever say that Jews go to heaven merely by virtue of being ethnically Jewish. But I have said the land, and I believe in the Abrahamic covenant being an everlasting covenant. The land, by historical precedent and by divine right, the land of Israel belongs to the Israelites. but they still, like Jon 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, a person must be born again. But verse 25 is all the. The more tragic. The people answered and said, his blood be on us and on our children. Pilate had said, I'm innocent of the blood of this righteous man. Now, in, Joshua 2:19, there is a verse that says, if you are complicit with the death of an innocent person, their blood will be on your head and on your hands if you could help, and you don't. And so the people, some of them no doubt would have known Joshua 2:19, their cry out, his blood be on us and on our children. Now, what they were saying is, in the strongest unequivocal terms, we know what we're doing, we know what we're demanding, and we're willing to pay the consequences. Release Barabbas, execute Jesus. This is very serious stuff with implications right down to this very moment, actually. Dillon, what do you say?
Dillon Well, I know we're going to break in a moment, but I do want to just emphasize what you said, that every person needs to believe in Jesus and his death and in his resurrection. That we'll find out about later. Later. But that these details matter. That Jesus was mistreated, that he was mocked, that he was innocent, yet, called guilty and sent to the cross on behalf of our sin and sins of those of the world. we pray for those who are out there still considering Jesus and look forward to talking with you more and joining you in prayer after the break. And we'll be back with more in just a few moments.
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Dillon give the praises don't stop.
Alex McFarland Welcome back, to Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here along with Dillon Burrows. Incidentally, Dillon will be with me at the COVID next summer. this is July 12 through 16, the Billy Graham Conference center in Western North Carolina. I'll be there. and it's what a great honor to have Lauren Greene of Fox News, the, the longest serving anchor on Fox News, Devout Christian and Dr. Dillon Burroughs, prolific author, will be teaching on biblical worldview. We would love for you to be there. The website, if you have never been to the COVID it's just amazing. It's been my great honor to speak there for more than 20 consecutive summers. But the website is thecove.org T H E C O V E and if you would like to learn biblical worldview and how to implement it in your life and in your church. 7-12-16 next summer. And we hope you'll be there and you'll get to meet Dillon in person and Lauren Greene and Angie and I will be there. But it is the day of prayer and if you want to call in with a prayer request, it'll be a few more moments before we answer the phones. But that number is triple 858-98-8840. Triple 858-9840. Dillon, we're back in Matthew 27. So the people are crying out, very sad. and let's remember that just 40 years later after this will be the dispersion, March of 70 A.D. rome would pretty much ransack Jerusalem. The Jews would be dispersed and it would be 1900 years before the nation of Israel would be reborn. And that was May 14, 1948. So this self inflicted verbal curse of Matthew 27:25, his blood be on us and on our children. Dillon, I just it, it's hard to even read that because that's a pretty Dark, oath they cried out there, wasn't it?
Dillon Oh, you're exactly right. And then it gets worse from there. From the perspective of Jesus and what he endured being a Barabbas's release, verse 26 tells us, Jesus is scourged or whipped. He's delivered to be crucified, and then he's handed over to the Roman soldiers. Because in our minds, we tend to think that, okay, Jesus is handed over, and then he's nailed on the cross, the end. But there's a section in between, starting in verse 27, where the soldiers of the governor, the Roman soldiers, they took Jesus into the praetorium. And verse 27 gathered the whole garrison around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. Verse 29 says, when they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and a reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, hail, King of the Jews. Then they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to be crucified. It's hard to imagine what Jesus was going through. You know, from a human perspective. If we had the power of Jesus, we would have put a stop to that right away. But he endured the hardship of the cross and all of the mocking and all of the pain and all the persecution leading up to the cross on that morning in a way that we could not even imagine. this is just a taste of what he went through and such a tragic, point during the story of his life. But it's all part of his love for us and a powerful testimony that even when we're going through the most difficult times, God has a plan and God has a purpose for our lives.
Alex McFarland Amen. Well said. They are mocking him like they've done before, and they're hitting him and, they're sarcastically saying, hail, King of the Jews. And as you read there in 31, he was led away to be crucified. you know, we're almost done with Matthew, but I want to read these verses because they are so powerful. No need to go, slowly. Here they come out. They found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to bear his cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, place of a skull, they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when he had tasted it, he would not drink. Now that Was a, type of a painkiller. He didn't take it. there was no anesthetic or anything. The full brunt of all of this pain Jesus Christ endured for us. They crucified him and divided his garments, casting lots that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet. They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. This is from Psalm 22. And, also, well, they are gambling Psalm 22, by the way. We're going to see more of Psalm 22 from the cross here in just a moment, in verse 46. But sitting down, they kept watch over him there. It's interesting. Verse 36. I mean, they're. They're like watching. They. They've crucified him just as a. As a fallen human, but he's God incarnate. And I wonder if they're watching, you know, will lightning come down from heaven? Will, you know, some supernatural miracle take place? But they're watching. And, Dillon, let me just say this, and I don't mean to, you know, editorialize here, but there. There have been many throughout history that have come to Jesus just like a spectator, you know, I remember many years ago, Woody Allen, the famous director, he interviewed Billy Graham. Billy Graham, very famous evangelist. And Billy Graham, during the course of the interview. It's on YouTube. Woody Allen, who was one time viewed as a very artsy, cutting edge, you know, edgy film director, Billy Graham says, what about you, Woody Allen? Do you believe in God? And Woody Allen kind of says, well, I'm an agnostic. And Billy Graham says, well, what would it take to convince you that God exists? And Woody Allen says, well, a miracle. Billy Graham says, well, there have been a lot of miracles, like the resurrection. What kind of miracle are you asking God to do? And Billy Graham, Woody Allen just laughingly, he says, oh, well, make a million. A million dollars show up in my offshore bank account. Ha ha ha. And everybody kind of laughs. But you don't trifle with God like some spectator. God do a trick, and I might do you a big favor and believe in you. No, we're to. Well, for one thing, we're accountable for what we know. And every. Like Dillon said, a moment ago, if you have never made your decision for Christ, you need to do that because we'll answer for what we did with the knowledge we had. And we're telling you so you have this knowledge. Christ died for you, and he is the one and only Savior. And he's as close by as A prayer. But they put over his head an accusation written against him. This is Jesus, King of the Jews. Dillon, I got to ask you a question. Verse 37. Why would they call that an accusation? Because it's a true statement. He is King of the Jews. Jesus is the king. they put this placard, and this is also in Jon 19, by the way. why would they say that's an accusation, do you think?
Dillon Yes, that's a good observation. This is Jesus, the King of the Jews, that reads in verse 37 that the sign that was put up over his head. And they put it there because that's what he claimed. Correct. the King of the Jews. He is the Messiah, the anointed one, the chosen one. And yet he was rejected by his people. And he has a kingdom not of this world. He would go on to also, share in the NewSong Testament. So this was the accusation, because this is what his teachings proclaimed and what was rejected by the religious leaders. And they had to put something for his charge. And Pilate said he was innocent, but yet he was accused as being the King of the Jews.
Alex McFarland Indeed. and by the way, Jon tells us that it was in a couple of languages. and, you know, they wanted Pilate to take it down. But Pilate said, what I have written, I have written. You know, Pilate had a rare little bit of conviction there. would have been different if he had shown that much conviction earlier on. But the two robbers crucified with him, one on the right, one on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed, wagging their heads and saying, you who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Verse 40. They didn't know what they were saying. Jesus willfully staying on that cross is what paid our sin debt. Saying, if you are the Son of God, no, he didn't come down from the cross because he is the Son of God. He was there drinking the bitter cup of all the pain, all the wrath, because he loves us. And he took the punishment for sin so that we wouldn't have to. And that's why, folks, listen. every one of every now and then, you'll hear somebody say, well, you can't pay for your own sin. Well, actually, if you paid for your own sin, it would be eternal hell. But God doesn't want you to do that. God wants you in heaven. God wants to be a part of your life right now. And that's why we always say you know, put your faith in Jesus, he says, close by as a prayer and be forgiven. But they were blaspheming. And the chief priests also mocking with the scribes and elders, said he saved others. Himself he can't save. Now Let me talk about 42. This doesn't follow at all. This is what's called a non sequitur, non sequential. They're saying, look, he saved others. He can't even save himself. no, not necessarily. He's on that cross because he's going to be the savior of whosoever will would come. People often say to me, Dillon, there's the problem of pain and suffering. They'll say, well, the world has all this evil. if, if God could do something about it, he would have. Well, God has all the power. But God is long suffering, patient, not willing that any should perish. God could snap his fingers and bring this world to a halt right now. But he's waiting for more and more people to get saved. And so I think it's very interesting, besides sin and blindness and wickedness, there's just a lot of faulty thinking here. And you know, the lost world still reasons incorrectly about Jesus sometimes, don't they?
Dillon Way they do. And 41 reminds me that the scribes and the elders were the ones who were saying these things. And those who should have known the scriptures the best and been most prepared when Jesus came and made himself present as the Messiah, were the ones who mocked him in his final hours on this earth. And it still today. Sometimes those who have all the information, who have all the knowledge, who are considered the religious elite, are the ones who are spiritually blind to the true message of Jesus. We are not immune to this kind of spiritual blindness. We are called to follow Jesus according to the teachings of scripture. And that includes salvation, as we've talked about, but it also includes the moment by moment walk with God. We are called to live every day. A, second thing here that's so important, this idea that they said, you know, come down now from the cross and we believe in you. It reminds me of the saying that you've maybe heard before that it wasn't the nails that kept Jesus on the cross. It was his love for you and it's his love for me. It's a powerful reminder. Yes, he could have come down from the cross if he wanted to. That was not part of God's plan. His plan was to give himself for us, to provide eternal life. It's a powerful reminder that we're seeing here in graphic detail in these moments today.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen. you know, we talk about the fact that not every gospel records every single thing. Dillon and I have a colleague that we've worked with named J. Warner Wallace. Jim Wallace. And he is a renowned detective, became a great Christian. He's a great apologist. Also, Lee Strobel, who has a law degree from Yale. Lee was an atheist until he was well into adulthood. But both of these men, left their at and became believers, largely because of the fact that the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon, they have complementary details, but not always the same details. For example, you've got the robbers here who were crucifix, crucified, on either side, adjacent to Jesus. And it mentions that, you know, they were crucified. But for example, Luke 23:42 has a conversation. One of the robbers, you know, says to the other, robber, do you not fear God? You know, we deserve this condemnation, but this man has done nothing. Verse 42 of Luke 23. The robber on that one cross says, jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say today you will be with me in paradise. that's not that little conversation is not in Matthew 27:44 here. Now, it doesn't mean it didn't happen. It did happen. In fact, Luke the physician is meticulous with his handling of the details of the Gospels and Acts. But Dillon, I think it's interesting that those who are experts in evidence and evidentiary, evidentiary, investigation, like Lee Strobel, like J. Warner Wallace, they said, okay, the, the varying details, complementary details, not contradictory, but complementary. This shows the veracity, the trustworthiness of the Gospels. It doesn't undermine, it really affirms. And so, you've got four biographies of Jesus in fact. Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon. I'll say this, I'll throw it to Dillon. Very often, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon are called the Synoptic Gospels, which means seeing together Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon, very, very, similar. And then the Gospel of Jon, which is also complementary, but really emphatically sets forth the divinity of Jesus. You read these four Gospels, you've got an amazingly comprehensive picture of the life, three year ministry, death, resurrection, ascension of the Son of God.
Dillon Yes. And you've highlighted some important portions of why we trust the Gospels. for example, in journalism, if you were to investigate the eyewitnesses of a particular crime and the stories all contradicted one another, you'd say, okay, something is not right here. We need to find out what is wrong. Because these stories cannot all be accurate. But, when you interview eyewitnesses and their stories complement each other but share different aspects of what happened, it gives you a fuller picture of the entire story and the entire scene. And that's what we see in the gospels. These, different details that we see in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon complement each other. They don't contradict each other. So it gives us a bigger picture of what happened. But it also gives us a stronger, conviction that this information is accurate and it is true. They didn't try to harmonize it to make it all sound exactly alike. They shared what they knew as eyewitnesses or those taking the stories of the eyewitnesses in some cases and presenting them for those today and throughout the history of the church. So it's a very key point that you mentioned there. And then just this idea that the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing. sometimes we were just so spiritually blind. From the religious leaders to those who are on the cross and we got a break. When we come back in just a minute.
Alex McFarland We're going to come back. Yes, with your prayer request. Stay tuned.
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Alex McFarland don't stop praying don't stop calling on Jesus name Keep on pounding on heaven's door Let your knees wear out the floor don't stop belie Amen. Don't stop praying don't stop believing hey, let me say this. And I believe it to the core of my soul. God has blessing for you. God has good for you no matter what you're facing. Take it to Jesus. you know, Matthew 6:8. He knows what we need even before we ask the number. If you'd like to share a prayer request. And we will take Bible questions too as well. But you know, Tuesday, we like to pray together. And that number is 888-589-8840. Triple 858-98840. You will get through. We have some Lines open. I know we have some callers on hold. Just stay put and we'll get to you. we also take prayer requests over email, and a lot of people will Facebook message Brent Austin. The Exploring the Word Facebook page, which we invite you to like and email. But, Brent Austin, do we have some, prayer requests that have come in online? We do.
Alex McFarland I have several already. And thank you so much for using Facebook to do that. that helps us out a lot as well. first off, I've got one from Gina. She needs prayers for her aunt Patti, who is awaiting cancer test results.
Alex McFarland Okay. Gina, regarding aunt with cancer test. That's right, results. Okay, another.
Alex McFarland I'll give you another right here. Nancy. she is still, without a job, and she's dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety because of that. she's been dealing with that for quite a while.
Caroline Quite a while.
Alex McFarland If I remember right, folks, pray for Nancy, who needs a job. Brent, thank you for sharing those. I'm going to come back to you right now. I want to go to Texas. Deborah in Texas. thank you for holding. do you have a prayer request? Deborah?
Caroline Hello?
Alex McFarland Yes, you're on.
Caroline Oh, this is Deborah. hi, Alex M. Hi.
Alex McFarland Thank you for calling.
Caroline Nice to talk to you. I really love your, ah, program, and I listen to it all the time. Thank you for answering my call. Yeah, I'm here with my cousin, Rhonda Linden, and she's in the ICU at Harris Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, and she's in critical condition. You know, she's gone through some surgeries, and, she's not really m. Responding to me right now, but I really like to. she's got tubes in her mouth and her nose, and we're the same age.
Alex McFarland Amen. well, I want to pray for. I want to pray for Rhonda, if I may, right now. And, let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, we lift up, Rhonda, which is, Deborah's cousin there in ICU in critical condition. I don't know if Rhonda can hear us, but, Lord, we know you hear us, and that's what matters. Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that you would advocate and intervene for Rhonda, raise her up off, the bed of sickness and, recovery. Give her strength. And, Lord, we just pray that your will be done, and we lift her up to you. And, Lord, I also pray for Gina, who, is awaiting some cancer test results. So let that be Good news that she gets. Bless Deborah for bringing her cousin's name and all these prayer requests. Lord, you do all things well, and we lift them up to you, and we thank you for the outcome because we ask in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. we're going to go to South Carolina. Linda in South Carolina, welcome to Exploring the Word.
Caroline Thank you. And thank you, gentlemen. For this show, I'm asking for prayer for my cousin Ricky, who just received a stage three, inoperable cancer, lung cancer diagnosis, and then for a neighbor, Haywood, who is fighting two. Two different types of rare blood cancers. And both of these men are strong Christians. They believe in. In God and know that God is going to be with them, whatever his will is. But I would just love everyone to pray for Ricky and Haywood.
Alex McFarland Thank you very much. Thank you for sharing that, Linda. And, by the way, we've got a call from Colorado, a man named Pete who has cancer. And Pete is 80, and Pete is not a believer yet. And so if you think about Pete in Colorado, that not only needs physical help, but needs the Lord as well. Dillon Burroughs, would you pray for Ricky, Linda's cousin, with stage three inoperable cancer, Haywood with blood cancer, and then Pete, the man that, needs Christ as well? Dillon, could you lead us?
Dillon Let's pray. Father, we thank you again for all those who have called or reached out to us in different ways to share their prayer request. And seems like cancer impacts so many people right now. And we pray specifically for Linda's request about Ricky and the stage three cancer. when people say it's interoperable, it doesn't mean it's beyond your power to work. And we pray that you would intervene in a supernatural way and do something that doctors can't and do something special during this time for Ricky. Pray the same for Haywood with this blood cancer that is being face that you would provide, the right response, the right treatment, the right work to be done by the doctors to help in this and that you would work in Haywood's life in a powerful way as well. Pray especially for Pete in Colorado and his cancer that he's dealing with. 80 years old and still not certain where he stands with you. There is no time to mess around. This is the moment for salvation for Pete, and we pray salvation for him as well as for your work in his body as he deals with cancer. And we lift this up to you knowing that you are with us. Isaiah Ah 41:10 tells us, do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, help you, uphold you with my righteous right hand. We pray this for these individuals today. In Jesus name, Amen.
Caroline Amen.
Alex McFarland Dillon, thank you. Thank you. How about Lorenzo in Louisiana? Lorenzo, are you there?
Caroline Yes.
Alex McFarland Welcome.
Caroline please pray for Trillia. She has been in a hospital with different operations. She has an infection, with tubes coming out of both sides of her body, and she can't seem to get rid of the infection. So please pray for that to heal, to get well.
Alex McFarland Thank you for sharing that. We surely will. And the lady's name is Trillia.
Caroline Yes.
Alex McFarland All right. Absolutely. We're going to pray for that. Thank you, Lorenzo. we're going to take a couple more before we pray again. Johnny in Arkansas. Do I have it right? Is this Johnny?
Caroline Yes, sir, it sure is.
Alex McFarland Okay, welcome. What. What you got, brother?
Caroline Thank you.
Caroline two requests, please.
Caroline I have a lady named Linda who has, waiting on some cancer diagnosis from some tests she's taken and just praying for a good outcome there. And a young lady, 20 years old. Her name's Felicity, and she received a heart transplant at 18 months old. And now her body, as a young adult is rejecting this heart. The doctors say there's nothing they can do. So, just need to pray for a miracle.
Alex McFarland Alex, thank you for sharing that. folks, everybody, if you would, stand with us and pray. Linda, is awaiting news from a cancer diagnosis. We're going to pray for good news. Felicity, How, Johnny, how did you say she is now?
Caroline She's 20 years old now, Alex, and
Alex McFarland got that heart transplant when she was 18 months.
Caroline Yes.
Alex McFarland Wow. All these years and now suddenly rejection. Well, we're just going to pray that the Lord Jesus will make the body accept that heart that's been in place for a long time. Thank you for sharing that. By the way. those on hold, stay on hold, please. We're going to get to you the number, by the way, if you have a prayer request, it's 888-589-8-8400. Triple 885-89840. And let me just encourage everybody because prayer works. Please pray for our midterm elections coming up. Pray for France. I'm sure you've seen in the news all of that insurrection and burning buildings and just pray that order will get restored. We're going to come back and comment on that. But let me. Let me pray these requests from Arkansas. Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you that you hear prayer and you are so faithful to intervene. And Lord, we pray for this person, Linda. She's awaiting a cancer diagnosis. You know who she is. I pray, Father, that she would get good news. Lord, whether by miracle or medicine, Lord, let it, let it be good news. And then Felicity, this young, lady that's 20 years old, and she got a, heart transplant at 18 months. Now all these years later, the heart is being rejected. The doctors said they can't do anything. Lord, we know you can do it. And so we're calling out to Dr. Jesus. Please, Father God, let this heart be accepted. Let her body, somehow another, it'll change. And they accept that heart. And Lord, I'm asking you to just touch her and let this succeed. Give more life to this young adult lady that she would know you and serve you. We lift it up to you. And Lord, I praise you for the result because we're asking in Jesus name and for his glory. Amen. Brent Austin, do you have any more online prayer requests?
Alex McFarland I do, from Facebook. I've got two more. one is from Laura. Laura has five more days of breast cancer, radiation. She's asking for prayers.
Caroline Okay.
Alex McFarland And then Christine is asking for prayers for both her mother in law and her father in law. Her mother in law, Grace, has severe back and leg pain. And, let's see, I lost the other one. I'm sorry, I'll have to get the. Oh, her father in law, Brian, has one kidney and he is having problems staying hydrated.
Alex McFarland Okay, well, thanks very much. folks, we're praying together on this edition of Exploring the Word. I'm going to also hear from Daniel in Arkansas. Daniel, are you there? Yeah, hey, brother. Thank you for calling in. do you have a prayer request?
Caroline Yes, I do. And I appreciate your show. I listen to it every day. I drive, drive delivering parts. So I listen to it every day. Thank you. I'd like you to pray for my wife for one thing, that she would get closer to God and quit doing the things that she's doing. I'd like prayer for myself that I will get closer to God. I'm trying to read my Bible every day and to pray and to do, to do right. And also I have a situation that I don't know how to deal with. My dad is a Pentecostal preacher, and my dad tells me that I'm going to hell because I'm not living the way that I should and that I'm not in a Pentecostal church. And I don't know how to deal with that situation.
Alex McFarland Well, Daniel, have you prayed to put your faith in Jesus? You. You've said, Lord Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for me. Lord Jesus, wash my sins away and save me. Have you prayed that, Daniel?
Caroline Yes, I have. Plenty of times. Every day.
Caroline Almost.
Alex McFarland Amen.
Caroline And I believe that God will forgive me, but I just want to make sure I make heaven well.
Alex McFarland And let me say this not only for you, Daniel, but for everybody listening. if you have, it's abc. Admit your sin. Believe in Jesus that he died and rose again for you. And then call on his name. Romans 10:13 says, Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Daniel, I want to get your address because, Brent and I are going to send you a book. Book Dillon and Brent and I. And I'm going to bookmark what we call assurance of salvation. I believe you are saved if you've put your faith in Jesus. And with all due respect to your dad, folks, it's not the church you belong to, but it's the Christ Jesus you belong to now. Daniel, thank you for sharing that. And please give, give the, man your address and we're going to send you some, some material I think will help you. I'm going to try to get a call in. Folks, this is, Aletha in North Carolina. Aletha, are you there? Yes, yes, welcome. what, what's on your heart today, sister?
Caroline My son, which is my youngest child, he's had some medical issues going on and had. They said he had ulcerative colitis. And now he's been diagnosed, with Crohn's disease. He's only 28. and he works full time and, and plus he has an alcohol problem and suicidal things. he would, he just wants to die. And I mean, I literally have to pray to Jesus and just continue. Jesus name. In Jesus name Jesus rebuke this. And it just, it's just hard.
Caroline Not.
Caroline I, I. He needs prayer. His name is Corrie.
Alex McFarland Ah, absolutely. well, and let me, let me just say this not only to Aletha, but to everybody listening. If somebody expresses, what's called suicidal ideation, in other words, they're talking about self harm or taking their life. yes, we pray for them, but I would encourage you to get, to get help and try to get him in counseling. and we, we agree with you, you know, that this is wrong. I know Crohn's is, is very challenging, but, Aletha, could you please, talk to a pastor or professional Christian counselor, because, Corrie needs the Lord. And even in spite of challenges, there is, there's life is worth living. And we just pray in the name of Jesus that he would not do himself any harm. I know we have a lot of calls. We're writing these down. in fact, I'm going to take a picture of the screen and I'll know all these prayer requests. Dillon, time fleets way, but would you lead us in prayer for these requests that have been lifted up, up. Would you do that, Dillon, please?
Caroline Yeah.
Dillon let's pray together as we wrap up our time today. Father, we thank you again for Letha, North Carolina calling with her concern for her son and his medical issues and also for just hope in his life that you would provide a way for him to regain focus on you, that you provide healing, provide, the help to intervene in his situation. Lord, we ask in Jesus name that you'd work in Corrie's life right now in a special way. We also want to lift up Daniel and, and his, story sharing about his wife and his own life and situation with his dad. Pray that you give him confidence of his salvation and you, you'd help him in his own spiritual growth and with his wife's growth and his relationship to be reconciled with his father and have a true understanding of the gospel and what it means to follow you. Pray for Christine and the situation with her in laws, both of them, needing physical healing and energy intervention that only you can provide. And we pray for Laura as she faces her last sessions of, breast cancer treatment. You provide complete and full healing for her in Jesus name.
Alex McFarland Thank you, Dillon, and thanks for all calling in. Dillon and I will pick it up again tomorrow in Matthew. In the meantime, be blessed. We stand together in prayer and we stand confidently in the power and the name of Jesus Christ. Tell somebody about exploring the Word if you would. But most of all, tell everybody about Jesus. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Jeff Chamblee The Bible. It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions. Welcome to Exploring the Word.
Alex McFarland Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Well, welcome to Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here, and we invite you to get a copy of God's Word and turn to the NewSong Testament book, Book of Matthew, Matthew 27. We're going to pick it up about verse 15, and Dillon Burroughs and I are going to go through Matthew 27. We're kind of coming to a conclusion of our study of the Gospel of Matthew. Bert Harper is at the Fishbowl retreat this week ministering to pastors and wives from around America. And so we're very honored always when we have Dillon on. And so, Dillon, first of all, thank you for being with us on Exploring the Word this week.
Dillon Oh, great to be with you as always. One of my favorite books, the Gospel of Matthew. And a very pivotal moment in the gospel as we dive into the middle of chapter 27 today, talking about Pilate and then Barabbas and what that means both in that time and applications for us today.
Alex McFarland Indeed. And today is the day of prayer on, Exploring the Word. it was Brent Austin's idea and a really good idea for a couple of years now. On Tuesdays, we take prayer requests. And if you've got things on your heart that you'd like us to pray with you and agree in prayer, I'm going to give that number, although we won't get to the phones until later on in the show. But it's 888-589-8840 and you can share prayer requests. Dillon, when we get to this part of Matthew 27, we're going to come to a verse that is, just one of the saddest verses in all the Bible. But, Jesus has been before Pilate, there was that interaction. We kind of read through that and talked through it yesterday. But there was a custom in verse 15 about releasing a prisoner at Passover. It says now at the feast, that's Passover. And of course, Passover was very famously when they were slaves in Egypt and the death angel passed through. If the blood was on the doorpost of the house, death would pass by. Otherwise the firstborn of every house would die. So the death angel passed over. And of course, the very vivid Gospel implication Of that when the blood of Jesus is on our heart and soul were washed clean, death has passed over because it was put onto Christ for us. And how appropriate that Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world. And, at Passover because he, after centuries of slaughtering lambs and making blood sacrifices, Jesus is the Lamb of God. There would never be anymore, no need anymore for sacrifice. But there was a custom and they asked the people, and it says verse 16, there was a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. And therefore when they had gathered together, Pilate said, whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ? For they had handed him over because of envy. Now, Dillon, I think what Pilate was wanting and frankly assuming certainly they would say release Jesus because Jesus was kind and godly and merciful and healed and taught Scripture. I think Pilate was hoping, here's the way, that I'm not going to be a participant in the guilt of this man's execution. Certainly a wicked criminal like Barabbas will get crucified. A godly servant of the people like Jesus won't get crucified. That's not the way it turned out, was it?
Dillon No, not at all. And we often miss the significance of what is happening here. Jesus has been up all night through various trials. He's been arrested, he's been beaten, he's been mocked, and now he's before Pilate, who's the leader of this region. And Pilate sees the situation from a political standpoint. He's thinking, how do I get out of this, in the best shape possible? And so he's there on the Passover, it's already a holiday. And he's thinking, I'm going to go to my tradition of releasing a prisoner. Maybe I can use this as my out in this situation. And as you mentioned, he mentions Barabbas, who is a well known prisoner apparently during that time for rebellion. And some even think that the other men who were on the, the other two crosses beside J were associated with Barabbas. We don't know for sure. but he thought that for certain these political leaders had handed him over with envy, but that the crowd would side with Jesus of Nazareth who is called the Christ. And so he pitches that as the option to get him out of his political situation. But he's surprised by what happens both by the crowd and by a message from his wife that we see in these following verses.
Alex McFarland So while Pilate is sitting on the judgment seat, and that's you know, very pictorial in itself. Because the one that they're dealing with, the crucifixion of, Christ will be the judge of the human race. But his what Pilate's wife sent him a message saying, have nothing to do with that just man. For I've suffered many things today in a dream because of him. Apparently, Pilate's wife had a dream that Jesus is righteous. Some translations say that righteous man. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. In other words, it was a whisper campaign and the people feared the priest. I mean, Dillon, we've, got to, I think, point out that the soul of people was assumed to be at least, to some degree in the hands of these priests and elders. And I mean, when the priests and elders, you know, gave a directive, you know, the. The people were pretty compliant and felt like they'd better do it. And they said, look, ask for Barabbas. So pilate asked, verse 21, which of the two do you want me to release to you? And they said, barabbas. Pilate said to them, what then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They said, let him be crucified. Now, verse 23 is, not really part of the protocol. I wouldn't think Pilate would have probably ordinarily said, okay, whatever, we'll, release the one you asked for. But there's almost desperation here. Pilate says, why, what evil has he done? But they cried out all the more, saying, let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising or a riot, really, he took the water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it. Now, before we go to the next verse, Dillon, this is very significant. You know, we have an idiom or a saying, you know, well, I wash my hands of the whole affair. Well, it comes from Pilate. Very visibly. He washes his hands. He says, look, I have tried, and you guys are bent and determined that Jesus is going to be crucified and a known, criminal insurrectionist Barabbas, is going to get released. notice in verse 23, Dillon, when Pilate asks, what has he done? They didn't give any charges. They just said, crucify him. Crucify him. This is not just. It's not due process. It's not even reasonable, is it?
Dillon No. And we see that theme three times in this passage, you know, in verse 22, let him be crucified. Verse 23, let him be crucified. And then at the end of that passage, he delivered him over to be crucified. So there's that emphasis on going from this extreme of a person who didn't even deserve to be punished to being wrongly punished with a death sentence. And for us, looking at it from the outside, it's easy to. To point fingers at Pilate and say, how could you do such a thing? He was under some pretty strong pressure, as you mentioned, There was an uprising taking place among the people. His job as a political leader in that area was to keep calm, keep the law. And he saw this as something he needed to do to keep the peace among the Jewish people in Jerusalem at the time. And so instead of doing the right thing, he went along with the crowd and sought to, you know, remove himself as a guilty party and hand him over to be crucified. There are a couple of important things here to mention. One is that the Jews could not put Jesus to death without the consent of the Roman leaders in their area. And so this had to be done for him to be crucified, because it was a Roman form of capital punishment, not a Jewish form of capital punishment. But the other thing that I see that's very significant in terms of application is that we see Pilate going along with the crowd. He was the top political leader in his area, and yet he was going along with the popular vote, so to speak. this is very, intriguing to me because it's something that we deal with in our lives today is that there's that temptation to do what other people are doing and not stand for what is right. And this is a classic example of what happens. You can't just wash your hands and remove yourself from doing, what the crowd is doing. You have to make a bold stand to do what is right and stand with Jesus and stand on the side of truth.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen. you know, in some church history books, they theorize that maybe Judas and Barabbas knew each other. They may have been in a sect that had, banded together to try to go to war with Rome. because, you know, one of the things like Pilate is this regional governor and Rome was an occupying presence in Jerusalem. And the most devout and really, I guess, most committed, Jews, they really, really didn't like that because they felt like, this is our land. these gentile Romans have no place here. And so there were different factions that wanted to go to war with Rome. And Judas and Barabbas, and maybe these other two criminals on the other two crosses, were part of some insurrectionist sect that wanted to, go to war with Rome. But the crowd is insistent. They want Barabbas released, a guilty man rather than the sinless son of God. And so, you know, it's interesting, Dillon, how it all comes together. God didn't force it. God doesn't force evil. but, you know, God foreknew it all. Now, here's what's so sad. because we love the Jewish people now. They need to get born again, like anybody does. Somebody wrote into me, by the way, I've been very vocal in my support for the nation of Israel. And I got an email, in fact, this person might be listening even right now. And they said, why don't you believe that Jews need Christ like all the rest of us? I do. I have never, nor would I ever say that Jews go to heaven merely by virtue of being ethnically Jewish. But I have said the land, and I believe in the Abrahamic covenant being an everlasting covenant. The land, by historical precedent and by divine right, the land of Israel belongs to the Israelites. but they still, like Jon 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, a person must be born again. But verse 25 is all the. The more tragic. The people answered and said, his blood be on us and on our children. Pilate had said, I'm innocent of the blood of this righteous man. Now, in, Joshua 2:19, there is a verse that says, if you are complicit with the death of an innocent person, their blood will be on your head and on your hands if you could help, and you don't. And so the people, some of them no doubt would have known Joshua 2:19, their cry out, his blood be on us and on our children. Now, what they were saying is, in the strongest unequivocal terms, we know what we're doing, we know what we're demanding, and we're willing to pay the consequences. Release Barabbas, execute Jesus. This is very serious stuff with implications right down to this very moment, actually. Dillon, what do you say?
Dillon Well, I know we're going to break in a moment, but I do want to just emphasize what you said, that every person needs to believe in Jesus and his death and in his resurrection. That we'll find out about later. Later. But that these details matter. That Jesus was mistreated, that he was mocked, that he was innocent, yet, called guilty and sent to the cross on behalf of our sin and sins of those of the world. we pray for those who are out there still considering Jesus and look forward to talking with you more and joining you in prayer after the break. And we'll be back with more in just a few moments.
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Dillon give the praises don't stop.
Alex McFarland Welcome back, to Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here along with Dillon Burrows. Incidentally, Dillon will be with me at the COVID next summer. this is July 12 through 16, the Billy Graham Conference center in Western North Carolina. I'll be there. and it's what a great honor to have Lauren Greene of Fox News, the, the longest serving anchor on Fox News, Devout Christian and Dr. Dillon Burroughs, prolific author, will be teaching on biblical worldview. We would love for you to be there. The website, if you have never been to the COVID it's just amazing. It's been my great honor to speak there for more than 20 consecutive summers. But the website is thecove.org T H E C O V E and if you would like to learn biblical worldview and how to implement it in your life and in your church. 7-12-16 next summer. And we hope you'll be there and you'll get to meet Dillon in person and Lauren Greene and Angie and I will be there. But it is the day of prayer and if you want to call in with a prayer request, it'll be a few more moments before we answer the phones. But that number is triple 858-98-8840. Triple 858-9840. Dillon, we're back in Matthew 27. So the people are crying out, very sad. and let's remember that just 40 years later after this will be the dispersion, March of 70 A.D. rome would pretty much ransack Jerusalem. The Jews would be dispersed and it would be 1900 years before the nation of Israel would be reborn. And that was May 14, 1948. So this self inflicted verbal curse of Matthew 27:25, his blood be on us and on our children. Dillon, I just it, it's hard to even read that because that's a pretty Dark, oath they cried out there, wasn't it?
Dillon Oh, you're exactly right. And then it gets worse from there. From the perspective of Jesus and what he endured being a Barabbas's release, verse 26 tells us, Jesus is scourged or whipped. He's delivered to be crucified, and then he's handed over to the Roman soldiers. Because in our minds, we tend to think that, okay, Jesus is handed over, and then he's nailed on the cross, the end. But there's a section in between, starting in verse 27, where the soldiers of the governor, the Roman soldiers, they took Jesus into the praetorium. And verse 27 gathered the whole garrison around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. Verse 29 says, when they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and a reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, hail, King of the Jews. Then they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to be crucified. It's hard to imagine what Jesus was going through. You know, from a human perspective. If we had the power of Jesus, we would have put a stop to that right away. But he endured the hardship of the cross and all of the mocking and all of the pain and all the persecution leading up to the cross on that morning in a way that we could not even imagine. this is just a taste of what he went through and such a tragic, point during the story of his life. But it's all part of his love for us and a powerful testimony that even when we're going through the most difficult times, God has a plan and God has a purpose for our lives.
Alex McFarland Amen. Well said. They are mocking him like they've done before, and they're hitting him and, they're sarcastically saying, hail, King of the Jews. And as you read there in 31, he was led away to be crucified. you know, we're almost done with Matthew, but I want to read these verses because they are so powerful. No need to go, slowly. Here they come out. They found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to bear his cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, place of a skull, they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when he had tasted it, he would not drink. Now that Was a, type of a painkiller. He didn't take it. there was no anesthetic or anything. The full brunt of all of this pain Jesus Christ endured for us. They crucified him and divided his garments, casting lots that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet. They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. This is from Psalm 22. And, also, well, they are gambling Psalm 22, by the way. We're going to see more of Psalm 22 from the cross here in just a moment, in verse 46. But sitting down, they kept watch over him there. It's interesting. Verse 36. I mean, they're. They're like watching. They. They've crucified him just as a. As a fallen human, but he's God incarnate. And I wonder if they're watching, you know, will lightning come down from heaven? Will, you know, some supernatural miracle take place? But they're watching. And, Dillon, let me just say this, and I don't mean to, you know, editorialize here, but there. There have been many throughout history that have come to Jesus just like a spectator, you know, I remember many years ago, Woody Allen, the famous director, he interviewed Billy Graham. Billy Graham, very famous evangelist. And Billy Graham, during the course of the interview. It's on YouTube. Woody Allen, who was one time viewed as a very artsy, cutting edge, you know, edgy film director, Billy Graham says, what about you, Woody Allen? Do you believe in God? And Woody Allen kind of says, well, I'm an agnostic. And Billy Graham says, well, what would it take to convince you that God exists? And Woody Allen says, well, a miracle. Billy Graham says, well, there have been a lot of miracles, like the resurrection. What kind of miracle are you asking God to do? And Billy Graham, Woody Allen just laughingly, he says, oh, well, make a million. A million dollars show up in my offshore bank account. Ha ha ha. And everybody kind of laughs. But you don't trifle with God like some spectator. God do a trick, and I might do you a big favor and believe in you. No, we're to. Well, for one thing, we're accountable for what we know. And every. Like Dillon said, a moment ago, if you have never made your decision for Christ, you need to do that because we'll answer for what we did with the knowledge we had. And we're telling you so you have this knowledge. Christ died for you, and he is the one and only Savior. And he's as close by as A prayer. But they put over his head an accusation written against him. This is Jesus, King of the Jews. Dillon, I got to ask you a question. Verse 37. Why would they call that an accusation? Because it's a true statement. He is King of the Jews. Jesus is the king. they put this placard, and this is also in Jon 19, by the way. why would they say that's an accusation, do you think?
Dillon Yes, that's a good observation. This is Jesus, the King of the Jews, that reads in verse 37 that the sign that was put up over his head. And they put it there because that's what he claimed. Correct. the King of the Jews. He is the Messiah, the anointed one, the chosen one. And yet he was rejected by his people. And he has a kingdom not of this world. He would go on to also, share in the NewSong Testament. So this was the accusation, because this is what his teachings proclaimed and what was rejected by the religious leaders. And they had to put something for his charge. And Pilate said he was innocent, but yet he was accused as being the King of the Jews.
Alex McFarland Indeed. and by the way, Jon tells us that it was in a couple of languages. and, you know, they wanted Pilate to take it down. But Pilate said, what I have written, I have written. You know, Pilate had a rare little bit of conviction there. would have been different if he had shown that much conviction earlier on. But the two robbers crucified with him, one on the right, one on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed, wagging their heads and saying, you who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Verse 40. They didn't know what they were saying. Jesus willfully staying on that cross is what paid our sin debt. Saying, if you are the Son of God, no, he didn't come down from the cross because he is the Son of God. He was there drinking the bitter cup of all the pain, all the wrath, because he loves us. And he took the punishment for sin so that we wouldn't have to. And that's why, folks, listen. every one of every now and then, you'll hear somebody say, well, you can't pay for your own sin. Well, actually, if you paid for your own sin, it would be eternal hell. But God doesn't want you to do that. God wants you in heaven. God wants to be a part of your life right now. And that's why we always say you know, put your faith in Jesus, he says, close by as a prayer and be forgiven. But they were blaspheming. And the chief priests also mocking with the scribes and elders, said he saved others. Himself he can't save. Now Let me talk about 42. This doesn't follow at all. This is what's called a non sequitur, non sequential. They're saying, look, he saved others. He can't even save himself. no, not necessarily. He's on that cross because he's going to be the savior of whosoever will would come. People often say to me, Dillon, there's the problem of pain and suffering. They'll say, well, the world has all this evil. if, if God could do something about it, he would have. Well, God has all the power. But God is long suffering, patient, not willing that any should perish. God could snap his fingers and bring this world to a halt right now. But he's waiting for more and more people to get saved. And so I think it's very interesting, besides sin and blindness and wickedness, there's just a lot of faulty thinking here. And you know, the lost world still reasons incorrectly about Jesus sometimes, don't they?
Dillon Way they do. And 41 reminds me that the scribes and the elders were the ones who were saying these things. And those who should have known the scriptures the best and been most prepared when Jesus came and made himself present as the Messiah, were the ones who mocked him in his final hours on this earth. And it still today. Sometimes those who have all the information, who have all the knowledge, who are considered the religious elite, are the ones who are spiritually blind to the true message of Jesus. We are not immune to this kind of spiritual blindness. We are called to follow Jesus according to the teachings of scripture. And that includes salvation, as we've talked about, but it also includes the moment by moment walk with God. We are called to live every day. A, second thing here that's so important, this idea that they said, you know, come down now from the cross and we believe in you. It reminds me of the saying that you've maybe heard before that it wasn't the nails that kept Jesus on the cross. It was his love for you and it's his love for me. It's a powerful reminder. Yes, he could have come down from the cross if he wanted to. That was not part of God's plan. His plan was to give himself for us, to provide eternal life. It's a powerful reminder that we're seeing here in graphic detail in these moments today.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen. you know, we talk about the fact that not every gospel records every single thing. Dillon and I have a colleague that we've worked with named J. Warner Wallace. Jim Wallace. And he is a renowned detective, became a great Christian. He's a great apologist. Also, Lee Strobel, who has a law degree from Yale. Lee was an atheist until he was well into adulthood. But both of these men, left their at and became believers, largely because of the fact that the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon, they have complementary details, but not always the same details. For example, you've got the robbers here who were crucifix, crucified, on either side, adjacent to Jesus. And it mentions that, you know, they were crucified. But for example, Luke 23:42 has a conversation. One of the robbers, you know, says to the other, robber, do you not fear God? You know, we deserve this condemnation, but this man has done nothing. Verse 42 of Luke 23. The robber on that one cross says, jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say today you will be with me in paradise. that's not that little conversation is not in Matthew 27:44 here. Now, it doesn't mean it didn't happen. It did happen. In fact, Luke the physician is meticulous with his handling of the details of the Gospels and Acts. But Dillon, I think it's interesting that those who are experts in evidence and evidentiary, evidentiary, investigation, like Lee Strobel, like J. Warner Wallace, they said, okay, the, the varying details, complementary details, not contradictory, but complementary. This shows the veracity, the trustworthiness of the Gospels. It doesn't undermine, it really affirms. And so, you've got four biographies of Jesus in fact. Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon. I'll say this, I'll throw it to Dillon. Very often, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon are called the Synoptic Gospels, which means seeing together Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon, very, very, similar. And then the Gospel of Jon, which is also complementary, but really emphatically sets forth the divinity of Jesus. You read these four Gospels, you've got an amazingly comprehensive picture of the life, three year ministry, death, resurrection, ascension of the Son of God.
Dillon Yes. And you've highlighted some important portions of why we trust the Gospels. for example, in journalism, if you were to investigate the eyewitnesses of a particular crime and the stories all contradicted one another, you'd say, okay, something is not right here. We need to find out what is wrong. Because these stories cannot all be accurate. But, when you interview eyewitnesses and their stories complement each other but share different aspects of what happened, it gives you a fuller picture of the entire story and the entire scene. And that's what we see in the gospels. These, different details that we see in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon complement each other. They don't contradict each other. So it gives us a bigger picture of what happened. But it also gives us a stronger, conviction that this information is accurate and it is true. They didn't try to harmonize it to make it all sound exactly alike. They shared what they knew as eyewitnesses or those taking the stories of the eyewitnesses in some cases and presenting them for those today and throughout the history of the church. So it's a very key point that you mentioned there. And then just this idea that the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing. sometimes we were just so spiritually blind. From the religious leaders to those who are on the cross and we got a break. When we come back in just a minute.
Alex McFarland We're going to come back. Yes, with your prayer request. Stay tuned.
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Alex McFarland don't stop praying don't stop calling on Jesus name Keep on pounding on heaven's door Let your knees wear out the floor don't stop belie Amen. Don't stop praying don't stop believing hey, let me say this. And I believe it to the core of my soul. God has blessing for you. God has good for you no matter what you're facing. Take it to Jesus. you know, Matthew 6:8. He knows what we need even before we ask the number. If you'd like to share a prayer request. And we will take Bible questions too as well. But you know, Tuesday, we like to pray together. And that number is 888-589-8840. Triple 858-98840. You will get through. We have some Lines open. I know we have some callers on hold. Just stay put and we'll get to you. we also take prayer requests over email, and a lot of people will Facebook message Brent Austin. The Exploring the Word Facebook page, which we invite you to like and email. But, Brent Austin, do we have some, prayer requests that have come in online? We do.
Alex McFarland I have several already. And thank you so much for using Facebook to do that. that helps us out a lot as well. first off, I've got one from Gina. She needs prayers for her aunt Patti, who is awaiting cancer test results.
Alex McFarland Okay. Gina, regarding aunt with cancer test. That's right, results. Okay, another.
Alex McFarland I'll give you another right here. Nancy. she is still, without a job, and she's dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety because of that. she's been dealing with that for quite a while.
Caroline Quite a while.
Alex McFarland If I remember right, folks, pray for Nancy, who needs a job. Brent, thank you for sharing those. I'm going to come back to you right now. I want to go to Texas. Deborah in Texas. thank you for holding. do you have a prayer request? Deborah?
Caroline Hello?
Alex McFarland Yes, you're on.
Caroline Oh, this is Deborah. hi, Alex M. Hi.
Alex McFarland Thank you for calling.
Caroline Nice to talk to you. I really love your, ah, program, and I listen to it all the time. Thank you for answering my call. Yeah, I'm here with my cousin, Rhonda Linden, and she's in the ICU at Harris Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, and she's in critical condition. You know, she's gone through some surgeries, and, she's not really m. Responding to me right now, but I really like to. she's got tubes in her mouth and her nose, and we're the same age.
Alex McFarland Amen. well, I want to pray for. I want to pray for Rhonda, if I may, right now. And, let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, we lift up, Rhonda, which is, Deborah's cousin there in ICU in critical condition. I don't know if Rhonda can hear us, but, Lord, we know you hear us, and that's what matters. Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that you would advocate and intervene for Rhonda, raise her up off, the bed of sickness and, recovery. Give her strength. And, Lord, we just pray that your will be done, and we lift her up to you. And, Lord, I also pray for Gina, who, is awaiting some cancer test results. So let that be Good news that she gets. Bless Deborah for bringing her cousin's name and all these prayer requests. Lord, you do all things well, and we lift them up to you, and we thank you for the outcome because we ask in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. we're going to go to South Carolina. Linda in South Carolina, welcome to Exploring the Word.
Caroline Thank you. And thank you, gentlemen. For this show, I'm asking for prayer for my cousin Ricky, who just received a stage three, inoperable cancer, lung cancer diagnosis, and then for a neighbor, Haywood, who is fighting two. Two different types of rare blood cancers. And both of these men are strong Christians. They believe in. In God and know that God is going to be with them, whatever his will is. But I would just love everyone to pray for Ricky and Haywood.
Alex McFarland Thank you very much. Thank you for sharing that, Linda. And, by the way, we've got a call from Colorado, a man named Pete who has cancer. And Pete is 80, and Pete is not a believer yet. And so if you think about Pete in Colorado, that not only needs physical help, but needs the Lord as well. Dillon Burroughs, would you pray for Ricky, Linda's cousin, with stage three inoperable cancer, Haywood with blood cancer, and then Pete, the man that, needs Christ as well? Dillon, could you lead us?
Dillon Let's pray. Father, we thank you again for all those who have called or reached out to us in different ways to share their prayer request. And seems like cancer impacts so many people right now. And we pray specifically for Linda's request about Ricky and the stage three cancer. when people say it's interoperable, it doesn't mean it's beyond your power to work. And we pray that you would intervene in a supernatural way and do something that doctors can't and do something special during this time for Ricky. Pray the same for Haywood with this blood cancer that is being face that you would provide, the right response, the right treatment, the right work to be done by the doctors to help in this and that you would work in Haywood's life in a powerful way as well. Pray especially for Pete in Colorado and his cancer that he's dealing with. 80 years old and still not certain where he stands with you. There is no time to mess around. This is the moment for salvation for Pete, and we pray salvation for him as well as for your work in his body as he deals with cancer. And we lift this up to you knowing that you are with us. Isaiah Ah 41:10 tells us, do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, help you, uphold you with my righteous right hand. We pray this for these individuals today. In Jesus name, Amen.
Caroline Amen.
Alex McFarland Dillon, thank you. Thank you. How about Lorenzo in Louisiana? Lorenzo, are you there?
Caroline Yes.
Alex McFarland Welcome.
Caroline please pray for Trillia. She has been in a hospital with different operations. She has an infection, with tubes coming out of both sides of her body, and she can't seem to get rid of the infection. So please pray for that to heal, to get well.
Alex McFarland Thank you for sharing that. We surely will. And the lady's name is Trillia.
Caroline Yes.
Alex McFarland All right. Absolutely. We're going to pray for that. Thank you, Lorenzo. we're going to take a couple more before we pray again. Johnny in Arkansas. Do I have it right? Is this Johnny?
Caroline Yes, sir, it sure is.
Alex McFarland Okay, welcome. What. What you got, brother?
Caroline Thank you.
Caroline two requests, please.
Caroline I have a lady named Linda who has, waiting on some cancer diagnosis from some tests she's taken and just praying for a good outcome there. And a young lady, 20 years old. Her name's Felicity, and she received a heart transplant at 18 months old. And now her body, as a young adult is rejecting this heart. The doctors say there's nothing they can do. So, just need to pray for a miracle.
Alex McFarland Alex, thank you for sharing that. folks, everybody, if you would, stand with us and pray. Linda, is awaiting news from a cancer diagnosis. We're going to pray for good news. Felicity, How, Johnny, how did you say she is now?
Caroline She's 20 years old now, Alex, and
Alex McFarland got that heart transplant when she was 18 months.
Caroline Yes.
Alex McFarland Wow. All these years and now suddenly rejection. Well, we're just going to pray that the Lord Jesus will make the body accept that heart that's been in place for a long time. Thank you for sharing that. By the way. those on hold, stay on hold, please. We're going to get to you the number, by the way, if you have a prayer request, it's 888-589-8-8400. Triple 885-89840. And let me just encourage everybody because prayer works. Please pray for our midterm elections coming up. Pray for France. I'm sure you've seen in the news all of that insurrection and burning buildings and just pray that order will get restored. We're going to come back and comment on that. But let me. Let me pray these requests from Arkansas. Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you that you hear prayer and you are so faithful to intervene. And Lord, we pray for this person, Linda. She's awaiting a cancer diagnosis. You know who she is. I pray, Father, that she would get good news. Lord, whether by miracle or medicine, Lord, let it, let it be good news. And then Felicity, this young, lady that's 20 years old, and she got a, heart transplant at 18 months. Now all these years later, the heart is being rejected. The doctors said they can't do anything. Lord, we know you can do it. And so we're calling out to Dr. Jesus. Please, Father God, let this heart be accepted. Let her body, somehow another, it'll change. And they accept that heart. And Lord, I'm asking you to just touch her and let this succeed. Give more life to this young adult lady that she would know you and serve you. We lift it up to you. And Lord, I praise you for the result because we're asking in Jesus name and for his glory. Amen. Brent Austin, do you have any more online prayer requests?
Alex McFarland I do, from Facebook. I've got two more. one is from Laura. Laura has five more days of breast cancer, radiation. She's asking for prayers.
Caroline Okay.
Alex McFarland And then Christine is asking for prayers for both her mother in law and her father in law. Her mother in law, Grace, has severe back and leg pain. And, let's see, I lost the other one. I'm sorry, I'll have to get the. Oh, her father in law, Brian, has one kidney and he is having problems staying hydrated.
Alex McFarland Okay, well, thanks very much. folks, we're praying together on this edition of Exploring the Word. I'm going to also hear from Daniel in Arkansas. Daniel, are you there? Yeah, hey, brother. Thank you for calling in. do you have a prayer request?
Caroline Yes, I do. And I appreciate your show. I listen to it every day. I drive, drive delivering parts. So I listen to it every day. Thank you. I'd like you to pray for my wife for one thing, that she would get closer to God and quit doing the things that she's doing. I'd like prayer for myself that I will get closer to God. I'm trying to read my Bible every day and to pray and to do, to do right. And also I have a situation that I don't know how to deal with. My dad is a Pentecostal preacher, and my dad tells me that I'm going to hell because I'm not living the way that I should and that I'm not in a Pentecostal church. And I don't know how to deal with that situation.
Alex McFarland Well, Daniel, have you prayed to put your faith in Jesus? You. You've said, Lord Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for me. Lord Jesus, wash my sins away and save me. Have you prayed that, Daniel?
Caroline Yes, I have. Plenty of times. Every day.
Caroline Almost.
Alex McFarland Amen.
Caroline And I believe that God will forgive me, but I just want to make sure I make heaven well.
Alex McFarland And let me say this not only for you, Daniel, but for everybody listening. if you have, it's abc. Admit your sin. Believe in Jesus that he died and rose again for you. And then call on his name. Romans 10:13 says, Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Daniel, I want to get your address because, Brent and I are going to send you a book. Book Dillon and Brent and I. And I'm going to bookmark what we call assurance of salvation. I believe you are saved if you've put your faith in Jesus. And with all due respect to your dad, folks, it's not the church you belong to, but it's the Christ Jesus you belong to now. Daniel, thank you for sharing that. And please give, give the, man your address and we're going to send you some, some material I think will help you. I'm going to try to get a call in. Folks, this is, Aletha in North Carolina. Aletha, are you there? Yes, yes, welcome. what, what's on your heart today, sister?
Caroline My son, which is my youngest child, he's had some medical issues going on and had. They said he had ulcerative colitis. And now he's been diagnosed, with Crohn's disease. He's only 28. and he works full time and, and plus he has an alcohol problem and suicidal things. he would, he just wants to die. And I mean, I literally have to pray to Jesus and just continue. Jesus name. In Jesus name Jesus rebuke this. And it just, it's just hard.
Caroline Not.
Caroline I, I. He needs prayer. His name is Corrie.
Alex McFarland Ah, absolutely. well, and let me, let me just say this not only to Aletha, but to everybody listening. If somebody expresses, what's called suicidal ideation, in other words, they're talking about self harm or taking their life. yes, we pray for them, but I would encourage you to get, to get help and try to get him in counseling. and we, we agree with you, you know, that this is wrong. I know Crohn's is, is very challenging, but, Aletha, could you please, talk to a pastor or professional Christian counselor, because, Corrie needs the Lord. And even in spite of challenges, there is, there's life is worth living. And we just pray in the name of Jesus that he would not do himself any harm. I know we have a lot of calls. We're writing these down. in fact, I'm going to take a picture of the screen and I'll know all these prayer requests. Dillon, time fleets way, but would you lead us in prayer for these requests that have been lifted up, up. Would you do that, Dillon, please?
Caroline Yeah.
Dillon let's pray together as we wrap up our time today. Father, we thank you again for Letha, North Carolina calling with her concern for her son and his medical issues and also for just hope in his life that you would provide a way for him to regain focus on you, that you provide healing, provide, the help to intervene in his situation. Lord, we ask in Jesus name that you'd work in Corrie's life right now in a special way. We also want to lift up Daniel and, and his, story sharing about his wife and his own life and situation with his dad. Pray that you give him confidence of his salvation and you, you'd help him in his own spiritual growth and with his wife's growth and his relationship to be reconciled with his father and have a true understanding of the gospel and what it means to follow you. Pray for Christine and the situation with her in laws, both of them, needing physical healing and energy intervention that only you can provide. And we pray for Laura as she faces her last sessions of, breast cancer treatment. You provide complete and full healing for her in Jesus name.
Alex McFarland Thank you, Dillon, and thanks for all calling in. Dillon and I will pick it up again tomorrow in Matthew. In the meantime, be blessed. We stand together in prayer and we stand confidently in the power and the name of Jesus Christ. Tell somebody about exploring the Word if you would. But most of all, tell everybody about Jesus. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
In this episode of Exploring the Word, join Alex McFarland and Dillon Burroughs as they delve into Matthew 27, examining the pivotal moments leading to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The discussion highlights the choice between Barabbas and Jesus, the political pressures faced by Paula White, and the implications of the crowd's cries for crucifixion. As they explore these themes, they also emphasize the significance of standing firm in faith amidst societal pressures and the importance of prayer in our lives. Tune in for a thought-provoking study of the Gospel of Matthew!
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