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When darkness seems to win! · Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright

• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, sisters and brothers, and peace be with you.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Feel the sting of betrayal.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: Feel the silence of false accusation.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Feel the loneliness of being misunderstood.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: And bring those feelings with you into the story of Jesus in John chapters eighteen and nineteen.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Because what we see here is not just the suffering of a man, it is the suffering of the Son of God who walks straight into darkness for us.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: The passage begins in a garden.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus goes to a place he has often visited, a place of prayer, a place of quiet, but now it becomes a place of betrayal.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Judas arrives, not with confusion, but with clarity, not alone, but with soldiers.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: He comes with a kiss in the other gospels, but here in John, something even more striking happens.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus steps forward and asks, Whom are you seeking?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: And they answer Jesus of Nazareth.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: He says, I am he.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: At those words they draw back and fall to the ground.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Even in the moment of arrest, Jesus is not overpowered, he is in control.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: He is not dragged unwillingly into the coming suffering.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: He walks freely into it.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: This matters because it tells us that Jesus is not a victim of circumstances.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: He is the Savior on a mission.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: Even betrayal does not derail him.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus is brought before the authorities, Annas, Caiaphas, and then Pilate.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: False accusations swirl around him, half truths, twisted claims, political pressure.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: Pilate, the Roman governor, questions him.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: Are you the king of the Jews?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: And Jesus answers in a way that shifts the entire conversation.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: My kingdom is not of this world.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Pilate finds no guilt in him, and yet the crowds insist.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: They choose to save Barabbas, a known criminal, instead of Jesus.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Let that sink in.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: The innocent is condemned.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: The guilty is set free.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: This is not just a moment in history.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: This is at the very heart of the gospel.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Because as the innocent, Jesus is condemned.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: He takes our place, and we receive his freedom.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus is flogged, mocked, crowned with thorns, the soldiers dress him in a purple robe, bow in false worship, and strike him.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: The crowd cries, crucify him.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: This is one of the darkest scenes in all of Scripture.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: And yet even here something deeper is happening.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus is reigning.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: The crown of thorns is mockery to the soldiers, but in truth he is the king.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: The cross is meant to shame him, but it becomes his throne.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: The sign above his head reads Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: Pilate writes it in multiple languages, perhaps unknowingly proclaiming a universal truth.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: This is your king, this is the world's king.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: At the cross Jesus is crucified, yet victorious, and he speaks.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: To his mother, he provides care.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: To the beloved disciple, he creates a new family.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: And finally he declares it is finished.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: The earthly work is complete.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: The earthly mission is accomplished.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: The debt is paid.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then he bows his head and gives up his spirit.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Notice that he gives it up.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: Even in death, Jesus is in control.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: After his death, two unexpected figures step forward Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, men who had been quiet, even secretive in their faith.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: Now they come into the open.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: They take Jesus' body, wrap it with spices, and lay him in a tomb.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: It seems like the end.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: The stone is rolled, the body is placed.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: The silence begins.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: Darkness appears to have won.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: But here is the truth.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: What looks like defeat is actually victory.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: What looks like the end is only the beginning because someday is coming.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: So what does all this mean for us?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I realize that my identity is never in what others say about me.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: It is in who I truly am and want to be in Christ.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus knew who he was.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's why betrayal did not break him.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's why the cross did not defeat him.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: And because of what he did, when we are misunderstood, we are not alone.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: When we are falsely accused, we are not forgotten.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: When we fail, remember Peter, we are not finished.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: When darkness seems to win, it has not won.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: Because Jesus has already walked that road, and he has overcome.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because the story of John chapters eighteen and nineteen is not just about suffering.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: It is about love.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: It is about redemption.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: It is about a Savior who went into the darkest night so that we can walk in the light.