Pilate Sought To Release Him

Pilate Questioned Jesus the last time we met, today we start John 19:1-16.

 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” 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 according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” ¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵ 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 delivered him over to them to be crucified.

The Jewish leaders refused to let Pilate set Jesus free even though Pilate found no fault with him.  Pilate’s response was to take Jesus and have him flogged.   Not only that the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.

Once that was done, Pilate again brought Jesus out, saying “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”  And Jesus was brought out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.

This was the third thing Pilate did in regards to Jesus.  First, he told them I find no fault with him.  The second one, whom shall I release Barabas or Jesus?

The Jewish leaders would have nothing to do with it though.  So Pilate let Jesus be flogged and mocked.  This still didn’t appease them though.

Behold the man

Additionally, Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

All this did was cause the chief priests and the officers to cry out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” That’s all they wanted.  Pilate hadn’t found any guilt is Jesus though, so how could he justify doing so?  Ergo his response:  “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”

The position Pilate was in eh?   This position was made more clear when the Jews told him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”

Now what!?!?!   The fear in Pilate is palpable at this point don’t you think?   We find the Jewish leadership telling Pilate that Jesus has violated a law so important to them that he must die.  Their law says death.

I certainly understand why Jesus was again questioned by Pilate.  “Where are you from?” comes the question, but Jesus gave him no answer.

I am imagining this whole situation perplexed him.  Jesus didn’t tell him much of anything.  He didn’t really respond to Pilate’s questions in any straight-forward manner.  Even when Pilate reminds Jesus of the authority he has.  Jesus’ only response was “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

Pilate’s Determination

Can’t you just see it?   Pilate’s determination, even when he was afraid, he was determined to release Jesus.  From then on Pilate sought to release him.

The Jewish leaders pulled out the big guns then.  “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”  What could Pilate do in the face of that?  Who wants to make an enemy of the most powerful person in the land?

I know, I know… he could have called them out.  He could have released Jesus.  But we know that’s not how God ordained things to be.  We know that Jesus came to die for our sins and that this was the time and manner for it to happen.

So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.

He is defeated.   The Jewish leaders are bold in their determination.  Jesus will die even if they have to threaten Pilate.  Pilate brought Jesus out saying,  “Behold your King!”

All they cried was for Jesus to be taken away and be crucified and Pilate handed him over.  He double-checked before doing so, are you sure you want me to crucify your King?  Jesus’ kingship was denied. In fact, they claimed Caesar was their king!  Jesus was given over to be crucified.

Ponderings and Thoughts

When I read this you know what I see?   A man who tried.  Pilate tried to release Jesus.  He told the Jewish leaders he found no fault with Jesus.  He asked whom he should release.  Jesus was even flogged and mocked.  Pilate told them he found no guilt in Jesus.

But the crowd defied him.  The Jewish Leaders defied.  They threatened him.  Nothing Pilate did in defence of Jesus worked.  Even Jesus didn’t help his own cause, putting up no defence.

I’m reminded of a situation I ran into this week.  A gal who doesn’t love God and I looked to defend him.   Didn’t matter what I said, rejection of that defence was right there.

Isn’t that the way it is though?  If people are determined to deny the Lord Jesus, if they are determined to have him ‘dead’, it doesn’t matter what we say or do. I think it’s important for us to remember that.  It’s not us, or position, or words so much that they are rejecting or denying.  Rather it’s a statement of their determination and attitude towards (or rather against) God.  It’s hard not to take it personally but we aught not.  Remember that it is not about us.  It’s about THEM and their relationship, their refusal to have a relationship with God.