Lesson 48

Pilate On Trial

John 18:28-19:16a

Long before the Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, they had determined to kill Him. John 11:47-51, 53 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die ... Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. However, the Jewish council did not have the right to execute prisoners making it necessary to get the cooperation and approval of Rome. This meant a visit to the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate.

Think about Jesus trial like this: There were two trials, a Jewish trial and a Roman trial both of which had three stages each.

The Jewish Trial - The charge = blasphemy

Stage 1 - Christ before Annas, John 18:12-23.

Stage 2 - Christ before Caiaphas, John 18:24.

Stage 3 - Christ before the council, Luke 22:66-71.

The Roman Trial - The charge = treason

Stage 1 - Christ before Pilate, John 18:28.

Stage 2 - Christ before Herod, Luke 23:6-12.

Stage 3 - Christ before Pilate, John 18:39 - 19:16.

John's selected to record for us only 3 of the six courtroom hearing that took place. Most of his record concerns Jesus Christ's two appearances before Pilate. These two appearances formulate our text for today's message, John 18:28-19:16a.

There are 56 references in our Bible to Pontius Pilate. 52 of them are in the four gospel. And all but 2 are in direct reference to the crucifixion of Jesus. Before the day of Jesus' death, Pilate's name has come up only twice. Once, at the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry, just to let us know who held office when these things took place (Luke 3:1). The only other mention of Pilate is a brief reference of his connection to an incident when some Galileans had been killed while they were making sacrifices, Luke 13:1. Every other reference to Pilate has to do with the crucifixion of Jesus.

Who was this man Pilate? He was not a Jew. He was a Roman. He had been appointed governor of Judea by Caesar himself. The historical record of his rule indicates that although Pilate like the power of being a ruler, he hated the people over whom he reigned and they hated him. There is a noticeable tension between the governor and his Jewish subjects, particularly the Sanhedrin. They have a history.

According to Josephus, the first century Jewish historian who was commissioned by Rome to write a history of Jews, Pilate had, prior to this fateful day made some disastrous political blunders. He had moved his military headquarters from Caesarea to the holy city of Jerusalem which had deeply offended the Jews. They had nearly revolted. Rather than risking a revolt, he had returned his army to Caesarea. He had hung shields with the image of Caesar on the gates of his palace at Jerusalem which had also angered the Jews. The shields had only been removed at Caesar's insistence. He had taken money from the Temple treasury and used it in the construction of a much-needed aquaduct. And he had been connected with the death of some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices at the temple. All of these factors point out that Pilate was not very popular with his subjects.

And on that morning, at the crack dawn, Pilate is awakened by an angry crowd demanding that he immediately sit in judgment of Jesus, who is being accused of treason and sedition, a threat to Caesar, a man who claims to be the king of the Jews. Pilate is feeling a tremendous pressure to make a decision that will be popular with the people. They have already threatened to send a delegation to the emporer to complain about him. In the worst possible scenario, Pilate might be removed from his position. He is a spineless, compromising politician who is guided not by principle but by self-interest.

How shall we study and analyze this section of scripture. Technically, Jesus is on trial before Pilate, but it seems to me that Pilate is really the one on trial before Jesus. The Apostle Paul made mention of Pilate and Jesus when writing to Timothy. Paul understood that before Pilate, Jesus "witnessed a good confession" (I Timothy 6:23). Jesus is not defending Himself, pleading His innocence, asking for mercy. In truth, He is witnessing to Pilate.

Please notice three particulars about Jesus' conversation with Pilate.

Pilate Asked The Appropriate Questions

In the 28 verses that form this text, there are at least 10 questions that Pilate asked either the Jews or Jesus.

What accusation bring ye against this man?, v. 29.

Are you the King of the Jews?, v. 33.

Am I a Jew?, v. 35. What hast thou done?, v. 35.

Are you then a king?, v. 37.

What is truth?, v. 38

Do you want to release the King of the Jews?, v. 39.

Where are you from?, 19:9.

Don't you know my power?, 19:10.

Shall I crucify your king?, 19:15.

The questions fall into several categories.

The Logical Questions - What is the accusation? Are you the king of the Jews? This is logical in that Pilate has been called upon to make a judgment about Jesus, to render a verdict. What is this man being accused of? The answer that they give is vague and self-righteous. "If he weren't a malefactor (evil doer; criminal) we wouldn't have brought him to you." "He's guilty because we say so. You have no right to question our conclusion." These hypocrites. They would be part of killing the Son of God, but would not enter a Gentile's house because that would defile them and prevent them from taking the Passover, v. 28. They didn't want a trial, they wanted an execution, vs. 29-30. Is Jesus an evil doer, a common criminal? He had gathered children into his arms and blessed them. He had touched the untouchables, spoken hope to the hopeless, healed the sick, raised the dead. Pilate says, in essence, if you know that he is a criminal, then why involve me? Judge him yourself according to Jewish law, v. 31a. Their true intentions are revealed in vs. 31b-32. They have come to Pilate for a single reason. They are not permitted to execute capital crimes. Only the Roman government has that authority. They want Jesus dead, executed, crucified on a cross.

And so, Pilate and Jesus enter into the judgment hall and Pilate asks the second logical question, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Are you a threat to Roman rule? Are you a seditionist? Are you attempting to overthrow Caesar's rule of Palestine? (v. 33).

Jesus' answer (v.34) is not a evasion of the issue. Jesus forces Pilate to clarify the question.

The Scornful Question, v. 35. "Am I a Jew?" Let's you know what the Roman governor or Judea thinks about Jews! There is sarcasm and scorn in his words and probably in his tone of voice. "It's your fellow Jews who are accusing you of trying to overthrow the Roman government." Jesus' answer to Pilate's questions make it clear that He is not a seditionist, not the leader of a rebellion against the Roman rule of Palestine. Yes, He is a King, the King of the Jews. But His kingdom is not a political kingdom, it is a spiritual kingdom, vs. 36-37. It is interesting to note that hereafter Pilate refers to Jews as the King of the Jews, v. 39; 19:14, 15, 19.

The Cynical Question, v. 38. "What is truth?" Pilate is a cynic when it comes to absolutes like truth and justice. He is guided by self-interest not by principle. The text does not indicate that Jesus made any attempt to answer this cynical question.

The next question comes later in the second trial.

The Central Question, 19:9. "Whence art thou?" Pilate asked Jesus this question upon hearing the Jews say that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, v. 7. According to verse 8, he is very afraid at this point. Initially, he was afraid of the Jews, but now, he is equally afraid of Jesus. "Where are you from?" Jesus did not answer this question. Pilate has already made it clear that he has not interest in truth. Why should Jesus reveal the truth of His origin and identity to this man?

The Carnal Question, 19:10. "Don't you know who you're talking to? Your life is in my hands. Whether you live or die is entirely up to me. Don't be so full of yourself, Pilate. "The powers that be are ordained of God" (Romans 13:1). All authority is ultimately from above. The death of Jesus may appear to be the work of men, but in reality it is the plan of God. And Jesus goes on to make it clear that the humans most responsible for His death are the Jewish religious leaders. Pilate is a puppet in their hands.

The Critical Questions, 18:39; 19:15 "Shall I release the King of the Jews? Shall I crucify your King?" Matthew records these questions as "What shall I do with Jesus?" That is the most critical question for all of us. Do we crown Him or do we crucify Him? Are we going to try to get rid of Jesus or will we allow Him to reign? What shall I do with Jesus?

Pilate Reached The Right Conclusion

Initially, after hearing Jesus answer about His kingdom, Pilate understood that Jesus was not a rebel, not a seditionist, no threat to the political rule of Rome. The charged had been trumped up. And so, verse 38 says that he went out to the Jews and announced "I find no fault in him at all." He wanted to release Jesus. But while Pilate had been in private consultation with Christ, the Jewish leaders apparently had stirred up the people against Jesus. They preferred the release of Barabbas, a notorious thief, over Jesus, a criminal over the Christ, a beast over the best, vs. 39-40.

And so, as an alternative to crucifixion, Pilate decided to have Jesus scourged, a horrible beating with a cat-o-nine tails, nine strands of leather tipped with sharp pieces of bone, stone and iron, v. 1. He permitted the soldiers to mock and ridicule Jesus, vs. 2-3. I think that Pilate thought that such mockery and misery would pacify the angry Jewish mob. And so, he shows them Jesus beaten, bruised, bloody humiliated and says for the second time (v. 4) "I find no fault in him."

But the chief priests and the officers begin to chant, "Crucify him, crucify him." Pilate tells them that he will not crucify Jesus because, for the third time, "I find no fault in him." The Jewish leaders press the issue. "Under Jewish religious law he ought to die because he claimed to be the Son of God." Such a claim would indeed be blasphemous if it were not true. But if it is true, it cannot be blasphemous." Verse 12 says that Pilate sought to release Jesus.

He reached the right conclusion - Jesus is innocent. There is no fault in him. He did not deserve to be scourged, or mocked or crucified.

He Made The Wrong Decision

In the end, Pilate, though completely aware of the innocence of Jesus, caved in to the crowd. He was afraid of them, afraid of Caesar, afraid of losing his position of power. "You are not Caesar's friend" they said. "Caesar alone is our king" they said hypocritically, "Crucify Jesus." And Pilate allowed it to happen. John 19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.

What happened to Pilate? The Bible doesn't say. However, historical tradition claims that eventually the Jewish leaders sent a delegation to Rome to express their dissatisfaction with Pilate about some other matter. Caesar removed him from office and he committed suicide. All of his attempts to protect himself did not save him.

Pilate had to make a decision about what he would do with Jesus. Convinced that he was innocent, yet pressured by the crowd, Pilate made numerous attempts at being uninvolved but eventually cowed down to the crowd, released a criminal, punished Jesus and permitted him to be killed. Under pressure, Pilate made the wrong decision concerning Jesus

Today, I ask you, "What will you do with Jesus?" Like Pilate you may want to stay uninvolved and neutral. Is it possible to be neutral about Christ? Jesus said, (Matthew 12:30) "He that is not for me is against me." When it comes to making a decision about Jesus, neutrality is impossible. Not to decide for Christ, is to decide against him.

You, like Pilate, may be impressed with the person of Christ, yet remain unresponsive. You may be listening to the opinion of others, afraid to do what is right because of what others think. You may wish that you could wash your hands of any personal responsibility toward Christ. But you cannot. What shall you do with Jesus?

Jesus is standing in Pilate's hall,

Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all.

Hearken! What meaneth the sudden call!

What will you do with Jesus?

What will you do with Jesus?

Neutral you cannot be.

Someday you will be asking,

"What will He do with me?"