Reflection on John 18:28-19:16

After the high priests and the Jewish Sanhedrin failed to exam Jesus to find fault in Him, they didn't take the gracious opportunity Jesus offered to them to exam themselves to check their own guilt before the Lord. Jesus Christ is the perfect lawmaker and the lawkeeper. There is no way for anyone on earth to prove that Jesus is a lawbreaker, since He breaks no law. On the contrary, the Jews who captured Jesus and tried Him were lawbreakers. They knew Jesus' innocence, but still were determined to kill Him.

At that time, the Jews were subject to Romans. The Romans allowed them a good deal of self-government, but didn't give them the legal right to carry out death penalty. The Jews had made many attempts to kill Jesus illegally. However, none of these attempts succeeded because God forbade. If the Jews had themselves been able to kill Jesus, it would have been by stoning. But Jesus said that when He was "lifted up from the earth", He would "draw all men to" Himself. "He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die." Jesus' prophecy had to be fulfilled so He had to die on the cross which the Romans commonly used to carry out death penalty. The Jewish leaders had no choice but left it to the Romans to kill Jesus on the cross. They had to take the trouble to do that during Passover. "The Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanliness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover." There was no law to forbid Jewish people to enter a gentile's house. But the Jews who delivered Jesus to Pilate were too religious to enter the gentile governor's palace for fear of contracting, not a legal, but only a traditional pollution to keep them from eating "the Passover". They came along with the prisoner; they might accuse their prisoner much more effectually if they had gone inside the governor's palace. But they were so careful of ceremonial and ritual cleanliness that they would not enter Pilate's palace, yet they were busy doing everything possible to crucify the Son of God. They made no scruple of breaking through all the laws of equity to persecute Jesus to the death. John exposed the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders. They had no trouble to have an innocent Jesus murdered, yet they were afraid of ceremonial defilement.

Though the hour was early, rather than asked the Jews to wait or demanded them to enter the residence of a Gentile, Pilate accommodated the Jews' religious scruples and moved himself outside to meet these conspiring religious leaders. He put the most reasonable question to them that could be and asked the Jews, "What charges are you bringing against this man?" The Jews had formulated their charge against Jesus was to be "blasphemy". They knew well that Pilate would not proceed on a charge like that. They first attempted to induce Pilate to accept their verdict and condemn Jesus upon it, then execute Him with a trial. The Jewish leaders replied to Pilate, "If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over you." They could not have answered Pilate with more disdain. They couldn't bring a legal charge against Jesus according to Roman's law, but they wanted Pilate to have Jesus killed lawfully.

Pilate wasn't a total idiot. The Jews looked very rude and uncivil to him. He didn't like the idea that the Jews reached their verdict first and then tried to use his hands to kill a person without a legal charge. Pilate said to the Jews, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." Pilate would rather not take the case and seemed ready to turn Jesus' accusers away. He was unwilling to do them the service they required. Pilate's reply forced the Jews to reveal their true intention. The Jews objected, "But we have no right to execute anyone." Nothing but the death of Jesus would satisfy them. "This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled." Jesus' death would be by crucifixion, lifted up on the cross. No word of Jesus shall fall to the ground. He can never either deceive or be deceived. The Jews charged Jesus as a deceiver, but they had their spirit so directed as to help to prove Jesus' words to be true.

“Pilate then went inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’" To the Romans, "king" meant a political rival. Even though there was nothing in the manner or attire of Jesus to a royal claimant, Pilate was bound by his office to take care of the interests of the Roman government. Pilate asked his first question to Jesus to determine whether Jesus intended to set Himself up as a king against Caesar. The Gospels are unanimous in giving this question as the first words addressed by Pilate to Jesus. There is irony and doubt in his question. He asked it because Jesus didn't look like a revolutionary or a criminal, the only types of people who would claim to be the king of the Jews in the face of Rome.

Jesus answered Pilate's question with His own question to him, "Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?" Jesus admits that He is a king, but not a political rival in the sense Pilate thought. He asked the question to appeal to Pilate's conscience. No one could deal with Jesus for Pilate; he must deal with Jesus himself. Jesus invited Pilate to find truth about Himself. Pilate turned down Jesus' gracious offer by saying, "Am I a Jew? It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" Pilate proclaimed both his complete indifference to Jesus' true identify and that his despise of Jews. Pilate only wanted to find out what Jesus did to make the Jews so relentless in their hatred. If Pilate had been as inquisitive as he ought to have been in this matter, he would have found out the Jews were outrageous against Jesus because He did not set up a temporal kingdom in opposition to the Roman power. The Jews would have been so far from siding with Romans against Jesus if they could have made Jesus their king, and have fought under Him against the Romans.

In His next reply, Jesus gave a more full and direct answer to Pilate's first question, explaining in what sense He was a king, not a secular king, for His interest was not supported by secular methods. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." Jesus answered He truly was a king with a kingdom. And Pilate might have been relieved at Jesus' answer that His kingdom was not of this world. Therefore Pilate said to Jesus, "You are a king, then!" This is a half-question and half-exclamation. Our Lord chose to enlighten Pilate as to the nature of His kingdom in His next answer to Pilate. Jesus said, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth." Jesus spoke to Pilate of truth in its absolute sense. The secret of the universe, exclusively revealed in and through Him who is the Truth. Jesus tells us why He came into the world. He came to witness to the truth; He came to tell us the truth about God, the truth about ourselves, and the truth about life. Jesus then challenged Pilate with the choice to recognize and receive His testimony by saying, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Pilate had the opportunity to listen to Jesus' own testimony and choose to belong to those "on the side of truth". Pilate responded to the greatest opportunity of his life with a good question to Jesus, "What is truth?" Sadly, he didn't care about the answer the Truth Himself could give him. He didn't wait for Jesus to give him an answer even he knew that Jesus was telling him truth. Why should we assume that Pilate knew Jesus was telling the truth? Because "he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him.’” Pilate was convinced there was no cause for death in Jesus. He publicly declared Jesus innocent. His duty as honest judge was inescapable. However, the Gospel of Luke records that when he learned that Jesus was from Galilee, he sent Jesus to Herod who was the ruler of Galilee. He tried to shift his responsibility to Herod. But Herod was unable to find guilt in Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.

In the situation when both Herod and himself found no guilt in Jesus, Pilate didn't have the courage to release Jesus. He was willing to trim the matter, and please all sides. He went on to try another way of escape from dealing directly with Jesus himself; but again that is precisely what no one can do. The Gospel of Matthew tells us, Pilate proposed to the crowd that had gathered, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" He didn't propose this appeal to the Jewish leaders only. "For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him." About then, Pilate's wife sent him an urgent message, warning him, "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him." Pilate worshipped the gods and goddess of Rome. He had ignored the opportunities of his post in Judea to know the living God. God was merciful to Pilate and gave him many solemn warnings and opportunities to know the truth of the unique prisoner who was brought to him by the Jews. Even his wife's message suggested his household knew something about Jesus. Probably Pilate had heard how Jesus had been attended the other day with the "Hosanna" shouted by the common crowd; he somehow looked upon Him to be the favorite of the multitude, and the envy only of the leaders, therefore he made no doubt but the crowd would demand the release of Jesus, and this would stop the mouth of the prosecutors. Anyway, if Pilate had had the honesty and courage for being a judge, he would not have named an innocent person to be competitor with a notorious criminal for this favour. He should go straight forward to discharge Jesus.

"But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed." "Barabbas had taken parts in a rebellion", was "a notorious prisoner". The crowd was ready to choose any man, however undeserving, rather than Jesus.They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" They cried all again and again. How fierce and outrageous they were. How foolish and absurd they were. Barabbas was a breaker of the law of God; and yet he shall be spared, rather than the One who reproved the pride, avarice, and the tyranny of the priests and elders. It is a strange, almost insane scene: a cruel, ruthless Roman governor trying to spare the life of Jesus against the efforts of the Jewish leaders and crowd. They all understood perfectly that Jesus was innocent under Roman's law.

The crowd was inflexible. Pilate found it impossible to go against both the Jewish leaders and the crowd. "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they stuck him in the face." Pilate seemed to think that scourging would suffice. He hoped that the more moderate would take pity upon Jesus when they saw His scourged body, for scourging was so cruel a punishment that the condemned person often died under its infliction. Pilate's compromise meant Jesus suffered more than if he had simply consented to Jesus' crucifixion. Pilate chose to put Jesus through this added indignity to postpone that final choice and fulfilling his recognized duty. The soldiers had no special malice against Jesus, but the Roman military system made them hard of heart. They were trained to toture prisoners in professional way. The occasion gave these gentile soldiers opportunity to show their contempt for the Jews by mocking Jesus as their king.

Pilate thought that he might avoid having to give the verdict of the cross by  giving the verdict of scourging. But that is what no man can do. Pilate went on to try what another round of appeal could do. He led Jesus out broken by the scourging and showed Him to the crowd. Pilate said, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." Pilate tried to swing the balance by this appeal to emotion and to pity. But no man can hope that appeal to others can take the place of his own personal decision. Pilate must make his own decision. He publicly announced Jesus' innocence for the second time, but still didn't make the right decision to discharge Him. Pilate called attention of the crowd, "Here is the man!" He probably hoped the terrible marks Jesus bore might touch the stubborn hearts of the crowd. He didn't realize how bloodthirsty Jesus' accusers were.

"As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw" Jesus, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" Pilate's expectation came to naught, for none of the Jewish leaders ever wavered in their demand for crucifixion. They raised their voice in full chorus for the crucifixion of Jesus. They began by hating Jesus because they felt envy toward Him. They finished in a great hysteria of hatred, howling like wolves, "Crucify! Crucify!" The hatred of the leaders made them lose all sense of proportion. Unreasonable and most absurd, they would not accept Pilate's declaration of Jesus' innocence. They demanded Jesus to be crucified. "But Pilate answered, ‘You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.’” Pilate publicly declared Jesus' innocence for the third time, but still he didn't let Jesus go freely. What was he armed with power for, but to be the guard of justice? Pilate did not have enough courage to act according to his conscience and his position.

Pilate spoke ironically since he knew the Jews could not kill Jesus by Crucifixion. The Jews understood that Pilate was taunting them, practically accusing them of attempting to put an innocent man to death, they defended themselves by boasting of their law. They had indeed an excellent law, but in vain did they boast of their law, when they abused it for such bad purpose. They said, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." They had made no mention of this fact because Pilate was under no obligation to enforce their law; but they mentioned it now to justify their cause. They could not incense Pilate against Jesus by alleging that He pretended Himself a king, they urged this, that He pretended Himself a God. The Jewish leaders' words had an unintended effect on Pilate who was a superstitious idol worshipper. When he heard that his prisoner allegedly claimed not only to royalty, but also to deity, "he was even more afraid." Even natural conscience makes men afraid of being found fighting against God. This was the last time God would plea with Pilate. Pilate turned back into the palace for his last personal contact with Jesus. He asked Jesus, "Where do you come from?" Pilate sought to know whether Jesus was of heaven or of earth, but Jesus was silent, for the motive of the question was not right. Pilate did not wish an answer that he might give or withhold worship; but he might know how strenuously he should defend Jesus. But innocent life is to be defended at all hazards, it matters not whether it is human or divine. And God had already given Pilate all he needed to believe and act honestly by acquitting Jesus. The silence of our Lord was not a sullen silence, in contempt of the court; it was a patient silence. It should cause Pilate to open his mind to think what the Lord said and did right in front of him. Sadly, Jesus' silence did not cause Pilate to reconsider his position in regard to righteousness and the fear of God. Pilate said, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Pilate made decision in his pride as though the power of the Roman Empire was all that mattered. How Pilate magnified himself, and boasted of his own authority. But he magnified his power to an exorbitant degree when he boasted that he had power to crucify one whom he had declared innocent.

When Pilate used his power, our Lord silently submitted to it; but when he grew proud of it, our Lord made him know himself, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." Jesus spoke with His royal dignity. Pilate had no ultimate power over Jesus. From beginning to end, the Crucifixion of Jesus never reads like a story of a man caught up in an inexorable web of circumstances over which he had no control. It is the story of our Lord's last days which was a triumphant procession towards the goal of the Cross. Those who took part in the proceedings against Jesus were actually those who were on trial. At Jesus' trial, the judges were judged. The scales of God's justice weighed Pilate and Jewish leaders and found them all guilty of sin. Pilate condemned the innocent brought before him, but the Jewish leaders searched out and arrested the innocent that they might enjoy His Crucifixion.

By then, Pilate had made about six attempts to release Jesus without hurting his own interest. The last effort that Pilate made to release Jesus was recorded as "Pilate tried to set Jesus free." It seemed Pilate's former attempts to release Jesus were nothing compared to this last effort. As we have seen, Pilate had before this tried to win the consent of the leaders that Jesus be released, but the last attempt was probably an actual attempt to set Jesus free because he was completely convinced that Jesus was innocent. But the Jewish leaders had a final weapon to use that struck fear in Pilate's heart. They kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." The Jews blackmailed Pilate into crucifying Jesus. Pilate saw at once that these envy and murderous Jews could make out of the present occasion a charge against him, which could cost him his position. In spite of God's solemn warning to him and Jesus' powerful appeals to his conscience, in spite of his absolute conviction of the complete innocence of Jesus, Pilate feared man more than God. He chose Caesar to be his king, not Jesus Christ. "He brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as Stone Pavement." It was still early in the morning on the day of Preparation of Passover. Pilate mounted the judgment-seat that he might formally reverse himself and condemn himself. He said to the Jews, "Here is your king." As he had tried to waken the Jews' compassion by saying, "Here is the man!" he now made a final attempt to shame them by saying, "Here is your king!" 

Pilate himself sinned against the full blaze of the glory of God, so did the Jews. The Jews shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate asked one more time, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." This was the most astonishing thing the chief priests could say. They denied every principle they had in order to compass the death of Jesus Christ. It was a terrible picture. In their hatred, the Jews forgot all their principles, even their God. The multitude began by wanting Jesus as a political Messiah to deliver them from Caesar's oppression, by the end, they rejected Jesus, and embraced Caesar.

Pilate fully knew what was right and just, but he chose wrong. Again and again he announced publicly that Jesus was innocent. However he chose to hand Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified. The Gospel of Matthew tells us,  before Pilate announced the decision which he made in his heart, "he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd." His guilt would not be washed away by water, only by the blood of Jesus which he was about to shed. Then He made another public announcement, "I am innocent of this man's blood, it is your responsibility!" Pilate's act was only symbolic, intended to show that he regarded the crucifixion of Jesus as a murder, and therefore meant to wash his hands of the guilt. This was indeed a wishful thinking. The Jews in their rage took upon themselves and their children all the responsibility by saying, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Pilate and the Jews were both guilty of the Crucifixion of the Son of God. God alone determines the extent of their responsibility, and He alone decides when their punishment shall end. But we know that it ends for all when they repentantly seek His forgiveness.