1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. 2 The soldiers twisted thorns together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus’ head. Then they put a purple robe on him. 3 They went up to him again and again. They kept saying, “We honor you, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
4 Once more Pilate came out. He said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Then Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. I myself find no basis for a charge against him.”
7 The Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law. That law says he must die. He claimed to be the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard that, he was even more afraid. 9 He went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus. But Jesus did not answer him. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you understand? I have the power to set you free or to nail you to a cross.”
11 Jesus answered, “You were given power from heaven. If you weren’t, you would have no power over me. So the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free. But the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are not Caesar’s friend! Anyone who claims to be a king is against Caesar!”
13 When Pilate heard that, he brought Jesus out. Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat. It was at a place called the Stone Walkway. In the Aramaic language it was called Gabbatha. 14 It was about noon on Preparation Day in Passover Week.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Should I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
16 Finally, Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be nailed to a cross.
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.
Read John 19:1-16 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Of all the gospel writers to include Jesus’ trial, John’s perspective on these events is more unique from the other three gospel writers. In John’s gospel, we get to peek into Jesus’ conversation with Pilate that happened behind closed doors, and we also get a glimpse of the actual charge the religious leaders give to Pilate for their demands of death.
Part way through the trial, John tells us that the religious leaders give their real reason for demanding Jesus’ death. After Pilate restates that he found no fault in Jesus, the Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law. That law says he must die. He claimed to be the Son of God.” (v. 7)
When Pilate heard this, John says that he was even more afraid. He brings Jesus back into the palace and asks Him, “Where do you come from?” (v. 9)
But Jesus remains silent, which both confuses and angers Pilate. Pilate continues with another question, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you understand? I have the power to set you free or to nail you to a cross.” (v. 10)
It is then that Jesus gave an answer, and His answer is amazing given the circumstances. Jesus replied, “You were given power from heaven. If you weren’t, you would have no power over me. So the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (v. 11)
Jesus reminds Pilate of something that Pilate already knows, but Jesus frames it in a different way. Jesus essentially reminds Pilate that everything he has been given as governor of Judea is because of God. Pilate may believe in the Roman collection of gods, but the same truth is present: Pilate is in the position he is in because he gained favor from a higher authority.
In this response, Jesus acknowledges Pilate’s position, but He frames it as not being number one. Jesus frames the Highest Authority in heaven as giving Pilate the power to decide Jesus’ fate. While Pilate initially claimed to have the power, Jesus reminded him that the power he is referring to is really a gift from God.
But Jesus subtly minimizes Pilate’s role in how He concludes. Jesus tells Pilate that because of the power given to him from Heaven for this event and decision, he will be guilty of sin for this, but “the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (v. 11)
Pilate was one of the few people who really got the picture of who Jesus was, and it scared him. Jesus was different from all the others that he had sentenced to death. It was like Jesus expected it, even though nothing said that He deserved it. Perhaps this is because Jesus kept His focus on what would happen after the cross and after His death – and maybe on even what His death would ultimately accomplish.
Jesus faced death knowing that it meant opening the way for our salvation. Those who judged Jesus as guilty were themselves guilty of sin, but Jesus was willing to look past their actions to what their actions would accomplish. When we ultimately face death, we too can look past it and see the future life Jesus has accomplished for each of us!
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.