1 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore punish and release him.”
18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”—19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Having declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy wasn’t enough. The Jewish council didn’t have the authority to impose capital punishment. For that, they needed a Roman governor to convict Jesus. So they took Jesus before Pilate. They accused Him of misleading the nation. They saw Jesus as leading people away from the true faith of Judaism but before Pilate, they meant leading them away from loyalty to the Roman empire. They claimed that Jesus opposed paying taxes to Caesar which is the complete opposite of what He taught (Luke 20:25). Then finally, they correctly stated that Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Christ, the Messiah, the King, but they framed it to appear that He was an insurrectionist, intending to usurp Roman rule. Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” and Jesus answered in the affirmative. The wording seems ambiguous but Pilate clearly understood it as an affirmation because he wrote that title on the inscription on Jesus’ cross (Luke 23:38). Pilate found Jesus to be innocent of the charges but the Jews insisted on his guilt bringing up his teaching in all Judea from Galilee to Jerusalem.
When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee he sent him to Herod because that was Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod was pleased to see Jesus because he had heard about him and hoped to see some miraculous sign. Herod questioned Him at length but Jesus remained silent, like a lamb before His shearers (Isa 53:7). Herod clearly wasn’t interested in learning the truth about Jesus because they mocked Him and treated Him with contempt. This is still true today when people ask and debate about Jesus but their intention is not to discover the truth but to jeer at Christianity. Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate having passed no judgment. It is interesting to note that Jesus’ presence brought peace. Herod and Pilate who had been at enmity with each other reconciled and became friends from that day.
Pilate called the leadership together and again said that he did not find Jesus guilty nor had Herod. He had been accused of misleading the people and yet that is exactly what the Jewish leadership was doing. Pilate found Jesus innocent and not deserving of death and sought to release Him. In order to appease the leaders, he offered to punish Jesus and then release Him.
But they did not want Jesus released, they wanted Him crucified. Luke doesn’t mention the tradition that a prisoner was released during Passover (Mark 15:6). So they asked for Barabbas to be released. Barrabas was incarcerated for rebellion and murder. Barrabas’s sins are representative of all of ours for we all rebel against God and are murderous, at least in attitude (1 John 3:15-16). The Jews demanded that the guilty go free and the innocent be crucified. Pilate tried again to release Jesus but they shouted out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate tried a third time to no avail. Eventually, he gave in to their demand, released Barrabas, and handed Jesus over to their will.
Have you ever considered that you are the rebellious murderer, Barabbas, guilty of all charges? You get to go free because Jesus, the completely innocent One, has died in your place.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
God’s Case Against Israel: Hosea 3-4