CHAPTER 26

Determined to have Jesus crucified, the members of the Jewish religious council rose and had the hands of Jesus bound behind his back. They then led Jesus from Caiaphas’ palace to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea.

When the religious leaders arrived at the palace of Pilate, they remained in the large courtyard, for if they went inside a non-Jewish palace they would become ceremonially unclean and could not eat during the Passover Feast.

Because the religious leaders would not enter the palace, Pilate went outside to meet them. He asked them, “What charges do you bring against this man?” They said, “We wouldn’t have brought him to you if he was not a criminal. We have interrogated him and have found him guilty of misleading and deceiving the nation of Israel, refusing to pay taxes to Caesar, and claiming that he is the Messiah, a king!” Pilate said to them, “Take him and judge him by your own law.” But the religious leaders said, “You know that it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”

Pilate took Jesus inside his palace and said to him, “Don’t you hear the charges they are bringing against you? The religious leaders have accused you of many things.” But Jesus did not reply, not even to a single charge. Pilate was totally amazed and asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “Yes, as you have said. Is this what you believe, or did others tell you this about me?” Pilate said, “I am not a Jew. It is your religious leaders and your own people that handed you over to me. What did you do?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my disciples would have fought against my arrest. But my kingdom is from another world.” Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus said, “You say that I am a king, but I came into this world to tell people the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to my teaching.”

Then Pilate said, “What is truth?”

Pilate went outside of his palace and announced to the religious leaders and the crowd of people, “I find no legal grounds to declare this man guilty of a crime.” But they insisted, “Jesus is inciting the people to rebel all over Judea with his teaching. He started in Galilee and has now come to Jerusalem.” When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee, a region governed by Herod Antipas, he sent Jesus to Antipas who was in Jerusalem during the Passover.

When Antipas saw Jesus, he was very pleased because he had wanted to meet him for a long time. From everything that he had heard about Jesus in Galilee, he hoped to see him do some sort of mir- acle. Although Antipas asked Jesus many questions, he remained silent and gave no answers. During Antipas’ interrogation of Jesus, the religious leaders were standing there, viciously accusing Jesus of many things. Then Antipas and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Jesus, and sent him back to Pilate. Although they had been enemies, Pilate and Antipas became friends that day.

When Jesus had been returned to Pilate, he called together the Jews and said to them, “You brought Jesus to me as one who was inciting a rebellion among the people. I have examined him, and I have not found him guilty of the criminal charges that have been brought against him. Herod Antipas did not find him guilty either. He has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will have him punished and then let him go free.”

Then Pilate went back inside his palace.

A short time later, Pilate went outside of his palace to reason with the Jews who were gathered in the courtyard. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with this innocent man, for I suffered in a dream today because of him.” Then Pilate said to the crowd of Jews, “I do not find this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him. But since it is your custom for me to free one Jewish prisoner every Passover, do you want me to free the king of the Jews or Barabbas?” For at that time the Romans had a very well known prisoner named Barabbas. Barabbas was in prison for starting an insurrection against Rome in Jerusalem and for murder.

The religious leaders stirred up the crowd and yelled, “We want you to release Barabbas!” They shouted, “Do not free Jesus! We want you to free Barabbas!” Away with Jesus! Release Barabbas to us!” Then Pilate said to them, “What should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah, the king of the Jews?” They shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why? What crime is he guilty of?” But the crowd shouted even louder, “Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Why? What crime has he committed? I do not find him guilty of any crimes deserving death. Therefore, I will have him punished and then set him free.”

Pilate had Jesus punished. The soldiers took Jesus into Pilate’s palace and gathered a company of soldiers around him. They stripped Jesus of his clothes, put a purple robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and pushed it down on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. They knelt in front of him and mocked him shouting, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Falling to their knees, the soldiers pretended that they were worshiping him. Again and again they hit him on the head with a staff, spit on him, and slapped him in the face.

Then Pilate went outside his palace again and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. Jesus came outside wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is the man!” As soon as the religious leaders saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” But Pilate said, “You take him and crucify him, because I do not find a legal basis for a charge against him.” The religious leaders said, “Our law says that he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, he became afraid. He went back inside his palace with Jesus and asked him, “Where did you come from?” But Jesus did not answer him. Pilate said, “Do you refuse to answer me? Don’t you know that I have power to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus said, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from God above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Once again, Pilate went outside his palace and tried to convince the Jews to let Jesus go free. But the religious leaders kept shouting, “If you let Jesus go free, you are no friend of Caesar.” When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat. Pilate shouted to the Jews, “Look, here is your king!” But the Jews shouted back, “Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said, “Should I crucify your king?” They shouted, “We have no king but Caesar!”

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that the crowd was getting out of control, he took water and washed his hands in front of the people saying “I am innocent of this man’s blood; he is now your responsibility!” The crowd shouted, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” Wanting to please the religious leaders and the people, Pilate released Barabbas.

Sitting on the judgement seat, Pilate sentenced Jesus to crucifixion. He ordered the Roman soldiers to severely flog Jesus.

After his flogging, Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified. The soldiers led Jesus outside the walls of Jerusalem. As they were going, the soldiers met a Passover pilgrim named Simon from the city of Cyrene in North Africa, who was walking into Jerusalem from the country. The soldiers grabbed Simon, put the crossbeam of Jesus’ cross on him, and forced him to carry it behind Jesus.

A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including women who were mourning and crying for him. Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time is coming when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’

Jesus once again warned them about the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that took place in AD 70.