261
Foreseeing that Pilate would not
consider the charge of blasphemy
to be sufficiently serious to merit
execution, they tell him that Jesus
is a threat to security and guilty of
treason against Caesar. They know
this will force Pilate to take action.
All four Gospels record Pilate
asking Jesus: “Are you the king
of the Jews?” Jesus asserts that
He is, but points out that He is not
the kind of king who will cause a
military threat to Rome. He says,
“My kingdom is not of this world”
(John 18:36). Impressed by the
authenticity of Jesus’s words, Pilate
realizes that Jesus does not pose
a direct threat to Caesar. He then
goes back to the Jewish authorities
and tells them that Jesus is innocent
of the charges they have brought
against Him.Brought before Herod
Pilate’s verdict is not the one the
Sanhedrin want. They insist
again that Jesus has been inciting
rebellion, beginning in the region
of Galilee and spreading to
Jerusalem itself. In Luke’s Gospel
(23:6), on hearing of Jesus’s link
with Galilee, Pilate sends Himunder guard to Herod Antipas, the
Jewish king appointed by Rome,
who has jurisdiction in the region.
Herod is delighted to see Jesus,
because he has heard the stories
about Him and hopes to see some
of the miracles for which He is
famous. When Jesus simply stands
in silence before Herod, saying
and doing nothing, Herod is
frustrated. He orders his soldiers
to dress Jesus in a royal robe to
mock the claim that He is a king.
After they have had their fun,
Jesus is escorted back to Pilate.
By this time, a crowd has
gathered at the palace. Pilate,
who must now decide Jesus’s fate,
considers a way to let Him go free.
It is his custom during Passover
to release a prisoner (invariably
one of the Jews’ popular leaders)
to please the crowds who arrive
in Jerusalem for the festival. Pilate
says to the crowd, “There is no
basis for your charges against
Jesus. Therefore, I will punish
Him and then release him.” To
his surprise, the crowd cries out,
“Away with this man! Release
Barabbas to us” (Luke 23:18).
Pilate is unable to believe his ❯❯See also: The Suffering Servant 154–55 ■ The Nature of Faith 236–41 ■ The Last
Supper 248–53 ■ Betrayal in the Garden 254–55 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71THE GOSPELS
Pontius Pilate
Appointed by the Emperor
Tiberius, Pontius Pilate was
the prefect (or governor) of
Judea and the neighboring
regions of Samaria and
Idumea from 26 to 36 ce.
He had a residence in the
provincial capital of Caesarea
and the use of the Antonia
Fortress in Jerusalem.
Pilate’s responsibilities
included taxation, public
spending, and law and order.
His relationship with the
Jewish people was fragile,
particularly because he
repeatedly disregarded their
religious and social customs.
He minted coins bearing
pagan religious symbols
and hung worship images
of the emperor in Jerusalem.
In 36 ce, Pilate was
forced back to Rome after
the Samaritans (an offshoot
of Judaism) lodged an official
complaint about him with the
legate (in charge of provincial
governors) in Syria. Pilate
died shortly after his term of
office in Palestine. According
to the Christian bishop and
historian Eusebius of
Caesarea, in Ecclesiastical
History, Pilate killed himself
on the orders of the Emperor
Caligula in 39 ce.“Don’t you hear the
testimony they are
bringing against you?”
But Jesus made no reply.
Matthew 27:13You disowned the Holy
and Righteous One and
asked that a murderer
be released to you.
Acts 3:14US_258-265_Crucifixion.indd 261 24/10/2017 15:36