FEBRUARY 24 / MARCH 3, 2019
CHRIST’S ARRAIGNMENT BEFORE PILATE
INTRODUCTION:
1. After the arrest was made in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was conducted first to the house of Annas before being taken to appear before the court of his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who was the high priest that same year. Lord Caiaphas interrogated with a line of questioning that was intended to paint Him as a seducer and an enemy of Rome. He thus asked Him about His disciples and His doctrine. What was the extent of His following, and the ramifications of the kingdom that He professed to have founded? What were His secret teachings that held His followers together? Jesus’ clear answer exposed the disingenuousness of the question. (See Verses 20, 21)
2. They next, in the wee hours of the morning, (probably between 3:00 and 6:00 A.M.) led Jesus from the court of the high priest to the Praetorium, to the imperial palace of the Roman governor. The fact that Pilate was ready to hear the case at that early hour shows that he must have been prepared for the event, and even primed for it. In other words, the Jews had him on alert, hoping to obtain a conviction and sentence against Christ, that He might be put to death.
I. WE HAVE HERE PILATE’S CONFERENCE WITH THE PROSECUTORS. (VERSES 28-32)
A. HE WAS BROUGHT TO PILATE’S JUDGEMENT HALL ATTENDED BY JEWISH OFFICIALS. (VSE. 28)
1. It was necessary for the Jews having already judged Jesus worthy of death to persuade Pilate (the Roman governor)to charge and convict Him and sentence Him to die, since they were under Roman rule, and thus had no authority themselves to put anyone to death.
2. That these were Jewish priests and elders that hurried Jesus away to Pilate is made clear from the notation that John makes concerning their superstition that disallowed them to enter into the judgement hall because it was the house of an uncircumcised Gentile. They could not enter lest they be defiled, and therefore not allowed to proceed in their paschal solemnity, keeping the feast of Passover. What blatant hypocrisy was here on display!!
B. PILATE CALLS FOR THE INDICTMENT. (VERSE 29)
1. Because they would not come into the hall, he went out to them into the courtyard before the house.
2. Here we must commend the governor for a number of reasons.
a) First, had it been upon a better occasion, his willingness to come to the judgement hall and judge a case at this early hour is commendable.
b) Second, the fact that he would condescend to recede from the honor of his place to accommodate their religious scruples is admirable.
c) Third, his adherence to the rule of justice in demanding an accusation against their prisoner speaks well for him at this point.
C. THE PROSECUTORS ESSENTIALLY DEMANDED JUDGEMENT AGAINST THEIR PRISONER BASED UPON A GENERAL CHARGE WITH NO PROOF OF ANY SPECIFIC CRIME. (VERSE 30)
1. The response of the Jewish leaders to Pilate’s reasonable inquiry about the charge against Christ was very rude and also quite arrogant. “If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him to thee.” They were saying essentially that Pilate should just take their word for it that Jesus was an evildoer.
2. They acted very spitefully and maliciously toward Christ. There was no presumption of innocence, but rather the presumption of guilt, whether or not they had any proof of wrongdoing. They could not say, “He is a traitor, a murderer, a felon,” but yet they said, “He is an evildoer.” He, an evildoer who went along doing good!
D. PILATE REMANDED HIM TO THEIR OWN COURT, BUT THEY HAD NO AUTHORITY TO ENACT SUCH A SENTENCE AS THEY WISHED TO BE ENFORCED. (VERSE 31)
1. It might be that Pilate here was attempting to yield to their authority, allowing that their own court could convict and punish the crime of which they thought Him guilty, so long as it was not a capital offence.
2. Or, it might be that Pilate was responding to their insolence by upbraiding them with their present state of weakness and subjection, which they here acknowledge.
3. They disown any authority as judges, and become less insolent and more submissive. “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.”
a) Their power had been taken from them by the Romans.
b) Their acknowledgement of this amounts to a full evidence that the scepter was departed out of Judah, and therefore, that now the Messiah was come. (Gen. 49:10)
E. THERE WAS AN OVERRULING PROVIDENCE IN ALL OF THIS. (VERSE 32)
1. Jesus had signified that He would die by crucifixion. (John 12:32, 33)
2. If the Jews had had the authority to put Christ to death, their method of capital punishment was by stoning. But the Roman method was by crucifixion. (See also Psa. 22:16)
3. No word of Christ shall fall to the ground. Not only had He signified the method of His death, but He had also said that He should be delivered to the Gentiles, and that they should put him to death. (Matt. 20:19; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:32, 33)
4. It was necessary that Christ should be put to death by the Romans, that, being hanged on a tree, He might be made a curse for us. (Gal. 3:13)
II. HERE IS CHRIST’S ADMISSION THAT HE WAS A KING, BUT THAT HIS KINGDOM WAS NOT OF THIS WORLD. (VERSES 33-38)
A. HERE IS PILATE’S CONFERENCE WITH THE PRISONER. (VERSES 33-37)
1. Pilate entered again into the judgement hall, and called for Jesus to be brought in.
a) There was no drawing back on Jesus’ part from going in among the Gentiles.
b) We all were liable to the judgement of God, therefore Christ, being made sin and a curse for us was arraigned as a criminal.
2. His examination, the other Gospel writers tell us, was concerning the charge of perverting the nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar. Pilate was bound by his office to protect the interests of the Roman government, but there was nothing that Jesus ever said or did that appeared to pose any threat. He never appeared in worldly pomp,nor did He assume any secular power.
a) Pilate’s first question was intended to ensnare Him, and come up with grounds for the accusation: “Art thou the King of the Jews?” (Lit. “THAT King of the Jews,” i.e. the long expected Messiah?)
(1) Pilate was far from imagining that He really was so. Perhaps he asked this question with an air of scorn, seeing Jesus did not look the part.
(2) Since it could not be proven that He ever made this claim, Pilate would constrain Him to say it now, so that he could proceed upon Christ’s own confession.
b) Christ answers his question with another. (Verse 34) This was no evasion, but an intimation that Christ knew the question did not arise form his own suspicions.
c) Jesus asked, “Did others tell it thee of me?” If that was the case, then perhaps he ought to consider who they were, and what their motives were.
3. See here Pilate’s resentment of Christ’s answer. (Verse 35) “Am I a Jew?” Clearly, he was saying that he had no interest in the Messiah, but that he was acting on behalf of the Jews. “Thine own nation.” To Christ’s question whether others told him, his answer was, “Yes, your own people reported these things.”
4. Christ, in His next answer, gives a more full and direct answer to Pilate’s former question, “Art thou a King?” He explained in what sense He was a King, which was not in any way a threat to the Roman government. (Verse 36)
a) An account of the nature and constitution of His Kingdom is given. It is not an earthly but a heavenly kingdom.“My kingdom is not of this world…but now is my kingdom not from hence.”
(1) It arises not out of this world. (Dan. 7:3; Rev. 13:1, 11; Rev. 21:2)
(2) Its nature is not worldly; it is a kingdom within men. (Luke 16:21; Rom. 14:17)
(3) Its tendencies are not to worldly fame of personal glory. (Matt. 20:25-28; Phil 2:5-11)
b) An evidence of the spiritual nature of Christ’s Kingdom is given. “If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews.”
(1) When one of His servants attempted to fight He immediately put a stop to it, and strongly denounced the effort. (Verses 10, 11)
(2) His followers did not offer to fight; neither did He order them to fight.
5. In answer to Pilate’s further query, He replied yet more directly. (Verse 37)
a) Pilate asked, “Art thou a King then?” This was a legitimate question. Jesus spoke about a Kingdom, His Kingdom.
b) Jesus gave “a good confession before Pontius Pilate.” (I Tim. 6:13)
(1) First, He declared Himself to be a King. “Thou sayest (thou has said truthfully) that I am a King.” He owns that He is indeed the Messiah.
(2) Secondly, He explains Himself, and shows how He is King, as He came to bear witness of the truth. He rules by the power of truth. (Isa. 54:4)
(3) Thirdly, the subjects of His Kingdom are those that are of the truth. Lovers of truth will hear His voice as He calls them from the dominion of the father of lies to embrace and walk in the truth.
6. Pilate hereupon put a good question to Christ, but it was apparently asked flippantly, and with no desire to hear the answer, as he turned and went out again unto the Jews. (Verse 38)
III. THE ROMAN TRIAL CONTINUED WITHOUT THE PRATORIUM, WHERE PILATE DECLARED CHRIST’S INNOCENCE, AND MADE AN EFFORT TO SAVE HIM. (VERSES 38-40)
A. AFTER HEARING FROM THE PROSECUTORS AND FROM THE PRISONER, THE JUDGE APPEARED TO BE FAVORABLE TOWARD CHRIST. (VERSES 38, 39)
1. He publicly declared His innocence. “I find no fault in Him.” (Verse 38b)
a) In spite of the religious controversy between them there was nothing criminal that He could be charged with.
b) This solemn declaration of Christ’s innocence was for the justification of His honor, and also for explaining the design and intention of His death, i.e. the innocent dying of the guilty; one dying for the many. (Ch. 11:51)
2. Pilate proposed an expedient for His discharge. (Verse 39)
a) He allows their custom in honor of the Passover, which was a memorial of their own release from bondage.
b) He offers to release Jesus to them according to their custom.
c) This was a cop-out for Pilate. Had he the character that becomes a judge, he would not have named an innocent man as a competitor with a notorious criminal for this favor.
B. WHILE PILATE APPEARED TO BE THE FRIEND OF CHRIST, THE JEWS APPEARED HIS ENEMIES, DETERMINED TO SEE HIM CRUCIFIED IN SPITE OF HIS INNOCENCE. (VERSE 40)
1. They chose Barabbas, a known felon, over Christ.
2. Pilate took this proposal to the Jews, that is, the great crowd of people that was gathered. He, no doubt, knew that the priests and elders would reject the idea, but hoped that the great multitude that had so recently welcomed Him with loud hosannas would be pleased with His release.
3. Pilate’s proposal was rejected, as the Jewish leaders stirred up the people to cry out for the release of Barabbas and for Christ to be crucified. (See Matt. 27:20-23; Mark 14:11-13; Luke 23:18)
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