Pilate
They tied Jesus up, and the whole crowd led him away from Caiaphas to the hall of judgment in the early morning. They delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea.(Matthew 27:2, John 18:28)
The Jews wouldn't go into the judgment hall. They would be defiled (considered unclean) if they entered, and they didn’t want to be defiled on Preparation Day. This was not usually a problem since trials such as this couldn’t be held on Preparation Day. Pilate went out to them.
“What accusation do you bring against this man?” he asked. (John 18:28-29)
“We wouldn’t deliver him up to you if he wasn’t a criminal. We found this man perverting the nation and forbidding others to give taxes to Caesar. He said he himself is Christ a King,” they accused, even though this was the charge for which they had convicted him. (Luke 23:2, John 18:30)
Jesus stood before Pilate the governor.
“Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked.
“You say,” Jesus responded.
When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, Jesus answered nothing.
“Don’t you hear how many things they witness against you?” Pilate asked. The governor was amazed that Jesus never said a word in response to the accusations. (Matthew 27:11-14)
Isaiah prophesied, “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he didn’t open his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep before her shearers is dumb, he doesn’t open his mouth.”
“You take him and judge him according to your law,” Pilate told the chief priests and elders.
“It is not lawful for us to put any man to death,” they replied slyly. (John 18:31-38)
They could have killed Jesus themselves, but they preferred to use Roman authority to avoid directly sentencing him. The Jews were under Roman authority. The Roman governor heard cases worthy of death and sentenced criminals to crucifixion. Yet the Jews would have stoned Jesus on more than one occasion, and they had brought the adulterous woman to Jesus to be stoned. They were also plotting to have Lazarus killed.
Then Pilate entered the judgment hall again and called Jesus.
“Are you the King of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“Are you asking for yourself, or did others tell you this about me?” Jesus questioned.
“Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. What have you done?” Pilate asked.
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but my kingdom is not now,” Jesus responded.
“Are you a king then?” Pilate queried.
“You say that I am a king. I came into the world to bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice,” Jesus answered.
“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
Then Pilate went out again to the Jews, and said, “I find no fault in this man at all.” (John 18:31-38)
“He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee to this place,” the Jews stated fiercely.
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked, “Is Jesus a Galilean?”
And as soon as he knew that Jesus belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Jesus to Herod, who was also at Jerusalem at that time.
Herod
Herod was very glad to see Jesus, because he had wanted to see him for a long time. Herod had heard many things of Jesus and hoped to see some miracle done by him.
Then Herod questioned Jesus with many words, but Jesus answered him nothing as the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.
Herod and his men of war treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him. They dressed him in a gorgeous robe and sent him back to Pilate.
From this day forward, Pilate and Herod were friends, where before there had been enmity between them. (Luke 23:5-12)
Pilate
Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people.
“You have brought this man to me, accusing him of perverting the people,” he proclaimed. “I have examined him before you and found no fault in this man touching those things of which you accuse him. I sent you to present your case before Herod. He agrees that this man has done nothing worthy of death. Therefore, I will chastise him and release him.” (Luke 23:13-16)
Pilate commanded that Jesus be taken away and scourged. Then Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the common hall (called the Praetorium) and gathered together the whole band of soldiers.
They stripped Jesus and scourged him. (John 19:1)
Then they put a scarlet robe on him again. They platted a crown of thorns and put it on his head, then put a reed in his right hand as his scepter. They bowed their knees before him and mocked him.
“Hail, King of the Jews!” the soldiers jeered.
They spit on Jesus and struck him on the head with the reed scepter. (Matthew 27:27-30)
Isaiah foretold of this abuse, “I gave my back to those who struck me and gave my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair of my beard. I didn’t hide my face from shame or spitting.” (Isaiah 50:6)
Barabbas
Traditionally, at the Passover feast, the governor would release a prisoner to the people - whomever they wanted released. At that time, the Romans held a notable prisoner called Barabbas. The Jews were gathered together for the decision.
Pilate asked, “Whom will you have me release to you? Barabbas or Jesus which is called Christ?”
Pilate knew that the Jews had delivered Jesus to him because of envy. When he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him.
“Have nothing to do with that just man, because I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him,” it said.
The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus be destroyed.
“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” Pilate asked.
Surprisingly, the Jews exclaimed, “Barabbas!”
Pilate had wanted to release Jesus. (Luke 23:20)
“What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ? What shall I do with the one you call the King of the Jews?” he asked.
The Jews yelled, “Let him be crucified!” (Luke 23:22)
Innocent
Pilate asked for the third time, “Why? What evil has he done?” (Luke 23:22)
The Jews exclaimed fiercely, “Let him be crucified!”
When Pilate saw that he could not prevail, but that rather a riot was in the making, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd.
Pilate stated, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to the punishment of which you have deemed him worthy.”
All the Jews said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children.” (Matthew 27:15-25)
Pilate went out to the Jews again.
“See, I bring him to you, so that you may know that I find no fault in him,” he pronounced.
Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.
“See the man!” Pilate shouted.
When the chief priests and officers saw Jesus, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”
Pilate instructed, “You take him and crucify him. I find no fault in him.”
Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, “He had done no violence; no deceit came from his mouth.”
The Jews said, “According to our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”
When Pilate heard that, he was even more afraid and went into the judgment hall again.
Pilate asked Jesus, “From where have you come?”
But Jesus gave him no answer.
Pilate asked, “Do you not speak to me? Don’t you know that I have power to crucify you and the power to release you?”
Jesus said, “You could have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above; therefore, he who delivered me to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:4-11)
The soldiers took the robe off Jesus and put his own garments on him. (Matthew 27:31)
From this point, Pilate sought to release Jesus.
“If you let this man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar,” the Jews accused Pilate.
When Pilate heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement.
“See your King!” Pilate told the Jews.
The Jews yelled, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests exclaimed, “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:12-15)
Isaiah foretold how Jesus would react.
“The Lord God will help me. I have set my face like a flint, and I will not be ashamed.
He who justifies me is near; who will contend with me?
Let us stand together. Who is my enemy? Let him come near to me.
The Lord God will help me; who will condemn me?” (Isaiah 50:7-9)
Then Pilate delivered Jesus to the Jews to be crucified. (John 19:16)
They took Jesus and led him away to crucify him. (Matthew 27:31)
