Jesus on Trial

Last week we looked at the betrayal that Jesus faced from Judas, the religious leaders, and from his friend, Peter.

In the face of that betrayal Jesus stayed faithful.

Jesus is always faithful.

This morning we are going to continue with the trial of Jesus.

Where the other gospels spend extensive time on Jesus’ trial before the Jewish leaders, John spends very little there.

Instead, John is more concerned with Pilate.

John is concerned with the government’s treatment of Jesus.

And one of the things that John is trying to get across in this section is that Jesus is the long awaited King.

He is the one who will rule and reign over all of creation.

He is the one sent to judge and rule.

But his kingdom is different then the kingdoms of this world.

So in these verses John is comparing and contrasting the good, righteous, and perfect King Jesus, with the weak, corrupt, and self-seeking Governor Pilate.

John 18:28–32 CSB

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate told them, “You take him and judge him according to your law.” “It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death,” the Jews declared. 32 They said this so that Jesus’s words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die.

Death Demanded

Jesus is taken before Pilate in the early morning.

This is when Pilate would make his judgments so that the sentences could be carried out the rest of the day.

This was a common practice in Jerusalem at the time.

So lets just link everything together real quick.

Jesus had just spent the night before teaching, instructing, and preparing his disciples for his departure.

He then went to the garden to pray, where he was then arrested.

After his arrest he was taken before Annas, then Caiaphas, and now in the early morning he is standing before Pilate.

At the Governor’s Headquarters.

Notice what John says here, the Jewish leaders wouldn’t enter into the headquarters themselves.

Rather they would stand outside the and what we will see is it causes Pilate to continue to go in and out of his headquarters in order to interrogate Jesus and seek the guidance of the Jewish Religious leaders.

One thing we need to note is that the Jewish people, especially the leaders, and Pilate did not like one another.

They were not on good terms. There was a lot of tension between them.

But their relationship with Pilate isn’t why they wouldn’t enter into his headquarters.

They didn’t enter in b/c they didn’t want to become “unclean”.

Especially b/c the passover week was at hand.

They wanted to be able to participate in all the festivities.

I don’t know if you sense the irony here or not.

They are willing to kill an innocent man.

They are willing to have Jesus crucified.

They are willing to break the Law of Moses to lie about Jesus and set up fake trials, but they aren’t willing to “defile” themselves by entering into this gentiles headquarters.

So let’s get this straight.

Lies, deceit, betrayal, and murder okay.

Entering into a Gentile’s home that’s where the line is drawn.

Anyway, Pilate causes some confusion among the Jewish leaders when they bring Jesus to him b/c he asks them “What charge do you bring against this man?”

He had to have already known what they were up to.

He sent soldiers out with them to arrest Jesus.

They had to have already communicated their purposes.

But this is just one time that Pilate starts to antagonize the leaders.

Their only response is not a good one, they don’t really have a good reason for Jesus being there.

So how do they respond? “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”

To which Pilate tells them to deal with Jesus according to their law.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road.

They don’t want to deal with him according to their law.

The punishments they could had out were limited.

Rome alone held the power to condemn someone to death.

And they want him to die.

And they don’t just want him to die.

They want Jesus to be crucified.

They want Jesus to be put on display for all to see.

They want Jesus to be seen as accursed.

This idea of being accursed by being crucified comes from

Deut 21:23 “...for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse...”

And only Pilate could provide that kind of sentence.

We’re not 100% sure if the Romans invented crucifixion, but we do know that they perfected it.

And throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus has shown that he knew that crucifixion was the way that he was going to die.

Jn 3:14 “14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,”

Jn 12:32 “32 As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.””

Roman Crucifixion would bring Jesus’ glorification.

Pilate had heard the accusations, so Pilate goes to talk to Jesus.

John 18:33–36 CSB

33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me?” 35 “I’m not a Jew, am I?” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

Questioning Jesus

Pilate begins by asking Jesus if he is, in fact, the King of the Jews.

Jesus knows that Pilate doesn’t have a dog in this fight.

He knows that Pilate is simply a toy being manipulated by the religious leaders.

That’s why his response is so harsh.

“Are you asking or have other’s told you?”

Pilate is still confused and befuddled by the predicament he is in.

The Religious leaders have handed over Jesus to the Roman Government.

This was pretty unusual b/c of the tensions between the gov. and the Jewish people.

“What have you done?”

Why have your people handed you over?

Why do they hate you so much?

Jesus finally answered his first question.

“My kingdom is not of this world.”

Jesus, though living in the world, did not belong to the world.

His mission and kingdom involved the world, that’s why he is here, but he was sent to accomplish something bigger than just an earthly kingdom.

Remember, for the Jewish people they wanted to have an earthly kingdom.

Their understanding of their messiah was that he would come and set them free.

He would establish a new kingdom for the Israelites.

But Jesus is saying that if his kingdom was of this earth.

His followers would have fought.

His followers would have not allowed him to be captured.

But as it were, Jesus’ kingdom is different and separated from the kingdoms of earth.

Let’s not lose the irony of what Jesus is saying to Pilate.

Jesus is face to face with a Roman Governor who is part of one of the largest empires to ever exist on the planet.

But Jesus isn’t interested in ruling the earth like an earthly king.

Why?

B/c the reality is, he already owns the whole earth.

He created it. Jn 1:3 “3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.”

So Jesus does have a kingdom, but it’s not from around here.

Pilate Responds to Jesus.

John 18:37–38 (CSB)

37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked. “You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

38 “What is truth?” said Pilate.

Questioning Jesus

Pilate is still looking for answers from Jesus.

But Jesus is still somewhat cryptic in his responses.

But here Jesus clarifies.

He is a king. But a king of a different nature.

A king of a different purpose.

And his kingdom is going to be to testify to the truth.

John’s gospel focuses a lot on truth.

Jesus says in Jn 14:6 “6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

For Jesus and his followers, truth isn’t just some facts to know.

Or knowledge to gain.

Truth is more than intellectual.

Truth is a way of life.

Truth is a person.

Jesus’ kingdom is built upon the truth of who he is.

God’s revelation of himself to the people who would trust him.

In order to live in truth, we have to live in relationship with Jesus.

When we follow Jesus we integrate the truth into our everyday life.

We live with integrity.

We live a life honoring God’s goodness and grace towards us.

The reason that Jesus was born and sent into this world was to reveal the truth of God to us.

John 1:14 “14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jn 4:24 “24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.””

So think about it this way.

The kingdom that Jesus rules is one based upon who he is.

It is based around his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

It is built around what he taught and how he lived.

Jesus is the foundation of the kingdom that he rules and reigns.

And those that accept this truth are part of that kingdom.

And this means that we are to live and imitate Jesus.

We are to live lives that represent that kingdom.

We are to look like Jesus wherever we Go.

We are to act like Jesus in whatever we do.

That is living in the truth of Jesus.

That is belonging to the kingdom of God.

It isn’t about just getting to heaven, and then doing whatever you want now.

It’s about living a life overwhelmed and influenced by the truth of Jesus.

Being a follower of Jesus changes our desires, our behaviors, and our decisions.

He leads us to the truth that we are broken sinners in need of a gracious savior.

And when he leads us to that truth he desires that we live there.

But much like Pilate many look at Jesus and say “What is Truth?”

Jesus is truth.

His way is the way to truth.

Truth is not relative.

Truth is not subjective.

Truth isn’t a social or theological construct.

Truth is a person.

And his name is Jesus.

John 18:38–40 (CSB)

38 After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging him.

39 You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”

40 They shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

Jesus or Barabbas

After the initial questioning of Jesus, Pilate comes back out to the religious leaders.

And for the first time he says to them that there is no reason for him to keep Jesus.

Jesus isn’t guilty of anything.

But rather than simply releasing Jesus he gives the Jewish People an opportunity to make their own choice.

There was a custom, that during passover, Pilate would release one of the Jewish captives back to the Jewish people.

So he gives them the choice here.

He brings forth 2 men.

Jesus and a man named Barabbas.

But they don’t want to release Jesus.

They want to release Barabbas.

Depending on your translation it will tell you that Barabbas was a revolutionary/robber/taken a part in an uprising/rebel.

Point is Barabbas was a bad dude.

He was exactly what the Jewish leaders was accusing Jesus of being.

He was a terrorist.

He was bent on causing chaos.

In Mark 15, we are told that he was also a murderer.

So instead of releasing Jesus, these men decided that a murdering revolutionary terrorist was safer in their midst.

Than a healing, compassionate, preacher.

Makes sense right.

Pilate was trying to change the minds of the people by presenting the two options, but it didn’t work.

So what does Pilate do next? What can he do?

John 19:1–3 CSB

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and clothed him in a purple robe. 3 And they kept coming up to him and saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” and were slapping his face.

Mockery of the King

Pilate took him to have him flogged.

There were 3 types of beatings that Romans handed out as punishment.

They went from less severe to beatings that could lead to death.

The last and most severe beating was a beating that would be given to someone about to be crucified to help make their death a little more expedient.

Most scholars believe that the beating recorded here was not extremely severe.

That this was a simple flogging meant to teach “Jesus a lesson” and appease the Jewish leaders in hopes that they would release him after the flogging.

Meaning that after they had finally convinced Pilate to crucify Jesus he would have recieved another beating that was more severe and would hinder his ability to carry the cross on his own.

Yet that’s not the point of these verses.

The point here is that Jesus was mocked for being the “king of the Jews.”

Most of us know the story or have seen the pictures of the crown of thorns on Jesus head.

But most of the time those thorns look like rose thorns.

But the thorn bushes they would have used here would have been thorns from a date tree.

These Thorns get up to 12 inches long.

Not only that, but these would have been from the same tree that the palm branches would have come from that they waved at Jesus on his triumphant entry into the city.

The same tree that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem was now the same tree that was used to mock him at the hands of the Romans.

They dressed him in a robe of purple the signal of royalty and mocked him again.

Slapping him in the face.

The lord of all creation.

The King of the Universe was being mocked, ridiculed, and beaten at the hands of his creation.

John 19:4–8 CSB

4 Pilate went outside again and said to them, “Look, I’m bringing him out to you to let you know I find no grounds for charging him.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the temple servants saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate responded, “Take him and crucify him yourselves, since I find no grounds for charging him.” 7 “We have a law,” the Jews replied to him, “and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was more afraid than ever.

Crucify! Crucify!

After Jesus was beaten, Pilate brings him before the Jewish leadership.

He presents Jesus.

Mockingly dressed up as a king.

Bloody and beaten.

And like previously stated, Pilate had Jesus beaten in hopes of appeasing the Jewish leaders enough to convince them to release him.

Pilate has no backbone.

He has all the power and influence to release Jesus, he just doesn’t want to upset the Jewish Leadership.

He was tasked with keeping peace in Jerusalem, and he believed that if he released Jesus it would cause an uproar.

For the second time, Pilate confesses to the Jewish leaders that Jesus is innocent.

There is no reason to continue this trial.

There is no reason for Jesus to be hear.

At the same time admitting that Jesus was beaten as guiltless, just to appease the crowd.

Pilate claims, “This is the Man”

He means to claim the man that they view as such a threat has been subdued.

He isn’t a threat to them. He has learned his lesson.

But what Pilate doesn’t realize is the theological impact these words have.

Jesus is the perfect man.

He is the unstained man.

He is God in flesh come to redeem his people through the shedding of his blood.

Jn 1:14 “14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

He is the Second Adam come to set the world right.

1 Cor 15:22 “22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

Jesus donned on flesh to show us the ideal way to be human.

The way we were created to be.

For in John’s Gospel, Jesus is THE Man.

Humanity as it was meant to be.

Without the stain of sin and selfishness.

And Here He stands beaten, bloody, and bruised.

The response Pilate expected was one of pity.

At the sight of Jesus Pilate expected the Jews to back down.

But instead of backing down.

They Double down.

Crucify! Crucify! they cry.

Kill him.

For the third time, Pilate tells them that there are no grounds for Jesus to be found guilty. 18:38, 19:4,6

So Pilate tells them to go and crucify him their selves.

Knowing that they didn’t have to means or authority to do so.

Pilate here shows no personal responsibility, rather he is playing a political game when it comes to Jesus’ life.

The crowd then tells Pilate to crucify Jesus b/c Jesus had made himself the Son of God.

This terrifies Pilate and he goes back inside to question Jesus again.

John 19:9–11 CSB

9 He went back into the headquarters and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not give him an answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?” 11 “You would have no authority over me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

True Authority

Pilate was a superstitious man.

He believed that Jesus could have been some sort of Divine Man that had come down.

Pilate no doubt had heard stories about god-men coming down from the Roman Pantheon and dwelling with humans.

And he was afraid that Jesus could have been one of those god men.

Pilate feared that b/c J.C may have been a divine man, there were going to be repercussions for his actions.

So he comes to Jesus and asks him the question. “Where are you from?”

Pilate was looking for reasoning.

He was looking for answers.

He wanted to know what to do.

How can he fix the problem.

How could he remedy the situation he finds himself in.

But Jesus doesn’t give him the satisfaction of answering the question.

Jesus remains silent, knowing that the answer wouldn’t fix anything.

The answer wouldn’t change Pilate’s position.

Pilate was still maneuvering and making a political play out of Jesus’ life.

And that is evidenced by how Pilate responds to Jesus’ silence.

John 19:10 “10 So Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?””

Pilate was flexing his authority.

He wanted Jesus to know that he had the power and right to free him or crucify him.

But if that were true, then why didn’t he in one of the 3 times previously release him?

If Pilate was in control of the situation, he should have let Jesus Go.

He should have freed Jesus.

But the reality is Pilate wasn’t in control.

He simply was playing the part he needed to play in order to accomplish what God was using him to accomplish.

And Jesus says as much in the next verse.

John 19:11 “11 “You would have no authority over me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above...”

This is something that we should never forget or neglect.

God is working all things out for his glory.

He is putting things in place to tell his story.

To reveal the truth of who he is.

Pilate only had power and influence b/c God had granted it to him.

Any authority that Pilate had was derivative authority.

It derived from God’s plan and purpose.

Just like we saw last week Jesus is and will remain in complete control of every situation.

Any and all authority given to any leader or governmental official is granted by God.

There is not one time that God has been surprised or caught off guard by a politician or king.

There has not been one time in history that God was overwhelmed by the power of a nation or empire.

As people and nations rage against God here on this earth

Psalm 2:4 “4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them.”

B/c we belong to Jesus we also shouldn’t be surprised or overwhelmed by the things happening around us.

We have to remember that all authority has been given by God either for prosperity or judgement.

Our God is still in control.

He will always be in control.

Even when chaos surrounds us and hope seems lost.

God is still sovereign.

After Jesus responds to Pilate, the trial is wrapping up and Pilate takes Jesus one more time before the Jewish Leaders.

John 19:12–16 CSB

12 From that moment Pilate kept trying to release him. But the Jews shouted, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down on the judge’s seat in a place called the Stone Pavement (but in Aramaic, Gabbatha). 14 It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about noon. Then he told the Jews, “Here is your king!” 15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king?” “We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered. 16 Then he handed him over to be crucified. Then they took Jesus away.

Judgement

Pilate really wants no part in the trial of Jesus.

He is looking for an out.

He wants to dismiss Jesus.

That’s what the beginning of v.12 says “From that moment Pilate kept trying to release him.”

However, the religious authorities had a trump card.

They knew that when all else fails they can use Caesar as a way to push Pilate in their Favor.

One of the things Pilate didn’t want is to be on the bad side of Caesar.

If that happened, he could loose his power, authority, and influence.

And depending on how Caesar was filling that day, Pilate would be executed.

Fearing the only man that Pilate feared, he decided to bring judgement on Jesus.

They went to a place called “the Stone Pavement”

This is a raised platform out in the public where the governor at the time would go out and make his decisions and declarations known to those in attendance.

Pilate was about to give his judgement on Jesus.

Not b/c Jesus was guilty but b/c Pilate was weak, scared, and intimidated by the crowd.

Pilate presents Jesus to the crowd.

Declaring “Here is Your King”

He was again mocking and taunting the Jewish people and Jesus to some extent, but he was also speaking the truth.

Jesus was their king.

He wasn’t the king they wanted.

He wasn’t the savior they wanted.

He wasn’t going to establish and earthly kingdom.

He wasn’t going to free Israel.

But he is going to establish his kingdom.

He is going to make his name known.

He is going to save us from our greatest foe.

Not rulers of this world.

But the sin that rules in our hearts.

Through the Jewish people and leaders in the crowd their sin and selfishness was on full display as they responded to Pilate.

“Crucify Him!"

“We have no king but Caesar!”

This is the Jewish People turning their back not just on Jesus, but on God.

God was supposed to be their king.

He was supposed to be the one to rule over them.

And these blasphemous words cross the lips of their Chief Priest.

They are removing God from the kingship of Israel.

This is reminiscent of the Israelites crying out for a king in 1 Sam 8: and God letting them have what they deserve “7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king.”

At this time the religious leaders didn’t care what they had to claim or give up to murder Jesus.

They simply wanted him dead.

Their hatred towards Jesus was palpable.

Whatever it took they wanted him dead.

So what doe we take away from this passage?

First, If we belong to Jesus we have to understand that the kingdom that we belong to is not of this world.

We are called to live and proclaim the truth of Jesus at all times and in all places.

We are called to pursue Jesus and holiness no matter the cost.

There is truth. It isn’t subject. I don’t get to choose truth. Truth is a person and his name is Jesus.

And as a representative of his Kingdom, we are pursue the truth of Jesus.

Second, Jesus is sovereign.

God’s ultimate goal in all that happens is that his glory is made known.

There is nothing that happens in this world that is outside of God’s control.

There is nothing that happens in our lives that isn’t overseen by God.

And we need to trust that regardless of what goes on in our lives, God is going to get the praise.

He is going to receive the honor.

He is going to be glorified.

God is all about his own glory b/c his glory is good, perfect, and holy.

Therefore we should always be about his glory.

Lastly, Jesus loves you.

He cares about you.

He came to live a perfect life so that you could be in a relationship with him.

So that you could come to trust him and believe in him.

He suffered at the hands of evil men.

So that you could come to know him.

He wants you to be a part of the family.

He wants you to be a part of his kingdom.

He wants you to see him and know him for as he truly is.

Give your heart to him.

Let’s pray