If you’re Jesus, it’s got to be tough to be judged by Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. By all accounts, not much of a guy. And besides, as Jesus told him:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above… (John 19.11, ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nevertheless, the charade continues, and Jesus is mostly silent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, \u201cAre you the King of the Jews?\u201d And he answered him, \u201cYou have said so.\u201d And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, \u201cHave you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.\u201d But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed…And Pilate again said to them, \u201cThen what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?\u201d And they cried out again, \u201cCrucify him.\u201d And Pilate said to them, \u201cWhy, what evil has he done?\u201d But they shouted all the more, \u201cCrucify him.\u201d So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Mark 15.1 – 5, 12 – 15, ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I say charade because the conclusion was predetermined both by the Jewish leaders and by God himself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n [The early church] lifted their voices together to God and said, \u201cSovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, \u2018Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed\u2019\u2014for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,\u00a0to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4.24 – 28, ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you’re Jesus, it’s got to be tough to be judged by Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. By all accounts, not much of a guy. And besides, as Jesus told him: You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above… (John 19.11, ESV) Nevertheless, the charade … Continue reading Station 5: Jesus is Judged by Pilate<\/span>