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658 lines
40 KiB
Plaintext
Urantia Book Paper 185 The Trial Before Pilate
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SPIRITWEB ORG, PROMOTING SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE INTERNET.
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Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
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of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
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Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
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Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
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Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
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Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
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The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
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Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
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The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
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In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
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Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
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Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
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Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
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Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
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Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
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Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
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Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
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Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
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Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
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To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem ... The Trial Before
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Pilate
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Paper 185 The Trial Before Pilate
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Introduction
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SHORTLY after six o'clock on this Friday morning, April 7, A.D. 30, Jesus was
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brought before Pilate, the Roman procurator who governed Judea, Samaria, and
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Idumea under the immediate supervision of the legatus of Syria. The Master was
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taken into the presence of the Roman governor by the temple guards, bound, and
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was accompanied by about fifty of his accusers, including the Sanhedrist court
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(principally Sadduceans), Judas Iscariot, and the high priest, Caiaphas, and by
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the Apostle John. Annas did not appear before Pilate.
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Pilate was up and ready to receive this group of early morning callers, having
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been informed by those who had secured his consent, the previous evening, to
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employ the Roman soldiers in arresting the Son of Man, that Jesus would be
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early brought before him. This trial was arranged to take place in front of the
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praetorium, an addition to the fortress of Antonia, where Pilate and his wife
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made their headquarters when stopping in Jerusalem.
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Though Pilate conducted much of Jesus' examination within the praetorium halls,
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the public trial was held outside on the steps leading up to the main entrance.
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This was a concession to the Jews, who refused to enter any gentile building
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where leaven might be used on this day of preparation for the Passover. Such
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conduct would not only render them ceremonially unclean and thereby debar them
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from partaking of the afternoon feast of thanksgiving but would also
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necessitate their subjection to purification ceremonies after sundown, before
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they would be eligible to partake of the Passover supper.
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Although these Jews were not at all bothered in conscience as they intrigued to
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effect the judicial murder of Jesus, they were nonetheless scrupulous regarding
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all these matters of ceremonial cleanness and traditional regularity. And these
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Jews have not been the only ones to fail in the recognition of high and holy
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obligations of a divine nature while giving meticulous attention to things of
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trifling importance to human welfare in both time and eternity.
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1. PONTIUS PILATE
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If Pontius Pilate had not been a reasonably good governor of the minor
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provinces, Tiberius would hardly have suffered him to remain as procurator of
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Judea for ten years. Although he was a fairly good administrator, he was a
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moral coward. He was not a big enough man to comprehend the nature of his task
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as governor of the Jews. He failed to grasp the fact that these Hebrews had a
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real religion, a faith for which they were willing to die, and that millions
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upon millions of them, scattered here and there throughout the empire, looked
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to Jerusalem as the shrine of their faith and held the Sanhedrin in respect as
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the highest tribunal on earth.
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top of page - 1988
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Pilate did not love the Jews, and this deep-seated hatred early began to
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manifest itself. Of all the Roman provinces, none was more difficult to govern
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than Judea. Pilate never really understood the problems involved in the
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management of the Jews and, therefore, very early in his experience as
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governor, made a series of almost fatal and well-nigh suicidal blunders. And it
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was these blunders that gave the Jews such power over him. When they wanted to
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influence his decisions, all they had to do was to threaten an uprising, and
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Pilate would speedily capitulate. And this apparent vacillation, or lack of
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moral courage, of the procurator was chiefly due to the memory of a number of
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controversies he had had with the Jews and because in each instance they had
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worsted him. The Jews knew that Pilate was afraid of them, that he feared for
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his position before Tiberius, and they employed this knowledge to the great
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disadvantage of the governor on numerous occasions.
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Pilate's disfavor with the Jews came about as a result of a number of
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unfortunate encounters. First, he failed to take seriously their deep-seated
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prejudice against all images as symbols of idol worship. Therefore he permitted
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his soldiers to enter Jerusalem without removing the images of Caesar from
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their banners, as had been the practice of the Roman soldiers under his
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predecessor. A large deputation of Jews waited upon Pilate for five days,
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imploring him to have these images removed from the military standards. He
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flatly refused to grant their petition and threatened them with instant death.
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Pilate, himself being a skeptic, did not understand that men of strong
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religious feelings will not hesitate to die for their religious convictions;
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and therefore was he dismayed when these Jews drew themselves up defiantly
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before his palace, bowed their faces to the ground, and sent word that they
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were ready to die. Pilate then realized that he had made a threat which he was
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unwilling to carry out. He surrendered, ordered the images removed from the
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standards of his soldiers in Jerusalem, and found himself from that day on to a
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large extent subject to the whims of the Jewish leaders, who had in this way
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discovered his weakness in making threats which he feared to execute.
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Pilate subsequently determined to regain this lost prestige and accordingly had
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the shields of the emperor, such as were commonly used in Caesar worship, put
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up on the walls of Herod's palace in Jerusalem. When the Jews protested, he was
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adamant. When he refused to listen to their protests, they promptly appealed to
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Rome, and the emperor as promptly ordered the offending shields removed. And
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then was Pilate held in even lower esteem than before.
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Another thing which brought him into great disfavor with the Jews was that he
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dared to take money from the temple treasury to pay for the construction of a
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new aqueduct to provide increased water supply for the millions of visitors to
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Jerusalem at the times of the great religious feasts. The Jews held that only
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the Sanhedrin could disburse the temple funds, and they never ceased to inveigh
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against Pilate for this presumptuous ruling. No less than a score of riots and
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much bloodshed resulted from this decision. The last of these serious outbreaks
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had to do with the slaughter of a large company of Galileans even as they
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worshiped at the altar.
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It is significant that, while this vacillating Roman ruler sacrificed Jesus to
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his fear of the Jews and to safeguard his personal position, he finally was
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deposed as a result of the needless slaughter of Samaritans in connection with
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the preten-
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top of page - 1989
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sions of a false Messiah who led troops to Mount Gerizim, where he claimed the
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temple vessels were buried; and fierce riots broke out when he failed to reveal
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the hiding place of the sacred vessels, as he had promised. As a result of this
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episode, the legatus of Syria ordered Pilate to Rome. Tiberius died while
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Pilate was on the way to Rome, and he was not reappointed as procurator of
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Judea. He never fully recovered from the regretful condemnation of having
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consented to the crucifixion of Jesus. Finding no favor in the eyes of the new
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emperor, he retired to the province of Lausanne, where he subsequently
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committed suicide.
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Claudia Procula, Pilate's wife, had heard much of Jesus through the word of her
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maid-in-waiting, who was a Phoenician believer in the gospel of the kingdom.
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After the death of Pilate, Claudia became prominently identified with the
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spread of the good news.
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And all this explains much that transpired on this tragic Friday forenoon. It
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is easy to understand why the Jews presumed to dictate to Pilate--to get him up
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at six o'clock to try Jesus--and also why they did not hesitate to threaten to
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charge him with treason before the emperor if he dared to refuse their demands
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for Jesus' death.
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A worthy Roman governor who had not become disadvantageously involved with the
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rulers of the Jews would never have permitted these bloodthirsty religious
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fanatics to bring about the death of a man whom he himself had declared to be
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innocent of their false charges and without fault. Rome made a great blunder, a
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far-reaching error in earthly affairs, when she sent the second-rate Pilate to
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govern Palestine. Tiberius had better have sent to the Jews the best provincial
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administrator in the empire.
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2. JESUS APPEARS BEFORE PILATE
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When Jesus and his accusers had gathered in front of Pilate's judgment hall,
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the Roman governor came out and, addressing the company assembled, asked, "What
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accusation do you bring against this fellow?" The Sadducees and councilors who
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had taken it upon themselves to put Jesus out of the way had determined to go
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before Pilate and ask for confirmation of the death sentence pronounced upon
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Jesus, without volunteering any definite charge. Therefore did the spokesman
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for the Sanhedrist court answer Pilate: "If this man were not an evildoer, we
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should not have delivered him up to you."
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When Pilate observed that they were reluctant to state their charges against
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Jesus, although he knew they had been all night engaged in deliberations
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regarding his guilt, he answered them: "Since you have not agreed on any
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definite charges, why do you not take this man and pass judgment on him in
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accordance with your own laws?"
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Then spoke the clerk of the Sanhedrin court to Pilate: "It is not lawful for us
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to put any man to death, and this disturber of our nation is worthy to die for
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the things which he has said and done. Therefore have we come before you for
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confirmation of this decree."
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To come before the Roman governor with this attempt at evasion discloses both
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the ill-will and the ill-humor of the Sanhedrists toward Jesus as well as their
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lack of respect for the fairness, honor, and dignity of Pilate. What effrontery
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for these subject citizens to appear before their provincial governor
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top of page - 1990
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asking for a decree of execution against a man before affording him a fair
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trial and without even preferring definite criminal charges against him!
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Pilate knew something of Jesus' work among the Jews, and he surmised that the
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charges which might be brought against him had to do with infringements of the
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Jewish ecclesiastical laws; therefore he sought to refer the case back to their
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own tribunal. Again, Pilate took delight in making them publicly confess that
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they were powerless to pronounce and execute the death sentence upon even one
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of their own race whom they had come to despise with a bitter and envious
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hatred.
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It was a few hours previously, shortly before midnight and after he had granted
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permission to use Roman soldiers in effecting the secret arrest of Jesus, that
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Pilate had heard further concerning Jesus and his teaching from his wife,
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Claudia, who was a partial convert to Judaism, and who later on became a
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full-fledged believer in Jesus' gospel.
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Pilate would have liked to postpone this hearing, but he saw the Jewish leaders
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were determined to proceed with the case. He knew that this was not only the
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forenoon of preparation for the Passover, but that this day, being Friday, was
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also the preparation day for the Jewish Sabbath of rest and worship.
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Pilate, being keenly sensitive to the disrespectful manner of the approach of
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these Jews, was not willing to comply with their demands that Jesus be
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sentenced to death without a trial. When, therefore, he had waited a few
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moments for them to present their charges against the prisoner, he turned to
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them and said: "I will not sentence this man to death without a trial; neither
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will I consent to examine him until you have presented your charges against him
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in writing."
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When the high priest and the others heard Pilate say this, they signaled to the
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clerk of the court, who then handed to Pilate the written charges against
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Jesus. And these charges were:
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"We find in the Sanhedrist tribunal that this man is an evildoer and a
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disturber of our nation in that he is guilty of:
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"1. Perverting our nation and stirring up our people to rebellion.
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"2. Forbidding the people to pay tribute to Caesar.
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"3. Calling himself the king of the Jews and teaching the founding of a new
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kingdom."
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Jesus had not been regularly tried nor legally convicted on any of these
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charges. He did not even hear these charges when first stated, but Pilate had
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him brought from the praetorium, where he was in the keeping of the guards, and
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he insisted that these charges be repeated in Jesus' hearing.
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When Jesus heard these accusations, he well knew that he had not been heard on
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these matters before the Jewish court, and so did John Zebedee and his
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accusers, but he made no reply to their false charges. Even when Pilate bade
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him answer his accusers, he opened not his mouth. Pilate was so astonished at
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the unfairness of the whole proceeding and so impressed by Jesus' silent and
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masterly bearing that he decided to take the prisoner inside the hall and
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examine him privately.
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Pilate was confused in mind, fearful of the Jews in his heart, and mightily
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stirred in his spirit by the spectacle of Jesus' standing there in majesty
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before his bloodthirsty accusers and gazing down on them, not in silent
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contempt, but with an expression of genuine pity and sorrowful affection.
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top of page - 1991
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3. THE PRIVATE EXAMINATION BY PILATE
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Pilate took Jesus and John Zebedee into a private chamber, leaving the guards
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outside in the hall, and requesting the prisoner to sit down, he sat down by
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his side and asked several questions. Pilate began his talk with Jesus by
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assuring him that he did not believe the first count against him: that he was a
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perverter of the nation and an inciter to rebellion. Then he asked, "Did you
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ever teach that tribute should be refused Caesar?" Jesus, pointing to John,
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said, "Ask him or any other man who has heard my teaching." Then Pilate
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questioned John about this matter of tribute, and John testified concerning his
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Master's teaching and explained that Jesus and his apostles paid taxes both to
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Caesar and to the temple. When Pilate had questioned John, he said, "See that
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you tell no man that I talked with you." And John never did reveal this matter.
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Pilate then turned around to question Jesus further, saying: "And now about the
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third accusation against you, are you the king of the Jews?" Since there was a
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tone of possibly sincere inquiry in Pilate's voice, Jesus smiled on the
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procurator and said: "Pilate, do you ask this for yourself, or do you take this
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question from these others, my accusers?" Whereupon, in a tone of partial
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indignation, the governor answered: "Am I a Jew? Your own people and the chief
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priests delivered you up and asked me to sentence you to death. I question the
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validity of their charges and am only trying to find out for myself what you
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have done. Tell me, have you said that you are the king of the Jews, and have
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you sought to found a new kingdom?"
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Then said Jesus to Pilate: "Do you not perceive that my kingdom is not of this
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world? If my kingdom were of this world, surely would my disciples fight that I
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should not be delivered into the hands of the Jews. My presence here before you
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in these bonds is sufficient to show all men that my kingdom is a spiritual
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dominion, even the brotherhood of men who, through faith and by love, have
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become the sons of God. And this salvation is for the gentile as well as for
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the Jew."
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"Then you are a king after all?" said Pilate. And Jesus answered: "Yes, I am
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such a king, and my kingdom is the family of the faith sons of my Father who is
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in heaven. For this purpose was I born into this world, even that I should show
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my Father to all men and bear witness to the truth of God. And even now do I
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declare to you that every one who loves the truth hears my voice."
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Then said Pilate, half in ridicule and half in sincerity, "Truth, what is
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truth--who knows?"
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Pilate was not able to fathom Jesus' words, nor was he able to understand the
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nature of his spiritual kingdom, but he was now certain that the prisoner had
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done nothing worthy of death. One look at Jesus, face to face, was enough to
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convince even Pilate that this gentle and weary, but majestic and upright, man
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was no wild and dangerous revolutionary who aspired to establish himself on the
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temporal throne of Israel. Pilate thought he understood something of what Jesus
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meant when he called himself a king, for he was familiar with the teachings of
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the Stoics, who declared that "the wise man is king." Pilate was thoroughly
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convinced that, instead of being a dangerous seditionmonger, Jesus was nothing
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more or less than a harmless visionary, an innocent fanatic.
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After questioning the Master, Pilate went back to the chief priests and the
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accusers of Jesus and said: "I have examined this man, and I find no fault in
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top of page - 1992
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him. I do not think he is guilty of the charges you have made against him; I
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think he ought to be set free." And when the Jews heard this, they were moved
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with great anger, so much so that they wildly shouted that Jesus should die;
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and one of the Sanhedrists boldly stepped up by the side of Pilate, saying:
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"This man stirs up the people, beginning in Galilee and continuing throughout
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all Judea. He is a mischief-maker and an evildoer. You will long regret it if
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you let this wicked man go free."
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Pilate was hard pressed to know what to do with Jesus; therefore, when he heard
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them say that he began his work in Galilee, he thought to avoid the
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responsibility of deciding the case, at least to gain time for thought, by
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sending Jesus to appear before Herod, who was then in the city attending the
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Passover. Pilate also thought that this gesture would help to antidote some of
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the bitter feeling which had existed for some time between himself and Herod,
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due to numerous misunderstandings over matters of jurisdiction.
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Pilate, calling the guards, said: "This man is a Galilean. Take him forthwith
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to Herod, and when he has examined him, report his findings to me." And they
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took Jesus to Herod.
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4. JESUS BEFORE HEROD
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When Herod Antipas stopped in Jerusalem, he dwelt in the old Maccabean palace
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of Herod the Great, and it was to this home of the former king that Jesus was
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now taken by the temple guards, and he was followed by his accusers and an
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increasing multitude. Herod had long heard of Jesus, and he was very curious
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about him. When the Son of Man stood before him, on this Friday morning, the
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wicked Idumean never for one moment recalled the lad of former years who had
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appeared before him in Sepphoris pleading for a just decision regarding the
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money due his father, who had been accidentally killed while at work on one of
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the public buildings. As far as Herod knew, he had never seen Jesus, although
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he had worried a great deal about him when his work had been centered in
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Galilee. Now that he was in custody of Pilate and the Judeans, Herod was
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desirous of seeing him, feeling secure against any trouble from him in the
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future. Herod had heard much about the miracles wrought by Jesus, and he really
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hoped to see him do some wonder.
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When they brought Jesus before Herod, the tetrarch was startled by his stately
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appearance and the calm composure of his countenance. For some fifteen minutes
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Herod asked Jesus questions, but the Master would not answer. Herod taunted and
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dared him to perform a miracle, but Jesus would not reply to his many inquiries
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or respond to his taunts.
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Then Herod turned to the chief priests and the Sadducees and, giving ear to
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their accusations, heard all and more than Pilate had listened to regarding the
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alleged evil doings of the Son of Man. Finally, being convinced that Jesus
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would neither talk nor perform a wonder for him, Herod, after making fun of him
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for a time, arrayed him in an old purple royal robe and sent him back to
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Pilate. Herod knew he had no jurisdiction over Jesus in Judea. Though he was
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glad to believe that he was finally to be rid of Jesus in Galilee, he was
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thankful that it was Pilate who had the responsibility of putting him to death.
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Herod never had fully recovered from the fear that cursed him as a result of
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killing John the Baptist. Herod had at certain times even feared that Jesus was
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John risen from the dead. Now he was relieved of that fear since he observed
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that Jesus was a
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top of page - 1993
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very different sort of person from the outspoken and fiery prophet who dared to
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expose and denounce his private life.
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5. JESUS RETURNS TO PILATE
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When the guards had brought Jesus back to Pilate, he went out on the front
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steps of the praetorium, where his judgment seat had been placed, and calling
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together the chief priests and Sanhedrists, said to them: "You brought this man
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before me with charges that he perverts the people, forbids the payment of
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taxes, and claims to be king of the Jews. I have examined him and fail to find
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him guilty of these charges. In fact, I find no fault in him. Then I sent him
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to Herod, and the tetrarch must have reached the same conclusion since he has
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sent him back to us. Certainly, nothing worthy of death has been done by this
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man. If you still think he needs to be disciplined, I am willing to chastise
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him before I release him."
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Just as the Jews were about to engage in shouting their protests against the
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release of Jesus, a vast crowd came marching up to the praetorium for the
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purpose of asking Pilate for the release of a prisoner in honor of the Passover
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feast. For some time it had been the custom of the Roman governors to allow the
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populace to choose some imprisoned or condemned man for pardon at the time of
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the Passover. And now that this crowd had come before him to ask for the
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release of a prisoner, and since Jesus had so recently been in great favor with
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the multitudes, it occurred to Pilate that he might possibly extricate himself
|
||
from his predicament by proposing to this group that, since Jesus was now a
|
||
prisoner before his judgment seat, he release to them this man of Galilee as
|
||
the token of Passover good will.
|
||
|
||
As the crowd surged up on the steps of the building, Pilate heard them calling
|
||
out the name of one Barabbas. Barabbas was a noted political agitator and
|
||
murderous robber, the son of a priest, who had recently been apprehended in the
|
||
act of robbery and murder on the Jericho road. This man was under sentence to
|
||
die as soon as the Passover festivities were over.
|
||
|
||
Pilate stood up and explained to the crowd that Jesus had been brought to him
|
||
by the chief priests, who sought to have him put to death on certain charges,
|
||
and that he did not think the man was worthy of death. Said Pilate: "Which,
|
||
therefore, would you prefer that I release to you, this Barabbas, the murderer,
|
||
or this Jesus of Galilee?" And when Pilate had thus spoken, the chief priests
|
||
and the Sanhedrin councilors all shouted at the top of their voices, "Barabbas,
|
||
Barabbas! " And when the people saw that the chief priests were minded to have
|
||
Jesus put to death, they quickly joined in the clamor for his life while they
|
||
loudly shouted for the release of Barabbas.
|
||
|
||
A few days before this the multitude had stood in awe of Jesus, but the mob did
|
||
not look up to one who, having claimed to be the Son of God, now found himself
|
||
in the custody of the chief priests and the rulers and on trial before Pilate
|
||
for his life. Jesus could be a hero in the eyes of the populace when he was
|
||
driving the money-changers and the traders out of the temple, but not when he
|
||
was a nonresisting prisoner in the hands of his enemies and on trial for his
|
||
life.
|
||
|
||
Pilate was angered at the sight of the chief priests clamoring for the pardon
|
||
of a notorious murderer while they shouted for the blood of Jesus. He saw their
|
||
malice and hatred and perceived their prejudice and envy. Therefore he said to
|
||
them: "How could you choose the life of a murderer in preference to this man's
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1994
|
||
|
||
whose worst crime is that he figuratively calls himself the king of the Jews?"
|
||
But this was not a wise statement for Pilate to make. The Jews were a proud
|
||
people, now subject to the Roman political yoke but hoping for the coming of a
|
||
Messiah who would deliver them from gentile bondage with a great show of power
|
||
and glory. They resented, more than Pilate could know, the intimation that this
|
||
meek-mannered teacher of strange doctrines, now under arrest and charged with
|
||
crimes worthy of death, should be referred to as "the king of the Jews." They
|
||
looked upon such a remark as an insult to everything which they held sacred and
|
||
honorable in their national existence, and therefore did they all let loose
|
||
their mighty shouts for Barabbas's release and Jesus' death.
|
||
|
||
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against him, and had he
|
||
been a just and courageous judge, he would have acquitted him and turned him
|
||
loose. But he was afraid to defy these angry Jews, and while he hesitated to do
|
||
his duty, a messenger came up and presented him with a sealed message from his
|
||
wife, Claudia.
|
||
|
||
Pilate indicated to those assembled before him that he wished to read the
|
||
communication which he had just received before he proceeded further with the
|
||
matter before him. When Pilate opened this letter from his wife, he read: "I
|
||
pray you have nothing to do with this innocent and just man whom they call
|
||
Jesus. I have suffered many things in a dream this night because of him." This
|
||
note from Claudia not only greatly upset Pilate and thereby delayed the
|
||
adjudication of this matter, but it unfortunately also provided considerable
|
||
time in which the Jewish rulers freely circulated among the crowd and urged the
|
||
people to call for the release of Barabbas and to clamor for the crucifixion of
|
||
Jesus.
|
||
|
||
Finally, Pilate addressed himself once more to the solution of the problem
|
||
which confronted him, by asking the mixed assembly of Jewish rulers and the
|
||
pardon-seeking crowd, "What shall I do with him who is called the king of the
|
||
Jews ? " And they all shouted with one accord, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" The
|
||
unanimity of this demand from the mixed multitude startled and alarmed Pilate,
|
||
the unjust and fear-ridden judge.
|
||
|
||
Then once more Pilate said: "Why would you crucify this man? What evil has he
|
||
done? Who will come forward to testify against him?" But when they heard Pilate
|
||
speak in defense of Jesus, they only cried out all the more, "Crucify him!
|
||
Crucify him!"
|
||
|
||
Then again Pilate appealed to them regarding the release of the Passover
|
||
prisoner, saying: "Once more I ask you, which of these prisoners shall I
|
||
release to you at this, your Passover time?" And again the crowd shouted, "Give
|
||
us Barabbas!"
|
||
|
||
Then said Pilate: "If I release the murderer, Barabbas, what shall I do with
|
||
Jesus?" And once more the multitude shouted in unison, "Crucify him! Crucify
|
||
him!"
|
||
|
||
Pilate was terrorized by the insistent clamor of the mob, acting under the
|
||
direct leadership of the chief priests and the councilors of the Sanhedrin;
|
||
nevertheless, he decided upon at least one more attempt to appease the crowd
|
||
and save Jesus.
|
||
|
||
6. PILATE'S LAST APPEAL
|
||
|
||
In all that is transpiring early this Friday morning before Pilate, only the
|
||
enemies of Jesus are participating. His many friends either do not yet know of
|
||
his night arrest and early morning trial or are in hiding lest they also be
|
||
apprehended
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1995
|
||
|
||
and adjudged worthy of death because they believe Jesus' teachings. In the
|
||
multitude which now clamors for the Master's death are to be found only his
|
||
sworn enemies and the easily led and unthinking populace.
|
||
|
||
Pilate would make one last appeal to their pity. Being afraid to defy the
|
||
clamor of this misled mob who cried for the blood of Jesus, he ordered the
|
||
Jewish guards and the Roman soldiers to take Jesus and scourge him. This was in
|
||
itself an unjust and illegal procedure since the Roman law provided that only
|
||
those condemned to die by crucifixion should be thus subjected to scourging.
|
||
The guards took Jesus into the open courtyard of the praetorium for this
|
||
ordeal. Though his enemies did not witness this scourging, Pilate did, and
|
||
before they had finished this wicked abuse, he directed the scourgers to desist
|
||
and indicated that Jesus should be brought to him. Before the scourgers laid
|
||
their knotted whips upon Jesus as he was bound to the whipping post, they again
|
||
put upon him the purple robe, and plaiting a crown of thorns, they placed it
|
||
upon his brow. And when they had put a reed in his hand as a mock scepter, they
|
||
knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they
|
||
spit upon him and struck him in the face with their hands. And one of them,
|
||
before they returned him to Pilate, took the reed from his hand and struck him
|
||
upon the head.
|
||
|
||
Then Pilate led forth this bleeding and lacerated prisoner and, presenting him
|
||
before the mixed multitude, said: "Behold the man! Again I declare to you that
|
||
I find no crime in him, and having scourged him, I would release him."
|
||
|
||
There stood Jesus of Nazareth, clothed in an old purple royal robe with a crown
|
||
of thorns piercing his kindly brow. His face was bloodstained and his form
|
||
bowed down with suffering and grief. But nothing can appeal to the unfeeling
|
||
hearts of those who are victims of intense emotional hatred and slaves to
|
||
religious prejudice. This sight sent a mighty shudder through the realms of a
|
||
vast universe, but it did not touch the hearts of those who had set their minds
|
||
to effect the destruction of Jesus.
|
||
|
||
When they had recovered from the first shock of seeing the Master's plight,
|
||
they only shouted the louder and the longer, "Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify
|
||
him!"
|
||
|
||
And now did Pilate comprehend that it was futile to appeal to their supposed
|
||
feelings of pity. He stepped forward and said: "I perceive that you are
|
||
determined this man shall die, but what has he done to deserve death? Who will
|
||
declare his crime?"
|
||
|
||
Then the high priest himself stepped forward and, going up to Pilate, angrily
|
||
declared: "We have a sacred law, and by that law this man ought to die because
|
||
he made himself out to be the Son of God." When Pilate heard this, he was all
|
||
the more afraid, not only of the Jews, but recalling his wife's note and the
|
||
Greek mythology of the gods coming down on earth, he now trembled at the
|
||
thought of Jesus possibly being a divine personage. He waved to the crowd to
|
||
hold its peace while he took Jesus by the arm and again led him inside the
|
||
building that he might further examine him. Pilate was now confused by fear,
|
||
bewildered by superstition, and harassed by the stubborn attitude of the mob.
|
||
|
||
7. PILATE'S LAST INTERVIEW
|
||
|
||
As Pilate, trembling with fearful emotion, sat down by the side of Jesus, he
|
||
inquired: "Where do you come from? Really, who are you? What is this they say,
|
||
that you are the Son of God?"
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1996
|
||
|
||
But Jesus could hardly answer such questions when asked by a man-fearing, weak,
|
||
and vacillating judge who was so unjust as to subject him to flogging even when
|
||
he had declared him innocent of all crime, and before he had been duly
|
||
sentenced to die. Jesus looked Pilate straight in the face, but he did not
|
||
answer him. Then said Pilate: "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not realize
|
||
that I still have power to release you or to crucify you?" Then said Jesus:
|
||
"You could have no power over me except it were permitted from above. You could
|
||
exercise no authority over the Son of Man unless the Father in heaven allowed
|
||
it. But you are not so guilty since you are ignorant of the gospel. He who
|
||
betrayed me and he who delivered me to you, they have the greater sin."
|
||
|
||
This last talk with Jesus thoroughly frightened Pilate. This moral coward and
|
||
judicial weakling now labored under the double weight of the superstitious fear
|
||
of Jesus and mortal dread of the Jewish leaders.
|
||
|
||
Again Pilate appeared before the crowd, saying: "I am certain this man is only
|
||
a religious offender. You should take him and judge him by your law. Why should
|
||
you expect that I would consent to his death because he has clashed with your
|
||
traditions?"
|
||
|
||
Pilate was just about ready to release Jesus when Caiaphas, the high priest,
|
||
approached the cowardly Roman judge and, shaking an avenging finger in Pilate's
|
||
face, said with angry words which the entire multitude could hear: "If you
|
||
release this man, you are not Caesar's friend, and I will see that the emperor
|
||
knows all." This public threat was too much for Pilate. Fear for his personal
|
||
fortunes now eclipsed all other considerations, and the cowardly governor
|
||
ordered Jesus brought out before the judgment seat. As the Master stood there
|
||
before them, he pointed to him and tauntingly said, "Behold your king." And the
|
||
Jews answered, "Away with him. Crucify him!" And then Pilate said, with much
|
||
irony and sarcasm, "Shall I crucify your king?" And the Jews answered, "Yes,
|
||
crucify him! We have no king but Caesar." And then did Pilate realize that
|
||
there was no hope of saving Jesus since he was unwilling to defy the Jews.
|
||
|
||
8. PILATE'S TRAGIC SURRENDER
|
||
|
||
Here stood the Son of God incarnate as the Son of Man. He was arrested without
|
||
indictment; accused without evidence; adjudged without witnesses; punished
|
||
without a verdict; and now was soon to be condemned to die by an unjust judge
|
||
who confessed that he could find no fault in him. If Pilate had thought to
|
||
appeal to their patriotism by referring to Jesus as the "king of the Jews," he
|
||
utterly failed. The Jews were not expecting any such a king. The declaration of
|
||
the chief priests and the Sadducees, "We have no king but Caesar," was a shock
|
||
even to the unthinking populace, but it was too late now to save Jesus even had
|
||
the mob dared to espouse the Master's cause.
|
||
|
||
Pilate was afraid of a tumult or a riot. He dared not risk having such a
|
||
disturbance during Passover time in Jerusalem. He had recently received a
|
||
reprimand from Caesar, and he would not risk another. The mob cheered when he
|
||
ordered the release of Barabbas. Then he ordered a basin and some water, and
|
||
there before the multitude he washed his hands, saying: "I am innocent of the
|
||
blood of this man. You are determined that he shall die, but I have found no
|
||
guilt in him. See you to it. The soldiers will lead him forth." And then the
|
||
mob cheered and replied, "His blood be on us and on our children."
|
||
|
||
top of page - 1997
|
||
|
||
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
|
||
of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
|
||
Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
|
||
Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
|
||
Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
|
||
Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
|
||
The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
|
||
Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
|
||
The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
|
||
In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
|
||
Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
|
||
Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
|
||
Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
|
||
Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
|
||
Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
|
||
Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
|
||
Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
|
||
Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
|
||
Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
|
||
To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem Tuesday Morning In The
|
||
Temple The Last Temple Discourse Tuesday Evening On Mount Olivet Wednesday, The
|
||
Rest Day Last Day At The Camp The Last Supper The Farewell Discourse Final
|
||
Admonitions And Warnings In Gethsemane The Betrayal And Arrest Of Jesus Before
|
||
The Sanhedrin Court The Trial Before Pilate Just Before The Crucifixion The
|
||
Crucifixion The Time Of The Tomb The Resurrection Morontia Appearances Of Jesus
|
||
Appearances To The Apostles And Other Leaders Appearances In Galilee Final
|
||
Appearances And Ascension Bestowal Of The Spirit Of Truth After Pentecost The
|
||
Faith Of Jesus
|
||
|
||
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