HOST: Ron House
SPONSOR: Start2Finish
Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”
As the Jews bring Jesus before Pilate, they do so with a flurry of charges of crimes against the Roman government. They wanted Jesus to be viewed as an enemy of the state, One who had no regard for the Empire or its leaders. Of course, Jesus had done nothing to violate Roman law. He had shown due respect for those in authority and had instructed His disciples to give to Caesar what was due him (pay taxes). As was mentioned in yesterday’s reading, the only charge that Pilate finds credible seems to be the charge that Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews. It is the only charge that he questioned Jesus about, but even in that charge, Pilate sees no guilt in Him. He quickly sees through the ploy of the Jews and declares publicly that He finds no fault in Jesus. But the Jews had come too far to turn back now. They will not take “no” for an answer. In response to Pilate’s verdict, they simply become more fierce and demanding, declaring the guilt of Jesus.
Why did the Jews need Pilate to find Jesus guilty?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
