I’ve titled this message “Christ’s Trial before Pilate.” I have probably used the word “trial” many times over the last couple of weeks, and I will do so again. Jesus stood before the Jewish council, then before Pilate, then before Herod and again before Pilate. And in some cases the word “trial” may be somewhat appropriate, but in others there was no trial at all.
Despite using that word myself, we find that it is foreign to the Word of God. In neither Testament do we use “trial” to speak of a formal investigation of someone before a judge. We may find the event, but not that word. Oh, the word “trial” is found in the Bible six times but it speaks of “testings, “afflictions” and “tribulations.” And surprisingly it comes from six different original words – two Hebrew and four Greek. One of those references brings US – US personally – into what our Saviour was enduring here. I Peter 4:12-13 – “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” As I hope to point out, what our Saviour endured, even in appearing before Pilate, was for our salvation. And, if or when we endure our fiery trials, remember that we are in a special way being joined to Christ.
This afternoon I’d like summarize Jesus’ trial before Pilate, making a couple of applications along the way. Later, we’ll consider one or two special aspects of this trial a little more completely. This trial, or more particularly, these two trials, are mentioned in all four of the Gospels. Let’s probe our subject by asking several questions.
For example, why Pilate?
After the council of the High Priest had condemned our Saviour, they sent him to the Roman governor. Apparently they had untied him for His trial, but for transportation they bound Him once again. And Luke tells us that “the whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate.” They apparently wanted to make a show of force – a solid front – in their condemnation of Christ. John says that it was still early in the morning of the Passover, and they refused to enter the palace of the governor so that they wouldn’t be defiled and excluded from the day’s religious festivities. Hypocrites! As if what they had previously done hadn’t already rendered them unclean and unfit.
The Gospel of John gives us the reasons for this trip to the Roman palace. Pilate came out to meet them and asked for a list of charges against Christ. They replied with obvious contempt toward Rome – “Do you think we’re fools?” “If this man were not an evil-does we should not have delivered him up unto thee.” Pilate replied just as contemptuously – “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” To which they responded, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” They wanted Christ to die, and they wanted Rome to be the executioner.
Then under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle John added an editorial comment – “that the word of Jesus might fulfilled, which he spake signifying by what manner of death he should die.” Remember that the Jew’s method of capital punishment was by stoning – as we see with Stephen. But in Matthew 20, Christ had specifically said that He would be crucified. Furthermore, it had been prophesied that not a bone of him would be broken. It was essential that Jesus die at the hands of the Romans, not the Jews. Why was Jesus taken to Pilate for a second trial? In order to fulfill prophecy.
And may I add another reason – a theological reason – not that it is absolutely essential. Christ will eventually become the Saviour of the world – Jew and Gentile. His blood will be shed for the salvation of people in Israel, India, Indiana and even a few in Iraq. So it is appropriate that the Gentiles be involved in the actual sacrifice of the Lamb of God. He died for their sins, and He will die at their hands, as well as the hands of the rebellious Jews.
Jesus was brought before Pilate to fulfil prophecy, to include the whole world, and some other things as well. We saw the innocence of Christ when He was condemned in that mock trial before the High Priest. We saw that they looked high and low to find liars and false-witnesses. Finally they twisted Jesus’ own words about the temple of His body into a guilty verdict, augmenting that with the truth that He is the Messiah. Those judges and that trial was a sham for many reasons and one was that Christ had been prejudged. It was not an honest examination of the facts.
But now Christ stands before an impartial judge – a Roman who doesn’t care about questions of Messiahship. By the way, it is interesting that the priests come to Pilate with a new set of accusations. Luke tells us “and they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” Matthew doesn’t go into the details, but Pilate then questions Christ about His Kingdom. In that conversation we learn once again that Jesus’ Kingdom is spiritual and not a direct rival to Rome. Christ was brought before Pilate in order to once again teach and magnify the Kingdom of God and Christ Jesus the eternal King. Pilate, the unbiased judge, listens to the charges, the evidence, the words of the accused, and then declares, “I find no fault in this man” – I find no crime in him.”
Let the world hear it again, there was no sin, crime or human reason for the crucifixion of Christ Jesus. Oh, there was definitely spiritual reason and eternal reason, but no sinful reason in the Lord Himself. The sin lay entirely in the priests, the Jews, the Romans and ultimately in every one of us.
Here is another question – Why was Christ so quiet as He stood before His judges?
We first saw that in the last chapter – verse 63 – “But Jesus held his peace….” And here in verse 14 – “he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.” In John 19:9 we read, after Pilate listened to the Jew’s charges, he “went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.” This is repeated in Mark, before the Lord finally replied “Thou sayest” to the Roman’s question, “art thou the King of the Jews.”
Why was Christ so quiet? I hope that you already know the answer to that question. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” Some people say that Jesus of Nazareth scripted much of his life in order to fulfil prophetic scriptures. I deny those charges, while at the same time declaring that prophecy after prophecy was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus in the course of His life – and in His death. Peter referred to Jesus’ silence in the process of magnifying God’s saving grace – I Peter 2:22 – Christ “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Why was Christ silent for a time, while standing before Pilate? Once again, in order to fulfil prophecy.
Why does Matthew mention the wife of Pilate?
Verse 19 – “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” I can’t answer my question with any degree of confidence, but let me suggest a few ideas.
As I said last week, the news of Jesus’ arrest and of these trials spread rapidly throughout Jerusalem. At some point early in the morning, Mrs. Pilate heard about it. We don’t know anything about her except that she was married. We do know that Pilate’s successor, Felix, was married to a Jewess, and this woman may have been a daughter of Abraham herself. A couple of ancient manuscripts give us her name, but “Abrokla” doesn’t convince me of her heritage. However, is there anything significant in what she says to her husband? She had a bad dream or nightmare about Christ – “suffering many things” early that morning. Perhaps those dreams had something to do with what would happen to them if Pilate condemned Christ. But more significant was that she called Jesus “that just man.”
Perhaps her testimony was not worth bringing her to the witness stand, but she was a witness nevertheless. And what exactly was her testimony? The word Greek word translated “just” is found seventy-six times in the New Testament. Thirty-three times it is translated as we have in here, but FORTY-ONE times it is rendered “righteous.” “Have thou nothing to do with that (righteous) man.” It is to be admitted that the word can be interpreted several ways, and sometimes even facetiously. Paul tells us that there is “none righteous, no not one” – excluding of course Christ Jesus. But we read that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a just man and not willing to make her a public example. Then Jesus said, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
How did this woman mean the word? She could have been saying that Christ is absolutely “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” Or she might have only been reiterating that Jesus was not worthy of death – innocent of the charges. In either case, Pilate and the Jews are further condemned when it comes to the crucifixion of our Lord. There is no doubt whatsoever that Jesus did not deserve to be put to death.
Luke brings up another person who was involved in this debacle of Christ’s trails – Herod the Tetrarch.
Luke 23:6-12 – “When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.”
Why was Christ sent to Herod? Was it to once again emphasize that the crucifixion of Christ was an act of UNIVERSAL wickedness? Was it to reiterate Christ’s lamb-like behavior? Was there a specific reason for Herod and Pilate to become more friendly towards each other? Earlier they had been at odds – perhaps it was personal, but more probably it was political and professional. Perhaps the lesson is that no matter who we are, we cannot pass off the responsibility of our sins and the death of Christ to others. The religious Jews tried to make Pilate the guilty party. Pilate tried to make Herod, the secular Jew, the culprit. Herod passed the responsibility back to Pilate and Rome.
And finally, at least fo this afternoon, why was Jesus so brutally beaten?
And here is a supplementary question for you to consider– Matthew and Mark simply say that Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified after He was scourged. Luke, the physician, doesn’t say a word about Jesus’ beatings. But John, the Apostle of Jesus’ deity, describes our Lord’s suffering in more detail than any of the others. John 19:1 – “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto (the Jews), Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!”
Why was Christ Jesus treated so horribly? First, in order to demonstrate the wretchedness of the people who had condemned Him – Jew and Gentile. Secondly, in order to demonstrate the wretchedness of all those for whom Christ died. Isaiah 53:5 – “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” I Peter 2:24 – “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by (these and the rest of Jesus’) stripes ye were healed.” While this is certainly true, I think that the reason Pilate put Christ through all this, was in order to develop some sympathy among the Jews. “If those people see this man covered in his own blood, mocked, crowned with those spiky thorns, perhaps they will let me off the hook and I can release him.” In a sense, the beating of Christ was for Pilate’s benefit.
There is one more important question which I will save for next week – what was Barabbas’ involvement in all of this? The answer to this are intriguing and uplifting. In Barabbas we see a picture of the salvation of the unworthy sinner. In Barabbas we see ourselves.