John 19:1-16
Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified
1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.
4Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"
6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."
7The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."
8When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."
13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.
15But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.
16Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
Jesus was taken before Pilate...Pilate was judge and jury for Jesus...Jesus knew and understood this...Jesus knew His future...
Pilate had Jesus flogged...The soldiers made Him a crown of thorns and put it on His head...They clothed Him in a purple robe...They mocked Him and said hail, King of the Jews...Then they struck Him in the face...Pilate came back out after this was done and told the crowd, "Look, I am bringing Him out to you let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him."...When Jesus came out wearing the purple robe and crown of thorns, Pilate said "Here is the Man."...The chief priests and officials saw Him and told Pilate to "Crucify!...Crucify!"...Pilate told the chief priests, "You take Him and crucify Him."...Pilate proclaimed Jesus' innocence and that the chief priests had no basis for these charges for the third time...The Jews insisted that they have a law, and according to that law He must be crucified...He must die, because He claims to be God...
When Pilate heard this he went to Jesus and ask where He comes from...Jesus gave him no answer...Pilate ask Him if He knew that he had the power to free Him or to crucify Him...Jesus answered that he had no power over Him, if it were not given to him from above...Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin...From then on Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this Man go you are no friend of Caesar...Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar...When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus to the judges seat at a place known as Stone Pavement (which is Aramaic for Gabbatha)...It was the day of preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour...Pilate said here is your king...The Jews said crucify Him...Pilate said shall I crucify your king...The chief priests said, they had no king but Caesar...Pilate finally handed Him over to them to be crucified...
Pilate actually tries to free (and kept trying) Jesus, but gives in to the anger of the crowd...Three times Pilate says their is no basis for the charges of the chief priests...
Jesus teaches us that there are greater degrees of sin...Pilate is sinning judging Him, flogging Him, and by turning Him over to the Jews to be crucified...Judas is guilty of betraying Him...Caiaphas turned Him over to Pilate and he has the greater sin...
If there is a handbook for living it is in Jesus teachings...Yet the chief priests, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, and Pilate did not see this...They did not weigh in the facts that His central teachings was about God, and God was the central part of His life...Because He said things like before Abraham was, I AM...He also said I AM the resurrection and the life...By saying your sins are forgiven, when Jesus did not check with the person or persons that were sinned against was most unusual...By forgiving the sinner, the Pharisees told Him that only God can forgive someone's sins and is blasphemy to say this (Matthew 9:3, Mark 2:7, Luke 5:21)...Jesus is charged with committing blasphemy by the chief priests, the Sanhedrin, and the Pharisees...Even though this is their charge, He did not sin...He dies for our sins on the cross...Now some of the Jews may have wanted Him dead for other reasons, such as He was too popular, or His teachings were too extreme, but in the end it appears blasphemy is their reason...Jesus fulfills the Scripture based on the charge of blasphemy and dies on the cross for this charge...