John 18:28-19:16
Pilate Orders Christ to be Crucified
I. Introduction
- We will see our Lord on trial before Pilate.
- We are brought into the suffering of our innocent Lord.
- May the Lord refresh our hearts in the love of our Lord who gave His back and cheek on our behalf.
II. vv. 28-40 Jesus before Pilate.
- v. 28a Trial in the Praetorium.
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.[1]
- The Praetorium is associated with the governor’s residence.
- Two spots in the city of Jerusalem are suggested as the place where Jesus was tried before Pilate.
- One is located on the eastern side of the city, at the northern end of the Temple Mount, near the Antonio Fortress.
- This is the view that is the most widely held, and it is part of the Via Dolorosa Walk through Jerusalem.
- Lots of tradition would have to be forfeited to accept the minority view.
- Archaeologist Shimon Gibson has challenged this view:
- He suggests that Jesus was tried in Herod’s palace on the western side of the city.
- He suggests that Jesus was tried in Herod’s palace on the western side of the city.
- “The praetorium, orig. the praetor’s tent in camp, w. its surroundings… In the course of its history (sketched by MDibelius, exc. on Phil 1:13) the word also came to designate the governor’s official residence.”[2]
- “The praetorium of Pilate was probably Herod’s palace on the western hill of the city (so Schürer, Eckardt, Benoit, Kopp, and Blinzler), and not (as esp. Vincent asserts; Blinzler 174f. lists others who support this view) in the Tower of Antonia (northwest of the temple area). The identification with Herod’s palace is supported by the Roman custom of taking over the residences of earlier local regents (→ 3.b). Furthermore, the reference to the crowd ‘going up’ to Pilate (Mark 15:8: ἀναβὰς ὁ ὄχλος) better suits the topography if Herod’s palace is assumed. Philo Leg. Gai.. 306 calls Herod’s palace the ‘house of the governors’ (cf. further documentation in Benoit 156f.). In the 4th cent. pilgrims from Bordeaux asserted that the praetorium of Pilate lay in the western Tyropoeon Valley (cf. Kopp 371; Pixner).”[3]
- The image below shows Herod’s palace on the western side of the city of Jerusalem.
- This is a zoomed-in view of the gate and Bema (judgment seat) where Jesus communicated with the Jews and eventually presented Jesus to Israel for crucifixion.
- vv. 28b-30 Hypocrisy of the Jews.
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”
- Here, these men are urging, plotting, and planning for the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ, yet they are concerned with being defiled and unable to partake in the Passover by entering a Gentile’s home.
- Jesus had said earlier that they strain at a gnat and yet swallow a camel.
- These are like those that would never be caught dead outside of church on Sunday, yet are completely devoid of mercy in their interpersonal relationships.
- They had broken many laws in this process.
- They plotted his death.
- They sought a false witness.
- They bribed Judas.
- No trial was to be held during the feast time.
- Each member of the court was to vote individually to convict or acquit, but Jesus was not afforded that right.
- If the death penalty was given, a night must pass before the sentence was carried out; however, only a few hours passed before Jesus was placed on the cross.
- No trial was to be held at night, but this trial was held before dawn.
- The accused was entitled to counsel or representation, but Jesus had none.
- The accused was not to be asked self-incriminating questions, but Jesus was asked if He was the Christ.
- Yet, they didn’t want to go into the courtyard of Pilate!
- What meal did Jesus eat?
- We know that Jesus ate the Passover meal, as described in John 13.
- If Passover had taken place, then why do we read that the Jews did not want to defile themselves before Passover?
- We have no definitive answer from Scripture, but one theory is that, due to the book of Numbers and traditions of different Jews, Passover was celebrated from Sundown to Sundown of the following day.
- If this is correct, then it is possible that both Jesus and these Jews ate the Passover meal.
- vv. 31-32 Crucifixion foretold in the Scriptures.
31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” 32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.
- The Mosaic law established stoning as the means of capital punishment.
- Yet Old Testament prophecies indicated that Jesus would be crucified.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Psalm 22:16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 22 “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
- Both nails as well as the spear did pierce our Lord.
- vv. 33-37 Pilate asks if Jesus is a king.
33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
- vv. 33-36 Jesus confirms He is a king to the question of Pilate.
- v. 36 Jesus speaks of a coming kingdom.
- Jesus did not establish an earthly kingdom at His first coming.
- He did establish a spiritual kingdom. This kingdom is wherever the rule of Jesus is accepted.
- The day is coming when He will establish a physical kingdom upon earth.
- This kingdom is promised in the Old Testament.
- Jesus and His disciples spent the early days of our Lord’s ministry offering the Kingdom of God to Israel.
- They rejected it, and the Lord announced that it would be hidden from them for a time.
- Paul states in Romans that this rejection will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
- Revelation tells us that this earthly kingdom will last for 1000 years and will begin at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
- v. 37b Jesus states He came to speak of truth.
- It almost seems out of place in the discussion of a kingdom and a king to assert that He came to declare truth.
- That is because we are used to politics from a worldly perspective.
- But the great King Jesus comes to aid man and bless him, not take from him.
- It seems like most leaders speak in half-truths, but here Jesus is boldly declaring how a person can be part of His kingdom.
- v. 38 Jesus is found innocent.
38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.
- Both Herod and Pilate found Jesus upon examination, and yet He was crucified.
- As we consider Jesus going to be our Passover lamb without spot or blemish, He fulfilled that in a legal sense.
- The Jews had to fabricate charges because He was innocent.
- Jesus was crucified, but not for Himself. He died innocent, bearing the guilt of the world in judgment.
Daniel 9:26 And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Isaiah 53:4-6 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
- vv. 39-40 Jews reject Jesus for Barabbas.
39 ” But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
- Men chose that which most represents their true desire.
- Judas preferred RICHES over RELATIONSHIP.
- Others chose POPULARITY over PRESENCE.
- Today, people are choosing ENJOYMENT over ETERNITY.
- Israel nationally rejected Jesus as their Messiah.
- One day, Israel will call upon the Lord at the end of the Tribulation when the Antichrist has gathered the armies of the world to destroy Israel.
- Scripture makes it clear that Israel can repent and that she will.
- Here are some verses that prophesy of how Israel will call out for help and recognize Jesus as their Messiah.
Leviticus 26:40-42 40 But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt — 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land.
Matthew 23:37-39 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'”
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. - What a day it will be when Israel finally turns to Jesus as their Messiah and confesses Him as Lord, believing that He died and rose again.
- Men chose that which most represents their true desire.
III. 19:1-6 Pilate declares Jesus is innocent.
- v. 1 Scourging
John 19:1-2 1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.
- This punishment was used by Rome to bring forth a confession about a crime.
“The Romans used scourging for various purposes, including as a method of interrogation to extract confessions or information from prisoners [1]. This practice was considered a form of torture rather than punishment [2]. The severity of Roman scourging could be extreme, using a whip called a ‘flagellum’ that could result in death or permanent injury [2]. Unlike Jewish scourging, which was limited to 39 lashes, Roman scourging had no set limit on the number of strokes [1]. Roman citizens were generally protected from scourging as a form of interrogation, as exemplified by Paul’s experience in Acts 22:25 [2]. Scourging was more commonly used on slaves and non-Roman citizens [1][3].”[4] - While there is no direct evidence that the intensity of the beating would be lessened with confession, it is not hard to imagine that a violent system used for interrogation would become more intense with silence.
- Jesus was silent like a lamb led to the slaughter.
- The Roman flagrum was a short whip with sharp metal and bone attached to the end.
- The person would be stripped of their clothes and have their arms tied to a post above their head.
- The effect of a scourging upon a person’s body was devastating.
- That a person’s bones and bowels would be exposed is not hard to imagine due to the extreme nature of this torture.
- Summary of the scourge.
- “Roman scourging was a brutal form of punishment that could take different levels of severity. The most extreme form, called verberatio, involved stripping the victim and tying them to a post, then beating them with a whip (flagrum) fitted with pieces of bone, lead, or metal [1][2]. This punishment was so severe that it could leave victims with exposed bones and entrails, and sometimes resulted in death [1][2]. The scourging of Jesus, as described in the Bible, was likely this severe form, intended to weaken and dehumanize him before crucifixion [1][3]. Medical evidence suggests that such flogging would cause deep contusions, cut into the skin and tissues, and potentially lead to circulatory shock from blood loss [2]. While the articles describe these practices in detail, they do not provide direct links to eyewitness accounts of scourgings [1][2][3][4][5].”[5]
- This punishment was used by Rome to bring forth a confession about a crime.
- vv. 2-3 Mockery
John 19:2-3 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.
- With both the Jews’ accusations and Jesus’s confession that He was the King of the Jews, they mockingly dressed Him.
- Crown of thorns.
- Depending on what species of plant was used, the length of the thorns could have been 4-6 inches or even up to 12 inches long and easily shaped into a crown.
- Of course, this would have caused profuse bleeding.
- “Apparently, the ‘crown of thorns’ consisted of some branches twisted together from the long spikes of the date palm, shaped into a mock ‘crown,’ the radiant corona, which adorns rulers’ heads on many coins of Jesus’ time (Bonner 1953). The thorns may have come from the common thorn bush (Isa. 34:13; Nah. 1:10) or from date palms that have thorns near the base. These thorns, which could be up to twelve inches long, would sink into the victim’s skull, resulting in considerable pain. It is reasonable to surmise that onlookers would observe profuse bleeding and distortion of facial features.”[6]
- A robe was then placed upon His flesh-torn body.
- They struck Him with their hands.
- Feeble and weakened, Jesus would have had little opportunity to recoil as the blows landed upon Him.
- Isaiah tells us that His beard was ripped out, while other accounts of the crucifixion tell us that He was blind folded and punched and hit over the head with a reed.
Isaiah 50:6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting
- vv. 4-6 Pilate is trying to release Jesus and yet still please the crowd.
4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” 6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
- Pilate has examined Jesus and found him guiltless.
- Pilate washed his hands of the blood of Jesus, and the Jews said, “Let His blood be upon us and our children.”
- At Pentecost, Peter told the multitudes who had gathered from all over the Roman Empire that they were guilty of the blood of Jesus.
- In a very real sense, we are all guilty of the death of Jesus.
- Jesus shed His blood for the sins of the world.
- It is our sin that put Jesus on the cross.
- Our guilt and our sin gave violence to the hands of those cruel Roman soldiers.
IV. 19:7-16 Pilate delivers Jesus to crucifixion.
- v. 7 The Jews press Pilate to put Jesus to death.
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
- Pilate is reluctant to kill this man due to a dream his wife had.
Matthew 27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” - Romans esteemed dreams as a way in which God communicated His will to them.
- Pilate is reluctant to kill this man due to a dream his wife had.
- vv. 10-11 Who had power?
10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
- Jesus lets Pilate know that he had no power except that which had been granted him.
- John is truly portraying Jesus as the one in control.
- v. 12 The Jews threaten Pilate.
John 19:12-16 12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” 16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.
- In v. 12, the words “sought” and “cried out” are imperfect verbs.
- The imperfect verb represents past ongoing action.
- Pilate repeatedly asks for them to release Jesus, and the Jews repeatedly call for His death.
V. The Jews had accused Jesus of being a king, instructing people not to pay their taxes and other such lies. For Pilate to ignore such behavior, if true, would jeopardize the government.
VI. Conclusion
- Jesus suffered to redeem us and to take our punishment.
- How loved we are.
- How deadly sin is.
- May our hearts be moved afresh at the commitment and love the Lord has for us.
[1] All Scripture quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.
[2] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 859.
[3] Horst Robert Balz and Gerhard Schneider, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990–), 145.
[4] [1] Craig S. Keener, Acts: An Exegetical Commentary: 15:1–23:35, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014), 2479. [2] Thoralf Gilbrant, “Μαστίζω,” in The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991). [3] Dennis Gaertner, “Scourging,” in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 1173.
[5] [1] D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester; Grand Rapids: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 597. [2] René A. López, “Did Jesus Truly Die?: Death before Resurrection,” Journal of Dispensational Theology (April/August/December) 16, no. 47 (2012): 60. [3] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 2042. [4] Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews (Swengel: Bible Truth Depot, 1954), 858. [5] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew, vol. 9, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 957.
[6] Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 532.