SCRIPTURE (John 19:1-16)
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.
OBSERVATION
Even though he had "…no basis for a charge…" against Jesus, Pilate still had Him flogged in the first part of the passage. Pilate seems to be battling with what his heart was telling him about this Jewish man. Pilate wrestles with doing the right thing versus doing what everyone else wants/expects for him to do. Ultimately he bends to the pressure of the Jews he governed and allows Jesus to be crucified. Unlike the report in the Gospel of Matthew, John’s account does not mention that Pilate washed his hands and claimed that he was, "…innocent of this man’s blood."
APPLICATION
Here we have a man with a war going on inside… he knew in his heart what was right, but was not able to follow through with doing it. EVERY time I read this passage I still find myself hoping that he’ll make the right choice, even though I already know what he is going to do. I wonder how many times God has felt that way about me? "Oh, Tony- you know what you need to do here. Be brave enough to follow your heart!" Then He sees me bend to others’ expectations, avoid uncomfortable confrontation, take the easy route, or continue some particular pattern of sin.
The old cliche’ says, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Pilate intended to do the right thing and to release Jesus. But because of his fear of conflict and his need to please, an innocent man died. Pilate washed his hands of his role in Christ’s death… but I believe he always knew he could have done more if he’d have just been brave enough to follow his heart. Likewise- in our dealings with Christ- wanting to do the right thing is never enough. God wants us to show resolve and to follow Him wherever He leads us… even if it is an extremely difficult path. He promises to give us the strength we need and to bless our obedience. Then our witness to the world echoes His integrity.
PRAYER
Father we pray that You would enable us to follow the convictions that You give us. Help us to grow to trust You enough to do whatever you are asking us to do… whether it be standing up for someone, making larger sacrifices of time or resources, or serving in a way that may seem scary at first. Don’t let us be like Pilate, who knew the right path but didn’t choose it. Give us the strength and perseverance to do Your will… even when it seems like the whole world is against us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
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