Jesus Trial: Options, choices and consequences
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| Christ before Pontius Pilate, Mihály Munkácsy, 1881 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” [Luke 23:4]
Jesus had been tried and found guilty of a capital offense (blasphemy) by the Sanhedrin. Because the Jews did not have the right to put anyone to death, they took him to Pontius Pilate to issue Jesus’ death warrant. They accused Jesus of claiming to be king of the Jews. Pilate asked if this were true, and Jesus affirmed that it was. Pilate, however, was not interested in internal Jewish affairs and told the crowd that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death.
The Jews responded by falsely stating that this Galilean had been seditious. Pilate pounced on the fact that Jesus came from Galilee, because that gave him a way out of this thorny situation. As a Galilean Jesus was under the jurisdiction of Herod, who just happened to be in Jerusalem for Passover. Pilate sent him to Herod.
When Jesus refused his request to perform a miracle, Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus and put a royal robe on him. They then sent him back to Pilate, who apparently thought this was a great joke. On that day, Pilate and Herod became friends.
Pilate told the Jews that neither he nor Herod had found anything dangerous about Jesus. He declared that Jesus would be beaten and released. The beating was not so unusual after a finding of innocence as might be imagined. The Romans had a policy of beating those who were found innocent, simply as a warning for others.
Jewish leaders had been instigating the crowd throughout the process and had successfully persuaded enough people to cry for blood that Pilate responded. What followed was the most grievous act of injustice the world will ever know. The crowd insisted that Jesus be crucified and Barabbas released. The Romans had a custom of releasing a criminal at Passover. Pilate wanted to free the innocent Jesus, but the Jews wanted the murderous Barabbas. Pilate was reluctant, but the shouts of the crowd overwhelmed him. Jesus was sentenced to die.
Options … choices … consequences … That was the sequence that confronted all those involved in the crucifixion. It is the same in your decision-making process today. God holds each person accountable for choices made and attending consequences. Exercise your responsibility in accordance with biblical truth and principles rather than as an appeasement to clamoring voices.
