i. "Judge Him According to your Law"

Jn 18:28b-32

²⁸They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. It was early, and they themselves didn’t enter into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. ^{a 29}Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

³⁰They answered him, “If this man weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have delivered him up to you.”

³¹Pilate therefore said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” ³²that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke, signifying by what kind of death he should die.

ii. The Charges against Jesus

Lk 23:2

²They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

iii.The King of Truth

Mt 27:11 

¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, “So you say.”

 Mk 15:2  

²Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

He answered, “So you say.”

 Lk 23:3

³Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

He answered him, “So you say.”

 Jn 18:33-38a

³³Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

³⁴Jesus answered him, “Do you say this by yourself, or did others tell you about me?”

³⁵Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done?”

³⁶Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

³⁸Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

iv. "I Find in Him No Fault at All"

Lk 23:4 

⁴Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

Jn 18:38b

³⁸Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

v. Jesus Is Silent Against Accusations

Mt 27:12-14 

¹²When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. ¹³Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”

¹⁴He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Mk 15:3-5

³The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!”

⁵But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled.

vi. "He Stirreth Up the People-Beginning from Galilee"

Lk 23:5

⁵But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.”

¹³Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, ¹⁴and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and see, I have examined him before you, and found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. ¹⁵Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. ¹⁶I will therefore chastise him and release him.”

¹⁵Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired. ¹⁶They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. ¹⁷When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?” ¹⁸For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.

⁶Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. ⁷There was one called Barabbas, bound with those who had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder. ⁸The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them. ⁹Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up.

³⁹But you have a custom, that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Therefore do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”

²⁰Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. ²¹But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

They said, “Barabbas!”

¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead.

¹⁷Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast. ¹⁸But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”—¹⁹one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.

⁴⁰Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

²²Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!”

²³But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?”

But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”

¹²Pilate again asked them, “What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?”

¹³They cried out again, “Crucify him!”

¹⁴Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?”

But they cried out exceedingly, “Crucify him!”

²⁰Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus, ²¹but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

²²He said to them the third time, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.” ²³But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed.

²⁴So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”

²⁵All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!”

²⁶Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.

¹⁵Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.

²⁴Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done. ²⁵He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.

¹So Pilate then took Jesus, and flogged him.

²⁷Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him. ²⁸They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹When they had mocked him, they took the robe off of him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

¹⁶The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. ¹⁷They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. ¹⁸They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. ²⁰When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him.

²The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown, and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment. ³They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him.

⁴Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁵Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!”

⁶When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

⁸When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid. ⁹He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you, and have power to crucify you?”

¹¹Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

¹²At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!”

¹³When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement,” but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.” ¹⁴Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, ^c at about the sixth hour.[1] ^d He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

¹⁵They 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!”

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