The un-protesting sheep is shorn 18:28-19:16

John’s account of Jesus's trial before Pilate, omits His interrogation by Caiaphas (Matt 26:57-68) and subsequent trial by the Sanhedrin (Matt 27:1-2; Mk 14:53-65) completely, and also omits that Pilate asked Herod’s opinion about Jesus (Lk 23:6-12). All of these judicial hearings focus on the same theme however: whether Jesus is the King of the Jews.

This was presented to Pilate as a threat to Rome's authority. Jesus, they said, was forbidding others to pay taxes to Caesar, on the grounds that He was the King of Israel (Lk 23:2). Actually, they knew this was entirely untrue. The Pharisees had tried to trick Jesus into saying this (Lk 20:20-26) but He had seen the trap they were setting, and skilfully avoided it.

Some say that the High Priests framed this charge in such a way as to secure Pilate’s ‘guilty’ verdict, when their real concern was that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of God. But actually, these are just two different sides off the same coin to a Jewish mindset (Ps 2:7; 89:26-27).

Pilate’s day started very early in the morning, probably at daybreak. The Jews (or at least the Pharisees) believed that you were ritually defiled by entering the house of a gentile. Especially so, when it was a gentile who represented an Emperor claiming to be God!  Their focus on religious observances blinded them completely to the reality that they were about to crucify God's Son.

They seem to have been surprised by Pilate's questioning them about the accusation. Maybe the fact that he had allowed them to have a posse of Roman troops to go with the arrest team, had led them to believe that he would simply rubber-stamp their proposal. Their reply is surly, to the point of rudeness. So Pilate responds in kind, telling them to go away and try Jesus themselves – which of course they have already done! There were plenty of occasions when the Jews lynched someone by stoning them to death – witness Stephen's martyrdom.  But technically they were not allowed to execute a death sentence, without Rome’s approval. And Pilate was not willing to authorise this without a proper trial. So he rubbed the noses in their own powerlessness, repaying their insolence.

That the Jews were intent on Jesus being put to death under Roman law, when they could easily have stoned him, was perhaps for three reasons.

• They could avoid popular unrest by presenting Jesus's execution as "out of their hands", should any of His followers kick up a fuss.  Jerusalem at Passover was a volatile environment..

• Crucifixion, under the law of Moses, indicated that a man was specially cursed by God (Deut 21:23) and that would completely discredit Jesus's claim to righteousness.

• it fulfilled Jesus own prophecy, given only a week before (12: 23–26; Matt 20:17–19). He must be "hung on a tree" if he was to become accursed for us (Gal 3:13), so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

The King of the Jews?

Determined to work out what on earth is going on, Pilate goes back into his palace and calls for Jesus to be brought before him. There is a note of surprise in his first question: "Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate had dealt with an insurrectionist very recently, when Barabbas was arrested. He knew what a rebel looked like. And Jesus didn’t fit the stereotype at all!   His guts told him that it was out of jealousy that the Jews had arrested Jesus (Mk 15:10); and his wife had also warned him not to condemn Jesus (Matt 27:19).

Serene in His surrender to His Father's will, Jesus probes what had prompted Pilate’s question: “Are you asking about My kingship off your own bat, or have others said that I am claiming to be King of the Jews?”  In other words, My answer depends on which frame of reference the question comes from: the religious viewpoint of the Jews, or the military viewpoint of a Roman governor.  

This phrase, 'King of the Jews', seems significant to me.  When the Magi came to Jerusalem, they asked, "Where is the One  born to be King of the Jews?"  And when Jesus is crucified, Pilate affixes a sign over His head which says, 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews'.  'King of Israel' can be stretched to cover 'the Israel of God', the whole Church: 'King of the Jews' cannot.  Given that this is the central accusation the Jewish leaders make, and that they end by saying 'We have no King but Caesar', Pilate's placard is a prophetic statement from the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is indeed 'King of the Jews'.  In asking Samuel to give them a human king, the nation had rejected God from being king over them.  Now God is re-establishing His direct governance, through Jesus the incarnate Deity.

Pilate replies sarcastically but categorically:”It’s what the Chief Priests are saying against You. But what have you actually done, that they’re so mad at You?”

In the synoptic gospels, Jesus simply answers Pilate’s question about being a king, by saying ‘Yes, it’s as you say’; but John gives us more detail: Jesus acknowledges that He is a king, but His kingdom has nothing to do with this world. If it had, He would have instructed His followers to fight against the Jews, whereas in fact in Gethsemane He had told Peter to lay down his sword.

Being a military man used to Rome’s subjugation of nations and kings, this answer would have flummoxed Pilate. Kingdoms which were not of this world, wasn't a category of political reality in his mindset. Pilate can’t grasp what Jesus is saying, and asks for clarification: “Are you a king then, or not?”

Having said His kingdom is not of this world, implies that He is a King in some sense of the word. He explains that though His kingdom is not of this world, He came into the world to bear witness to the truth. His Incarnation as the Logos of God, meant that truth had come into the world: ‘I am the Truth’. And everyone who loves truth, recognises that instinctively and accepts His teaching.

Again, truth isn’t a category that figures in Pilate’s thinking. Political expediency and keeping the peace are his core values, just as they are for most politicians nowadays. However Pilate realises that Jesus believes in holding to the truth, and therefore is highly unlikely to be an insurrectionist as the Jews are claiming. He concludes that Jesus is not guilty, and goes out and announces this to the crowd..

In fact if one counts up all the different occasions Pilate concludes Jesus is ruled 'not guilty’, there were seven separate occasions: in front of Annas (Jn 18:23), Caiaphas (Matt 26:59-60), and Pilate (Jn 18::38; 19:4; 19:6; 19:12; Matt 27:24). Even Herod could not formulate a charge against Him (Lk 23:15).

From this point on (18:38), Jesus says nothing more to Pilate, and will not speak a word to Herod (Lk 23:8,9).

When a lamb is in distress, it bleats; but strangely enough, a sheep about to be shorn may struggle, but doesn’t make a sound. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Isa 53:7). He was about to be totally unjustly shorn of all His dignity, His honour, His physical well-being, His very clothes - and yet He was silent.

Peter quotes Jesus' refusal to defend Himself, as an example for us to follow when treated unjustly.  ‘What credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed’ (1 Pet 2:20-24)

How many times have you railed (outwardly or inwardly) at the injustice of how you were being treated, or what others thought of you?  God notices, and commends, when we cease defending ourselves and instead entrust ourselves completely to the Righteous Judge. Jesus is our example of trusting humility, not threatening revenge or repaying insult with insult but instead committing His spirit into His Father’s care.

The whole of Psalm 37 is a wonderful commentary on this; in particular “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Ps 37:5,6). God will be your vindicator!

False Messiah freed, genuine Messiah flogged

Though Pilate is convinced that Jesus is utterly innocent (v38), the Chief Priests and elders continue pressing the charge that He is claiming to be the King of the Jews (Mt 27:12).  Pilate tries the populist approach, seeking to bypass them by appealing to Messianic sentiment in the crowd. This was a fatal mistake: in effect he was surrendering his own authority, the authority of the Roman Empire, to be governed by the mob’s wishes. Once he had done so, he was left impotently arguing with them, as we shall see, until he finally capitulates.

Apparently he had the habit of releasing one popular prisoner each Passover: a highly ironic take on the Exodus  given that it involved one man being freed whilst the rest of the nation remained in bondage!  He cannot conceive that the crowd - the nation - will want him to crucify their Messianic hope. He is unaware that the Priesthood are masters of manipulation, and have already planted people in the crowd who will start a chant for Barabbas rather than Jesus (vs 40; Matt 27:20).

Barabbas was notorious for trying to foment an uprising against the Romans in Jerusalem - but also for murder, presumably of someone he regarded as a Jewish collaborator (Mt 27:16; Lk 23:19).  He and his band of men were all chained together, ready for execution (Mk 15:7). The name Barabbas means ‘Son of the Father’. In some manuscripts, his name is given as ‘Jesus Barabbas’, Jesus meaning ‘Saviour’ as we know. He was in every sense a false Messiah, who fitted Jewish expectations of the role better than Jesus did. So perhaps the priests didn’t have too much trouble persuading the crowd.

Pilate’s next suggestion was to flog Jesus but then release Him (Lk 23:16). His wife had woken from a terrible nightmare and messaged him while he was speaking to the crowd, urgently warning him to have nothing to do with punishing Jesus in any way (Mt 27:19).  Nevertheless Pilate had Jesus flogged (19:1) - probably the least severe form of flogging the Romans used, known as the ‘fustigatio’. (It appears that Jesus was flogged twice: the second time after his sentencing but before crucifixion (Mk 15:5). That would have been the most severe form or ‘verberatio’ which literally tore the flesh from the victim’s back, leaving their bones and even their organs exposed). We know from history that Pilate was later demoted and sent to Gaul, where he eventually committed suicide a few years later; his wife’s nightmare came true.

The Praetorian Guard added their own brutal finishing touches to this punishment. They stripped Jesus naked then dressed Him in a regal robe, putting a crown of thorns on His head and a reed in His hand as a fake sceptre. Then, in mock homage, they took turns kneeling before Him and saying ‘Hail, King of the Jews’ (Mt 27:29). As they each did so, they spat in His face, slapped Him and beat Him over the head with the reed.

The crown would have been made out of long thorns from the date palm, forced onto His scalp and forehead. Date palm thorns are very toxic: even if pulled out straight away, they cause intense inflammatory swelling and large deep bruises. Perhaps this is what Isaiah foresaw when he prophesied, ‘His appearance was disfigured more than any man’ (Isa 52:14).

Having tried to appeal to their nationalism, Pilate now tries to appeal to the crowd’s sense of pity. He reiterates that as far as he is concerned, Jesus is completely innocent (v4); then exhibits Jesus in His purple robe and crown of thorns, saying ‘Behold the Man!’ (v5).

“Behold, the Man!”

On that day two thousand years ago, the Jews’ hearts were so hardened, their ears so deaf, their eyes so blind, that they could not appreciate what they were doing.  Peter says “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses....Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:13-21)

The day will come, when the Jews will truly ‘behold the Man’ and will repent. “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. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem … In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness” (Zech 12:10-13:1)

Pilate’s invitation to the Jews, is also a powerful invitation for us today, especially as we are approaching another Good Friday.  ‘Behold, the Man!’.   He was ‘the Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him’ (Isa 53:3). How hard it is to gaze at Jesus, our Saviour, battered and bruised, bespattered and mocked even before He was crucified - for us. ‘Surely He has borne our sorrows … He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was laid upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed’ (Isa 533-5).

In that guardroom, the ‘divine exchange’ was already beginning.  He was despised and rejected by man, that we might be accepted by God.  He experienced our sorrows, that we might have His joy.  His flesh was torn to ribbons, that we might be made whole.  He was disfigured, that we might become beautiful in God’s sight.  Truly, He is THE MAN. He is the second Adam (the Hebrew for ‘man’ is ‘Adam’).

‘Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned … Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Rom 5:12-20)

Pilate's appeal backfires

Seeing Jesus dressed in royal purple only incensed the High Priests further. The chanting grew ever louder, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”.  And the Chief Priests echoed this to Pilate.  Once again, Pilate tries to pass off responsibility -- this time, by suggesting that the Jews crucify Him themselves, as he was not prepared to take personal responsibility for such an injustice.  But in fact both he and they knew that that was illegal under Roman law.

Faced with the fact that there were no grounds for execution under Roman law, the priests finally declare the real reason they want Him dead. Under Jewish law, they explain, He ought to die because He claimed He was the Son of God. Coupled with Jesus’s statement that He was from another realm, plus his own assessment that Jesus was innocent, and his wife’s warning, that really spooked Pilate.  His fear that a riot was building, was overshadowed by the fear that he might be dealing with a supernatural being.  Since Romans believed that their Emperor was a god-man, it wasn't at all difficult for him to conceive this.  He went back into the Praetorium and demanded Jesus tell him where He was really from.  But Jesus said nothing.  Astonished, Pilate goads Jesus with the reality that His destiny - life or death - is entirely in the governor's hands.

Jesus still doesn’t answer Pilate’s question as to His origins, but He does answer the underlying issue which is troubling Pilate: who is really in control of, and therefore responsible for, what is about to happen. Pilate’s authority came from Caesar, in earthly terms. But Caesar’s authority, like all civil authority, ultimately came from God (Rom 13:1).  If Jesus was the Son of God, Pilate was afraid of bringing judgement on his own head by condemning not just an innocent man, but the Son of God.  On the other hand, Pilate was Caesar’s puppet, charged with protecting Caesar's interests; and could expect to be charged with disloyalty if he did not do so.

Jesus, quite unfazed by Pilate’s threat, says that the one who handed him over to Pilate was guilty of a greater sin. This was a backhanded way not of exonerating Pilate, but rather saying he would be culpable before God if he allowed Jesus’ crucifixion.  However ‘the one who handed Him over’ - whether this refers to Judas, or Caiaphas, is debatable - would be more culpable.

Pilate’s response is to redouble his efforts to find a way of releasing Jesus.  But the Jews piled on the pressure by saying that ‘to free Jesus would not be consistent with being Caesar's friend’ (v12). The term ‘Caesar’s friend’ was what we would call an Order of Merit within the Roman Empire. It was granted as a sign of the Emperor's special favour. In Pilate's case, he had been awarded the title after his patron in the Roman Senate, Sejanus, had recommended him to Caesar. But not long before Jesus’ trial, Sejanus had fallen out of favour, and been arrested and executed. As his protege, Pilate’s tenure as governor was already vulnerable. Any perceived failure of loyalty to Caesar might well lead to his own death.

In Pilate’s heart, the fear of man ultimately trumps the fear of God. His aides set the stage for sentencing, by bringing the Judgement Seat (or in Greek, ‘bema’) outdoors onto the the Palace forecourt.  Determined that the Jews take as much of the responsibility as possible, he faces them with the reality that they are asking him to crucify their Messiah: “Behold your King!”   The calls for Christ's crucifixion just grow louder and louder.  So he asks, “Do you really want me to crucify your King?!”  The chief priests reply, “We have no king except Caesar!”

This was the ultimate repudiation of Israel's Messianic hope, quite astonishing even coming from Jews whose personal interests were closely tied to Rome. Those who believe that the Church has replaced Israel at the centre of God’s purposes in history, see this moment as the point where that happened. We know however that God is not finished with Israel (Rom 9-11). For now, He has consigned them to disobedience, so that they too may ultimately be saved by grace (Rom 11:32).  His faithfulness to His promises, and His astonishing grace, mean that whilst they may have been broken off the olive tree of grace, it is only so that we Gentiles can be grafted in.  Eventually, under great tribulation, Israel as a nation will acknowledge Christ as their Messiah, and He will return to reign on earth. Hallelujah!