New Testament BIBLE STORY #31

New Testament BIBLE STORY

#31

Especially written for children

Chapter Forty:

Jesus on Trial - part two

JESUS BEFORE PILATE

     And they took Jesus from the palace of Caiaphas the High

Priest to the palace (called "praetorium" in John's Gospel) that

Herod the Great built for himself, and which became the palace

that the governor of Judea resided in when on duty in the Holy

Land. The governor at this time in history, over the area, was

Pilate, who had risen in the ranks of the Roman Empire, and for

his faithful dedication to the world power of Rome, was appointed

governor of Judea by Tiberius in 26 A.D. The governor of Judea

usually resided in Caesarea, but Pilate moved his headquarters

and army to Jerusalem. He was there quite often, and especially

it was the custom for the governor of Judea to be at Jerusalem,

when the feasts of the Jews were being celebrated, to make sure

peace and order was preserved.

     It was very early in the morning of the 14th day of the

first month, which corresponds to our March/April. They brought

Jesus before Pilate. The Jews themselves would not enter the

palace of a Gentile, or anyone they considered a Roman Gentile,

especially just hours before they would partake of the Passover

which they held, by traditions from the Pharisees, on the 15th of

the first month, which was actually the first day of the seven

day feast of Unleavened Bread. For them to have entered this

palace would have been a religious "defilement" and would have

kept them from the Passover they were to observe in about twelve

hours.

     It was Pilate who first came out to them, probably not

pleased at all that Jews had got him up so early in the morning,

concerning what he would have thought as "their religious

problems."

     "You have brought this man before me, for what reason? 

What is he accused of? Pilate said to the Jews.

     They answered, "If this man was not an evil doer, we would

not have brought him to you."

     "Why don't you take him yourself and judge him by your laws

of Moses?" returned Pilate in a straight crisp tone of voice.

     The Jews replied, "It is not lawful under Roman law for us

to put a man to death."

     The Jews made various accusation against Jesus, and Pilate

somewhat listened to them. Jesus did not try to defend Himself

against their accusing vicious remarks. After a while Pilate told

the Jews to be quiet, and turning to Jesus said, "Do you not hear

how many things they testify against you? Are you not going to

defend yourself and answer them?"

     But Jesus made no attempt to answer the Jewish Sanhedrin

members. And Pilate was greatly impressed, and was amazed at

Jesus' cool composure, under the onslaught of Jewish accusations.

     The Jews then said to Pilate, "We found this man perverting

our nation, and forbidding us to give taxes to Caesar, and saying

that he himself is a king." Now Pilate pricked up his ears and

stood tall, when this was said about the man they had brought

before him. Pilate would now want to speak in a private manner 

to the man called Jesus. He entered the palace and called to have

Jesus come before him, and then asked this question to Christ,

"Are you indeed the King of the Jews? Do you claim to be a KING?"

     Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did

others, like those Jews outside, say this about me, and put this

idea in your mind? 

     Pilate replied, "Am I a Jew? Your own people and the chief

priests have handed you over to me as a criminal; what have you

done?"

     Jesus replied, "My Kingdom is not of this age and time, you

have nothing to fear. If my Kingdom was of this age and time,

then would my servants fight, that I would not be handed over 

to the Jews so they could have me put to death. My Kingdom and

Kingship is not of this world and age."

     "So you are a King then?" Pilate said to Jesus.

     "You have said it, that I am a King," Jesus said, "For this

reason I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to

bear witness to the TRUTH. Every one who is of the truth hears my

voice," 

     Pilate looked at Jesus in wonderment, and said, "Well, what

indeed is truth?"

     The governor Pilate, spent some years in the British Isles

under the schooling of the famous Druids, who were quite well

respected by Rome. The Druids were well known for asking the

question "What is truth?" They would spend much time in debating

that question. So when Jesus said He had come to bear witness to

the truth, it was very natural for Pilate to have replied with

"What is truth?"

     We know from Jesus' own words as He prayed to the Father

earlier that night, that truth is the WORD of God. Jesus had

said, "Your word is truth" (John 17: 17).

     Pilate was very impressed and somewhat awe struck by this

man called Jesus. He walked back outside to the chief priests and

the other Jews, and said, "I find no fault in this man!"

     That is NOT what the Jews wanted to hear. Those were the

last words they wanted Pilate to say. And so they were more

urgent and pressing in their words to Pilate, saying such things

as, "This Jesus, stirs up the people, teaching throughout all of

Judea, from Galilee even to this city."

     When Pilate heard the word "Galilee" he asked if Jesus was

from Galilee. And on hearing that He belonged to the jurisdiction

of Herod, he immediately saw a way out from the problem before

him, a way out so he thought. He would send Jesus over to Herod,

who just happened to be in Jerusalem at this time (Mat.27: 2,

11-14; Mark 15: 1-5; Luke 23: 1-5; John 18: 28-38).

JESUS BEFORE HEROD

     Herod was delighted to meet Jesus, for he had heard about

Him for a long time, and was hoping to see some kind of miracle

performed by Jesus. Herod questioned Him at some length, but

Jesus made no answer, which then upset Herod, for the chief

priests and scribes and others from the Sanhedrin stood by,

vehemently accusing Him. Herod was displeased with the whole

scene, but especially with Jesus, after waiting for so long

a time to meet Him. 

     Herod and his soldiers finally treated Jesus with contempt

and mocking laughter, then, putting on Him some very expensive

apparel (mocking Him as a King) they sent Him back to Pilate.

     Herod and Pilate that day became very good friends, whereas

before that day they were at enmity and had disdain for each

other (Luke 23: 6-12).

JUDAS HANGS HIMSELF

     Judas saw all that was going on, first with Pilate, then

with Herod, and now back with Pilate. Deep remorse and sorrow

filled his heart. Satan had by this time left him. He brought

back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the

elders, saying to them, "I have sinned in betraying innocent

blood." Things just did not go the way Judas expected. Jesus was

not defending Himself or using His mighty power to crush His

enemies. 

     The chief priests and elders said to Judas, when he returned

the money and declared Jesus to be innocent, "What do we care

about what you say. See if you can do anything about it now! It's

too late!"

     And so throwing down the pieces of silver Judas departed

from the Temple, and straight away went and committed suicide 

by hanging himself.

     The chief priests and elders now had the thirty pieces of

silver. What would they do with them was the big question. 

One of them said, "It is not within our law to put this money into 

the Temple treasury, since it is now 'blood money'." They sat with

each other to figure what to do. They decided to use the money to

buy a no good piece of land called "the potters field" in which

strangers were buried, people who no one knew where they were

from, or who were their relatives. Somewhat like what we today

call "homeless" or "street" people. That piece of land then

became known as "The field of blood." All this was done that the

words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled, saying,

"And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on

whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they

gave them for the potter's filed, as the Lord directed me."

     Jeremiah never wrote down those words. They are not

contained in the Old Testament book called Jeremiah. They are

words that Jeremiah must have said at one time, and others took

note of them and one way or another had preserved them and

handed them down from generation to generation (Mat.27: 3-10).

BACK BEFORE PILATE

     Jesus is now back before Pilate at the palace built by Herod

the Great. Jesus is inside being questioned again by Pilate. The

Jews are outside, not going in lest they be "religiously" defiled

(entering the palace of a Gentile) and would not be able to

observe the Passover which they kept on the 15th day of this

first month.

     Pilate goes out to the Jews, and says to them, "You brought

me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after

examining him, I find this man not guilty of any of your charges

against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to me. There

is nothing done by this man that is worthy of death. There is no

crime done by this Jesus. I will chastise him some, and then

release him."

     The Jewish leaders, now supported by many people who had

become disgruntled and impatient with Jesus (because He had not

brought them together and used His mighty power to overthrow the

Roman armies), immediately, upon hearing Pilate's words, began to

shout and cry out at the top of their voices, that they wanted

Jesus condemned to death.

     Pilate was shocked at their reaction, was speechless for a

moment, then an idea flashed into his mind, that he hoped would

spare the innocent Jesus. It was the custom at Passover time that

the governor release a prisoner, one of their own choosing. In

prison at this time was a notorious fellow by the name of

Barabbas. He had killed people in an insurrection or uprising

against Rome. He was also a robber of some fame.

     "Whom do you want me to release for you? Shall it be

Barabbas or shall it be Jesus who is called the Christ?" Pilate

called out to the Jews.

     Now he knew very well that they had delivered Jesus up to

himself because they were envious of Him. Then, besides that,

while he had been sitting on the judgment seat, questioning

Jesus, his wife had sent word to him, saying, "Have nothing to do

with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today

in a dream."

     The chief priests and elders had already persuaded the

people to demand that Jesus be destroyed and Barabbas released.

They knew that Pilate might resort to this tactic, so they were

prepared for it.  Pilate once more shouted out to them, "Which of

the two do you want me to release to you." He himself was hoping

they would say it was Jesus they wanted to have released.

     But the crowd shouted back, "Release to us Barabbas!"

     Pilate then said to them, "Well, what shall I then do with

Jesus who is called the Christ?"

     All with one voice loudly proclaimed, "Let him be

crucified!"

     Pilate could not believe what he had heard, "Why crucify

him, what evil has he done? I have found nothing in him worthy of

death,"  he replied to the crowd.

     The crowd ignored his question and shout even more loudly,

"Let him be crucified!"

     

     When Pilate saw that he was gathering no ground, but rather

that a riot could well break out, he took a water bowl and washed

his hands before them all, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of

this man; see to it yourselves." And all the people answered,

"His blood be on us and on our children." (Mat.27: 15-26; Mark

15: 6-15; Luke 23: 13-25; John 18: 38-40).

     And so it was that Barabbas was released to the Jews, while

Jesus was handed over to them, to be crucified. And Jesus' blood

was indeed upon them and their children. That generation with

their children, did not repent as a whole from the sin they

committed, and their attitude led them into huge troubles with

the Roman authorities over the next 40 years. It finally

culminated in the Roman general Titus bringing his armies against

Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and destroying most of the city, and the

people therein.

CONCLUSION OF JESUS' TRIAL

     Pilate told his soldiers to take Jesus into the palace. He

then called for all the whole battalion of soldiers  to come and

be present while Jesus would be "scourged." The scourging that

Roman soldiers did was often VERY brutal, so brutal at times that

many people did not live passed being scourged. They used a whip

that had little bones attached to the long thong strips of the whip. 

These little sharp bones would tear the skin apart on the

back and around the sides of the person being scourged. It was

most brutal a whipping, was the Roman scourging, and there was 

no limit as to how many whip lashes could be inflicted.

     Jesus was of magnificent bodily health and strength, and He

did live through the scourging, but much skin and blood was lost

from His back and sides. The soldiers were not finished with Him

yet. They stripped Him of what clothes He had and put on Him a

purple cloak and then a crown of plaited thorns was placed on His

head. They put a reed in His right hand. Then they began to

salute Him, some kneeling before Him in mockery, and saying,

"Hail, King of the Jews!"

     Some took turns beating on His head with a reed. The sharp

needles of the crown of thorns were now being hammered into

Jesus' scull. The pain...well you can imagine if you ever have

had a thorn needle stuck in your hand.

     The soldiers also spat upon Jesus and hit Him with their

fists as they continued to mock Him for quite some time. 

     Pilate took Jesus back out to the railing mob of Jews

outside the palace. "Look, I am bring Him out to you so you 

can know that I find no fault or crime in this man." 

     Jesus stood there wearing the crown of thorns smashed into

His head and the purple cloak. Pilate again said, "Here is the

man." When the chief priests and the elders and those of the

Sanhedrin, saw Jesus, they cried out with frenzied voices,

"Crucify him, crucify him!"

     Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him;

for I cannot find any fault or crime in this man."

     The religious leaders shouted back, "We have a law, and by

that law he should die, because he has made himself the Son of

God."

     When Pilate heard those words he was even more afraid. He

hurried Jesus back into the palace again and said to Him, "Where

are you from?" But Jesus did not answer. Pilate therefore said,

"So you will not speak to me. Do you not know that I have power

to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus then answered,

"You would have no power over me unless it had been given to you

from my Father above; therefore he who delivered me to you has

the greater sin."

     

     Pilate was by now very upset and certainly afraid, and sort

even the more to release this Jesus, but the Jews cried out, "If

you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who

makes himself a King sets himself against Caesar." 

     The Jews were now resorting to every "political" angle they

could think of, to insure Jesus would be crucified.

     When Pilate heard these last words from the Jews, he brought

Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place in the

palace called the "Pavement."  All was in full view of the mass

of Jews and the members of the Jewish Sanhedrin.  It was the

"preparation" day as the Pharisees Jews called it, the day they

prepared for the keeping of their Passover on the 15th day.  It

was still the 14th day of the first month and it was about the

3rd hour (as it should be, not the 6th hour as the KJV gives in

the Gospel of John, which was an error, as the original Greek

manuscripts say "it was the third hour"), which was as we count

time, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

     Pilate said to the Jews, "Here is your King!" They answered,

"Away with him, away with him, crucify him!"

     Pilate replied, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief

priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

     Then Pilate had the purple cloak taken off Jesus and His own

clothes put back on, and handed Jesus over to the Jewish leaders

and the mob of people, for them to crucify Him. The prophecies of

how the Messiah would die were now quickly coming to pass

(Mat.27: 27-31; Mark 15: 16-20; John 19: 1-16).

                       .............................

Written January 2003