Luke 23:1-6 – Jesus before Pilate

Legally, the Sanhedrin did not have the power to execute anyone. This right was reserved by the Romans for themselves. Therefore the Jewish ruling council had to send Jesus to the Roman authority to get the permission to execute Him. That account for why Jesus had to appear before Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea at this point of time.  He was known to have a dislike for the Jews and did not make any attempt to understand them.

In this account we see Pilate showing a bit of compassion for Jesus because of His dislike for the Sanhedrin, which he felt was opposing him. He did not see Jesus as a threat to his rule. But in order to convict Jesus of the charges brought against Him, both the Sanhedrin and Pilate must agree on the charges. Although the Sanhedrin wanted Pilate to affirm their charge, he refused. Of all the accusations, Pilate only reviewed one that he felt could have nailed Jesus. It is likely that he felt all the other charges were not serious enough to warrant a death sentence. So Pilate started with the claim Jesus had made for Himself, that is: “He is the King of the Jews.”

Notice that Jesus gave a cryptic answer. He did not say a clear cut yes or no. He just said, “It is as you say.”  In this Jesus was not denying that He is the King. Of course Jesus is the King but His Kingdom is from another realm. As King, He came to make the Truth known, and His desire is still for each one of us to face up to it. Pilate was afraid to face up to it. The issue for us is: would we face up to the Truth and acknowledge it? This question is for each one of us individually to answer. Having found no fault in Jesus, Pilate told the chief priests and the crowd that He found no incriminating evidences to execute Jesus. But they insisted, by naming all the charges they had against the Lord.  

When Pilate heard that He went everywhere to incite riots, he asked if Jesus was a Galilean. And when he learned that Jesus hailed from Galilee, an area that came under the jurisdiction of Herod, he found a way to extricate himself from his sticky situation. So he sent Jesus to Herod, who was at Jerusalem at that time, for the ruling.    

Pilate was bold enough to acknowledge the innocence of Jesus, but was not bold enough to act according to what He knew. He dared not release Him because he wanted to play to the crowd’s pressure that insisted Jesus should be condemned and crucified. The issue confronting us today is: do we dare face up to our inner conviction and act according to it? Pilate knew the Truth in his heart of hearts but he acted hypocritically. What about us? It’s a decision we all have to make - let’s act for His glory.