John 19:12-16 – Learning from the dealings of Pilate and the priests

In the previous discussion, we saw how Pilate had misinterpreted the Jews’ accusation against Jesus. He concluded that Jesus could be a demi-god, who had the power to deal with him. So he was struck by fear in his heart and so sought to release Jesus. But the Jews said to Him aloud that, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” On hearing these words, Pilate brought Jesus out to the place known as the Pavement, the Roman governor’s judgement seat. In Hebrews this place was known as Gabbatha. Apparently archaeologists had found this pavement, underneath the building that presently occupies the north side of the Temple mount in Jerusalem. And on this pavement were markings of an ancient Roman game much like the Tic-tack-toe. It is believed that this was the exact spot where Jesus stood, condemned by Pilate.  

John 19:14 was referring to the preparation of the Sabbath that happened within the Passover week, where the Jews were required to keep themselves undefiled. Notice that in John 19:5, when Pilate first brought Jesus out to the Jews, he said to them, “Behold, the man!” Now in verse 14, in his presentation of Jesus, he told them, “Behold, your King!” Though his view of Jesus appeared to have progressed, he was merely being sarcastic. And the priests and Jews would have nothing of it. So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” In John 19:12 the priests had already sent a veiled threat to Pilate. They told him that “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” They had rejected Jesus totally. So Pilate wilt under the incessant pressure of the priests and handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. So in verse 15, John shows us Pilate’s last ditch to alleviate his own conscience. He nonchalantly and scornfully asked, “Shall I crucify your King?” The response of the chief priests was spontaneous. They cried out in unison, saying, “We have no king but Caesar,”

Try to imagine the priests with faces grimaced with resentment, antagonism and hostility toward Jesus. Imagine them shouting loudly, roughly, and determinedly, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Envisage Pilate vacillating in uncertainty, seeking a way to get out of the mess he had created by his indecision. And all the while, the Lord was silently waiting for the inevitable outcome, but so full of dignity. For a time, Pilate was trying to put on a show that he was a fair and impartial judge, seeking to preserve public orderliness. But he didn’t realize that he could not outwit the scheming priests. The more he tried, the more he highlighted his cowardice. His actions showed that he was indeed an unprincipled and scrupulous man, who would do anything to save his own skin.

In this account we also see how hypocritical the priests were. They ought to be righteous people, full of zeal and loyalty for God. But in their animosity to destroy Jesus, and in their struggle with Pilate, their true colors were revealed. They showed themselves to be merely jealous and petty schemers, who were willing to murder an innocent man for their own selfish interest. What’s worst was the fact that they were also oblivious that they were in effect denying their loyalty to God. They had also revealed how hypocritical they were, when they falsely gave their allegiance to the Romans whom they hated deep in their guts.   

What was John’s purpose? He narrated all these to show us that it’s impossible to continue to be a deceiver as we draw near to the cross. Jesus had made it explicitly clear that everything hidden would be revealed. God wants to remove all our pretense and shows us who we really are but who we can be in Him.