Paper 185 Overview: The Trial Before Pilate

On Friday morning, April 7, 30 CE, Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator who governed Judea, Samaria, and Idumea under Syria's supervision. The temple guards brought Jesus before Pilate, bound and accompanied by about fifty accusers, including the Sanhedrist court (primarily Sadduceans), Judas Iscariot, the high priest Caiaphas, and the Apostle John. Though Pilate conducted much of the examination within the praetorium, the public trial was held outside to accommodate Jewish religious customs regarding ceremonial cleanliness during Passover preparations.

Throughout the proceedings, Jesus maintained remarkable dignity while facing unjust accusations and treatment. Despite Pilate's repeated attempts to release Jesus—including sending him to Herod, offering him as the traditional Passover prisoner release, and declaring his innocence multiple times—the Jewish leaders manipulated both Pilate and the crowd. Ultimately, Pilate's fear for his political position overcame his sense of justice, and he sentenced Jesus to death even while acknowledging his innocence, washing his hands of responsibility in a symbolic gesture that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Jesus was brought before Pilate at approximately six o'clock on Friday morning by temple guards, accompanied by about fifty accusers including members of the Sanhedrist court, Judas Iscariot, and the high priest Caiaphas. Pilate was prepared for their arrival, having been informed the previous evening when he gave consent for Roman soldiers to participate in Jesus' arrest. The trial was arranged to take place outside the praetorium, an addition to the fortress of Antonia where Pilate and his wife stayed when in Jerusalem.

The public trial was held outside on the steps leading to the main entrance as a concession to the Jews, who refused to enter any Gentile building during Passover preparations because it might render them ceremonially unclean. This ceremonial concern presented a stark contrast to their moral actions—they were scrupulous about religious rituals while simultaneously working to execute Jesus unjustly. This pattern of prioritizing minor religious obligations while neglecting weightier moral matters was not unique to these Jewish leaders but has been repeated throughout human history.

Pilate had governed Judea for ten years, indicating he was at least a competent provincial administrator in the eyes of Emperor Tiberius. Despite his administrative skills, he was fundamentally a moral coward who failed to understand the depth of Jewish religious conviction. He didn't grasp that the Hebrew faith was so important to its adherents that they would die for it, nor did he comprehend that millions of Jews throughout the empire looked to Jerusalem as their faith's center and respected the Sanhedrin as earth's highest tribunal.

Pilate harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Jews, which complicated his governance of what was already one of Rome's most difficult provinces. Early in his tenure, he made several nearly fatal blunders that gave Jewish leaders significant leverage over him. When they wanted to influence his decisions, they would threaten rebellion, knowing that Pilate would capitulate to protect his standing with Tiberius. These episodes included a conflict over military standards bearing Caesar's image, which Jews considered idolatrous; a dispute over imperial shields displayed in Jerusalem; and Pilate's appropriation of temple funds to build an aqueduct, which sparked riots and bloodshed among the populace.

When Jesus and his accusers gathered before Pilate's judgment hall, the Roman governor asked what charges they were bringing against Jesus. The Sanhedrin spokesmen were reluctant to state specific charges despite having deliberated all night, responding only that they wouldn't have brought him if he weren't an evildoer. Pilate, noticing their hesitation, suggested they judge Jesus according to their own laws, to which they replied they lacked authority to impose the death penalty. This evasive approach revealed both their ill-will toward Jesus and their disrespect for Roman judicial process.

After Pilate insisted on formal written charges, the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of three offenses: perverting the nation and inciting rebellion, forbidding payment of tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be king of the Jews. Although Jesus had not been properly tried on these charges in the Jewish court, Pilate had him brought from the praetorium to hear these accusations. Jesus remained silent before his false accusers, and his dignified bearing impressed Pilate so much that the governor took him inside for a private examination. Pilate was deeply moved by Jesus' appearance—not with silent contempt for his accusers, but with genuine pity and affection for them.

Pilate brought Jesus and John Zebedee into a private chamber for questioning, leaving the guards outside. He began by assuring Jesus that he disbelieved the rebellion charge, then asked if Jesus had taught against paying tribute to Caesar. Jesus directed Pilate to ask John, who testified that Jesus and his apostles paid taxes to both Caesar and the temple. After questioning John, who was sworn to secrecy about this conversation, Pilate asked Jesus directly if he was king of the Jews.

When Pilate asked if Jesus was the king of the Jews, Jesus inquired whether Pilate asked this of his own accord or because of others' accusations. Pilate responded indignantly that he was not a Jew but was trying to understand what Jesus had done. Jesus explained that his kingdom was not of this world—if it were, his disciples would fight to prevent his arrest. He described his kingdom as a spiritual dominion, a brotherhood of those who through faith and love become children of God, available to Gentiles and Jews alike. Jesus affirmed he was indeed a king whose purpose was to show his Father to all people and bear witness to truth. Pilate's famous response—"Truth, what is truth?"—revealed his skepticism, but he became convinced that Jesus was merely a harmless visionary, not a dangerous revolutionary.

Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, who was in Jerusalem for Passover, in an attempt to avoid responsibility for the case and to repair his strained relationship with Herod. Herod had been curious about Jesus for a long time and was eager to see him perform a miracle. The tetrarch was surprised by Jesus' dignified appearance and calm composure when brought before him. For approximately fifteen minutes, Herod questioned Jesus, but the Master remained completely silent.

Herod taunted Jesus and dared him to perform miracles, but Jesus would not respond to his provocations. The tetrarch then listened to the chief priests and Sadducees repeat their accusations against Jesus—the same charges Pilate had heard. Finding that Jesus would neither speak nor perform wonders, Herod mocked him by dressing him in an old purple royal robe and returned him to Pilate. Herod was relieved to avoid responsibility for Jesus's fate in Galilee, and he had finally overcome his fear that Jesus might be John the Baptist risen from the dead, as he now saw Jesus was a very different type of person from the fiery prophet he had executed.

When the guards brought Jesus back, Pilate addressed the Jewish leaders from the steps of the praetorium, declaring that neither he nor Herod found Jesus guilty of their charges. He offered to chastise Jesus before releasing him, but just as the Jews began to protest this plan, a crowd arrived requesting the customary release of a prisoner for the Passover feast. Pilate saw an opportunity to free Jesus by offering the crowd a choice between him and Barabbas, a notorious political agitator and murderer who was scheduled for execution after the festival.

Pilate explained that Jesus had been brought to him by the chief priests but that he found no fault in him. He then asked whether they wanted him to release Jesus or Barabbas. The chief priests and Sanhedrin councilors immediately shouted for Barabbas, and the crowd followed their lead. Pilate was angered by their preference for a murderer over Jesus, whose "worst crime" was claiming to be king of the Jews. This comment unintentionally insulted the Jews, who expected their Messiah to deliver them from Roman rule with power and glory. During this exchange, Pilate received a message from his wife Claudia warning him not to harm Jesus, which delayed the proceedings and gave the Jewish leaders more time to influence the crowd.

During these early morning events, Jesus' many friends were either unaware of his arrest or hiding for fear of also being detained. The crowd calling for Jesus' death consisted only of his sworn enemies and easily influenced people who followed their lead. Pilate made a final attempt to appeal to their pity by ordering Jesus to be scourged, though this was illegal under Roman law for someone not yet condemned to death.

After the scourging, during which soldiers mocked Jesus with a crown of thorns and purple robe, Pilate presented the bleeding and injured Jesus to the crowd, saying: "Behold the man! Again I declare to you that I find no crime in him, and having scourged him, I would release him." The sight of Jesus' suffering sent shudders through the universe but failed to move his accusers, who shouted even louder for his crucifixion. When Pilate asked what crime warranted death, the high priest declared that Jesus had claimed to be the Son of God. This statement frightened Pilate even more, as he recalled his wife's note and Greek mythology about gods appearing among humans, so he took Jesus inside for another private examination.

Trembling with emotion, Pilate sat beside Jesus and asked about his origins and whether he truly was the Son of God. Jesus looked directly at Pilate but remained silent, as he could hardly answer such questions from a judge who had already had him unjustly flogged after declaring his innocence. When Pilate reminded Jesus of his power to release or crucify him, Jesus replied that Pilate would have no authority over him unless permitted from above, adding that those who delivered him to Pilate bore greater guilt than the governor.

This conversation deeply disturbed Pilate, who now feared both Jesus as a possible divine figure and the Jewish leaders who could threaten his position. He appeared again before the crowd, stating that Jesus was merely a religious offender who should be judged by Jewish law. When Pilate was about to release Jesus, Caiaphas threatened to report him to Caesar, saying, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend." This direct threat to his political future overwhelmed Pilate's sense of justice. He brought Jesus before the judgment seat, mockingly presented him as their king, and when the Jews responded, "We have no king but Caesar," Pilate realized he had lost all hope of saving Jesus while protecting his own position.

Jesus faced a profoundly unjust situation: he was arrested without indictment, accused without evidence, judged without witnesses, punished without a verdict, and was about to be condemned by a judge who admitted his innocence. Pilate's attempt to appeal to Jewish patriotism by calling Jesus their king completely failed, as the Jews were not expecting such a king. The declaration by the chief priests that they had no king but Caesar shocked even the common people, but it was too late to save Jesus, even if some had dared to speak up.

Pilate feared that a riot during Passover would further damage his already precarious standing with Caesar. When the crowd cheered for Barabbas's release, Pilate called for water and publicly washed his hands, declaring, "I am innocent of the blood of this man. You are determined that he shall die, but I have found no guilt in him. See you to it." The crowd responded, "His blood be on us and on our children." Pilate surrendered to their demands, though he would never recover from the guilt of this decision. Years later, after being deposed for his brutal treatment of Samaritans, Pilate would commit suicide while in exile in the province of Lausanne.