Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (17 page)

Notice that Jesus never responded to Pilate until Pilate presumed to hold power over Jesus’ life. In that presumption, Pilate exalted himself above God, in whose hands Jesus had entrusted His life. Jesus corrected Pilate’s error, not tolerating any attempt to usurp His Father’s true and final authority.

When others attempt to intimidate, control, and manipulate your life or circumstances, remind yourself that your times are in
God’s
hands — not man’s (Psalm 31:15). If someone is trying to wield undue power over your life, look to the way Jesus responded to Pilate. Consider Jesus’ example as you look to God for His wisdom in your particular situation.

A life of obedience is never without cost. There will be difficult places where you face the enemy’s opposition to God’s will being fulfilled in your life. Are you clear about the plan of God for you? If you do not yet know your life’s purpose and priority, ask the Person of the Holy Spirit to help you discover God’s will for your life and grow to the point where you will do it — no matter the cost.

Jesus felt no need to defend Himself or to cave in under Pilate’s interrogation. In the end, Pilate was stunned by the way Jesus stood silent with composure in the face of so much opposition.

When you are fearless, your opposition fears
you
because you’re not subject to your enemy’s influence or control. Are you surrounded and under attack in this season of your life? What is your focus when you’re being opposed? The one you fear is the one who controls you. Do you walk in the fear of God, living each day in reverent awareness of His holy claim on your life? Think about it.

Chapter 18:
Pilate Looks
for a Loophole!

Pilate had never had a problem with causing bloodshed in the past, so it seems strange that he balked at the thought of crucifying Jesus. As governor and the chief legal authority of the land, Pilate had been invested by Rome with the power to decide who would live or die. This Roman governor was infamous for his cold-hearted, insensitive, and cruel style of leadership and had never found it difficult to order the death of a criminal — until now.

The Bible doesn’t state exactly why Pilate didn’t want to crucify Him, but it makes one wonder what he saw in Jesus’ eyes when he interrogated Him.

There was something inside Pilate that recoiled at the idea of crucifying Jesus. The Bible doesn’t state exactly why Pilate didn’t want to crucify Him, but it makes one wonder what he saw in Jesus’ eyes when he interrogated Him. We do know Pilate was shocked at the manner in which Jesus carried Himself, for Matthew 27:14 tells us that Pilate “marveled greatly” at Jesus.

The words “marveled greatly” are from the Greek word
thaumadzo
, which means
to wonder, to be at a loss of words,
or
to be shocked and amazed
. Never before had a man like Jesus stood before Pilate, and the governor was obviously disturbed at the thought of murdering Him.

In fact, Pilate was so disturbed that he decided to probe deeper by asking questions. He was looking for a loophole that would enable him to escape this trap the Jews had set both for Jesus and for himself as well. Indeed, the Jewish leaders had carefully schemed a trap with three potential results, all of which would make them very happy. The threefold purpose of this trap was as follows:

1. To see Jesus judged by the Roman court, thus ruining His reputation and guaranteeing His crucifixion, while at the same time vindicating themselves in the eyes of the people.
   

   To ensure that this happened, the Jewish leaders falsified charges that made Jesus appear to be a bona fide political offender. These were the charges: 1) that He had perverted the whole nation — a religious charge that was the responsibility of the Sanhedrin to judge; 2) that He had commanded people not to pay their taxes to Rome; and 3) that He claimed to be king (
   see
   Luke 23:2). According to Roman law, Jesus should have been crucified for claiming to be king. If these charges were proven true, Pilate was bound by law to crucify Him. If this is what followed, the first purpose of their scheme would have worked.
   

2. To see Pilate wiped out and permanently removed from power on the charge that he was unfaithful to the Roman emperor because he would not crucify a man who claimed to be a rival king to the emperor.
   

   Had Pilate declined to crucify Jesus, this rejection would have given the Jewish leaders the ammunition they needed to prove to Rome that this governor should be removed from power because he was a traitor to the emperor. News would have reached the emperor of Rome that Pilate had permitted a rival king to live, and Pilate would have been charged with treason (
   see
   John 19:12).
   

   It is interesting that this same charge was brought against Jesus. It was a charge that most assuredly would have led to Pilate’s own death or banishment. If Jesus was allowed to go free by the Roman court, the Jewish leadership would have been thrilled, for then they would have had a legal reason to expel Pilate from their land. Thus, the second purpose of their scheme would have worked.
   

3. To take Jesus back into their own court in the Sanhedrin if Pilate would not crucify Him, where they had the religious authority to stone Him to death for claiming to be the Son of God.
   

   The truth is, the Jewish leaders never needed to deliver Jesus to Pilate because the court of the Sanhedrin already had the religious authority to kill Jesus by stoning for claiming to be the Son of God. Even if Pilate refused to crucify Jesus, they fully intended to kill Him anyway (
   see
   John 19:7).
   

So we see that the trip to Pilate’s court of law was designed to turn Jesus’ arrest into a political catastrophe that would possibly help the Jewish leaders get rid of Pilate as well. But if Jesus had been freed by the Roman court, they intended to kill Him anyway. This was the third part of their scheme.

The solution to this mess was easy! All Pilate had to do was crucify Jesus. Then he would have happy Jewish elders on his hands; no charges of treason leveled against him in Rome; strengthened ties to the religious community; and a guarantee of remaining in power. Pilate just had to say, “CRUCIFY HIM!” and this political game would be over. But he couldn’t bring himself to utter those words!

Instead, Pilate gave Jesus three opportunities to speak up in His own defense. But Jesus said nothing. Isaiah 53:7 (
NKJV
) says, “...As a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” According to the law, Jesus should have automatically been declared “guilty” because He passed up His three chances to defend Himself. But this time Pilate simply could not permit himself to follow the due course of judicial process. He sought instead to find a way out of this dilemma.

As noted above, perhaps Pilate saw something in Jesus’ eyes that affected him. Maybe Jesus’ kind and gracious behavior grabbed Pilate’s heart. Others have speculated that Pilate’s wife may have secretly been a follower of Jesus who told her husband about His goodness and the miracles that had followed His life. Matthew 27:19 reports that Pilate’s wife was so upset about Jesus’ impending death that she even had upsetting dreams about Him in the night. She sent word about her dreams to Pilate, begging him not to crucify Jesus.

As Pilate probed deeper in his interrogation, he discovered that Jesus was from Galilee. At long last, Pilate could breathe a sigh of relief. He had found the loophole that shifted the full weight of the decision to his old enemy, Herod! Galilee was under the legal jurisdiction of Herod. What a coincidence! Herod just “happened” to be in Jerusalem that week to participate in the Feast of Passover!

Pilate promptly ordered Jesus to be transferred to the other side of the city to the residence where Herod was staying with his royal entourage. The Bible tells us, “And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him” (Luke 23:8). However, it didn’t take long for Herod to get angry with Jesus and return Him to Pilate!

Can you imagine what went through Jesus’ mind as He stood first before a Roman governor, then before a Jewish tetrarch — only to be shipped back to the Roman governor again? Have
you
been feeling knocked around and passed from one authority figure to another at home, at church, in the workplace, or in the governmental system? If so, you can feel free to talk to Jesus about it, because He really understands the predicament you find yourself in right now!

Hebrews 4:15,16 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Since Jesus understands your dilemma, I advise you to speak freely to Him about the emotional ups and downs you feel as a result of your situation. His throne is a throne of grace — a place where you can obtain mercy and find grace to help in your time of need.

So go boldly before Jesus’ throne, with full assurance that He will hear you, answer you, and give you the power and wisdom you need to press through every difficult situation in your life.

Pilate saw through the religious leaders’ thinly veiled trap set to destroy both him and Jesus. If Pilate didn’t command Jesus to be crucified, he would be considered a traitor to the Roman government. If he did command Jesus to be crucified, Pilate would be a pawn in the Jewish leaders’ hands, bearing the blame for accomplishing what they already intended to do.

Have you ever felt caught in a strategic trap of the enemy? When you’re faced with that kind of situation, how do you escape such a trap with your integrity intact?