Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (20 page)

When I read of what Jesus endured during the long hours before He was sent to be crucified, it simply overwhelms me. Jesus committed no sin and no crime, nor was any guile ever found in His mouth; yet He was judged more severely than the worst of criminals. Even hardened criminals would not have been put through such grueling treatment. And just think — all this happened
before
He was nailed to that wooden Cross — the lowest, most painful, debasing manner in which a criminal could be executed in the ancient world!

Before you do anything else today, why don’t you take a few minutes to stop and thank Jesus for everything He went through to purchase your redemption? Salvation may have been a free gift to you, but purchasing salvation was
not
free for Jesus. It cost Him . His life and His blood. This is why Paul wrote, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

And here’s one more suggestion for you: Rather than keep the Good News of Jesus Christ to yourself, why don’t you find an opportunity today to tell someone else all that Jesus did so he or she can be saved? God’s Spirit might use you to lead someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus this very day!

Herod Antipas actually commanded the Roman soldiers to mock Jesus, authorizing them to unleash the most vile, depraved onslaught of humiliation they could level at another human being. Jesus, the purest and the kindest in all creation, was subjected to the vilest and most perverse abuse.

Think about what Jesus went through on account of your sins. Think of what your salvation cost Him — before He even endured the pain and shame of the Cross. How long has it been since you really thanked Jesus for how much He willingly suffered for you?

Although Herod derived gruesome satisfaction from the hideous maltreatment of Jesus, he admittedly found no fault in Him.

Have you ever been subjected to treatment you did not deserve? If so, how did you respond? As you consider Jesus’ example, would you respond differently to such treatment in the future?

No matter what shameful, humiliating act or attack you have experienced — either emotional or physical — Jesus can identify with it, and He can also heal its pain. People may not understand your pain, but Jesus does. He is the love of God in action, and love heals.

Think of Jesus’ great love for you. Acknowledge the parts of your life where you’ve hidden pain and shame. Then invite Jesus’ healing love to fill you up and take away the pain. He endured humiliation for you. He doesn’t want you to suffer torment anymore.

Chapter 21:
Charged, but Not Guilty

When Jesus was returned to Pilate’s court, Pilate assembled the chief priests and rulers. Then he told them, “…Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him” (Luke 23:14-16).

Notice that Pilate said he had “examined” Jesus. This Greek word,
anakrinas,
means
to examine closely, to scrutinize,
or
to judge judicially
. Remember, Pilate was the chief legal authority of the land. He knew Roman law and was invested with power to see that Roman law was kept. From a judicial standpoint, he couldn’t find a single crime Jesus had committed. Perhaps Jesus had broken some Jewish religious law, but Pilate wasn’t a Jew and couldn’t have cared less about Jewish law. From a purely legal standpoint, Jesus wasn’t guilty. To add weight to his action, Pilate backed his view by saying, “Herod has arrived at the same conclusion as I have: This Man has committed no legal offense.”

Knowing that the religious leaders were bent on seeing the shedding of Jesus’ blood, Pilate offered to chastise Jesus, hoping this would appease the bloody appetite of the mob. Had this offer been accepted, the beating would have been minor. However, it would have been viewed as a warning that Jesus needed to limit His activities.

Then Pilate announced that after Jesus was chastised, he would “release” Him. When the mob heard the word “release,” they jumped on the chance to reverse Pilate’s decision. You see, it was a custom at this particular time of the year for one prisoner to be “released” from prison as a favor to the people. Because Israel hated the Roman occupation, many Jewish sons fought as “freedom fighters” to overthrow Roman rule. Therefore, each year when it came time for this big event, all of Jerusalem waited with anticipation to see which prisoner would be released.

By choosing to “release” Jesus at this moment, it was as if Pilate was making the choice himself which prisoner would be released — and his choice was Jesus. When the people heard of Pilate’s decision, they cried out, “…Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison)” (Luke 23:18,19).

Who was Barabbas? He was a notorious rabble-rouser who had been proven guilty of “sedition” in the city of Jerusalem. That word “sedition” comes from
stasis
, the old Greek word for
treason
, which refers to
the deliberate attempt to overthrow the government or to kill a head of state.

It is interesting that treason was the very charge the Jewish leaders brought against Jesus when they accused Him of claiming to be king. However, in the case of Barabbas, the charge was
real
, for he had led a volatile insurrection against the government that resulted in a massacre. Nevertheless, Barabbas’ act of bravery, although illegal and murderous, made him a hero in the minds of the local population.

Luke informs us that this Barabbas was so dangerous that they “cast” him into prison. The word “cast” is the Greek word
ballo
, meaning
to throw,
which suggests the Roman authorities wasted no time in
hurling
this low-level bandit into jail for the role he played in the bloody uprising. The Roman authorities wanted him off the streets and locked up forever!

Luke 23:20,21 says, “Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.” The word “willing” is the Greek word
thelo
. It would be better translated,
“Pilate therefore, wishing, longing, and desiring to release Jesus….”
Pilate searched for a way to set Jesus free, but the multitude screamed for crucifixion.

This was the first time crucifixion had been specially demanded by the crowd. Luke says the angry mob “cried” for Jesus to be crucified. The word “cried” is the word
epiphoneo
, and it means
to shout, to scream, to yell, to shriek,
or
to screech.
The Greek tense means they were hysterically
screaming
and
shrieking
at the top of their voices — totally out of control and without pause.

Pilate appealed to them again: “…Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go” (Luke 23:22). Again the Roman governor hoped that a beating might satisfy the people’s bloody hunger, but “…they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed” (v. 23).

The words “they were instant” is the Greek word
epikeima,
a compound of the words
epi
and
keimai
. The word
epi
means
upon
, and the word
keimai
means
to lay something down.
When compounded together, this word meant that the people began
to pile evidence on top
of Pilate, nearly
burying him
in reasons why Jesus had to be crucified. To finish this quarrel, they threatened him, saying, “…If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar” (John 19:12).

Pilate was taken aback by the threat of treason these Jewish leaders were bringing against him. Once he heard these words, he knew they had him in a trap — and there was only one way legally for him to get out of the mess he was in. He had to make a choice: He could either set Jesus free and sacrifice his own political career, or he could deliver Jesus to be crucified and thus save himself.

Pilate had to make a choice: He could either set Jesus free and sacrifice his own political career, or he could deliver Jesus to be crucified and thus save himself.

When confronted with these two stark choices, Pilate decided to sacrifice Jesus and save himself. But as he turned Jesus over to the masses, Pilate first wanted to make it clear to everyone who was listening that he didn’t agree with what they were doing. This is why Matthew 27:24 tells us, “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”

Pay careful attention to the fact that Pilate “…took water, and washed his hands….” Water, of course, is symbolic of a cleansing agent, and hands are symbolic of our lives. For instance, with our hands we touch people, we work, and we make money. In fact, nearly everything we do in life, we do with our hands. This is why Paul told us to “lift up holy hands” when we pray and worship (1 Timothy 2:8). When we lift our hands to God, it is the same as lifting our entire lives before Him, because our hands represent our lives.

In Bible times, the washing of hands was a ritual often used symbolically for the removal of one’s guilt. So when Pilate washed his hands in that basin of water and publicly declared, “I am clear of all guilt regarding the blood of this just person!” he was demonstrating what he believed to be his total innocence in this matter.

As long as Pontius Pilate thought he could stand with Jesus and keep his own position as well, he protected Jesus. But the moment Pilate realized that saving Jesus would mean he would have to sacrifice his own position in life, he quickly changed his tune and gave in to the demands of the mob of people who were screaming all around him.