17. The trial before Pilate, the Roman Governor

Matthew 27:1-31a; Mark 15:1-20a; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:16a

*Matthew*	*Mark*	*Luke*	*John*
When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people met in council to plot the death of Jesus.	When morning came, the chief priests, and the elders and scribes and the rest of the Sanhedrin, had their plan ready.	The whole assembly rose,	It was now morning.
They had Jesus bound and led him away to hand him over to Pilate, the governor.	They had Jesus bound and led him away to hand him over to Pilate.	then they brought Jesus before Pilate.	They led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium.

Mt	Mk	Lk	*John*
			Pilate came out to them and said, ‘What charge do you bring against this man?’ They replied, ‘If he weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t be here.’ Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.’
			The Jews said, ‘We are not allowed to put a man to death.’

*Matthew*	Mk	Lk	Jn
Judas, his betrayer, saw Jesus condemned, and was filled with remorse and took the thirty silver pieces back. ‘I have sinned,’ he said. ‘I have betrayed innocent blood.’ They replied, ‘What is that to us? That is your concern.’ And flinging down the silver pieces in the Temple he went and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said, ‘It is against the Law to put this into the treasury; it is blood money.’ So they discussed the matter and with it bought the potter’s field as a graveyard for foreigners, and this is why the field is still called Bloody Field. The word of the prophet Jeremiah was thus fulfilled: And they took the thirty silver pieces, the price that had been set for him, and they spent them on the potter's field, just as the Lord directed me.
Jesus then was brought before the governor.

Mt		Mk		*Luke*		Jn
				They began to accuse him, ‘He is corrupting the nation, forbidding payment of the taxes to Caesar, and claiming to be our king.’

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

‘Are you king of the Jews?’

‘So you say.’

‘Are you king of the Jews?’

‘So you say.’

‘Are you king of the Jews?’

‘So you say.’

‘Are you king of the Jews?’

‘So you say.’

*Matthew*		*Mark*		Lk		Jn
And the chief priests and the elders brought many accusations against him. He refused to answer at all. Pilate questioned him, ‘Do you not hear how many accusations they have made against you?’ But to the governor’s surprise, he offered not a word in answer to any of the charges.		And the chief priests brought many accusations against him. Pilate questioned him again, ‘Have you nothing to say? Do you not hear how many accusations they bring against you!’ But, to Pilate’s surprise, Jesus made no reply.

John

So Pilate went into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him and asked him,

‘Are you king of the Jews?’

Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this for yourself, or have others said this about me?’

Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’

Jesus replied, ‘My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, my men would have fought to prevent my capture.’ Pilate said, ‘So, you’re a king?’

Jesus answered, ‘You say I’m a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who know truth listen to my voice.’

‘Pilate said. ‘What is truth?’

Mt		Mk		*Luke*		*John*
				Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no case against this man.’		Pilate went out again to the Jews and said,‘I find no case against this man.’

Mt	Mk	*Luke*	Jn
		But they persisted, ‘He is inflaming the people with his teaching all over Judea and all the way from Galilee.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked if Jesus were from Galilee; since he was, Pilate passed him over to Herod, who was in Jerusalem. Herod was delighted to see Jesus; he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time since he was hoping to see some miracle. The chief priests and the scribes were there, vigorously pressing their accusations. So Herod questioned him for a long time and never got a reply. Then Herod and his guards treated Jesus with contempt and made fun of him; Herod put a magnificent robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. Although Herod and Pilate had been enemies before, they were reconciled that same day.
		Pilate then summoned the chief priests and the leading men and the people. He said to them, ‘You accused this man saying AHe is corrupting the nation.@ I have gone into the matter myself in your presence and found no grounds for any of the charges you bring against him. Nor has Herod, since he has sent him back. This man has done nothing that deserves death, so I shall discipline him then let him go.’ But as one man they howled, ‘Away with him! Give us Barabbas!’

Matthew

Mark

John

At festival time the governor used to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they asked for.

At festival time Pilate used to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they asked for.

But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover;

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Now a notorious man called Jesus Barabbas was then in prison.

When the crowd went up, Pilate answered them,

Now a notorious man called Jesus Barabbas was then in prison with the rebels who had murdered during the uprising. When the crowd went up and began to ask Pilate the customary favor, Pilate answered them,

This man, Barabbas was then in prison with the rebels who had murdered during the uprising.

(Barabbas was a bandit.)

Matthew

Mark

John

‘Which do you want me to release for you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus Barjoseph who is called Christ?’

For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy that they had handed Jesus over.

‘Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?’

For Pilate realized it was out of jealousy that they had handed Jesus over.

Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?’

*Matthew*		Mk		Lk		Jn
Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message, ‘Have nothing to do with that Godly man; I have been tormented by a dream that I had about Jesus.’

*Matthew*		*Mark*		*Luke*		*John*
The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Jesus Barabbas and the execution of Jesus Barjoseph.		The chief priests, however, had whipped up the crowd to demand the release of Jesus Barabbas instead.

So when the governor spoke and asked them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ ‘Barabbas.’		‘Give us Barabbas!’	‘Not this man, but Barabbas.’
Then Pilate spoke again, ‘But in that case, what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They shouted,	Then Pilate spoke again, ‘But in that case, what am I to do with the man you call king of the Jews?’ They shouted back,	In his desire to set Jesus free, Pilate spoke again but they shouted back,	They shouted,
‘Let them crucify him!’	‘Crucify him!’	‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’	‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’
Pilate spoke to them, ‘But what harm has this man done?’	Pilate spoke to them, ‘What harm has this man done?’	And for the third time Pilate spoke to them, ‘But what harm has this man done? I have found no case against him that deserves death, so I’ll discipline him then let him go.’
But they shouted louder and louder, ‘Let them crucify him!’	But they shouted louder and louder, ‘Crucify him!’	But they shouted louder and louder, ‘Crucify him!’

*Matthew*		Mk		Lk		Jn
Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your concern.’ And the people, every one of them, shouted back, ‘So, smear his blood on us and on our children!’

*Matthew*	*Mark*	*Luke*	*John*
	So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd,	So Pilate then gave his verdict: their demand that he crucify Jesus would be granted.	Pilate
Then Pilate released Barabbas for them and after having Jesus scourged he handed Jesus over to be crucified.	Pilate released Barabbas for them and after having Jesus scourged he handed Jesus over to be crucified.	Pilate released the man they asked for; he handed Jesus over to deal with as they pleased.	Pilate after having Jesus scourged, he had him taken away;

Matthew

Mark

John

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and called the whole cohort together round him.	The soldiers took Jesus with them to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the whole cohort together round him.	and after this, the soldiers
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe round him,	They dressed him up in purple,	dressed him in a purple robe
and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand.	twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him.	and twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head.
To make fun of him they knelt to him saying,	And they began saluting him,	They kept coming up to him and saying,
‘Hail, king of the Jews!’	‘Hail, king of the Jews!’	‘Hail, king of the Jews!’
And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it.	They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and they went down on their knees to do him homage.	and slapping him in the face.

John

Pilate came outside again and said to them, ‘Look, I find no case against him. I’m going to bring him out to let you see this.’ Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, ‘Look B just a man.’

When they saw him, the chief priests and the guards shouted,

*Matthew*		*Mark*		*Luke*		*John*
‘Let them crucify him!’		‘Crucify him!’		‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’		‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’

John

Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him: I find no case against him.’ The Jews replied, ‘We have a Law, and according to that Law he ought to be put to death, because he has claimed to be Son of God.’

When Pilate heard them say this his fears increased.

Reentering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus, ‘Where do you come from?’

But Jesus made no answer.

Pilate then said to him, ‘Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?’

Jesus replied, ‘You would have no power over me at all if it had not been given you from above; that is why the greater guilt is on the one who handed me over to you.’

From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted,

‘If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar’s; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.’

Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated him on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was the Day of Preparation, about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews, ‘Here is your king.’

But they shouted, ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him.’

Pilate said, ‘Shall I crucify your king?’

They answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’

*Matthew*		*Mark*		Lk		*John*
And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the robe and dressed him in his own clothes and led him away to crucify him.		And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own clothes. They led him out to crucify him.				So at that Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So Rome's impatient governor arises from his chair.
"One more would-be Jewish King is in my tender care."
Then Rabbi's, priests and people their accusations fling.
Then Jesus says, "But it's you who say that I'm the King."

So Pilate brings the King out and says, "He's just a fool.
I see no case against him, to kill him would be cruel.
I'll save one man today, and another crucify.
We'll crown him king, then my boys will sing their lullaby."

"So who shall I save this day, and who must die, alas?
This Jesus son of Joseph, or terrorist bar-Abbas?"
The mob screams "Crucify him!" Bar-Joseph's death they choose.
Legion of Rome crown him Christ: "All Hail King of the Jews."

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The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ

According to the Gospels

17. The trial before Pilate, the Roman Governor

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