03/27 – John 19:1-16 – Pontius Pilate: The Thinker

Numbers 21:4-9

Then they moved from Mount Hor, following the road that goes to the Red Sea, in order to get around Edom. The people became impatient on the way and criticized God and Moses. They said, “Why did you make us leave Egypt—just to let us die in the desert? There’s no bread or water, and we can’t stand this awful food!”

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people. They bit the people, and many of the Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we criticized the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake, and put it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. People looked at the bronze snake after they were bitten, and they lived.

Ephesians 2:1-10

You were once dead because of your failures and sins. You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God. All of us once lived among these people, and followed the desires of our corrupt nature. We did what our corrupt desires and thoughts wanted us to do. So, because of our nature we deserved God’s anger just like everyone else.

Yet God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us. We were dead because of our failures, but he made us alive together with Christ. (It is God’s kindness that saved you.) God has brought us back to life together with Christ Jesus and has given us a position in heaven with him. He did this through Christ Jesus out of his generosity to us in order to show his extremely rich kindness in the world to come.

God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It is not the result of anything you have done so no one can brag about it. God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.

John 19:1-16

Pilate had Jesus taken away and whipped. The soldiers twisted some thorny branches into a crown, placed it on his head and put a purple cape on him. They went up to him, said, “Hail King of the Jews!” and slapped his face.

Pilate went outside again and told the Jews, “I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I do not find this man guilty of anything.” Jesus went outside. He was wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cape. Pilate said to the Jews, “Look, here is the man!”

When the chief priests and the guards saw Jesus, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Pilate told them, “You take him and crucify him. I do not find this man guilty of anything.”

The Jews answered Pilate, “We have a law and by that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this he became even more afraid. He went into the palace again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus didn’t answer him.

So Pilate said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered Pilate, “You would not have any authority over me if it hadn’t been given to you from above. That is why the man who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

When Pilate heard what Jesus said he wanted to free him, but the Jews shouted, “If you free this man, you are not a friend of the emperor. Anyone who claims to be a king is defying the emperor.”

When Pilate heard what they said, he took Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s seat in a place called Stone Pavement. (In Hebrew it is called Gabbatha {GAB-ah-th-ah}.) The time was about noon on the Friday of the Passover festival.

Pilate said to the Jews, “Look, here is your king!”

Then the Jews shouted, “Away with him! Take Him away! Crucify him!”

Pilate asked, “Should I crucify your king?”

The chief priests responded, “We have no king but Caesar!”

Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took Jesus.