Pilate’s Dilemma: The Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus
John 19:4–16 (NKJV)
4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”
11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away.
Message
The Jews arrested Jesus (John 18:1-12) and brought Him to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, accusing Him of a crime—claiming to be a king (John 18:28-33). Jesus clearly let Pilate know that His kingdom was not of this world and that He was therefore no political threat (John 18:36). So, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. He tried to release Jesus through a custom at the Passover (John 18:39). He probably didn’t expect it, but the Jews cried out to release a notorious criminal (Matthew 27:16) Barabbas instead of Jesus (John 18:40). Barabbas received an undeserved release, while Jesus suffered an unjust punishment. Jesus was whipped, pierced, mocked, and struck (John 19:1-3).
Today let us study v4-16.
I. Jesus Presented Before the Crowd (4–5)
See v4-5.
4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
After scourging Jesus (John 19:1-3), Pilate told the Jews that he found no fault in Him (4). Then, Pilate brought Jesus before the public (5). The scourging took place before the crucifixion. However, Pilate had Jesus scourged in an attempt to appease the Jews so that he could release Him.
They might have tried to scorn Jesus for having no power as a king by dressing Him in a crown and robe (5). Jesus was not guilty or a threat.
II. The Rejection and Pilate’s Questioning (6–11)
What was the Jews’ response? See v6.
6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
The chief priests and officers cried out for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate asked them to crucify Him and declared that he found no fault in Him (6). Earlier, Pilate had asked them to take Jesus and judge Him according to their law, but the Jews, under Roman rule, had no legal right to put anyone to death (John 18:31). What was the Jews’ response? See v7.
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
Although the Jews did not have the legal right to carry out a death sentence, they claimed that their law condemned Him to die (7). What was Pilate’s response? See v8-9.
8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
Pilate was even more afraid (8). He asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” (9a) Jesus had already explained to Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36-38). But Pilate was only concerned with maintaining his earthly position and life. To appease the Jews, he even had the innocent Jesus scourged. Speaking further would have served no purpose. Moreover, Pilate might have envied Jesus if He had answered. So, Jesus remained silent (9b). However, Jesus indirectly answered him by saying ‘from above’ in v11. How kind Jesus is! What was Pilate’s response? See v10.
10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”
Pilate likely had enough reason to release Jesus due to His innocence, but he continued questioning Him out of fear of political consequences, pressure from the Jewish leaders, and a desire to avoid conflict. What was Jesus’ response? See v11.
11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Jesus mentioned that the power given to him was from above, meaning that the one who delivered Him to Pilate had the greater sin. 'From above' also indirectly answers Pilate's question, 'Where are You from?' (9) Jesus helped Pilate understand that condemning Him would be a great sin, and it was an even greater sin for the others to have handed Jesus over to him. Jesus taught Pilate that it would be a great sin unless he released Him. What was Pilate's response?
III. The Political Pressure and Final Decision (12–16)
See v12-13.
12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
In the moment that the Jews said v12, Pilate’s concern likely shifted from justice to political survival (13). See v14.
14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
Pilate's statement, "Behold your King!" (14), was likely sarcastic or mocking, highlighting the absurdity of Jesus' kingship given His beaten state. It may have been an attempt to provoke the crowd, show the Jews the irony of condemning a "king," or reflect Pilate’s internal conflict, caught between his recognition of Jesus' innocence and pressure to avoid political fallout.
See v15-16.
15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away.
A Roman governor could lose his life or position if a riot broke out due to his mismanagement of the Jews. They cried out for Jesus' crucifixion (15a). Pilate’s question, “Shall I crucify your King?” (15b) was meant to highlight the irony of the Jews rejecting their own king and demanding Jesus' death. It also reflected Pilate's frustration and internal conflict, as he recognized Jesus' innocence but was under pressure from the Jewish leaders.
The crowd’s declaration, "We have no king but Caesar!" (15c) highlighted that they rejected Jesus as their king and affirmed their loyalty to Rome. This put Pilate in a difficult position—despite knowing Jesus was innocent, he feared that releasing Him would spark unrest and jeopardize his position under Roman rule—so he handed Jesus over to be crucified.
