Crucify Him – John 19:1-16

“Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution….  The usual instrument was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals.”  So explains Dr. William D. Edwards, and he further describes how this affected the one flogged.  Pilate is trying his best to let Jesus go, even giving him the precursor punishments to crucifixion, hoping the to satisfy his accusers.

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.  And the soldiers weaved a crown of thorns and placed it on his head and clothed him with a purple garment.  They came up to him and said, “Hail, king of the Jews,” and beat him.  And Pilate went outside again and said to them, “Look, I’m bringing him out to you so that you will know that I find no guilt in him.”  Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment and Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

When the high priests and servants saw him they shouted out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”  Pilate said to them, “You take him and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”  The Jews answered, “We have a law and according to that law he must be killed, because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”  So when Pilate heard this word he became afraid and went into the praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where do you come from?”  But Jesus gave him no answer.  Pilate said to him, “You won’t speak to me?  Don’t you know that I have authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you?”  Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over me unless it was given you from above.  For this reason the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin.”

Because of this Pilate sought to release him.  But the Jews shouted, “If you release him you are no friend of Caesar.  Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”  When Pilate heard their words he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judgment seat at the place called Stone Judgment, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.  And it was preparation day before Passover, about the sixth hour.  He said to the Jews, “Behold your king.”  They shouted, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!”  Pilate said, “Should I crucify your king?”  They answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”  Then he delivered him to be crucified.  (John 19:1-16)

Pilate does everything he can to get Jesus released.  He knows there is no infraction of Roman law that Jesus has made deserves death.  He has Jesus beaten, flogged, hoping there will be sympathy among the Jews for him.  He is even willing for the Jews to crucify Jesus if that will get the guilt off of his hands.  The talk of Jesus “making” himself the Son of God scares Pilate even more.  Is he condemning a righteous man, a special representative of God?  What kind of guilt will he have then?  This makes him all the more frustrated with Jesus who does nothing, it seems, in his own defense. But Jesus knows there is nothing that will assuage the wrath of the Jews.  Jesus seems to try to help Pilate by acknowledging that those who handed him over to Pilate have more guilt, but that does not say Pilate has no guilt.

The Jews start applying the political pressure.  To not be Caesar’s friend is to lose your position, maybe even your life.  Pilate must worry about the report that will reach Rome about his handling of this case.  It is about noon now and Pilate makes one last attempt at getting out of this, hoping that by acknowledging Jesus as their king they will back off, but they call Caesar their only king, heightening their blasphemy, the very sin they accused Jesus of.  Pilate seals Jesus’ fate.

People who meet Jesus, whether in person or through the Scriptures, must make a decision about him.  He does not offer the alternative of no concern.  And what we do with Jesus determines life or death for us.

Discussion Questions

1. What experiences have you had of seeing someone hit or beaten?
2. What sense do you get about what kind of people the soldiers were who beat Jesus?
3. What does Jesus claiming to be the Son of God mean to the Jews?  Why does that demand his death?
4. What is Pilate’s guilt in this matter?  What is the Jews’ guilt?
5. Could Pilate have made the case to Caesar that Jesus was no threat?
6. What does Jesus mean to you?