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John 18:28-40
Things are moving quickly now as we read about Peter’s 2nd and 3rd denials. And it seems, if you read that section, that Peter is still around the coal fire made for the servants to keep warm outside in the courtyard of Annas.
John then turns us to the trial before Pilate. We see nothing of the actual religious trial before Caiaphas. Which brings us to think about what John wrote earlier that Caiaphas had already determined that one man – Jesus should die to unite all of the Jews in Jerusalem and abroad. This may be why John doesn’t go into the trial much by the high priest. And that takes us to the trial of Jesus by Pilate
John 18:28-40 (NIV) Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
So in this instance John has some inside knowledge of what is going on inside. Could it be that John didn’t care about being ceremonially unclean? We aren’t certain but history would lend us to believe that John somehow got this information on the discussion between Pilate and Jesus – because John the Disciple did not have standing to go into the governor’s home – he wouldn’t have been permitted to go in.
Now, you notice that Pilate goes in and out – the Sanhedrin does not. If they had gone into the governor’s home, a Gentile, this would have made them unclean. The Passover Festival lasted at least 7 days, so the meal that most likely they didn’t want to mess up by being unclean would have been the afternoon meal following the opening Passover meal. That opening meal would have been what Jesus would have shared with the Disciples the night before. So John is not saying all of the trials and the Crucifixion were on a different timeline.
Which brings me to something else ironic. Remember that Dr. Lyons and Dr. Daniels had written about Jesus’ Ironic Glorification in their commentary published by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. Here is another irony. These men in leadership stood on ceremonial cleanliness issues so that they wouldn’t defile themselves, all the while their hearts were full of deceit. They were not truthful with Pilate – they dodged his questions. No wonder Matthew Mark and Luke record Jesus calling these men whitewashed tombs: all regal and glorious on the outside while full of death and rot on the inside. Now to you and me, who live in a society that does not value integrity, or honor. We have so many people who hold honorable positions but they do not act with honor or integrity. But back then, honor and integrity were a big deal.
So we are left with the Sanhedrin, who is convinced that if Jesus dies as a criminal, not at their hands for fear He becomes a martyr, but if Jesus dies like a Roman criminal it will end Him and His ministry.
What the Sanhedrin didn’t realize is that Jesus needed to die by crucifixion to fulfill prophecy. They probably would have been better off if they had stoned Him. Remember the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus? It was a reflection of Moses fashioning a brass snake on a pole. And those who would look to it would not die from the poisonous snakes and their bites, rather they would live. Jesus had to die in that fashion, up on a pole for all to see. Jewish capital punishment was by stoning. And His death could not have been that if He were the Messiah.
So the Jewish leaders conspire. They get the Roman government to go along with them and they convict Jesus falsely of nothing and anything they can come up with. The end result was that Jesus insights disobedience by claiming that He is the King of the Jews. What these men conspired to do, Jesus not only accepts, but He goes willingly to the cross. We will talk about that more in the days to come.
Jesus has lived with the people. He has discipled and taught the people, and now He willingly lays down His life for all of humanity that they would have a chance at finding heaven.