“Where Are You From?” (19:8–16)

Where Are You From?” (19:8–16)

The Romans and Greeks had many myths of gods coming down to earth as men (see Acts 14:8-13), so it is likely that Pilate thought of these myths when he heard the phrase “Son of God.” The governor already was impressed by the words and demeanor of our Lord; he had never met a prisoner like Him before. Was He really a god who had come to earth? Did He possess miraculous powers? No wonder Pilate was getting frightened! Then Pilate's wife had sent him a strange message that he was to have nothing to do with Jesus (Matt. 27:19). Even in her nightmares Jesus had come to her!

Why didn’t Jesus answer Pilate’s question? Because He had already answered it (John 18:36-37). It is a basic spiritual law that God will not provide us new truth if we do not act on the truth we already know. Moreover, Pilate had already proved that he was not personally interested in spiritual truth. His only concern was to maintain the peace in Jerusalem as he attempted to expedite the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. Pilate deserved no answer!

Fear and anger are often closely linked. When we feel weak because of fear, we often overcompensate by trying to appear strong. This is what Pilate did, reminding Jesus of his Roman power. But his statement didn’t prove his power. It proved his weakness. For if he had authority to release Jesus, why did he not? He condemned himself in his own boastful words.
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Our Lord’s silence before both Herod and Pilate was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7. Later Peter used this passage as an example for suffering Christians to follow (1 Peter 2:18–23).

The last words of our Lord to Pilate are recorded in John 19:11, and they testify to His faith in the Father and submission to His will (cf. 1 Peter 2:23; 4:19). Every authority is of God (Romans 13:1ff.). Jesus could surrender to Rome and the Jews because, first of all, He was yielded to God. Pilate was boasting about his power (John 19:10), but Jesus reminded him that his so-called power was only delegated to him by God. One day God would hold him accountable for how he had used his privileges and responsibilities.

"He that delivered Me up unto thee"—who was Jesus referring to? God, certainly not, for God cannot and does not sin. Jesus was speaking about Caiaphas, the corrupt high priest who had long ago decided Jesus must die (John 11:47–54). Caiaphas knew the Scriptures and had had every opportunity to examine the evidence. He had shut his eyes on purpose and hardened his heart. He had made sure Jesus did not get a fair trial. It was his friends who were saying to the mob, 'Let Him be crucified!' Pilate was a spiritually blind pagan, but Caiaphas was a Jew who had knowledge. Thus, it was Caiaphas, not Pilate, who bore the greater sin.

What a predicament Pilate was in! How would he go about investigating the claim that Jesus was "the Son of God"? Furthermore, there wasn’t any evidence that He was a trouble-maker or a seditionist. Then, in a last effort at courage, Pilate tried to release Jesus. John does not tell us what steps Pilate took (the Greek text indicates that “he kept seeking to release Him”), but all failed. In fact the crowd started calling Pilate a traitor to Caesar! This pressure was too much for the governor. He passed his official judgment and handed Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate washed his hands before the crowd, as Matthew tells us (Matt. 27:24), but it did not cleanse his heart. Alas, it was Pilate who was on trial, not Jesus!

John probably used Roman time, so “the sixth hour” would have been 6 a.m. Mark tells us that Jesus was crucified “the third hour,” which in Jewish reckoning would have been 9 a.m. John wrote "about the sixth hour," so we don't need to try to figure out why it took three hours to bring Jesus from Pilate's hall to Calvary.

The “preparation” refers to the preparation for the Sabbath (see John 19:31), which would begin at sundown that day (Friday). It was the Sabbath of the Passover, a most holy day. The religious leaders were more concerned about their traditions than about finding the truth and doing God's will. They crucified their Messiah on a high and holy day, Jesus the Son of God!

“We have no king but Caesar!” The mob had the last word. “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). An observant student of Scripture will note that the crowd that cried "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday turned right around and cried on Good Friday, “Crucify Him!” However, these events represented two different crowds. The crowd that had gathered for Palm Sunday was largely from Galilee, where Jesus was very popular. The crowd at Pilate's hall was from Judea and Jerusalem, where the religious leaders had much more control. The Galilean disciples would have risen in revolt to deliver Jesus had they had their way!

The trial of Jesus was the greatest crime and tragedy in history from the human perspective. From the divine point of view, it fulfilled prophecy and accomplished God's will. But the fact that God had planned it did not absolve the participants of their responsibility. In fact, Peter combined the two ideas in one statement at Pentecost (Acts 2:23).

When Israel asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, the nation rejected God the Father (1 Sam. 8:5–7). They called for Barabbas and refused God the Son. Today they are rejecting the plea of God the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51; Rom. 10:21). The day shall come when they shall look upon their King and believe and be saved (Zech. 12:10-11; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).

The nation was on trial, and the governor was on trial, and both failed badly. Let's not fail.