Chapter 18
Even though
it was the wee hours of Friday morning, a crowd was gathering in the courtyard
of Pontus Pilate. They were curious to see what would happen to the popular
teacher. All the lights were on in Pilate’s rooms and there was a flurry of activity.
People just arriving were asking what was going on. But no one knew. They just
knew that the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders had come to a
head. Something big was bound to happen, and soon.
One man
asked, “What crime has Jesus been accused of?”
Another
replied, “Caiaphas just convicted him of blasphemy.
“Blasphemy?!”
the first man questioned, “So why didn’t Caiaphas have him stoned?”
The second
man replied, “Because only the Romans can execute a man. That’s why Caiaphas
sent him to Pilate. But I don’t think Pilate has the stomach to kill the
Teacher.”
And he was
right, because about that time, a Roman Decanus with his eight men marched out dragging
Jesus. The soldier shouted, “Make way! Make way! official business of the Roman
Republic!”
People parted
and the contingency marched away.
The first man
asked, “Where are they taking Jesus?”
The second
man replied, “To King Herod. When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Nazareth, he
sent him to Herod. Herod is the governor of Galilee, the home district of
Jesus. Pilate was glad to dump his problem onto King Herod.
“So, they’re
taking Jesus to Galilee?” asked the first man.
“No,” replied
the second man, “Herod’s in town for the Feast of the Passover. He’s only a
furlong away at the guest house of Tertullius.”
Everyone knew
that Tertullius didn’t have a public courtyard, and the crowd wasn’t going
anywhere very soon, so I decided to stay too.
And it wasn’t
an hour before the Romans were back with Jesus. He was taken up to Pilate’s
rooms yet once again.
In half an
hour’s time, Pilate came out onto his balcony to address the crowd. Everyone
was rowdy, and Pilate couldn’t seem to get control of the crowd. It looked to
me like Pilate was searching for an excuse to release Jesus. When Jesus was
brought out on the balcony, he had been beaten by the Romans. His face was
swollen, and a crown of thorns was mockingly jammed on his head. Someone had
wrapped a purple robe around his bleeding shoulders to further mock him as the King
of the Jews. I think Pilate wanted to gain sympathy for Jesus.
Pilate once
again told the crowd that he found no fault in Jesus. But the priests and
Pharisees shouted to crucify Jesus. Pilate countered, “We have a tradition at
the time of the Passover to release one prisoner as a gesture of good-will.”
And for effect, Barabbas, a criminal, was trotted out beside Jesus. Pilate went
on, “Do you want me to release Barabbas or Jesus?” Pilate expected the crowd to
say, “Jesus,” but his plan backfired.
The priests
and Pharisees shouted “Barabbas! Barabbas! Release unto us Barabbas!”
Pilate was
confused. He asked, “Then what shall I do with Jesus, who is called the King of
the Jews?”
The priests
had done their work. Everyone shouted, “Crucify him!”
Pilate shushed
the crowd and tried another way, “But why? What wrong has he done?”
But the
priests and Pharisees led the crowd, shouting all the louder, “We have no king
but Caesar. Away with this man! If you don’t crucify him, you are no friend of
Caesar’s!
When Pilate
heard that, he feared. He was caught between the Jews and the Roman emperor. He
was afraid of what might happen next. So, he produced a basin of water and
ceremoniously washed his hands saying, “I wash my hands of the blood of this innocent
man. His blood is upon you and upon your children!” And with that, he reached
for a towel. He wiped his hands and threw down the towel. He was done. Pilate
gave the order to crucify Jesus, the innocent teacher.
I couldn’t
believe it! Jesus the kind healer, the miracle worker, the champion of the
people - condemned to be crucified!
I hadn’t seen
it coming. I thought, “So, this was how it would end.” Well, not exactly. Jesus
was crucified, but it didn’t end there. It was just beginning. I’ll explain.
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