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Luke

Luke 
Day 
Day 315

Luke 23:13-25; John 19:1-16 "THE FINAL INTERVIEW"

Day 315 – Luke 23

Text: Luke 23:13-25; John 19:1-16

THE FINAL INTERVIEW

A number of factors could have compelled Pilate to interview Jesus again. The last charge of the Jews meant that he had to interrogate Jesus once again. Fear also became a factor. If Jesus was no mere human being, and as he looked at how He bore Himself with such strength, power and dignity, Pilate wanted to be sure that he was not going to be guilty of trying and sentencing one called “The Son of God”. Pilate began the interview with these words,

“Where are You from?”
John 19:9

Jesus had already spoken to Pilate. He had tried to share with Him about His work. Pilate had not expressed interest in “the truth” that Jesus had proclaimed (Cf. John 18:38). Thus Jesus chose to remain silent. It would be no use to try and explain anything much to Pilate anyway. He knew that the Roman governor would not be able to hold his position for too long before he caved in to the demands of the Jews. If he really wanted to do his duty properly, he would have released Jesus forthwith, rather than subject Him to such humiliation and pain!

A DISCUSSION OF THE WORDS “POWER AND SIN”

Pilate was surprised by the fact that Jesus chose to remain silent at this critical point of time.

“Are You not speaking to me?
Do you not know that I have power
To crucify You, and power to release You?”
John 19:10

Pilate of course was speaking about the power that was invested in him by Rome. He had legal and military power over Palestine. He wanted Jesus to know that His life lay in his hands. If Jesus could convince Him that He was indeed the Son of God, then Pilate would do his utmost to release Him from the death penalty.

He must have been most surprised when Jesus broke His silence and answered him with these words,

“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.”
John 19:11

Jesus had always spoken with a tremendous sense of authority. He could keep the multitudes spell-bound in the messages that He delivered to them! He could speak so powerfully that the Jews could not defeat Him at all. There must have been something in what Jesus said that made Pilate feel uncomfortable about releasing Jesus to the howling mob outside.

When Pilate spoke about “power” he was of course referring to his position as the Roman governor. But what did Jesus mean when He spoke of a “power… given to him from above”? Was Jesus indeed the Son of God, and he was referring to the Divine power of God?

Jesus must have touched a raw nerve when He mentioned the word “sin”. His answer showed that He was fully aware of the fact that He had been delivered, He had been “set up” by the Jews when they brought Him to Pilate. Theirs was the greater sin. However, Pilate was not blameless either, for having dealt with the case the way he did! He too had sinned!

THE STRUGGLES OF PILATE

Perhaps the conscience of Pilate was pricked at this point of time. Perhaps, he realized that Jesus was indeed no ordinary person. Could it be that the dream of his wife had some bearing on this case he was trying. Was Jesus a just man? If his wife was right, and if he were to convict and sentence him, then his sin would be grave indeed. The Roman governor who was meant to be the Judge, was himself being judged!

The internal struggle in Pilate was well captured by John, when he wrote,

“From then on Pilate sought to release Him…”
John 19:12

Luke mentioned that Pilate spoke to the Jews at least three times.

“Then he said to them the third time,
‘Why, what evil has He done.
I have found no reason for death in Him.”
Luke 23:22

THE TUSSLE BETWEEN PILATE AND THE JEWS

The Jews refused to listen to reason. They kept clamouring for the death of Jesus. Luke wrote,

“But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices
that He be crucified.
And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.”
Luke 23:23

John unveiled the one final argument that the Jews used as their trump card.

“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.’ “
John 19:12

The Jews knew Pilate well. He was ultimately a politician. They exploited this weakness and finally manage to coerce Pilate to accede to their demand. Pilate cared much more about his political career than seeing justice done. The case was over!