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John 18:28-40 "A STRANGE WAY OF CONDUCTING A TRIAL"

Day 285 – John 18

A STRANGE WAY OF CONDUCTING A TRIAL

A rather strange conversation took place between the Jews and Pilate, the Roman military governor. The Jews, the accusers of Jesus refused to step into the Praetorium. How would Pilate conduct this trial if the accusers would not enter into his Praetorium? Pilate found himself acceding to the idiosyncrasies of the Jews.

“Pilate then went out to them and said,
‘What accusation do you bring against
this Man?”
John 18:29

In normal circumstances, Pilate would never conduct any of his trials in this manner. This was almost unheard of! The accusers were supposed to stand before the accused. Both parties were to stand before the governor if the trial was to be conducted properly.

Instead, Pilate had to go out of his Praetorium to see the Jews, and then return to Jesus who was waiting in the judgment hall (another way of translating “Praetorium”).

The Jews answered Pilate almost defiantly.

“If He were not an evildoer, we would not have
delivered Him up to you.”
John 18:30

What kind of an answer was that? If a man was to stand trial, a formal charge must be made! These Jews did not bring a formal charge. They simply declared that Jesus was an evildoer. They wanted Pilate to pronounce judgment on Him. They had already decided that He was guilty and all they wanted was Pilate’s endorsement on their verdict! The Jews were obviously trying to force the hand of Pilate. They had already succeeded to some extent, by refusing to enter into the Praetorium. Pilate had already indicated weakness by acceding to their request!

Pilate tried hard to gain back lost ground. He retorted,

“You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”
John 18:31a

This was a clumsy attempt to throw out the case against Jesus. No formal charge had been pressed! Therefore the trial could not even proceed! Pilate should have (and he would have been legally right to do that) thrown out the case against Jesus!

The Jews sensing that the tide could turn against them pressed harder.

“It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”
John 18:31b

Again, there was no formal charge pressed! The Jews only declared that Jesus deserved the death penalty! He was simply called, “an evildoer” and that was supposed to suffice!

AN IMPORTANT THEOLOGICAL COMMENT

As John wrote his Gospel, he could not help but add this comment.

“… that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled
which He spoke, signifying by what death
He would die.”
John 18:32

Right from the start, Jesus knew exactly how He would die. In a conversation with Nicodemus Jesus said,

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up …”
John 3:14

Those words must have sounded cryptic and impossible to understand until now. If the Jews wanted Jesus to die at the hands of the Romans, it would be by crucifixion! He would be literally lifted up for all to see!

On another occasion, Jesus spoke to the Jews, some of whom could have been members of the Sanhedrin Council,

“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know
that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself;
but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.”
John 8:28

Again, those words taken by themselves would not have meant very much to the hearers. But read in the context of Jesus at the Praetorium, with a Roman crucifixion in the background, those words took on new meaning.

On a third occasion, Jesus once again spoke of how He would die.

‘”And I, if I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He
said, signifying by what death He would die.”
John 12:32-33

Everything became much clearer, the trials before Annas and Caiaphas and the present trial before Pilate. Things were moving to its destined end! Jesus would die at the hands of the Romans. Only they had the power to sentence someone to death. Only they had the power to execute someone by crucifixion. What was initially only a cryptic saying had now become clearer.

Jesus had known all along that He would die, not at the hands of the Jews, but at the hands of the Romans! He was destined to die thus. But His death had a great significance! He said that by His death He would draw many to Himself! Those who would come to know Him through the preaching of the Gospel would be drawn to Him in faith and love!

The trials of Jesus were a mockery of true justice. However, they fitted into God’s plan of salvation. It was sad but necessary for Jesus to undergo all these trials and to suffer as He did. This was part of the atonement-plan of redemption for man’s sins!