Jesus Before Pilate(A)

11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”(B)

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.(C) 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”(D) 14 But Jesus made no reply,(E) not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner(F) chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus[a] Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”(G) 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat,(H) his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent(I) man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream(J) because of him.”

20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.(K)

21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”(L) Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar(M) was starting, he took water and washed his hands(N) in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”(O) he said. “It is your responsibility!”(P)

25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”(Q)

26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,(R) and handed him over to be crucified.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 27:16 Many manuscripts do not have Jesus; also in verse 17.

And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation.(A) He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar(B) and claims to be Messiah, a king.”(C)

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So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

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18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”(A) 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”(B)

23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

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29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.(A)

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace,(B) summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”(C)

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom(D) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.(E) But now my kingdom is from another place.”(F)

37 “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.(G) Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”(H)

38 “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.(I) 39 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’?”

40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.(J)

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified(K)

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.(L) The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”(M) And they slapped him in the face.(N)

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out(O) to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”(P) When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe,(Q) Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him.(R) As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”(S)

The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die,(T) because he claimed to be the Son of God.”(U)

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace.(V) “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.(W) 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.(X) Therefore the one who handed me over to you(Y) is guilty of a greater sin.”

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king(Z) opposes Caesar.”

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat(AA) at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic(AB) is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation(AC) of the Passover; it was about noon.(AD)

“Here is your king,”(AE) Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.(AF)

The Crucifixion of Jesus(AG)

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

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