This weeks bible study lesson! Week 65: Matthew 27:15 – 31; Mark 15:6 -20; Luke 23:13 – 25; John 18:39, 40, 19:1 – 17 Pilate tells the Jews that he found no basis for a charge against Jesus. He tells them that they had brought Jesus to him saying that he/Jesus had been inciting a rebellion. He had examined Jesus and had found no basis for a charge against him. He tells them that Herod, too, hadn’t found basis for a charge against him. Pilate says that Jesus had done nothing to deserve death; therefore, he says that he would punish and then release him. He tells them that he could release Jesus in accordance with a custom they had wherein Pilate released a prisoner at the Passover. Pilate asks them if they wanted him to release ‘the King of the Jews.’ Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus to him out of envy. The elders and the chief priests had persuaded the crowd to ask for Jesus to be executed and for Barabbas to be released. So the crowd shouts back asking Pilate to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during an uprising against the Roman government. During this time, while Pilate is seated on the judge’s seat, his wife sends him a message saying that he shouldn’t have anything to do with Jesus – she says that she had suffered a great deal that day in a dream because of Jesus. Origen, an early church father, indicates that Pilate’s wife, Claudia Procula, converted to Christianity at a later time. Pilate releases Jesus to be flogged. His soldiers take Jesus into the Praetorium. They twist together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They also clothe him in a purple robe, spit on him and strike him in the face saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” Once more Pilate comes out to the Jews and tells them once again that he found no basis for a charge against Jesus. Jesus is brought out wearing the purple robe and the crown of thorns. Pilate says to them, “Here is the man!” The chief priests and the officials cry out, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate answers that they should take him and crucify him because he found no basis for a charge against him. The Jews insist saying that they had a law and according to that law Jesus had to die because he claimed to be the Son of God. Upon hearing this Pilate is even more afraid and goes back into the palace and asks Jesus where he came from. Jesus does not answer him. Pilate asks him why he/Jesus refused to speak to him. He asks Jesus if he/Jesus didn’t realize that Pilate had the power to either free him or crucify him. At this, Jesus answers Pilate saying that Pilate had no power over him if it had not been given to him from above. He goes on to say that the person who handed Jesus over to Pilate was guilty of a greater sin. From then on, Pilate tries to free Jesus but the Jews say that if Pilate let Jesus go, he/Pilate would not be a friend of Caesar because anyone who claimed to be a king was in effect opposing Caesar. When Pilate hears this he brings Jesus out and sits and the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (Gabbatha – Aramaic). It was about the sixth hour on the day of Preparation of Passover Week. Pilate says to the Jews, “Here is your king.” The crowd shouts, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate asks them if he should crucify their king to which the chief priests respond that they didn’t have a king other than Caesar. Pilate realizes that he was not getting anywhere and that there was an uproar starting. So he washes his hands in front of the crowd saying that he was innocents of Jesus’ blood and that they were responsible. At this, the people say that Jesus’ blood would be on them and their children. Finally Pilate hands over Jesus to be crucified. The soldiers take charge of Jesus. Jesus carries his cross and is taken to the place of the Skull (Golgotha in Aramaic). Week 66: Matthew 27:32 – 44; Mark 15:21 – 41; Luke 23:26 – 49; John 19:18 – 37 ______________________________________________________________________________ Why did Pilate succumb to the pressure of the Jews even though he had the power to release Jesus and was convinced that Jesus had done no wrong?* Historical accounts indicate that Pilate had trouble with the Jews right from the time he became the governor of Israel. Other governors, out of respect for the Jews, had never allowed the Roman soldiers to carry ensigns with the emperor’s effigy into Jerusalem. Pilate scorns this and his army carries the ensigns into Jerusalem at night when it was unnoticed. The Jews are enraged when they see the ensigns in the city. A group of them go to Caesarea to make a strong protest to Pilate; Pilate ignores their request to remove the ensigns. This goes on for five days. When the group renews its request on the sixth day, Pilate gives a signal to his soldiers who arise from an ambush, surround the people and threaten to kill them if they did not leave and return home. Pilate is surprised when the people lay down with their faces to the ground, ready to die if the ensigns were not removed. At this, Pilate orders the removal of the ensigns. After this, there comes a time when Jerusalem has a water shortage. Pilate decides to build an aqueduct to bring water to the city. However, he decides to use money from the temple treasury for this purpose. This results in opposition from the Jews. This time, Pilate does not give way. When a mob forms, he asks his soldiers to mingle with the crowd in plain clothes and put down any further opposition. When a riot begins, the soldiers fall on the mob, beating many to death and trampling others under foot. This insurrection is put down. Pilate puts down other uprisings in the same barbarous manner. One such instance is mentioned in Luke 13:1 where Pilate is said to have mingled the blood of certain Galileans with their sacrifices. The final outrage occurs when Pilate introduces the emperor’s shields in the palace of Herod in Jerusalem. The Jews make a complaint about this directly to Emperor Tiberius. The emperor is displeased; he rebukes Pilate and orders that the shields be removed. Based on the foregoing, it can be seen that Pilate did not want to displease the emperor. So he bows to the demands of the Jews even though he is convinced that there was no basis for a charge against Jesus. *- taken from ‘The Life and Teachings of Christ’ Volume 3, Gordon Lindsay
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 00:37:33 +0000
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