Jesus On Trial

This answer then leads into Jesus explaining his ministry to Pilate (vs 37b-38a):

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. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’

‘What is truth?’ retorted Pilate.

• To paraphrase Jesus; “what is truth - you are looking at it!”

• ‘I was born and came into the world’ to demonstrate and speak the truth.

• If a person embraces my teaching, then they are believing the truth.

• Pilate replies: ‘What is truth?’

• From Pilate’s worldly perspective, as far as he knows, the only place you get truth;

• Is out of the sheath of a sword.

• Today people would say: “Out of the barrel of a gun”

Quote: Winston Churchill.

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.”

• Case in point: Pilate.

• He knows Jesus is innocent,

• He knows why the Jewish leaders handed him over to him.

• So Pilate wants rid of Jesus ASAP.

• So again he follows Roman procedure.

STEP FOUR: VERDICT (vs 38b)

• Stage four of the Roman code of criminal procedure: The Verdict.

• Verse 38b Pilate informs every one of his decision.

“With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him”

Ill:

• Alexander the Great was the famous conqueror of the ancient world,

• One day came across the philosopher Diogenes.

• Diogenes was staring attentively at a heap of bones.

• “What are you looking for?” asks Alexander.

• “Something that I cannot find” replied Diogenes.

• “And what might that be?” said Alexander.

• Diogenes replied:

• “The difference between your father’s bones and those of his slaves”

• TRANSITION: Diogenes point was a good one;

• The great and the weak, the rich and the poor, the wise and the foolish;

• People are basically all physically the same and end up that way.

• Pilate looked and examined Jesus;

• And here was one who was different.

• He did not just tell the truth, he was the embodiment of truth.

• Not only was he innocent of these false charges;

• But he was the innocent of any charge – he was the sinless Son of God!

Pilate found that Jesus had committed no crime so he informs every one of his decision:

“With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him”

• Now the normal course of action should be;

• The prisoner is released, but no so in this case.

• Pilate is well aware that the Jewish religious leaders are not going to settle for that;

• So he is forced to try something else.

Note:

• Between verses 38 and verse 39;

• An interval takes place that John the writer skips over.

• Dr. Luke in his gospel (Luke chapter 23 verses 6-12) tells us that;

• Pilate sends Jesus the Galilean to Herod the ruler of Galilee to deal with.

• Herod was also in Jerusalem at this time, he was there for the feast Passover.

• But…

• Herod could not get any answer from Jesus and so sent him back to Pilate.

• John does not record hat incident, but moves on to Pilates next action.