Chapter 20—Before Pilate
After Christ had been condemned by the judges of the Sanhedrin,
He was taken at once to Pilate, the Roman governor, to have the
sentence confirmed and executed.
The Jewish priests and rulers could not themselves enter the judg-
ment hall of Pilate. By the ceremonial laws of their nation, they would
become defiled by so doing, and thus be debarred from taking part in
the feast of the Passover.
In their blindness they did not see that Christ was the real Passover
lamb, and that since they had rejected Him, this great feast had for
them lost its meaning.
As Pilate beheld Jesus, he saw a man of noble countenance and
dignified bearing. No trace of crime was to be seen in His face. Pilate
turned to the priests and asked:
“What accusation bring ye against this man?”
John 18:29
.
His accusers did not wish to state particulars, and so were not
prepared for this question. They knew that they could bring no truthful
evidence on which the Roman governor would condemn Him. So
the priests called the false witnesses to their aid. “And they began to
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accuse Him, saying,
“We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give
tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ a King.”
Luke 23:2
.
This was false, for Christ had plainly sanctioned the payment of
tribute to Caesar. When the lawyers had tried to entrap Him in regard
to this very matter, He had said:
“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.”
Matthew 22:21
.
Pilate was not deceived by the testimony of the false witnesses. He
turned to the Saviour, and asked:
“Art Thou the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Thou sayest.”
Matthew 27:11
.
When they heard this answer, Caiaphas and those who were with
him called Pilate to witness that Jesus had admitted the crime of
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