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Christ’s Trial Before the Roman Governor
431
Again Pilate asked, “What accusation bring ye against this Man?”
The priests did not answer his question, but in irritation said, “If He
were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up unto
thee.” When the Sanhedrin brings to you a man it deems worthy
of death, is there need to ask for an accusation against him? They
hoped to lead Pilate to accede to their request without going through
many preliminaries.
Before this, Pilate had hastily condemned to death men not
worthy of death. In his estimation, whether a prisoner was innocent
or guilty was of no special consequence. The priests hoped that
Pilate would now inflict the death penalty on Jesus without giving
Him a hearing.
But something in the prisoner held Pilate back. He dared not do
it. He remembered how Jesus had raised Lazarus, a man that had
been dead four days; and he determined to know the charges against
Him and whether they could be proved.
If your judgment is sufficient, he said, why bring the prisoner
to me? “Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law.” The
priests said they had already passed sentence on Him, but they must
have Pilate’s sentence to render their condemnation valid. What is
your sentence? Pilate asked. Death, they answered. They asked
Pilate to enforce their sentence; they would take the responsibility
of the result. Weak though he was in moral power, Pilate refused to
condemn Jesus until a charge had been brought against Him.
The priests were in a dilemma. They must not allow it to appear
that Christ had been arrested on religious grounds, for this would
have no weight with Pilate. They must make it appear that Jesus was
a political offender. The Romans were constantly on the watch to
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repress everything that could lead to an outbreak.
In their extremity the priests called false witnesses. “And they
began to 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.” Three charges, each without foundation.
The priests knew this but were willing to commit perjury.