On Trial Before Pilate

²⁸Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate went out to them and asked, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" ³⁰They answered him, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." ³¹Pilate told them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death." ³²This happened so that the word Jesus had spoken would be fulfilled, indicating what kind of death he was going to die. ³³Pilate went back into the headquarters, called for Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" ³⁴Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" ³⁵Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" ³⁶Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from here." ³⁷Pilate said to him, "So you are a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth hears my voice." ³⁸Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After saying this, he went back out to the Jews and told them, "I find no fault in him at all." ³⁹"But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?" ⁴⁰They all cried out again, saying, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber. Chapter 19¹So Pilate had Jesus taken and whipped. ²The soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, then dressed him in a purple robe. ³They kept coming up to him and saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and they struck him with their hands. ⁴Pilate went outside again and told them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you so that you may know that I find no fault in him." ⁵Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Look at this man!" ⁶When the chief priests and officers saw him, they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate told them, "You take him and crucify him yourselves, because I find no fault in him." ⁷The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law he deserves to die because he made himself the Son of God." ⁸When Pilate heard this, he became even more afraid. ⁹He went back inside the judgment hall and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰Pilate said to him, "You won't speak to me? Don't you know that I have the authority to crucify you and the authority to release you?" ¹¹Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin." ¹²From that point on, Pilate tried to release him. But the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar! Anyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!" ¹³When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement — in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴It was the day of preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews, "Look at your King!" ¹⁵But they shouted, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Should I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." ¹⁶So Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. They took Jesus and led him away.