“I Find No Fault in Him.”
Introduction: We are literally hours from the crucifixion as we open Luke 23 this morning. Last Sunday we followed Peter from the Last Supper to the court of the home of the high priest as the first part of the trial of Jesus was conducted. Though there are many key figures involved in this travesty of justice—Annas, Caiaphas, Herod, Barabbas—the one I have chosen to focus upon this morning is Pilate. Not only was he more involved in the trial of Jesus than the others, but his remarkable witness about the character of Jesus is especially valuable since it comes from one who was never one of his followers. One might be skeptical when one of Jesus’ friends claims he is innocent; but when the man who ordered his execution claims he is innocent, that has value in any court.
Pilate is riding the fast track to political power.
This is a man whose life is well-known in the pages of secular history, as well as the sacred text of Scripture. The Jewish historian Josephus writes much about him, as does Philo of Alexandria. And his name has been found on stone tablets recently excavated by archaeologists in Caesarea.
What we learn is that Pilate was a Roman citizen, born in Italy in approximately 1 BC, so he was a relatively young man in his early thirties when the events of Luke 23 took place. He was married, a member of the Equestrian class in Rome, and wealthy. His early career is unknown, but he must have held a series of civil and military appointments before being appointed governor of a province. The picture we get is definitely one of an ambitious young politician seeking to climb the ladder of political power and prestige.
Pilate was appointed as the fifth governor of Judea in AD 26 by the emperor Tiberius. His area of jurisdiction was Samaria, Judea, and as far south as Gaza and the Dead Sea. His functions combined military and administrative responsibilities, but the Jews were granted a fair degree of liberty and self-government. The Jewish religious leaders, in the form of the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, retained various judicial functions over their own people, but death sentences could not be carried out without permission of the Roman governor.
Because of political and religious problems, the Romans considered Judea one of their most difficult provinces to govern. On two occasions prior to the trial of Jesus, Pilate had experienced major conflict with the Jews. One occurred on Pilate’s very first visit to Jerusalem. He was accompanied by a large detachment of soldiers, each company of which carried its own banner or standard. On the top of each standard was a little bust in metal of the reigning Emperor, Tiberius. Since the Emperor was regarded as a god by the Romans, the Jews considered that little bust to be a graven image. They pleaded with Pilate to remove the images, but he refused, saying he would not pander to their superstitions.
When Pilate returned to his headquarters in Caesarea the Jews followed him and dogged his footsteps for five days, demanding an apology. Finally, he told them to meet him in the amphitheater, where he surrounded them with soldiers and threatened to kill them on the spot if they didn’t cease their demands. They called his bluff by baring their necks and bidding the soldiers to strike. Pilate knew he was beaten and acceded to their request. That is how Pilate’s tenure in Palestine began—not a very auspicious beginning.
A second confrontation occurred not long afterward. The Jerusalem water supply was inadequate, and Pilate determined to build a new aqueduct. When the necessary funds for the project could not be found, he raided the temple treasury, which resembled Fort Knox, reasoning that one of the main reasons why more water was needed was to help wash away the blood of 200,000 sacrifices a year. However, the Jews considered this appropriation of temple money to be sacrilegious, and they rioted. Pilate mingled his soldiers with the people in plain clothes, and at a given signal they clubbed and stabbed to death hundreds of Jews. This incident is mentioned by Jesus as a sermon illustration in Luke 13:1.
The confrontations just mentioned between Pilate and the Jews were really minor compared to his most troubling predicament—the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. Pilate happens to be in Jerusalem during Passion Week, probably because, with the population swollen to over one million people for Passover, tensions are high and there is always the potential for political unrest among the volatile Jews.
He is awakened in the early hours before dawn on the day before Passover by a mob which demands that he deal with a prisoner of theirs. The urgency is that they need to get his execution over before Passover, so they won’t “defile themselves.” The sheer hypocrisy of such scruples is striking.
Actually by the time Jesus is brought to Pilate’s Judgment hall, he has already gone through one kangaroo court. You will recall from last week that he was arrested about midnight in the Garden of Gethsemane and taken to the home of the high priest, probably Annas, the high priest emeritus, the godfather of the religious establishment. It was in the courtyard of that home that Peter denied Christ. From there he was sent on to Caiaphas, the ruling high priest. I want us to pick up the reading at that point in verse 63 of chapter 22 and we will continue our reading through 23:25:
The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” And they said many other insulting things to him.
At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “If you are the Christ, ” they said, “tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You are right in saying I am.”
Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.”
So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends–before this they had been enemies.
Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”
With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
It is daybreak when Jesus arrives at the Sanhedrin, where he acknowledges before all the chief priests and scribes that he is indeed the Son of God. Chapter 22 ends with all the religious leaders agreeing that he is guilty of blasphemy. All they need now is a civil trial so they can legally put him to death.
Jesus is brought to the palace of the Roman Governor, Pilate. Once again Jewish scruples surface, not allowing his accusers to enter the Gentile palace for fear of defiling themselves, for Passover had started at 6 p.m. the night before, and it is now very early in the morning. So Pilate comes out to talk to them and asks what their charges are against Jesus. We find them leveling four charges:
1. Misleading the nation
2. Opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar
3. Claiming to be Christ, a King.
4. Stirring up the people.
In response to these charges,
Pilate repeatedly declares Jesus “not guilty” of all charges.
For one thing, none of these charges are capital crimes under Roman Law. But in addition, Pilate can find no basis in fact for any of these charges. He declares in verse 4, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
This is the first of at least four and perhaps as many as seven declarations of innocence from this man Pilate, depending upon how one harmonizes the four Gospel writers. Right here in Luke 23 we have three other declarations of innocence, one in verse 14, another in verse 15, and the third in verse 22. Even Pilate’s wife asserts Jesus’ innocence: “while Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.’” (Matthew 27:19)
Now the point of bringing all of these declarations of innocence together is to not only to highlight the character of Jesus but also to eliminate any excuse from Pilate or the religious leaders who demanded Jesus’ execution. This is not a case in which the evidence is ambiguous, like the murder case the Post Dispatch has been featuring the past two weeks. This is a case in which the evidence is watertight, and it all points to the innocence of the defendant. Seeing this, …
Pilate tries every conceivable way to extricate himself from responsibility for Jesus’ death.
He simply refuses to approve the death penalty. (23:4). Following Pilate’s first declaration that Jesus is “not guilty,” he orders the Jews to deal with Jesus themselves. This is not obvious from Luke’s account, but we see it clearly in John 18:31: “Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.’ ‘But we have no right to execute anyone,’ the Jews objected.” They want the death penalty and that can only be handed down by Roman authorities.
Pilate, realizing he is dealing with an irrational mob, suddenly sees a glimmer of hope. One of Jesus’ accusers mentions Galilee (Luke 23:6), and when Pilate hears this he asks if Jesus is a Galilean. The reason this is of such keen interest to him is that Galilee is outside his jurisdiction. Herod Antipas is the ruler over that region, and as luck would have it, Herod is in Jerusalem at this very time.
He turns Jesus over to Herod’s jurisdiction. (23:6-7) It is perhaps 6:00 in the morning when Jesus arrives bound at Herod’s residence. Though it is an ungodly hour, Herod is beside himself with happiness when he is told that Jesus is in the courtyard. Verse 8 says he is very glad because He has been wanting to see Jesus for some time, hoping to see a miracle.
But Jesus refuses to even speak to Herod. What could he say to this one who only wanted a demonstration of divine power? Jesus never refused a sincere questioner, but Herod is not in that class. And Jesus never ever performed a miracle just to titillate the skeptics. A song in Jesus Christ Superstar entitled “Try It and See,” addresses Herod. It is a blasphemous song, but that’s the whole point. Herod is speaking:
Jesus, I am overjoyed to meet you face to face,
You’ve been getting quite a name all around the place,
Healing cripples, raising people from the dead,
And now I understand you’re God, at least that’s what you’ve said.
So you are the Christ, you’re the great Jesus Christ.
Prove to me that you’ve divine — change my water into wine.
That’s all you need do and I’ll know it’s all true
C’mon King of the Jews.
Jesus, you just won’t believe the hit you’ve made round here.
You are all we talk about the, the wonder of the year.
Oh what a pity if it’s all a lie
Still I’m sure that you can rock the cynics if you try.
So, you are the Christ, you’re the great Jesus Christ.
Prove to me that you’re no fool, walk across my swimming pool
If you do that for me, then I’ll let you go free
C’mon, King of the Jews.
Herod was a blasphemous man and there are still those like him today who trifle with Jesus, calling him “the man upstairs” and using his name as their favorite curse word. It’s even blasphemous to call him a great teacher, if that’s as far as one goes. It’s a dangerous game.
Herod and his soldiers ridicule and mock Jesus, dressing him in an elegant robe, but Pilate’s hope that Herod will dispense with the case goes unrealized, for Herod sends him back to Pilate. In verse 16 Pilate makes his third attempt to avoid responsibility for Jesus’ death.
He suggests a compromise by offering to punish Jesus. (23:16) “I will punish him and then release him,” he says. One cannot help but think, “Why punish an innocent man at all?”, but Pilate is caught between a rock and a hard place. Flogging Jesus is better than executing him. Besides, he will probably tell his soldiers to pull their punches. But this, too, the Jews reject.
Pilate’s fourth attempt has to do with an unusual tradition among the Jews.
He offers to release Jesus as the “Passover Criminal.” (23:18,19) The Jews had a custom of releasing a criminal on the Passover holiday, as a gesture of kindness and celebration. The Apostle John tells us at the end of the 18th chapter of his Gospel that Pilate latches on to this custom as an opportunity to escape the dilemma he is facing. He can release Jesus, which he plainly wishes to do; but at the same time he can technically convict him, for only a convicted criminal qualified for the Passover release. Since he wouldn’t actually be acquitting Jesus, the Jews should be appeased.
But the scheme does not work. Even this apparently foolproof plan is totally frustrated when the Jews in their hateful frenzy yell, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” One cannot appreciate the significance of this without realizing that Barabbas is Public Enemy #1. He is an insurrectionist and a murderer, according to Matthew, Mark and Luke. Their request to have him released would be tantamount to people clamoring today for the release of Timothy McVeigh if given a choice between him and Billy Graham.
So again Pilate is foiled. His fifth attempt is found in verse 22:
Again he tries to compromise, ordering Jesus to be flogged and crowned with thorns to stir up sympathy. (23:22, John 19:1-5). The second offer to punish Jesus is found in Luke 23:22; the actual deed is recorded in John 19:1-5. When the Romans scourged a prisoner, they tied him to a whipping post in such a way that his back was fully exposed. The lash was a long, leather thong, studded at intervals with pellets of lead and sharpened pieces of bone. It literally tore a man’s back into strips. Few remained conscious through the ordeal; some died; many went stark raving mad. And as if being scourged weren’t enough, they shove a crown of thorns upon Jesus’ head, and hit him in the face. “Surely,” thinks Pilate, “surely this will satisfy these blood-thirsty mongrels,” failing to realize that the taste of blood would only send them into a greater demonic frenzy.
He parades the suffering Jesus before the crowd. When Pilate says to the crowd, “Here is the man!”(John 19:5), he uses an expression that in classical Greek means “the poor creature!” And I am convinced that Pilate’s purpose is to show them how ridiculous it is to think that this pitiful creature in the purple robe with blood streaming down his face could be any threat to them at all. But Pilate’s attempt produces the opposite effect intended, for when the chief priests and officers see Jesus they immediately cry out, “Crucify, crucify.” Failure again!
The sixth attempt to release Jesus is found in John 19.
After a troubling conversation with Jesus, he tries again to release him, but the Jews intimidate him by mentioning Caesar. (John 19:8-12)
These are the last words between Pilate and Jesus, and they are to me the most profound. Pilate asks Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus refuses to answer. Pilate therefore says to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” And Jesus answers with those profound words, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”
These are words that every king, every prime minister, every president, and every dictator should take to heart. All authority is God’s authority and he only delegates it to men. He can retract it whenever he chooses. These are also words which every persecutor of Jesus Christ and his Church should take to heart, whether communist, fascist, atheist, or humanist. These are also words which every unbeliever should take to heart. God is still in control and let his detractors never forget it, no matter how great their temporary authority or prosperity.
And these are words which every child of God should remember. No matter how great the opposition we face or how severe the trials, all authority has been given to Jesus Christ. We are on the winning side.
Following this conversation Pilate renews his efforts to set Jesus free, but the Jews pull out their trump card: “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” Now the wheels start turning in Pilate’s head. He knows well that his previous confrontations with the Jews have been reported to Tiberius Caesar. He knows that he is on probation and needs to have a clean slate from here on out. And he knows that Tiberius is a very insecure, jealous tyrant, who takes any report of a possible usurper to his authority seriously.
John tells us, “When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement.” This is where sentences were handed down. It is now 7 or 8 am and Pilate has wrestled over his dilemma for many hours. He has sought every means he could think of to avoid condemning this innocent man, but every step he has taken has been frustrated. But even now he desires to make one last effort to extricate himself from this responsibility.
Once more he tries to use shame and sympathy. (John 19:14,15). With Jesus standing before him at the Judgment Seat, Pilate says to the Jews, “Here is your King!” But they cry out,“Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate asks, “Shall I crucify your king?” And then the chief priests answer with what is surely one of the most incredible statements ever to come from Jewish lips: “We have no king but Caesar!” These are the same people to whom God gave the Ten Commandments, the first of which demands that we have no other gods before us. These are the same people who rioted just a few years earlier and put their lives on the line to remove little metal busts of Caesar from even appearing on a banner. Now they are crying out, “We have no king but Caesar.”
So far in this story our sympathy is completely with Pilate and our disgust is completely with the religious leaders of Israel. But you have heard it said that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Pilate’s intentions are honorable, but his actions turn out to be despicable.
Pilate condemns an innocent man while futilely declaring his own innocence. (23:24,25, Matt. 27:24,25).
Luke tells us in verse 24: “So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.” Listen to one final passage if you will, Matt. 27:24,25. The context is immediately prior to the release of Barabbas:
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
Pilate declared himself innocent, but it didn’t make him so. The fact remains that Pilate acceded to the condemnation of an innocent man. Perhaps his guilt is not as great as that of the Jews who clamored for Jesus’ death. In fact, Jesus himself said they were guilty of the greater sin (John 19:11). But “greater sin” on their part still implies “sin” on his. Friend, it may be that you have also judged Jesus guiltless. But if that’s all you have done, if you have not bowed your knee to him and put your faith in him, you have also acceded to his death.
There are many emotions which are conjured up at the mention of the name Pontius Pilate. One can feel anger or contempt or bitterness or scorn. But the emotion that wells up the strongest in my own heart is that of pity. Pilate to me is the most pitiful of all the characters in the New Testament. He is pitiful, first of all, because …
He pursues political expediency at the expense of truth. The threat of the loss of his position is more serious to him than the shedding of innocent blood. And I can’t help but see a parallel in our own day to politicians who, because of the desire to be re-elected, advocate abortion on demand, resulting in the shedding of innocent blood at the rate of over 1 million babies every year. What we desperately need are men and women in public office, in church office, and in the business world who are willing to defy and denounce the political pressures that abound at every level of our society, and to stand up for truth just because it is truth. Pilate is pitiful also because …
He seeks to alleviate his conscience through religious rite. The washing of the hands was a religious ritual of great significance to the Jews, according to Deut. 21:6-9. It seems that Pilate borrowed the custom here in an effort to salve his own conscience. But nothing is more worthless than a religious rite which has no reality of faith behind it. People are constantly trying to alleviate their consciences through baptism, church membership, good works, tithing, and countless other religious rites. And it counts for nothing with God if their hearts are not right with him.
One of the common tourist sites in Rome is the Scala Santa, or the Sacred Stairs of the judgment seat of Pilate. It is believed by many that these are the actual marble stairs, brought to Rome from Jerusalem, though there is not much historical support for that. The devout pilgrim who ascends these stairs on his knees believes he receives special merit and grace from God. But it was while he was in just such an act of devotion on these very stairs that Martin Luther, a pilgrim visiting Rome nearly 500 years ago, remembered the words of the book of Romans which afterward became the watchword of the Reformation: “The just shall live by faith!” He came to the important realization that the ritual means nothing without the faith.
Pilate is pitiful thirdly because …
He bargains for temporary rather than eternal security and loses both. Pontius Pilate desperately wants to keep his job as governor of Judea and decides that the best way to ensure that is to yield to the demands of the Jews. But secular history tells us that at the age of 36, less than two years after he ordered Jesus to be crucified, he was deposed as governor and ordered to return to Rome for the judgment of the Emperor, due to his rash conduct during still another confrontation with the Jews. Only the Emperor’s death while Pilate was en route to Rome spared him from certain execution. But strong early church tradition tells us he was banished to Gaul where he committed suicide. He had bargained for temporary security instead of eternal security and ended up losing both.
Pilate would never know it, but his would eventually become the most familiar name in all of Roman history. For uncounted millions in future ages, though knowing little or nothing about Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius or even Nero, would regularly confess, “I believe in Jesus Christ … who … suffered under Pontius Pilate.” A pitiful epitaph for a pitiful man.
Conclusion: What would God have us carry away from this examination of one man’s life today? I think the answer is found in the words of Jesus: “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world—popularity or job security or power or wealth or knowledge or family or friends—but lose his own soul?” The answer is “absolutely nothing.”
Jesus Christ, of whom Pilate himself said multiple times, “I find no fault in him,” offered his perfect life to pay for our sin, and through faith in him, and in him alone, your soul can be saved. Won’t you receive him as your Lord and Savior today?
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