Well looking back to where we left Jesus last time, His appearance before Caiaphas was pretty much a non-event, according to John's Holy Spirit-inspired account. As we saw when taking a peek back at chapt. 18, Caiaphas had already condemned Jesus, without even hearing Him. And also, being a Roman appointee to the rotating office of High Priest, just as Herod seems to have been a Roman appointee as king (who is not even mentioned by John), his role was insignificant in any case. So we read in vs. 28 how they next led Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate, taking care not to enter the hall themselves (in order to avoid defilement!).
Isn't it interesting that although Jesus' disciples could not watch with Him one hour, His tormentors harrassesd Him all night long! Think of our own day, when modern Believers will attend a sporting event and sit for hours, cheering, and laughing and fellowshipping without complaint, while they begin to get fidgety after only 40 minutes of preaching! How casually...nonchalantly, we take the One we profess to be the best Love of our lives, while His enemies would not rest until they saw Him crucified!
Remember, that judgement hall was Gentile territory, and they had no intention of "defiling" themselves just on the very eve of Passover, even though they would soon have the blood of their Christ on their hands. What irony... anxious to have Jesus tried and convicted and put to death by the Romans, but hoping to avoid getting their own hands dirty in the whole revolting process. That's just how unsound religion is, without the blessing of a changed heart.
Jesus knew them well, as it's recorded by Matthew that, at an earlier point in His ministry, He had laid charges of His own...“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Whited sepulchers, full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleaness. Instead of righteousnss, full of hypocrisy and iniquity!" And here they were, engaged in carrying out a murder, and concerned for the risk of defilement! Hard hearts and stiff necks; blind guides indeed, the rulers of religion!
You know, we still have our modern day religionists, less concerned for the teaching of Scripture-truth than about PA and projection systems; less about Godliness and holiness and a working love for others, than about the pride of self, and of worldly pursuits! Less about a daily walk in the shadow of Jesus than a daily workout at the gym. Some even "straining at a gnat", but easily and willingly, "swallowing a camel"!
We can see that the Jews were hung-up on ritualism, and it was their ritualism that drove them to murder their Messiah. And our rituals can just as easily take priority in the lives of Believers today, if we're not fully aware of the signs. After all, people are more important than programs, and Bible teaching, than entertainment. And seeking God's approval than even the approval of the local church; and giving our first and last thought for the things of the Lord, rather than the things of this world, and of the flesh, and of the devil.
And that's exactly why those Chief Priests gave the order to turn Jesus over to the Roman authority, on the doorstep rather than the inner sanctum, forcing Pilate to come outside, to them. Remember, there was a pretty large delegation of them...scribes, elders, priests and all the council, along with a Pharisee or two for good measure. So Pilate went out, and we read his words there, as John has recorded them, in vs. 29.
So Pilate set the wheels in motion to begin the process for a real, live Roman crucifiction. But the Jews were not in the least impressed...saucy, in fact. You see, like any modern court, Rome required an indictment, and the Jews had nothing to offer. In fact, there never was a proper charge against their King; He went to the cross solely as a substitute...for Barabbas, and for us! The indictment was against us, not Jesus; we were the guilty party, not the sinless Son of God!
But see the pride in these religionists; they had refused to give Pilate a proper answer to this most critical question... "Of what is this man accused?" And their reply? "If he were not an offender we would not have brought him to you!" Luke records that when pressed, they replied, "We found him misleading our nation, refusing to pay taxes to Caesar, and presenting himself as the Christ, a king!" Of course, they had found nothing from their enquiries...they were merely repeating the false testimonies of false witnesses.
Well if the Jews weren't impressed by Pilate, neither was he impressed by them, as we'll see in vs. 39, "Take him then, and try him according-to your own law." He knew the reputation of their Sanhedrin, and how pharasaical the Pharisees were...a pack of rats, who couldn't even agree amongst themselves, and Pilate knew that too. That's exactly why the Roman occupation of their nation was largely, peaceful...because the religious leadership (being the governing body, traditionally) had simply given the land up, in order to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Rome, with themselves as the benefactors (see 11.48).
How easy it is to keep on passing the buck, when your own pride and your own position are on the line! So there has to be a lesson for us in here somewhere. The fact is, much of our time and talent is used toward ends that tend to shine a light on us. Often, we're blind, deaf and stiffnecked when it comes to discerning Truth, and when or if we eventually do, we're more likely to, like Adam, blame someone else and run for cover.
You may be thinking..."Now that's a pretty hard line to be drawing in my sand box!" But remember, Jesus was falsely accused, tried, convicted and crucified for standing on Truth. And His enemies were very real and very dangerous, and we must certainly know today that our calling is, as His! Keep a finger on your church's spiritual pulse (as well as your own!), and always remember that, regardless of the suffering that may come your way, as a Believer (if you are one), your responsibility is to our Great God...your Lord...your King, even if it leads to a cross, to bear.
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