12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).
Most likely, under conviction, Pilate desired to set Jesus free and took pains to affect it. He could make nothing out of their charge of blasphemy and wished to let his Prisoner go. Pilate proposes to release Him but got nowhere with our Lord’s adversaries who fervently and staunchly clung to His demise. Therefore, we discover in our verses for today, the Jews heading for yet another tactic. They argued if Pilate were to release the Lord, he would not be a friend of Caesar and would be showing a great disloyalty towards him since Jesus had claimed to be a king. Jesus’ prior Words must have bolted through Pilate’s memory like an electric shock terrifying him. Luke records the following conversation between our Lord and Pilate:
3 So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. Luke 23:3 (NIV)
The Jews argument frightened the crowd pleasing Pilate to the core. Their words were not music to his ears by any means – indeed they probably sent shivers up his spine. He certainly did not want an unfavorable report to go to his boss, Tiberius, who sat on the throne at that time and who was known to be a cold, violent and very suspicious character. It was a dilemma for Pilate to be sure – was he going to show his loyalty to Rome or was he going to side with a despised Jew. He was the one who had to resolve it – he was the one who had to make the final decision. From that moment on all his hopes of letting our Lord go away unharmed were dashed to the ground. He simply had no intentions of being charged with neglect of the interest of Rome or of unfriendliness to Caesar. The case was now over in his mind. Pilate’s weak efforts to free an innocent Prisoner from unjust accusations were useless. He dared not oppose the demands of the blood-thirsty crowd. In Exodus we read God’s view on the subject of condemning the innocent:
7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. Ex 23:7 (NIV)
Interestingly, we also find in Proverbs that it is third on the list of seven of the things the Lord hates – not to mention the Jews were guilty of all seven in their handling of the Lord Jesus:
16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Prov 6:16-19 (NIV)
“Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness.” C.H. Spurgeon
“Those who bind up their happiness in the favour of men make themselves an easy prey to the temptations of Satan.” Matthew Henry
Pilate chose to side with the wicked and help those who hated the Lord – sadly for Pilate, sadly for us when we choose to do likewise. Judas came to this realization and Matthew records it:
1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. 2 They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. 3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4 "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility." 5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. Matt 27:1-5 (NIV)
Don’t ever think you will find lasting comfort in Satan or his minions, money or any other worldly treasure or the unredeemed – they will always be found wanting. I believe if Judas had turned to Jesus in lieu of the Jews He would have forgiven Him.
“Do not let the false delights of a deceptive world deceive you.” Clare of Assisi
Resolved to do the dirty, Pilate in great pomp and ceremony now sits down in the judge’s seat to condemn the Lord. He surrenders Him to the angry mob instead of surrendering himself to the Lord of all.