4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."
5 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."
6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
Here we have a classic case of the proverbial “passing the buck”! Not desiring of charging Jesus with wrong-doing and finding no basis for His guilt, Pilate was delighted to pass this “problem” of Jesus along to Herod. The chief complaint of the religious leaders and the teachers of the law against our Savior to Pilate was that He “stirred up” the people all over Judea. Indeed, He had stirred them up but not in riotousness but rather in righteousness. His call was to everything virtuous and praiseworthy. I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Philippians regarding this call for wholesome living:
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:8-9 (NIV)
“The Holy Spirit gives the soul a natural relish for the sweetness of what is holy and for everything that is holy as it comes into view. He also intensifies a dislike and disgust of everything that is unholy.” Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections
The call for those who follow Jesus was and still is one of honesty, reliability, and dignity. It is one who is worthy of respect, who conforms to God’s standards, and one who is wholesome and pure. It is one that promotes peace rather than conflict, and one who is positive and constructive rather than negative and destructive. It is no wonder that Pilate could find no basis for a charge against Him.
Jesus’ teaching turned the world upside down – it still does today does it not? His commands to us certainly go against what comes natural for us. The Sermon on the Mount is a perfect case in point. Jesus took the mere adherence to the letter of the law which is simply legalism and lengthened it with the law of love. The motivation behind the demonstration was a call to love – love of God and love of others. Jesus tells us the greatest commandment:
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31 (NIV)
This was a call to love God volitionally, comprehensively and wholeheartedly – a complete love of our hearts and our souls and our minds. Jesus stressed the comprehensive nature of the command. Jesus also added that we are to love our neighbor (a generic term for one that is nearby) as ourselves:
“The love a person has naturally for himself is not to focus solely on himself—a constant tendency—but should be directed equally toward others.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not like what they were hearing – set in their ways, unwilling to change or embrace our Savior’s call, they led others astray from the Truth becoming a stumbling block to them. Jesus addresses His sternest words to these religious leaders:
13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Matt 23:13 (NIV)
“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, You have brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see You in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Your glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Your stars shine; Let me find Your light in my darkness, Your life in my death, Your joy in my sorrow, Your grace in my sin, Your riches in my poverty, Your glory in my valley.” From: The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions