19:4
Pilate then brings out Jesus to present Him to the crowds, saying “I find no guilt in Him”. Given that he has just had Jesus whipped, this seems rather strange to us, but there are two points to be made. The first is that times were different! Secondly, in light of what we have said on the previous verses, Pilate is saying how can this man possibly be a threat?
19:5,6
“Behold the man!” Jesus is brought out before the people. “Behold the man” is a mocking phrase, primarily mocking the Jews. Saying something like “how can you possibly think that this man is ‘king of the Jews’?”. The chief priests and other religious officers are not at all happy with this state of affairs, so they cry out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” Pilate tells them to do it themselves. Now Pilate knew full well that they did not have the authority to do that, but he is trying to make it clear that if Jesus is crucified it is the responsibility of the Jewish religious leaders, not the Roman authorities.
No comments:
Post a Comment