John 19:9-11 - Where are you from?

19:9,10

Pilate’s reaction would indicate that he was fearful of the spiritual aspect, for he calls Jesus in and questions him, asking where Jesus was from. Jesus gave no answer. Pilate is amazed and probably insulted that Jesus gives no answer. He tells Jesus that he has authority to release Jesus or to crucify Him. If Pilate had wanted to release Jesus he could have done so, he did not legally need the consent of the Jews in order to do this. Pilate is acting out of fear.

19:11

Jesus is the only one who knows exactly what is going on. He does two things in this verse. First He tells Pilate that the true source of his authority is God, not the Roman authorities. This is true of all of us in any situation where we have authority. This does not mean we should not respect the human powers that have given us authority, but this must always be secondary to respect for God. So doing the right thing is the most important thing to do. Secondly, He tells Pilate that there is someone with greater guilt than Pilate. This almost certainly refers to Caiaphas the high priest. There are other alternatives. One is Judas, but that seems highly unlikely. Judas has actually played very little role in the affair. He is, in fact, a rather pathetic figure. I suppose it could be a reference to Satan, but that too seems unlikely. But why has Jesus told Pilate there is one more guilty than him? Perhaps it is just to enable Pilate to realise his true role in the whole situation.