Three times the Gospel
writers tell us that Pilate stated he could find no fault, no aiton (Greek), no
legitimate cause of death, in this Man (Lk. 23:4,14,22; Jn. 18:38; 19:4,6). This is the problem. Pilate didn’t fall for the ploy of the high
priest to say that Jesus was challenging the Roman Empire claiming to be a
king. Neither did Herod (Lk.
23:15). Pilate is fully aware that the
Jews are not motivated by any love for Caesar but by envy (Mt. 27:18).
Pilate is further
beset by the fact that his wife had trouble sleeping, having nightmares because
of Jesus. Her assessment, have nothing to do with that just Man,
rings true with Pilate’s assessment. And
then there is the issue of peace: it is Passover and if he disses the Jewish
leaders with the additional tens or even hundreds of thousands of people in
town he could be in real trouble with the Emperor. What can he do?
One possibility came
to Pilate’s mind. It was traditional for
him to release a prisoner at Passover time, an act of good will towards the
Jews. They could make the choice. If he presented Jesus and Barabbas surely
they would have enough sense of morality to choose the rabbi over the
murderer. But such was not the
case. Being persuaded by the chief
priests, the crowd asked for Barabbas to be released and Jesus to be destroyed by
crucifixion. When Pilate saw that … a tumult was rising (Mt. 27:24), wanting to gratify the crowd (Mk.
15:15), washed his hands before the
multitude (Mt. 27:24), proclaiming his innocence.
Barabbas became a free
man. He just had to get up and walk out
of his prison. Someone Else died in his
place, Someone Else who was without fault. This exchange
became a most powerful picture. Someone
Else who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).
Through Someone Else God justifies the ungodly and when we
believe in Him, our faith is accounted for righteousness (Ro. 4:5). That
just Man, as Pilate’s wife called Him, was numbered with the transgressors
(Isa. 53:12).
So Pilate delivered Jesus to their will (Lk.
23:25). That word delivered is used of Judas who betrayed (delivered up) Jesus to the
leaders (Mt. 26:15), of the leaders who delivered up Jesus to Pilate (Mt.
27:2), and of Pilate who delivered Jesus up to the soldiers to be crucified
(Mt. 27:26). But know this as well: God did
not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all (Rom.8:32).
There is no denying
the culpability of the Jews and the Romans and you and me in this; Pilate gave
Jesus up to the evil will of men. But
there is no denying this was the will of our gracious, loving Father. To go back to where we started today: Pilate
could find no fault, no criminal cause of death, in Jesus. But Heb. 5:9 uses the same Greek word to tell
us that Jesus, by His death, became the
author (same Greek word, the cause of
death) of eternal salvation to all
who obey Him. He calls us today to
the obedience of faith!
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