Jesus the innocent pronounced Not Guilty for the second time
4 Pilate
went out again and said to them,
“See, I am bringing him out to you that
you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
Comment: We know from reading other gospels that the jews would not enter the courtyard of Pilate who was a gentile since they did not want to defile themselves for passover. It was a believe among the jews that entering a place of a gentile is to defile oneself. It is therefore Pilate who had to come out and meet them. Hence verse 4 above says that Pilate went out again. The verse says again because Pilate had already come out once in chapter 18:38 to tell them that he finds Jesus not guilty. So, he was coming out again and this time to present the heavily and severely beaten Jesus to the jews with the hope that they will feel sympathy and release Him. How do I know this? This is from reading other gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and even verse 12 of the current chapter confirms this. Pilate told them once again that he is bringing Jesus out so that they can know that he finds Him not guilty for the second time.
The Jews demands the Innocent Jesus crucified
5 So Jesus
came out,
wearing the crown of thorns
and the purple robe.
Pilate said to them,
“Behold the man!”
6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out,
“Crucify him, crucify him!”
Word Study: The word “Behold” is used to bring attention or to draw attention to something.
Comment: Having been severely beaten and mocked by the soldiers, Jesus was led out and presented to the jews. Pilate then brought the jews attention to Jesus who was standing infront of them beaten and mocked. The usage of the word “behold” was to really bring their attention to the severe beating that Jesus had received. Jesus must have looked very bad, swollen, bruised and bleeding. The jews would have also seen how Jesus had been mocked with a crown of thorns and a purple robe. Despite all this, the chief priest and officers still cried out that Jesus must be crucified. Nothing except the death of Jesus would have satisfied them. Although Pilate pronounced Jesus twice now as not guilty, this was rejected.
Message: What would it take for you to accept Jesus in your heart?
Jesus the innocent pronounced Not Guilty for the third time
Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves and crucify him,
for I find no guilt in him.”
Comment: Pilate was really mocking the Jews here since he knew that the Jews were not allowed to put someone to death themselves. They were forbidden by the Romans to do that. What is of note here is that once more Pilate, for the third time, pronounces Jesus as not guilty. Although having been found guilty not once but twice already by Pilate and once by Herod, Jesus was treated as though He was guilty. He was so far beaten very severely and mocked. Now, for the third time, He is again pronounced not guilty.
Message: He suffered for our sins although He was sinless. He lived a life that we are supposed to live, and died a death that we were supposed to die.
Jesus the Innocent crucified for who he actually is
7 The Jews answered him,
“We have a law,
and according to that law
he ought to die
because he has made himself the Son of God.”
Comment: A life that Jesus lived, the words that He spoke to the jews, the miracles that He performed, all pointed to only one thing and that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and God. This did not go down well with the jews and they rejected Jesus. As Jesus told them, they rejected Him because they could not accept the truth because they are of their father the devil who is a lair and has been a liar since from the beginning. How then could they recognize and accept the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. Since they rejected that Jesus is the Son of God, then they could then accuse Him of blasphemy and demand that he be crucified. It was indeed within Jewish law that whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord, must be put to death. Lev 24:16.
Message: So, when you reject Jesus and the Son of God, you agree that He is blaspheming the name of God and He deserved to die.