John 18:28-32 28Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ place to the praetorian. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the praetorian so that they would not be defiled but could eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?” 30They answered and said to him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31Then Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not permitted for us to put anyone to death.” 32This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was about to die.
John does not record what happened with Caiaphas after Jesus was taken to him, though we get details in Matthew 26:59-68. It is possible that Caiaphas’ house was next to or near Annas’. The Jewish elders, with the help of the soldiers, took Jesus to the praetorium, which was the headquarters for the commanding officer of a Roman military campus or the headquarters of the Roman governor. In this case, Pilate was present to oversee the activities surrounding the Passover, likely to make sure everything remained peaceful, so it was his headquarters to which they took Jesus. John notes that it was early morning, possibly as the sun was rising around 6 am. Jesus had been up all night being interrogated and abused by the Jewish leaders. The Jews did not want to defile themselves by entering a Gentile building, so they waited outside in the courtyard. John may have added this note to build on the misguided religiosity of the Jews seen throughout this book. The Jews cared more about their human interpretations and regulations than about God’s truth revealed in the Messiah.
The short dialogue in the next verses reveals the real goal of the Jews. The reader is introduced to Pontius Pilate, who was the governor of Judea AD 26-37. Pilate has become known in history as fickle and abusive, ruthlessly putting down protests (such as Luke 13:1). Pilate’s question was simply stated, but undoubtedly, he knew about the situation or had heard of Jesus, if he was doing his job well and since Roman soldiers were part of the arrest in the garden. He wanted to know what charges the Jews had against Jesus. He had to walk a fine line because of Jesus’ popularity and the fuse of the Passover feast that could quickly ignite and create problems for the Romans.
The Jews’ response was weak and almost an excuse. It could even be taken as an insult to Pilate. Why would they be waking him up at dawn if this matter was not important? Their intent and motives come out in verse 31 because they wanted to put Jesus to death. They were out for blood. Pilate’s response is a bit surprising since he did not want anything to do with it. He thought it was a Jewish matter that did not concern the Romans. That they wanted the death penalty put the matter at another level. This was not just a religious squabble; it was a matter of national security. The Romans had reserved the right of execution for themselves. It was a significant power to keep over the heads of the Jewish people.
John’s last comment indicates that all these events, especially Jesus’ death, was part of God’s plan. Jesus had already predicted what would happen to him. The disciples could look back and recall all his comments about death and the cross. Grace shines through each event in this chapter as Jesus faced increasing adversity and hatred yet kept his focus on the Father’s will for him. He intentionally went to the cross although it could be interpreted that the Jews and later the Romans all had a part. They were only fulfilling God’s plan in their freewill decisions to try and condemn Jesus.
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