John 19:10-12 (NIV)
“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
Pilate really had no idea of what to do about this whole Jesus situation. He was realizing that it was far more complicated than he had originally figured it to be. This was no matter of justice, but of political intrigue, and of dark plots to silence an innocent person who had merely become troublesome to the powers that be.
Jesus’ silence unnerved Pilate sparking his outburst: “Don’t you realize I have the power to either free you or to crucify you?” He was actually pleading with Jesus for help, hoping that He would give him something, anything that he could use to write an exoneration, enabling him to push back against the political pressure.
But Jesus’ eventual answer was not very helpful. Any power Pilate had in this situation he had only because God had given it to him. So, his threats were meaningless. He was only being carried along in the current of God’s plan, just like Jesus Himself was. The one who had the greatest sin, the greatest guilt, and therefore the greatest accountability in this whole situation was the high priest, Caiaphas, who had handed Jesus over to Pilate. Caiaphas, as the supreme religious leader of the Jewish people, should have known that Jesus Himself was legitimate, and that what He was teaching and what He was doing were all completely in line with God’s word and part of His plan. Then Jesus quit talking – there was nothing more to be said.
Pilate determined that he would play hardball to get the charges against Jesus dismissed as being without merit. But he was shocked and dismayed when the chief priests changed tactics as well. Their new line of offense was that Jesus, as the supposed Messiah, threatened to unite popular opinion against the Emperor, and was therefore an existential threat to the empire. If Pilate refused to act against that threat, he himself was an enemy of Rome, and these leaders would make sure that Rome heard all about it. The whole thing had gotten way out of hand!
Father, sometimes we try to fight against Your will because we don’t readily recognize it as Your will, and because the path seems to lead to dark and dangerous places. But You never promised us sweet and pleasant days if we follow You; You simply promised that You would be with us as we follow and obey (Matthew 28:20b). Help us to hear Your voice clearly, then to follow You wholeheartedly all the way to the end, so that we can see Your plan carried out fully and successfully in our lives. Amen.
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