12. JESUS ACCUSED BEFORE PILATE Mark 15:1-5 (Matthew 27:1-2; Matthew 11-14; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38) 1 And straightway in the morning--The trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin had begun in the night preceding this "morning." the chief priests with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation,--Matthew (Matthew 27:1) says: "Took counsel against Jesus to put him to death." Luke (Luke 23:1) says: "The whole company of them rose up" together, and he was led away with their council. They desired now to make formally legal in daylight what they had hastily consummated in the illegal night and place. and bound Jesus,--Rebound him. He had probably been relieved of his fetters while shut up with the officers. They might have simply bound him more securely. and carried him away,--And delivered him up to Pilate. (John 18:12-24.) and delivered him up to Pilate.--Pilate was the sixth Roman procurator of Judea. He was the supreme authority in the province, but responsible to the governor of Syria. What a beginning for a feast day which celebrated an act of deliverance by God from death! They observe it by an act of deliverance of God's Son to death. The state has no business to meddle in religion. The church which invites it is apostate. The state has as much business to meddle in religion as the church or an individual Christian has to meddle in politics. There is no Bible authority for either. 2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews?--This question indicates that something had been said to Pilate by the Jews touching this point, or he would not have asked this question. This is clearly brought out by John who reports Jesus as saying to Pilate in answer to this question "Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee concerning me?" Jesus answered that he was king of the Jews, but explained to Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world, and for this reason was not a rival of any earthly kingdom in the sense of which the Jews would accuse him. It was this statement of Jesus in all probability which enabled Herod and Pilate to decide there was no fault in him. (Luke 23:14-15.) And he answering saith unto him, Thou sayest.--This was equivalent to "Thou sayest what is true." It was answering in the affirmative. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things.--[They were not present in the hall of trial, but laid the accusations against him before Pilate. To none of the accusations did he reply. To none of the questions did he answer save, "Art thou the Son of God?" "Art thou the King of the Jews?" To these he always responded, because they involved the great claims he came to establish; and the belief of these truths is the starting point to eternal life.] 4 And Pilate again asked him, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they accuse thee of.--[Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him (John 18:33);showing he went out to hear again or confer with the priests and the members of the Sanhedrin concerning the charges they made against him. When he returned he plied Jesus with the same question, showing this was the point on which they relied to extract the sentence of death from Pilate--that he was a rival of Caesar, and disloyal to the Roman government. Jesus, knowing he was prompted by these persons, asked: "Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee concerning me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests delivered thee unto me: What hast thou done?" (John 18:34-35.) Pilate questioned him as prompted by the Jews, and asked him to state his case. Jesus then answered: "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king, then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." Pilate is jealous of any one claiming to be a king, as he is the representative of Caesar the king. Jesus explains that his kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, else his servants would fight. He gave Pilate to understand he was in no sense a rival of Caesar, and that his servants would not engage in carnal war in his behalf. While he explained this to Pilate, against the many accusations of the Jews he answered nothing. It is thought "my servants" refer to the legions of angels at his command to deliver him if he should say the word. (Matthew 26:33.) If Jesus would not suffer his servants to enter into carnal warfare to establish and sustain his spiritual kingdom, then he certainly does not expect them to establish and sustain human governments by and through carnal warfare. If they could not fight to establish his own kingdom, surely they cannot to establish one for some one else. 5 But Jesus no more answered anything; insomuch that Pilate marvelled.--[He persisted in silence to all accusations of the Jews, so that Pilate wondered at his persistent silence. The charges were chiefly false, and he could have refuted them, but he resisted not evil. Only when his claims to be the Son of God and the king of the Jews in the high unworldly sense were questioned, did he speak. Luke (Luke 23:4-5) says Pilate at this time said: "I find no fault in this man. But they were the more urgent, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee even unto this place." Galilee was in Herod's jurisdiction. When Pilate heard this, he sent him to Herod, who was at Jerusalem at the time. Pilate believed him innocent; he did not wish to offend the Jews; so he thought to shift the responsibility to Herod. (Luke 23:8.) Herod was glad to see him--had long hoped to see him work a miracle. He questioned him in many words, but he answered him nothing. Chief priests and scribes vehemently accused him of many things. Herod, with his men of war, set him at naught, mocked him, dressed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him to Pilate. The same day Pilate and Herod are made friends together; they had been at enmity; but Herod found nothing worthy of death in Jesus. (Luke 23:15.) Jesus courted the favor of none of his judges.]