Jesus had caused an uproar in the temple and clashed with the religious authorities. His popularity was growing and vast crowds were following him. They needed to get rid of him, but a local dispute didn’t warrant execution. The high priest Caiaphas handed him over to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate on mocked-up charges, seeking his approval for Jesus' execution. Jesus’ silence left no option and Pilate swapped the criminal Barabbas for the innocent Son of God. From this place, Jesus walked 600 metres uphill to Golgotha for his crucifixion.
During the Passover festival in Jerusalem, Jesus had confronted the religious leaders and caused a massive stir in the temple. They were in uproar, so much so that they wanted him dead. The issue was, the Roman authorities wouldn’t execute a man over some local religious dispute.
When High Priest Caiaphas handed Jesus over to Roman governor Pontius Pilate, the accusation therefore had to be political. He falsely claimed that Jesus had declared himself king of the Jews, defying the Emperor’s exclusive right to appoint Jewish political leaders.
Caiaphas’ and his cronies’ plan worked. Given their influence on the people and ability to keep them under control, Pilate wouldn’t have wanted to alienate them. Despite procrastinating for as long as he could, he finally sentenced Jesus to crucifixion. The rest is (salvation) history: Jesus went to Golgotha, bearing the sins of the world.
We live in a world of uncovering skeletons. Everyone has something in their closet, and in a connected age it’s easier than ever to drag it into daylight. This makes Jesus even more remarkable. He lived with perfect integrity, there was nothing to hide. Even the most rigorous of examinations showed his record clean.
Pilate with nothing on Jesus had the power to free him, but Jesus made no defence. Jesus knew what had to happen; Isaiah had said it centuries earlier:
‘Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word.’ (Isaiah 53.7) This was the way things had to be. No word and no defence was necessary. Jesus made sure nothing was going to hinder him.
Jesus willingly exchanged himself for guilty Barrabas. What possibly could make someone do such a thing? The Bible says... only love. For sinful people to be made clean, a sinless man had to die in their place.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Read on, to find out more about the trial of Jesus
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