23 Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor.2 They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
4 Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”
5 Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”
6 “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. 7 When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.
8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)
13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent.15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty.
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The trial was a mockery as the religious leaders lied over and over again. Jesus is silent for all of this was part of the plan. There are four groups in this account.
1. Religious leaders — All liars
2. Pilate – Coward
3. People – Fickle
4. Jesus – Resolute!
Satan was certainly at work in the first three as they did his bidding, and seemingly was about to defeat Jesus. There’s really no other way to explain the fickleness of the crowd.
But I am still struck by Jesus’ warning to the disciples–”Pray so that you will not give in to temptation.”