John 18:31, commentary and pictures

Pilate told the Jewish leaders to take Jesus and judge Him according to their own law, and they answered that under Roman rule it was not lawful for them to put any man to death. They had already examined, tried and condemned Him, but their sentence could not take effect without Roman authorization, so they brought Him to Pilate to obtain a Roman condemnation and enforcement. Pilate refused to confirm their decision without a stated charge, exposing that they wanted him to approve the death sentence at once without proving the crime. This passing of power to impose and execute death from the Jews to the Romans placed final jurisdiction in Roman hands and set the course for Jesus to be sentenced to crucifixion, the Roman death He had foretold. If the Jews had held full authority they would have stoned Him, but dying by Rome under this limitation fulfilled the prophecy that He would be lifted up publicly on the cross as humanity's substitute and surety.

The Hearing Before Pilate

Pilate told the Jewish leaders to take Jesus and judge Him according to their own law. His direction exposed that they had brought Jesus to him to obtain a Roman condemnation rather than simply to have their own judgment enforced. They had expected him to confirm their decision without asking for the charge, and their inability to execute the sentence forced them to seek Roman action.

They answered that it was not lawful for them to put any man to death, acknowledging that under Roman rule they lacked authority to carry out a death sentence. Power to impose and execute death had passed from them to the Romans, so Rome held jurisdiction and the case had to be referred to Roman authority for a final decision. For that reason they brought Jesus before Pilate and asked him to judge the case under Roman authority, marking the handover of the case to Roman power.

They had already examined, tried, sentenced and condemned Jesus, but their condemnation could not take effect without Roman authorization and enforcement. Their aim was execution, so they needed Pilate to authorize it, to confirm the sentence, to ratify their judgment, and to take responsibility for carrying it out. They pressed Pilate to accept their judgment, answering only that they had tried Jesus by their law and found Him deserving of death.

Pilate refused to confirm their decision without a stated charge, intimating that if their judgment alone were enough there was no use in bringing the prisoner to him. This exposed that they wanted him to approve the death sentence at once without giving the particulars of the crime, for they had not planned to state the charge and had expected him to enforce their judgment without asking for it. His later decision to hand Jesus over made Pilate himself responsible for His condemnation, even though the leaders pressed him to accept their judgment and bear the responsibility. Jesus was thus brought before Pilate for legal condemnation even though the accusations against Him contradicted one another, no sin was proved against Him, and Pilate found no fault in Him.

Rome and the Prophesied Cross

Power to impose and carry out a death sentence had passed from the Jews to the Romans, so Rome held jurisdiction and the case had to be referred to Roman authorities for a final decision and ratification. The Jewish authorities acknowledged they lacked lawful authority to put any man to death, and Roman officers objected that they had tried Jesus and condemned Him to death contrary to Roman authority and, as they stated, Jewish law. The Sanhedrin could still examine a prisoner and pass judgment, but that judgment had to be ratified by Roman power. To secure execution they therefore needed a charge that the Roman governor would recognize as criminal.

The leaders hurried to secure trial and execution before Passover delayed proceedings for a week. They feared a week's delay would calm the mob's excitement, awaken the people's support for Jesus, and possibly lead to His release. This limitation left the execution to Roman authority and set the course for the kind of death Jesus had foretold. It meant He could be brought before Roman authorities and sentenced to crucifixion, a Roman form of execution.

If the Jews had possessed full independent authority they would have stoned Him on a false charge. Instead Roman crucifixion fulfilled the prophecy that He would be lifted up publicly on the cross, that the Son of man would be lifted up. The timing of His appearance under Roman rule, by which the leaders could influence Rome to issue His death warrant, made the cross possible. This timing served God's purpose by making the cross visible to all nations.

Substitute and Spiritual Conflict

John 18:31 belongs to the transfer of Jesus' case to Roman authority, when the Jewish leaders declared they had no lawful power to put any man to death and asked for judgment under Rome, placing His trial within the course of events that ended in crucifixion, the shameful death He bore as humanity's substitute and surety though no sin was proved against Him. That betrayal and condemnation in the judgment hall became part of the ordeal that tested His disciples, for the crowd's demand for His crucifixion could have overwhelmed followers whose faith was weak.

The verse shows Him standing in Pilate's judgment hall in the hands of a lawless mob whose hearts were filled with a violence that only Satan can inspire, exposing the depths of wickedness reached by beings He had created and loved so well that He left His heavenly home to come to earth in their behalf, that they should personate Satan in fighting against Him. Behind that hatred stood Satan, who hated Christ for His position in the courts of God, hated Him still more when he himself was dethroned, and hated Him for pledging Himself to redeem sinners, following Him from the manger to the cross striving constantly to gain the mastery over Him. He filled the hearts of the priests and rulers with hatred toward Jesus, and his agents disguised in the robes of priests and rulers joined hands with the lowest and most degraded in the effort to take the life of the Son of God.