Priests Cry Out for Crucifixion Before PilateBible World
19:7John 19:7
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
In the judgment hall of the Roman trial, after Pilate repeatedly declared he found no fault in Jesus, the Jewish leaders answered by invoking their own law to demand His death because He made Himself the Son of God, a blasphemy charge distinct from the rebellion charge they pressed to secure condemnation by Rome. The claim startled Pilate and made him more afraid, so he withdrew into the hall to question Jesus about His origin, wondering if He was divine while still ignorant of His mission. The claim was true, for He openly asserted His divine character as the Son of the living God clothed in humanity, with His divinity attested by prophecies, teachings, and miracles whose light exposed their error. Yet they rejected that light from hatred, envy, and malice, exalting human customs and traditions above God's commandments while keeping ceremonial strictness, so their guilt in condemning the innocent was greater than that of Pilate, Herod, or the soldiers who acted in comparative ignorance. In using their law to press the civil power to kill an innocent man they set human law above God's law, a union of church and state that will be repeated in the last days when courts declare by human law that commandment-keepers ought to die for refusing the Sunday idol in place of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.
Trial Setting and Charge
The setting is the Roman trial in the judgment hall, where Jewish officials brought Jesus to Pilate to have the Sanhedrin's sentence confirmed and executed. There He was condemned and humiliated before the crowd that called for His crucifixion, an ordeal for which the disciples had been prepared so that the rejection and the fickleness of those who had once followed Him would not take them wholly by surprise.
After Pilate repeatedly declared that he found no fault in Jesus and recognized Him as innocent, the Jews answered by invoking their law to demand His death because He made Himself the Son of God. This blasphemy charge under their law was distinct from the separate charge of leading a rebellion intended to secure condemnation by the Romans. Their appeal to law and religious zeal was pressed even after Pilate had pronounced Him innocent, and it masked envious hatred.
The charge startled Pilate and made him more afraid, driving him back into the judgment hall to question Jesus about where He came from. He wondered whether Jesus was a divine person, though he had no clear understanding of Christ or His mission. He was moved by Jesus' noble bearing despite suffering, and he tried to wash his hands of the blood of a just person. Pilate's wife heard this accusation in her dream and recognized Jesus as the Prince of God, also seeing the events of His trial, crucifixion, and return in glory.
Though declaring before the scornful accusers that He was without fault, Pilate for his office's sake gave Him up to have spikes driven through His hands and through His feet and to be hanged upon the cruel cross while He was derided. As He was delivered to the people to be crucified the chief priests and elders ridiculed His claim to be the Son of God.
Rejecting the Divine Son
Those who pressed the demand for death had unmistakable evidence of divinity in fulfilled prophecies, in teaching, and in miracles. That light exposed their darkness and error, yet their hearts were hardened against Him even while He suffered at their hands.
The charge grew out of hatred, envy, and malice. Religious zeal exalted customs, traditions, and human commandments above God's true commandments. Appeal to law and strict concern to avoid ceremonial defilement masked envious hatred and deliberate rejection of received light. It served Satan's purpose to destroy the image of God, and shows how human rules can be used as a pretext for opposing God while traditions are carefully observed.
His claim was true, for He openly asserted His divine character and the prerogatives of the Son of God before His judges. He is the Son of the living God whose divinity was clothed in humanity, the One who founded their religious system. Though condemned as a blasphemer, He bore abuse without retaliation and looked forward to coming in glory when they would face His judgment.
In rejecting that light they acted directly against God's Word with no real evidence, treating the pure and innocent Christ as a criminal and willingly condemning the innocent. Their guilt and responsibility were therefore greater than Pilate's, Herod's, or the Roman soldiers', who were comparatively ignorant.
Their appeal to law stands condemned by their own law-breaking, for Caiaphas in rending his priestly robe in pretended passionate zeal transgressed the law of heaven. No priest might remove his turban or rend his robe under penalty of death, because only perfection in dress and attitude and spirit could represent the holiness and perfection of the heavenly service. Christ, who made the laws governing the Temple service, could have turned the legal charge back upon Caiaphas as the true lawbreaker. The death sentence pronounced on Christ applied truthfully to Caiaphas himself, who by law deserved to die for his own sinful guilt and hypocrisy. Christ knew the hypocrisy dwelling in his soul while the robe was torn, and mourned over his transgression as over every human transgression and bore even his guilt.
In Him the Passover type met its antitype when He was killed. He remained sinless and faithful to His Father through the cross, proving false Satan's claim that God's law could not be kept. His death also disproved Satan's charges against God and vindicated God's willingness to make the greatest sacrifice for humanity. The shame and suffering He endured cancel the debt of every sinner who relies on His merits and virtue.
Pattern for Final Persecution
The cry for death by law shows religious leaders pressing civil power to kill an innocent man after the Roman judge had found no fault in Him. They set their own law above the law of Jehovah and trampled God's holy law underfoot while God's law was despised. It is union of church and state producing religious bigotry and oppression, the same pattern as Nebuchadnezzar making a golden image for all to worship. In this way human authority and human laws shaped by evil can be raised against God's law to oppose God and to punish those loyal to Him.
The same words and charge will be repeated over and over in the last days of earth's history against God's commandment-keeping people for the truth's sake. Then human laws will be exalted above God's law, with human law held supreme and God's law counted as nothing. Courts will favor those who obey human law and will declare by their law that the faithful ought to die. They will demand sacred observance of the Sunday idol and idol sabbath in place of God's holy Sabbath of the fourth commandment. In the courts injustice will prevail against those loyal to the commandments, judges will refuse to listen to their reasons because arguments in favor of the fourth commandment are unanswerable yet condemn them by human law, those who respect human law will be favored, and those who will not bow will have no favors shown them.
Christ's followers must therefore be prepared for similar persecution under laws framed as serving good. Their appeal to human rules as a pretext for opposing God while carefully observing traditions shows how deliberate rejection of light can condemn the innocent. Those who live then will know tribulation in the world with peace in Christ.
In the judgment hall of the Roman trial, after Pilate repeatedly declared he found no fault in Jesus, the Jewish leaders answered by invoking their own law to demand His death because He made Himself the Son of God, a blasphemy charge distinct from the rebellion charge they pressed to secure condemnation by Rome. The claim startled Pilate and made him more afraid, so he withdrew into the hall to question Jesus about His origin, wondering if He was divine while still ignorant of His mission. The claim was true, for He openly asserted His divine character as the Son of the living God clothed in humanity, with His divinity attested by prophecies, teachings, and miracles whose light exposed their error. Yet they rejected that light from hatred, envy, and malice, exalting human customs and traditions above God's commandments while keeping ceremonial strictness, so their guilt in condemning the innocent was greater than that of Pilate, Herod, or the soldiers who acted in comparative ignorance. In using their law to press the civil power to kill an innocent man they set human law above God's law, a union of church and state that will be repeated in the last days when courts declare by human law that commandment-keepers ought to die for refusing the Sunday idol in place of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.
Trial Setting and Charge
The setting is the Roman trial in the judgment hall, where Jewish officials brought Jesus to Pilate to have the Sanhedrin's sentence confirmed and executed. There He was condemned and humiliated before the crowd that called for His crucifixion, an ordeal for which the disciples had been prepared so that the rejection and the fickleness of those who had once followed Him would not take them wholly by surprise.
After Pilate repeatedly declared that he found no fault in Jesus and recognized Him as innocent, the Jews answered by invoking their law to demand His death because He made Himself the Son of God. This blasphemy charge under their law was distinct from the separate charge of leading a rebellion intended to secure condemnation by the Romans. Their appeal to law and religious zeal was pressed even after Pilate had pronounced Him innocent, and it masked envious hatred.
The charge startled Pilate and made him more afraid, driving him back into the judgment hall to question Jesus about where He came from. He wondered whether Jesus was a divine person, though he had no clear understanding of Christ or His mission. He was moved by Jesus' noble bearing despite suffering, and he tried to wash his hands of the blood of a just person. Pilate's wife heard this accusation in her dream and recognized Jesus as the Prince of God, also seeing the events of His trial, crucifixion, and return in glory.
Though declaring before the scornful accusers that He was without fault, Pilate for his office's sake gave Him up to have spikes driven through His hands and through His feet and to be hanged upon the cruel cross while He was derided. As He was delivered to the people to be crucified the chief priests and elders ridiculed His claim to be the Son of God.
Rejecting the Divine Son
Those who pressed the demand for death had unmistakable evidence of divinity in fulfilled prophecies, in teaching, and in miracles. That light exposed their darkness and error, yet their hearts were hardened against Him even while He suffered at their hands.
The charge grew out of hatred, envy, and malice. Religious zeal exalted customs, traditions, and human commandments above God's true commandments. Appeal to law and strict concern to avoid ceremonial defilement masked envious hatred and deliberate rejection of received light. It served Satan's purpose to destroy the image of God, and shows how human rules can be used as a pretext for opposing God while traditions are carefully observed.
His claim was true, for He openly asserted His divine character and the prerogatives of the Son of God before His judges. He is the Son of the living God whose divinity was clothed in humanity, the One who founded their religious system. Though condemned as a blasphemer, He bore abuse without retaliation and looked forward to coming in glory when they would face His judgment.
In rejecting that light they acted directly against God's Word with no real evidence, treating the pure and innocent Christ as a criminal and willingly condemning the innocent. Their guilt and responsibility were therefore greater than Pilate's, Herod's, or the Roman soldiers', who were comparatively ignorant.
Their appeal to law stands condemned by their own law-breaking, for Caiaphas in rending his priestly robe in pretended passionate zeal transgressed the law of heaven. No priest might remove his turban or rend his robe under penalty of death, because only perfection in dress and attitude and spirit could represent the holiness and perfection of the heavenly service. Christ, who made the laws governing the Temple service, could have turned the legal charge back upon Caiaphas as the true lawbreaker. The death sentence pronounced on Christ applied truthfully to Caiaphas himself, who by law deserved to die for his own sinful guilt and hypocrisy. Christ knew the hypocrisy dwelling in his soul while the robe was torn, and mourned over his transgression as over every human transgression and bore even his guilt.
In Him the Passover type met its antitype when He was killed. He remained sinless and faithful to His Father through the cross, proving false Satan's claim that God's law could not be kept. His death also disproved Satan's charges against God and vindicated God's willingness to make the greatest sacrifice for humanity. The shame and suffering He endured cancel the debt of every sinner who relies on His merits and virtue.
Pattern for Final Persecution
The cry for death by law shows religious leaders pressing civil power to kill an innocent man after the Roman judge had found no fault in Him. They set their own law above the law of Jehovah and trampled God's holy law underfoot while God's law was despised. It is union of church and state producing religious bigotry and oppression, the same pattern as Nebuchadnezzar making a golden image for all to worship. In this way human authority and human laws shaped by evil can be raised against God's law to oppose God and to punish those loyal to Him.
The same words and charge will be repeated over and over in the last days of earth's history against God's commandment-keeping people for the truth's sake. Then human laws will be exalted above God's law, with human law held supreme and God's law counted as nothing. Courts will favor those who obey human law and will declare by their law that the faithful ought to die. They will demand sacred observance of the Sunday idol and idol sabbath in place of God's holy Sabbath of the fourth commandment. In the courts injustice will prevail against those loyal to the commandments, judges will refuse to listen to their reasons because arguments in favor of the fourth commandment are unanswerable yet condemn them by human law, those who respect human law will be favored, and those who will not bow will have no favors shown them.
Christ's followers must therefore be prepared for similar persecution under laws framed as serving good. Their appeal to human rules as a pretext for opposing God while carefully observing traditions shows how deliberate rejection of light can condemn the innocent. Those who live then will know tribulation in the world with peace in Christ.