Sermon on John 18:28–19:16: The Trial of Jesus Before Pilate
A sermon delivered at Latimer church exploring the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate and the question of who we choose to listen to.
Summary
This is a sermon by Tim Capill, a pastor at Latimer church, preached on the occasion of baptisms and professions of faith. Working through John 18:28–19:16, Tim examines the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate, arguing that the central question of the passage — will Pilate listen to Jesus or to the crowd? — is the same question every person must answer. He contends that Jesus' death was not merely the result of corrupt human justice but was God's deliberate plan, with Jesus serving as the true Passover Lamb who dies in place of guilty humanity. The sermon closes with a threefold application: a choice about who to listen to, a challenge to make that choice daily rather than once, and a comfort that Jesus remains God's king despite all appearances to the contrary.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Introduction: Famous Trials in History
History is full of infamous trials and memorable court cases. One I came across recently — I watched a dramatised version with my wife — was the OJ Simpson trial. OJ Simpson, the NFL player who was charged with the murder of his ex-wife and her lover, and it was just a botched trial. Or in New Zealand, I think of famous trials like that of David Bain — people may remember David Bain in the mid-90s, charged with the murder of his whole family.
History is full of trials that are memorable, but surely there is no trial more famous or more memorable than the one we just heard read for us, which happened in the first century in the Middle East.
The Setting: Judge, Prosecutors, and Defendant
It's a proper court scene. There's a judge, there's a prosecutor, and there's a defendant. The judge is Pilate, known as Pontius Pilate. He was appointed as the governor of the region of Judea by the Emperor Tiberius, and he reigned over that region from AD 26 to AD 36. His job was to be the Roman presence in that place and to enforce Roman law and order over that region. He's our judge.
The prosecutors are the Jewish religious leaders. These were the men known in their society as the religious men, the Bible teachers, the churchgoers, if you like. They were God-fearing men. They've already had their own kind of kangaroo court where they've brought allegations against the defendant, and now they've taken the defendant up the chain to Pilate, the Roman governor.
And then of course there is the defendant — the man Jesus.
The trial happens, we're told, at Pilate's palace, at his home. But as you read the story, it's obvious that it's kind of happening in two places — inside the palace and outside the palace. Because if you look at verse 28, we're told that the Jewish people who brought Jesus to trial refused to go inside Pilate's palace. The reason they didn't want to go inside is because it would make them ceremonially unclean.
We don't quite get that — it's a totally different culture — but let me explain it briefly. To be unclean in Jewish culture meant they were unable to participate in the life of the nation in the way they normally would. The person they're coming to, Pilate, is not a Jew — he is what is called a Gentile. The rule was that if you went into the home of a Gentile person, a non-Jewish person, you would become unclean. And being unclean meant they were not allowed to eat the Passover meal, as we're told in verse 28.
The Passover Background
The Passover meal was a hugely significant festival that the Jews celebrated together every year. It marked the occasion when the nation was first formed as they were freed from slavery in Egypt. Some of you will know the story — perhaps you remember it from Sunday school — where God saves the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. What he does is send his angel of death throughout the land. As the angel of the Lord passes through the country of Egypt, the firstborn son in every house dies. But God says to his people, the nation of Israel, that if they take a lamb, kill the lamb, eat it together as a family, and put the blood of that lamb on the doorpost, then when the angel of death passes through the country, the angel will pass over — hence the name Passover — will pass over that house, and the firstborn son will live.
And so that's what happened. The Israelite children lived, the Egyptian children died, and it was on that occasion that the Egyptians let Israel go free. Every year since, the nation of Israel gathered to celebrate that occasion. God saved us. They'd have a lamb together, a delicious roast lamb, and enjoy this meal celebrating God's salvation.
Well, these Jewish religious leaders know that the meal is coming up the next day. They don't want to miss out, so they don't want to make themselves unclean. They don't go into Pilate's house, which means Jesus is taken inside, but the Jewish religious leaders stay outside. And so what you get as you read the trial is Pilate going between Jesus inside the palace and the Jewish leaders outside the palace. All the way through, he goes in and speaks to Jesus, and then he speaks to the crowd.
The Central Question: Who Will Pilate Listen To?
You're faced with this question: who is Pilate going to listen to? He's the judge. Who's he going to believe? Is he going to listen to Jesus or is he going to listen to the crowds? That is the question the chapter raises, and it's a really important decision. As you read the trial, you can see Pilate teetering on the edge.
Life is full of decisions, isn't it? Some of them are pretty small and maybe insignificant — what to have for breakfast, what to watch on television, what to wear today. But sometimes decisions are huge. Big decisions, life-changing decisions. What job to take, what to study at university, who to marry, how many kids to have, what school to send them to, where to live, whether to buy the house or sell the house, when to retire, where to retire. Life is just full of big decisions, and I don't know what decisions you're facing at the moment, but no doubt you're facing some. We all do, all the time.
There was no more important decision that Pilate ever made in his life than the decision he is faced with here in this chapter. Will he listen to Jesus or will he listen to the crowds? At the time, Pilate probably didn't realise the significance of the decision. To him it was probably just another day, another court, another squabble to solve. But it is his decision that has shaped the rest of history. The decision Pilate makes in this trial is what he is remembered for, even today.
And friends, tonight I put it to you that there is no decision more important in your life than that question either. It may not seem to be true for you, but it is. The question — will you listen to Jesus or will you listen to some other voice, to the world, to the crowds? Who will you listen to?
The reason it's such an important decision is because the writer of John, the person who records this account for us, tells us why he writes and why he records the things that happened. He tells us in chapter 20, verse 31: "These things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah." The word Messiah means king. So he says, I'm writing this so that you may believe that Jesus is the king, God's Son, and that by believing in him you may have life. He's talking there about life beyond this life — eternal life, resurrection life.
So the claim that Jesus is making, and that John is making as he writes about Jesus, is that if you believe him, he will give you eternal life. Can you see then how the question — will you believe him, will you listen to him — is such an important question? Because if you choose to listen to him, you may have eternal life. But if you choose not to, you run the risk of missing out on what he offers. It is the biggest and most important decision you will ever make. Who will you listen to — Jesus or the crowds?
That is the question that those who declared their faith in Jesus on stage just before have made. They have made the decision to listen to Jesus.
Working Through the Trial: No Charge Against Jesus
So what I want us to do is work our way through the details of the trial and then draw your attention to three things to think about at the end.
The question that begins the trial in verse 29 is: "What are the charges you bring against this man?" It's a fair question. People have brought Jesus — what are the charges? The answer, in verse 30: "If he were not a criminal, they replied, we would not have handed him over to you." What's the charge? Well, there's not really one there, is there? It's just a non-answer. What's he done wrong? Well, we wouldn't bring him to you if he hadn't done something. Yeah, but what? There's nothing.
And that is remarkable — they have no allegation to bring against Jesus. The reality is that as you read about Jesus' life, he never does anything wrong. It's amazing. He is the only perfect human ever to walk on earth. There is no charge against him. Not even his enemies, these religious leaders, can find something to bring against him.
I suspect the same could not be said for you or for me. If someone really wanted to destroy your reputation or my reputation, and they had the means to get their hands on any bit of information they wanted, they could do it, couldn't they? We've all got skeletons in the closet — things we've done or said in the past, perhaps an awful browsing history, perhaps awful ways we've treated people. If people were looking for dirt on me, I know they'd find it because I know it's there. And I suspect if you're honest, you'd say the same thing. But not Jesus. The religious leaders — these guys who brought him to trial — they've been trying to catch Jesus out for weeks. They've been watching him day and night. They've been out to destroy him, finding some dirt on him, trying to ruin his reputation. But here on trial, their best shot at destroying the man, they've got nothing. All they can say is he must be a criminal or he wouldn't be here.
What They Really Want
Verse 31 exposes what they really want. Pilate says to them, "Then take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." But they reply, "We have no right to execute anyone." You see what they want? They just want him dead. They don't care about right or wrong. They don't care about justice. They don't care if he deserves it. They just know that their law means they can't kill him, and so the Romans can. So they must go to the Romans because they'll kill him. They just want him dead.
Pilate Questions Jesus: Are You the King of the Jews?
Pilate hears this and then leaves the crowd and goes inside to see Jesus. Notice his first question to the defendant in verse 33: "Are you the king of the Jews?" Now why does he ask that? Where does he get this idea that Jesus would be the king of the Jews from? Well, Jesus wants to know. And so Jesus says to him, "Where did you get that idea from? Who told you? Is this your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?" — verse 34.
What Jesus is doing is pressing an individual decision from Pilate. All through the trial, Jesus keeps doing this. He says to Pilate, don't worry about what people are saying about me. What do you think? Do you think that I'm the king of the Jews?
Now, if Jesus were here tonight, he would ask you the same question. He wouldn't ask you what your parents think about Jesus. He wouldn't ask you what your kids think about Jesus. He wouldn't ask you what your church tells you about Jesus. He wouldn't ask you what the world thinks about Jesus. He would ask you: what do you think about Jesus? Who will you listen to?
My Kingdom Is Not of This World
Pilate goes back and forth to the crowd and then to Jesus, and all the time Jesus is saying, what do you think, Pilate? Make up your own mind. So Pilate asks him outright in verse 35: "I'm no Jew. Your own people brought you here to me, so what have you done?" He's asking Jesus to come clean.
Look at Jesus' reply in verse 36: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place." Pilate says, "You are a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
Jesus is pretty clear, isn't he? He says, I am a king. It's true. But my kingdom is not of this world. I didn't come to overthrow the Romans. I didn't come to establish some political regime in this world. I'm not interested in political power. I am God's king. And my kingdom is from another place. I am the king of heaven. That's what he's saying.
And actually that is how John introduces us to Jesus way back in chapter 1. He tells us that Jesus, at the very beginning, was the Word of God. That at the very beginning, before creation, Jesus was with God. And that actually the whole world was made through Jesus. That Jesus — this man standing in front of them — is actually the king of heaven and of earth. And that he came into the world. He became flesh. And Jesus says, I came into the world to testify that that is true. The reason I've come is to tell the world that I am God's king, and to call people to submit to me as God's king. That's why I've come. And those who are on the side of truth will listen to me. They'll believe me.
And notice, it's a subtle dig at Pilate. Because he's saying to Pilate, whose side are you on? You're the judge. Your job is to work out what's true. And if you're on the side of truth, you'll listen to me. So whose side are you on, Pilate?
What Is Truth?
But Pilate is not interested in listening. In verse 38, he says, "What is truth?" I don't think Pilate means that as some deep philosophical question. I think we've made it that way. It's our modern interpretation — we think we could spend hours debating how you know what truth is, what is true, and it's all just kind of pie-in-the-sky theoretical. Jesus cuts through that. He has no time for it. He just says, I am the truth. And if you are on the side of truth, you'll listen to me. You don't have to debate what truth is. I'm the truth. That's what Jesus says.
But Pilate doesn't get it. He's not interested in listening to that. So he just says, "What is truth?" and then walks away from Jesus, back out to the crowd. He's not really interested in finding the truth.
And isn't that what so many people are like? Just not interested in finding truth. Not really interested in answering the big questions of life. Is there a God? What happens when we die? What's the meaning of this life we've got? People ask those questions, but they're not really interested in finding the answer. And the way you know that's true is because you try to tell them what Jesus says, and they won't listen.
I remember chatting to my barber some time ago. He was raised in a Mormon home. I asked him lots of questions about what that was like and what they believed as a Mormon. He was no longer a Mormon, but he was able to tell me what they believed. Now, he had the scissors in his hand, so I was pretty careful what I said — I didn't want to offend the guy. But I did say to him at one point during the haircut that the Bible says something quite different about Jesus compared to what he was taught as a Mormon. And I was just dying for him to ask me, oh, what? Just to ask me something about Jesus. I gave him so many opportunities. I ran out of questions to ask him, to give him the opportunity to ask me one question back. But I got nothing. He just was not interested. He just moved the conversation on.
Have you come across that? If you've tried to talk about Jesus with people, they just want to move on, because they're not really interested in truth. They might have the questions, but they don't really want to know the answer. And at this stage of the trial, that is Pilate.
Barabbas: The Guilty Set Free
Pilate goes back out to the crowd in verse 38 and says to them, "I find no basis for a charge. This man's done nothing wrong." But he comes up with a solution. He says in verse 39 that it is the custom at this time of year — the Passover — to release a prisoner. The Romans would release a prisoner to the Jewish people. And so Pilate says, "Shall I release the king of the Jews? Shall I release Jesus?" He's hoping they'll say, yes, great deal. But no. Instead, they say, "Release Barabbas."
Barabbas was a man we're told in verse 40 had taken part in an uprising. He was a known criminal. He was clearly guilty. But the crowd would rather have the guilty set free while the innocent man Jesus is condemned.
The Flogging and Mocking
Pilate's plan doesn't work. He goes back inside to see Jesus. Chapter 19, verse 1. He has his soldiers flog him and mock him. They make a crown of thorns — that famous crown — and lay it on Jesus' head. They take a purple robe and wrap it around him, and then they mock him: "Hail, the king of the Jews!" They're just making fun of him. And they slap him in the face and beat him.
I think the reason Pilate does this and treats Jesus in this awful way is because he's actually still looking for a way out. He doesn't want to execute Jesus because he doesn't think Jesus has done anything wrong. But nor does he want to disappoint the crowd outside. And so he has Jesus mocked and beaten, hoping that'll be enough to satisfy the crowd.
Then he drags Jesus back outside to the crowd again in verse 4 and again says, "I've got no basis for a charge against him." He presents Jesus to the Jews. No doubt Jesus is looking the worst for the wear — still got the crown of thorns on his head, still got the robe on him, his face still red from being slapped, blood still on his forehead. Pilate is hoping the crowd might think, okay, that's enough, he's been punished, well done. But no. The religious leaders — the men who are too afraid to even enter Pilate's house in case they become unclean, so keen to keep up their outward appearance — they just yell, "Crucify him! Kill him!" Their hypocrisy is appalling, isn't it? Trying to make themselves look good, but murdering a man who's done nothing wrong.
The Only Charge: Son of God
In verse 7, they finally bring their only charge against him. Chapter 19, verse 7: "The Jewish leaders insisted, 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.'"
These religious leaders don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they know that he claims to be. And so they charge him with blasphemy. They just say he's a liar. That's their only allegation. They write him off.
When Pilate hears this, we're told he's even more afraid — perhaps at the thought that he has just beaten the Son of God, or perhaps because he realises there'll be no way to satisfy this bloodthirsty crowd except to kill this innocent man.
You Would Have No Power
Again he withdraws back inside the palace for a third time. In verse 9 he says to Jesus, "Where did you come from?" But Jesus doesn't answer. I assume because he knows Pilate is not actually interested in listening. Then Pilate gets offended that Jesus won't answer him in verse 10 and says, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Don't you know who I am? I'm the man who's got your life in his hands. I could set you free or I could nail you to a cross and let you die — and you don't answer me?"
But look how Jesus responds in verse 11: "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." You've got no power, Pilate, except what God has given you. You think you're in charge. You think you're the one calling the shots. You're nothing apart from God. God has put you here. God is the one in charge, not you.
God's Plan Behind the Trial
That simple truth that Jesus speaks in verse 11 helps us to understand what is really going on here. Because behind this corrupt trial, something much bigger is going on — something which is at the very centre of Christianity.
The simple truth of verse 11 teaches us that the death of Jesus was not just the work of wicked men who killed an innocent man. The death of Jesus was actually God's plan and God's work. Because God is the one who's behind all of this. God is the one who put Pilate in charge. And the rest of the Bible helps us to understand why God would allow this to happen.
For just as the Passover lamb was killed instead of the firstborn son in the homes of the Israelite people many years earlier, so Jesus is introduced by John in chapter 1, verse 29 as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the true Passover Lamb. That means he is the one who would die in the place of his people. God's plan in this trial and in Jesus' death was to reconcile his people to himself by dying for their sins.
At the heart of sin is not just breaking a few rules and doing a few wrong things. At the heart of sin is a rejection of the God who made us — the desire to live in God's world but without God. And the Bible says that's what we're all like. Our natural inclination as people is to not want God. Just like Pilate refuses to believe Jesus, and just like the Jewish leaders hated Jesus, the Bible says we're actually much the same. We don't want a God to rule over us and tell us how to live. We don't want a king, because we quite like being kings and queens ourselves. We quite like calling the shots of our own lives. And so because we've kicked God off his throne and put ourselves there instead, we deserve the death that looms over us as human beings.
But Jesus came to give life — resurrection life, eternal life. And so he came into the world to die. God's king, crucified for us, the true Passover Lamb, a substitute. He died so that we might live.
What happened to Barabbas is actually a picture of what Jesus offers to anyone who believes in him. Barabbas was guilty, a criminal. His name literally means son of the father. But this guilty criminal, the son of the father, is set free. And Jesus the innocent is condemned in his place. And John tells us that that is what Jesus offers to every one of us. We're the guilty, but Jesus died for us. And John says that whoever believes that is reconciled to God, adopted into God's family, given the right to be God's children, and receives life. Which is why these baptisms are such a big deal today — because those being baptised have believed. They're now part of God's family, the guilty who are now set free, because Jesus the innocent died for them.
Pilate's Final Decision
Jesus tells Pilate that this isn't actually your decision. You're not the one in charge. God is. And we're told that from that time on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free. He knows that Jesus is speaking the truth. But whatever he believes in his mind, Pilate's heart is weak.
In verse 12, the crowd threatens Pilate: "If you let Jesus go, you're making yourself an enemy of Caesar. You risk losing your position of authority, Pilate, if you release this man." Do you see the choice in front of Pilate again? Who's he going to listen to — Jesus or the crowd? Will he fear Caesar, the ruler of the world in his day, or will he fear God, the creator of the world?
Well, Pilate makes his choice in verse 16. He hands Jesus over to be crucified. And the rest, as they say, is history. The corrupt trial is over. No evidence has been examined or even presented. Jesus is innocent. But he's sentenced to death.
Three Things to Think About
Let me finish with three things for you to think about: a choice, a challenge, and a comfort.
First, the choice. Who will you listen to? It's not just Pilate, but everyone in this room. Are you going to listen to Jesus as he promises to take your place in death, to give you eternal life? Or will you listen to the world, or to your own desires, or to some other opinion?
Pilate shows us that it's actually not just a matter of the intellect — it's a matter of the heart. He knew that Jesus was innocent. Intellectually, he believed Jesus was speaking the truth. But he just loved this world too much. He didn't want to lose his reputation or his authority or his status. He didn't want to give up his position of authority in order to submit to Jesus' authority.
And do you know that that is why most people reject Jesus today? It's not because of a lack of evidence. The evidence for the historical reliability of the Bible, the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, the evidence that the things Jesus said are true — it's overwhelming. There's heaps of it. But people don't want to believe it or even think about it. Why? Because it's not just a matter of the head, it's a matter of the heart. We like being in control of our own lives, and the idea that there's a king, a God — we don't like that.
But friends, we must make a choice. And that's the choice you face tonight. Will you listen to Jesus or someone else?
Secondly, a challenge. I know that most of us in the room have accepted Jesus as king. We have listened to Jesus. Those being baptised and making professions of faith tonight have made that decision. But the challenge for us then is: will you keep accepting Jesus as king? Will you choose daily to listen to Jesus?
Because it's not just a one-time decision. You don't just choose to follow Jesus as king once and then keep on living your own life however you choose. That would be like a man getting married and then just living like he was single. Bad idea. The decision to live with Jesus as king is a daily decision. To not listen to the voices of the world, but instead to listen to the voice of God. It is a daily decision — not just to do what you want, the desires of your heart, but to obey the words of Jesus. And not just in some things, but in everything. Because Jesus is the king of heaven and earth, and he's either king over everything or he's no king at all.
And so we must submit to Jesus in every area of life — not just on a Sunday, but all through the week. Not just at church, but at home, at work, with the words that we say, the way we treat people, what we do with our money, our relationships, our sex lives, our finances, our entertainment, everything. Jesus is king. So who will you listen to? Daily decision. Who will you serve?
That's the challenge that those who have been baptised today have before them — not just today, but every day from now, listening to Jesus. And let me just warn you: do not fall into the trap of thinking that Jesus is your king if you're not actually living like it. You're just deceiving yourself.
And then lastly, the comfort. Jesus is the one who is in charge of this world. He is God's king. It may not always seem like it. It certainly doesn't seem like it when you read this trial, does it? God's king, the king of heaven and earth, being spat on, mocked, slapped around, pushed around by Pilate and the Jewish leaders. It doesn't seem like Jesus is God's king. But friends, do not be deceived by appearances.
The one who died is the one who was raised from the dead. And he is the one who ascended to God's right hand in heaven. And he is the one who is seated at God's right hand even tonight and rules over this world. He is God's resurrected king.
The world seems so out of control, doesn't it? In so many ways. Rising petrol prices and the cost of living — who's in charge? Or what about the personal circumstances of your own life — who's in charge of your life? War in the Middle East — who's in charge? Friends, in all of this, Jesus is God's king. He is the one who is in charge. Pilate's authority was given to him by God, and the same is true for every human ruler. No man has power apart from that which God gives him. And even the greatest evil in the world — the murder of God's own Son — God can use for great good: to pay for the sins of his people, to set the guilty free.
So take comfort. If Jesus is your king, do not be afraid. Don't worry about the future. Don't worry about the things you read on the news. Don't worry about tomorrow. Jesus is in charge. And one day he will return. And while the world may think that you're silly for following Jesus, on the day Jesus returns, the world will see that actually we made the right choice. For every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And on that day, the world will not be standing in judgment of Jesus — Jesus will judge the world. And on that day, you will stand righteous, because Jesus died for your sins. The innocent for the guilty.