Mark 15: 1-5…. The Roman trial begins,

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Comment: Mark’s description of the trials of Jesus is truncated and reasonably brief. In fact the whole trial was, although limited to less than a 24 hour period, something like what we read about as happening to prisoners of war and in terrorist situations. (Maybe watch a movie like the ‘The Passion of the Christ’) Before being led out to be crucified Jesus had been before the Jewish priestly leader, before Pilate twice and had a trial by Herod. He had been spat upon, mocked, beaten, taunted, whipped and vilified. Here we have the the first visit of Jesus to Pilate’s court. There were many accusations, to which Jesus didn’t offer a defence. Pilate asked Jesus if He was in fact the King of the Jews. It would be interesting to be able to listen to the full conversation but it sounds here as if Jesus said something like ‘You have suggested it, not me.’ If Pilate had taken the answer to mean ‘Yes, I am’ he would have had no alternative but to have Jesus found guilty. He later said that he could find no fault in Jesus at all. Then as Luke explains, in his gospel, Pilate tried to get out of the situation by sending Jesus to Herod to be tried. Herod was the head of the Jewish legal system, the priests head of their religion.

Prayer: Teach me to be honest and courageous in decisions I make.