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.
6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
Comment: The Bible makes it clear that God Himself accepts responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus. Think about it – the whole sacrificial system was introduced to foreshadow the perfect sacrifice Who was to come and die ‘Once for all time’; In Revelation we read that Jesus was the ‘Lamb slain before the foundation of the world’. God knew what was going to happen and planned the solution before man’s rebellion occurred! But it still means that the unbelievable evil we see humans have to accept the responsibility for 1. the hypocrisy, jealousy and power-hunger of the Jewish leaders. 2. the foolish betrayal of Judas. 3. for the fickleness of the crowds, 4. For the desertion of his friends. 5. then the mockery of the rigged court. 6. The insight of Pilate and then his miscarriage of justice and cowardice. 7. The mockery, humiliating actions and cruelty of the soldiers. There is worse to come in tomorrow’s reading!
Isaiah 53: 6 – All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Prayer: These things are beyond our understanding, but thank You Jesus, that You died as complete payment for our sin – Once for all!
As I read it! 