Jesus on Trial

The crowds drag Jesus to Pilate demanding his approval of the death sentence. Pilate, however, takes Jesus aside to learn more about who He is. After taking Him aside, Pilate brought Jesus back out to the crowd to dismiss Him since he had found no wrong in Him. But the crowd would not have it! So Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, but neither did he find Jesus doing anything worthy of death. Finally, Pilate gave the crowd a choice, set Jesus free or set Barabbas - a murderer and insurrectionist - free. But the hate was too strong in the hearts of the crowd and they pushed for Jesus to be crucified.

In our previous episode, we heard how Jesus was beaten, cursed, and mocked before He appeared before the Sanhedrin. He was asked if he claimed to be the Christ, and though He knew His words would cost Him, He did not shy away from the truth that He was the Son of God. It was the excuse the Jewish leaders needed to hand him over to the Romans for execution. We also learned that Peter denied Christ three times, just as Jesus had told him he would. And we learned of Judas’ regret, shame, and tragic decision to end his own life. Today we’ll hear Jesus’ trial before Pilate. The Roman ruler seems reluctant to put Jesus to death, but the Jewish leaders and the crowds cry out for His crucifixion while demanding a murderer be released. And while Jesus’ innocence is clear to Pilate, there will be no stopping the fate of God’s Son who would be condemned to die a brutal death.