Jesus Faces Pilate^(A)

15 Immediately, ^(B)in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and ^(C)delivered Him to Pilate. ^2 (D)Then Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

He answered and said to him, “It is as you say.”

³ And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He ^(E)answered nothing. ^4 (F)Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things ^[a]they testify against You!” ^5 (G)But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(H)

⁶ Now ^(I)at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. ⁷ And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. ⁸ Then the multitude, ^[b]crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. ⁹ But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰ For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

¹¹ But ^(J)the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. ¹² Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the ^(K)King of the Jews?”

¹³ So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”

¹⁴ Then Pilate said to them, “Why, ^(L)what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”

^15 (M)So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be ^(N)crucified.

In Pilate’s Court^(A)

^28 (B)Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. ^(C)But they themselves did not go into the ^[a]Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. ^29 (D)Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

³⁰ They answered and said to him, “If He were not ^[b]an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”

³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”

Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” ^32 (E)that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, ^(F)signifying by what death He would die.

^33 (G)Then Pilate entered the ^[c]Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

³⁴ Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”

^36 (H)Jesus answered, ^(I)“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, ^(J)that I should bear ^(K)witness to the truth. Everyone who ^(L)is of the truth ^(M)hears My voice.”

³⁸ Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ^(N)“I find no fault in Him at all.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(O)

^39 (P)“But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

^40 (Q)Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” ^(R)Now Barabbas was a robber.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(S)

19 So then ^(T)Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. ² And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ^3 [d]Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they ^(U)struck Him with their hands.

⁴ Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, ^(V)that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

Pilate’s Decision

⁵ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

^6 (W)Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

⁵⁵ But he, ^(A)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the ^(B)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, “Look! ^(C)I see the heavens opened and the ^(D)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(A)If God is for us, who can be against us? ^32 (B)He who did not spare His own Son, but ^(C)delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?