19:1 thru 19:16 (Mar 29)

Pilate can find no basis for a charge against Jesus (v18:38), but he still has him flogged. He figures that the crowd will be satisfied when they see Jesus beaten and bloody. Pilate is afraid when he hears that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. He wants to set Jesus free (v19:12), but in the end he does not. He condemns himself by saying "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Pilate had the authority to set Jesus free, but he gives in to the crowd instead. This was God's will and turns out to be very good news for the believer who is saved by the sacrifice of Jesus. But it was still a wrong and cowardly thing to do. This is a good lesson from the bible about just how wrong we can be when we follow the crowd and ignore doing what we know is right.