John 19:4–8 (WEL) Pilate, therefore, went out again and said to them, “Look, I bring him out to you, so that you may know that I don’t find any crime in him.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look at this man!” 6 When the chief priests and temple police saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify him, crucify him.” Pilate said to them, “You take and crucify him, for I find in him not even one fault.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this news, he was even more afraid.
V4 Pilate, therefore, went out again and said to them, “Look, I bring him out to you, so that you may know that I don’t find any crime in him.”
After torturing the Lord Jesus and hoping that would satisfy the bloodthirsty Jewish leaders, Pilate has Jesus presented to them. Jesus is bloodied, humiliated, and suffering.
Again, Pilate gives a verdict, “I do not find any fault in Him.” He declares Jesus has committed no crimes.
The Jewish leaders hate Messiah, who has been proven true as aligned with the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 53 and Zechariah 9:9–10).
God hates some things too. Compare Proverbs 6:16–19, Psalm 45:7 (speaking of Messiah who hates wickedness), and Psalm 11:5 (hates violence).
V5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look at this man!”
Pilate presents the tortured, beaten, humiliated Jesus to the Jewish leaders, who have no compassion. They just hate God and everything from Him, about Him, and His ways.
These Jewish leaders hated God due to their covetousness for money, power, and admiration. They didn’t want God to be their leader. Unless they repented and placed their faith in Messiah, Jesus, they have nothing now except torment as a consequence of their sins.
V6 When the chief priests and temple police saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify him, crucify him.” Pilate said to them, “You take and crucify him, for I find in him not even one fault.”
These bloodthirsty God haters want to kill God (John 7:7, etc.). There are only 3 reasons people kill, namely, sex, power, and money. The Jewish leaders wanted the kingdom (Luke 19:14 and Psalm 2).
V7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God.”
Here is a boldfaced lie that Jesus made Himself the Son of God.
In Psalm 110, it is written “The LORD said to my Lord,” meaning the I AM, the eternally existing, self-existing, creator is supreme. But who is this Lord (H0113 אָדוֹן ’âḏôn master, lord)? David is the king of Israel, so no one has higher authority in the kingdom. We learn later that the Lord is Jesus, the Messiah. The Jews interpreted this to be the case. Compare Matthew 22:44–45 and Hebrews 1:13. Adonai refers to God in Exodus 34:23, Deuteronomy 10:17, and Psalm 16:2.
Comments:
(Ryrie Study Bible Notes) “David hears a conversation between the LORD (Yahweh, God the Father) and David’s Lord (Adonai, the Messiah) saying that Christ would sit at the Father’s right hand, the place of honor, until His second coming, at which time His enemies would be subjugated to Him.”
(Amplified Study Bible Notes) The LORD. “LORD” is the translation of the Hebrew name Yahweh (I AM) and refers to God the Father. According to Jesus’ interpretation of the passage (Matthew 22:41–45; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44), the second Lord is a reference to the Son of God in heaven in the presence of the Father. David himself confesses the Son to be his Lord—that is, his master or sovereign. At My right hand. This position of high honor beside the Father was given to the Savior upon His resurrection and ascension (Acts 2:33–36; 1 Corinthians 15:20–28; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:13). The Savior placing His feet on His foes depicts the utter defeat of the enemies of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:25–26; Ephesians 1:22–23).
V8 When Pilate heard this news, he was even more afraid.
Pilate had some religiosity to have respect for gods; now he is afraid. Is this man the Son of God, a son of God, or what?
(Zondervan King James Version Commentary, New Testament) That he was the more afraid (v. 8) may have had a dual source: (1) Pilate was likely superstitious, and this charge, akin to a claim of divinity, frightened him (see 19:9 and 8:36–37). (2) As a Roman governor, Pilate was responsible for upholding local laws, and the depth of the Jews’ resolve and motivation suggested a new level of political jeopardy.
We learn:
- Jesus suffered quietly, patiently, knowing this was the will of His Father.
- The hatred of the Jews.
- The attitudes of Pilate.
Questions:
- How has Jesus’s suffering affected you as a person?
- How do you handle hatred towards you?