Pilate's Dilemma, God's Design (John 18:28-19:17)

Introduction
The Jewish religious leaders had gone out of their way to trump up charges against Jesus. And those charges were in fact the truth of who he was, the Messiah, Son of God, the King of the Jews. Though these men considered his claims to be blasphemy, they were not since they described the true nature of who Jesus was.

The Jews demanded the death penalty for Jesus' 'blasphemous' statements about himself. However, they were not legally able to enforce the death penalty under Roman rule. (This had not stopped them in the past nor would it in the future) I also think that in the back of their mind, their desire was to remain ceremonially clean in order to legitimately partake in the Passover meal. Pretty ironic given the morally unclean way they arrived at the verdict regarding Jesus.

Pilate is the governor of Judea and therefore would be the one who had authority to condemn a criminal to death. The Jews bring their charges to Pilate with the added twist that his claim to be King of the Jews was subversive and counter to Roman rule (as if they cared about such things). Strangely enough, these men were bringing Jesus before a man they detested on charges that were trumped up. These charges were the very thing many of them hoped for from their Messiah -- one who would re-establish Davids throne and throw off the shackles of foreign rulers.

As you read this text you will find that Pilate comes to a conclusion about Jesus: he is faultless. There is no reason for execution. But as I mentioned in my last post, this "no reason for execution" also was a mandatory qualification for the final task Jesus was to accomplish here on earth. For God required a perfect sacrifice and Jesus was just that: perfect in every way.

There is a progression is stages that Pilate goes through in the sequence of interrogations: evasion (desire to get out of this obligation), concession (attempts to appease those accusing Jesus), and finally conviction (guilty of being who he was -- King of the Jews).

Evasion (John 18:28-40)
Every man is responsible for his own response to the truth.
What are you doing to appear clean when you really are not clean inside?
How are you trying to compensate for an unclean heart?
What things make you cynical? And how does that cynicism impact your ability to arrive at truth?
What responsibility do you have that you are treating irresponsibly? How are you going to change that?

Concession (John 19:1-11)
All authority comes from God but man is responsible for how he uses it.
What authority has God given you and how are you using it?
What task has He called you to that you are trying to do half way?

Conviction (John 19:12-17)
Man's evil is no barrier to God accomplishing His plan.
In what way are you contributing to God's plans?
What type of a king do you serve? One of earthly decent of the King from above?
What are you doing to serve your king?