From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free…
Pilate had just told Jesus, “…I have the power … to free you…” At the time he said that he was trying to coerce Jesus into answering his question about where he was from. As it turns out, Pilate did not have the power to free Jesus. If he had today’s verse would have read, “Then Pilate set Jesus free.” But it doesn’t say that. Pilate didn’t set Jesus free. Not because he did not want to, but because he could not.
Why?
What was the power that the Jews had over Pilate? How was it that the governed were able to govern the governor?
Perhaps Pilate’s success as governor depended in part on his relationship with the chief priests and Pharisees. If that were the case, then his “power” would be partially dependent on the leaders of the Jews. If he were to free Jesus in opposition to the will of the Jews they would turn the power they had against him. The result might be that he would lose his position, his wealth, and his livelihood if not his own life.
Jesus wasn’t impressed by Pilate’s claim to power because he knew exactly how much power Pilate actually had. It wasn’t much.
Application: One of Satan’s most effective tools is the lie that we are more important or powerful than we are. Woe to the person who thinks that they are indispensable and when they leave or retire they find out that things go on just as before without them. Paul puts it this way: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12: 3b)
Food for Thought: What would have happened if Pilate had set Jesus free?
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I am not sure there is a way to know the answer to this. But my speculation based on Scripture and history is that the Jews would have been furious. Pilate would be in trouble for not keeping the peace and he would pay a high political price. And somehow Jesus would have still died in our place for our sin.
Rich,
Your answer is a good one. I especially like your last sentence: And somehow Jesus would have still died in our place for our sin. On Tuesday’s post, “Power” you commented that the cross is both immensely ugly and profoundly beautiful. The kind of death Jesus suffered was orchestrated down to the most minute detail. Even to the point of providing us with a symbol of his sacrifice and love.