Jesus is brought before Pilate, the new Roman authority. Wishing to begin well, to win over the populace, Pilate is nothing if not pliable, mutable. He has one essential question for Jesus, himself, and the people,
Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?”asked Pilate.
You have said so,” Jesus replied.
Pilate voices the question, Are you the king of the Jews? Present tense; open and clear. Yes on no. And no mater how Jesus responds, death.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply,and Pilate was amazed.
6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
How is the crowd speaking. They are shouting. Jesus has blasphemies their holiday; has no met their kingly expectations. They scream louder. The shout again and again.
This is their answer, crucifixion. They hear; they answer. The question is settled, sorted.
Crucifixion.
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