John 19:1-16. ‘Ecce Homo’ Innocent but found Guilty
‘ECCE HOMO’ by Domenica Feti (1589-1623)
Michaelangelo was only 23 years old when he made his masterpiece ‘Pieta’. Unfortunately it was being rumoured that the work was really that of a more senior, rival scuptor, Cristoforo Solari, as many considered Michaelangelo far too young to have produced such a magnificent sculpture. So one night, in 1499, Michaelangelo broke into the chapel of Santa Petyronilla and chiselled into this, his first masterpiece, the words, ‘Michelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine, made this’. He wanted to be known as the one responsible. Later he regretted this impulsive reaction and never again added a personal signature to any other piece of work.
There are times whern we want to be known for what we have done and at other times we definitely do not! At the end of a film there is usually a ‘Dramatis personae’, the list of those responsible for the film. Sometimes people would like to be omitted if their role has been poor. In this story there are several who definitely would like not to be recognised because of what they did to Jesus, yet, to their shame, all has been revealed. The Bible says that this will also happen to each of us.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
“For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14
“The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Revelation 20:12
The scene so far
The Jewish religious leaders were united in their hatred of Jesus who keept claiming to be the one and only Son of God. When given the choice they even preferred to have released the renegade murderer Barabbus than Jesus who had done so much good. Then, between Jesus and the Jewish leaders stood Pontius Pilate who was politically blackmailed by the Jewish leaders. Claudia, Pilate’s wife had sent him a message, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous man,’ but he kept vascilating. The Jewish historians, Philo and Josephus do not portray Pilate in a good light, they describe him as a reckless and cruel governor. Josephus tells us that in AD36 Emperor Tiberius recalled Pilate to Rome after his mishandling of a rebellion by some Samaritans. However, by the time he had reached Rome, Tiberius had died, to be replaced by Caligula. There is no further evidence about what happened to Pilate, he simply drops out of history.
Pilate must have been emotionally tortured. Here he is given a unique opportunity to discover the truth about Jesus but it appears that truth was not his prime concern. He could have asked Jesus any question and called more sympathetic witnesses but he fails to take the opportunity. Instead there was a mockery of a trial - appalling jurisprudence!
Pilate’s attempt to remain agnostic
At the beginning of the Second World War, Austria attempted to remain neutral and excuse itself from all that the Nazis were doing but they discovered that neutrality was not possible. Pilate also tried to remain neutral in the case of Jesus, but he also found the political pressures too great. The point is that to try and abstain from making a decsion about Jesus is not possible.
At the end of John chapter 18, Pilate had returned to the Jews, whose religious laws prevented them from entering a Gentile’s house, and said,
“I find no basis for a charge against him.” John 18:38
Flogged
That should have been the end the matter. Jesus should have been released, but he also wanted to appease the Jewsih authorities so he ordered Jesus to be flogged. The Jews would know that this was not just a punishment but was also a legal preliminary to every Roman execution. It was called a ‘predeath death’. The usual instrument was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post. The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions. The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death. As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim’s back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross. After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim.
This is a poor treatment of someone who was innocent! Was Pilate really impartial? Presumably Pilate excused himself from witnessing the flogging.
Mocked
The soldiers then had a field-day dressing Jesus up as a ‘pretend king.’
“The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ and they struck him in the face.” John 19:2
This Easter the world is facing a pandemic with one of the ‘corona viruses’, Covid -19, and this is causing the world to be turned upside down. The word ‘corona’ is Latin for ‘crown’ and it is fitting that at this time Jesus divides people with his crown. Either we crown Jesus with a crown of thorns, with disdain, ridicule or hatred or we give him a genuine crown recognising who he really is. Everyone has placed one of those crowns on Jesus. Pilate tried to remain aloof to this decision but Jesus was mocked in Pilate’s own house and he must have permitted it to occur. He certainly had the authority to have stopped this, just as he need not have ordered the flogging.
The use of a purple robe is significant in that ancient Roman law prohibited the wearing of clothing that was dyed with Tyrian purple except by those of Senator rank. The vibrant colour could only be made from a dye extracted from shellfish and was incredibly difficult to manufacture. Tyrian purple dye was made by the Phoenicians, particularly those of Carthage. The dye produced a striking color, ranging from lush purple to deep crimson, and would not fade in the sunlight. More importantly, it was worth more than its weight in gold. Due to the high cost and intensive production, Rome passed a sumptuary or restrictive law that declared only the elite of the Roman Empire could wear a garment of this colour. Indeed, the symbol of a position in office was a Tyrian purple robe trimmed with gold thread. Esteemed Roman senators were allowed to wear a Tyrian purple stripe on their toga.
It was therfore highly significant that Jesus was dressed up in such a robe. Even the Romans knew of his claim to be God’s Messiah, the Greek word being the Christ - God’s chosen king.
Why did they strike Jesus again and again? What had he done to warrant this? He had healed many people, he had raised people form the dead but nothing to merit this ridicule. The synoptic gospels add further details. The soldiers knelt before him, spat on him and gave him a sceptre made of reed to hold. A sceptre was a wand held by a king to either signify favour or disfavour to those who desired to come into his presence and was usually made of gold or iron. The following is a prophecy about the coming Messiah who, using his sceptre will order the destruction of all who rebel (that is the meaning of the word ‘Sheth’) against him.
“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.” Numbers 24:17
It appeared outwardly that the very opposite was happening to Jesus at this time as he stood there being ridiculed. Unfortunately that is what we can also do today. However the time will come when the situations are reversed and all of us will stand before the King of Kings in judgment. Imagine the shame on the faces of those people who have treated him with disdain or ridicule.
Found innocent
Pilate returns outside to the Jews again and says,
“Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” John 19:4
Had Pilate expected that the flogging and mocking would force Jesus into confessing something he had done wrong? The reality was that Jesus had done nothing wrong. Did he think that to bring out a man who had been severely tortured would satisfy this crowd? If so, it certainly brings into question his ability to read a situation.
Why did he not have the courage to act on what he knew to be right? The same could be asked of many of us today. Why do so many people, when confronted with Christ, refuse to act in a way that they know, deep down, to be right?
Jesus was again presented to the baying Jews.
“When Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man.’” John 19:5
The Latin for ‘Here is the man’ is ‘Ecce homo’. Never was there a man like Jesus, the creator and sustainer of the universe, who humbly accepted such horrendous treatment at the hands of people he loved.
Count Zinzendorf (1700-1760) was a wealthy aristocrat and landowner in Germany who had been brought up in a Christian home. One day he visited the Dusseldorf art museum and stood mesmerised by a picture called ‘Ecce Homo’ by the Italian painter, Domenica Feti (1589-1623). He painted Jesus as he was presented to the crowd after being flogged and mocked. Underneath the picture he wrote in Latin:
“Behold the man who takes away the sins of the world.”
The picture and its inscription had a profound effect on a rich young German aristocrat, Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf. As he meditated on the picture and those words he said to himself,
“This have I suffered for you; now what will you do for me?”
This idea changed his life. A few years later he allowed a group of Moravians to settle on some of his land. They were followers of Jan Huss, a dedicated Bible teacher in Prague who had been burnt at the stake in 1415 because he taught Biblical doctrines and not the traditions of the Roman Catholic church, where they were in conflict. The Moravians had had to flee persecution because of their simple Christian faith. These Moravians became ardent missionaries who changed the way Protestant Christians thought about evangelism. One of their missionaries had a profound influence on John Wesley, who with his friends deeply influenced eighteenth century Britain.
To see Jesus standing there for us should surely have a profound effect on anyone, but not the Jewish leaders,
“As soon as the chief priest and their officials saw him, they shouted ‘Crucify! Crucify!’
It is clear that Pilate knew what he ought to do but does not have the courage to act on his convictions. He again tries to avoid making a decision by replying,
“You take him and crucify him. As for me I find no basis for a charge against him.” John 19:6
Pilate has been goaded into speaking irrationally. There was here a battle of the wills and Pilate whimpishly tries to avoid the confrontation. He knows that the Jews have no respect for him. What he said was illegal as the Jews were not permitted to execute anybody. He was clearly disgusted by the behaviour of the Jewish leaders but this was not enough for him to overcome his fear of them.
The conflict between religious law and secular law
This was the problem the Jews had,
“The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.’” John 19:7
This is the essential issue, Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God but they do not want to fairly adjudicate his claims. It was this new charge of blasphemy that made Pilate feel uncomfortable. Doubtless his informers would have told him about the miracles and preaching of Jesus, and now it was he who was being asked to make a judgment on a remarkable and likeable man. This was not his area of expertise! Would he be acting against God if he condemns Jesus? Pilate now acted as a scared yo-yo! He went in and out of his house six times because of these Jews. He had wanted to comply with Jewish law and hadn’t insisted that the Jews enter his house but now there is a direct confrontation over Jewish law. How can he get away from making a decision about Jesus? Would Jesus give him a solution?
“When Pilate heard this he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. ‘Where do you come from?’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.” John 19:8-9
The ‘this’ that Pilate referred to was surely the claim of Jesus to be ‘the Son of God.’ Why didn’t Jesus answer him when, up till now, he had been happy to talk with Pilate. He had told Pilate plainly about the nature of his kingdom and why he had come to earth. Pilate must have known a lot about Jesus so no wonder he was even ‘more afraid’. He feared he could be making a judgment on himself. It is clear that Jesus will not allow Pilate to avoid his responsibilty, just as he will not allow anyone to do so today. Jesus said nothing. Pilate had refused to listen to his own conscience, so God will no longer speak to him.
Pilate was not asking about his place of birth when asking ‘Where do you come from?’, he wanted to know who Jesus really was. Was he from God, was he from heaven? Romans believed that their gods did intermittently visit earth, could Jesus one of them? So, in this private conversation Pilate asks this vital question, one that we should all ask Jesus.
Possibly one reason that Jesus refused to answer was that he knew that it was his fate to be crucified so that he could be the ultimate sacrifice for sin that would satisfy God for all time. There is ‘a time to be silent’ and ‘a time to speak’ (Ecclesiates 3:7).
The church Father, Chrysostom observed,
“Christ answered nothing, because he knew that Pilate asked all the questions idly!”
Pilate was being forced into making a decsion about Jesus. His frustration now erupted into a hauty, arrogant anger,
“Do you refuse to speak to me?”
“Don’t you realise I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” John 19:10
Who is on trial here? Who is getting annoyed when things aren‘t going their way? Pilate is saying,
“Don’t you realise who I am?’
Jesus responds in a calm, controlled manner asking the same question back to Pilate, ‘Don’t you realise who I am?’
“You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” John 19:10
Jesus is asserting that he comes from a higher power, from God himself, and that neither the Jews nor Pilate would have any authority if it had not been loaned to them by God. Jesus yet again brings the issue down to one of sin. Sin is doing anything against the nature of God; it is our own sin that will condemn us when we face God, just as Pilate and the Jewish authorities will be condemned for their own sin.
Jesus had explained earlier that sin is always a reaction to himself and what he taught. Righteousness is also defined by Jesus in terms of himself. Any actions, words and thoughts that are not in tune with Jesus will result in condemnation.
“ . . . in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. In regard to sin because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness because I am going to the Father where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment because the prince of this world (Satan) now stands condemned.” John 16:8
The two rulers are in conflict but there is no doubt who will eventually win. Pilate’s indecision and obstinacy overcame integrity and right decision making. It is unfortunately the same today as people make decisions about Jesus.
This was the last statement Jesus made during this mock trial. No evidence was brought or even sought by which the accusation that he was ‘the Son of God’ could be adjudicated.
Pilate deep down knew what he should do but fear prevented him, just as fear today is the usual reason why people reject Jesus Christ.
“From then on Pilate tried to set Jesus free . . .” John 19:12
Good intentions but vascillating in executing them.
The Jews’ trump card
Initially they had brought Jesus on a charge of being a criminal (John 18:30), then of claiming to be the Son of God (John 19:7) but now, of being Caesar’s enemy (John 19:12). The Jews said,
“If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” John 19:12
This was a highly political charge in such a turbulent society. Yet again no evidence is given to support the accusation. Pilate knew Jesus’ kingdom was not ‘of this world’ (John 18:36). Indeed Jesus had repeatedly told people to honour their responsibilities to the Roman authorities. When asked if Jews should pay tax to Rome he replied,
“You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? . . . Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and give to God that which is God’s.” Matthew 22:21
Jesus’ followers were also clear. The Apostle Peter, who would later be executed by Rome for his Christian faith, said that in all circumstances, Christians must honor the king (1 Peter 2:17). The Apostle Paul, who would also be martyred by decree of the Roman Caesar, said every Christian must submit to and pray for governing authorities (Romans 13:1).
If evidence had been sought it would have been clear that Jesus was innocent of this charge too. However truth was not their concern just as it is not the concern of many today!
What a tortuous situation for a man to be in. To know what it is right to do but to be too scared to do anything about it. The fear of being reported to Caesar worried him more than offending the God of the universe! How often it is fear about what friends, family or superiors at work will think that prevents people siding with Jesus. A person may be a friendly, upstanding citizen and even a churchgoer but still be afraid to come out for Jesus personally. They are afraid of what others may say.
Pilate yet again tries to distance himself from the decision he made. He formally sat down in the judgment seat placed on the Stone Pavement, and made his fateful decision. He gives Jesus back to his accusers with words that he probably meant cynically but in fact was so true. His mistake was in his use of pronouns. He should have said,
“Here is our king,’ instead of ‘Here is your king.’
The crowd shouted,
“Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” John 19:15
They certainly don’t want anything to do with Jesus. The chief priests answered poignantly,
“We have no king but Caesar.” John 19:15
All people have rulers over them. The state they live in has its rulers, but the more important question is who rules the inner man. Who rules our thoughts, words and deeds. The Lord God insists that he must be the ruler in each of our lives. This is the message of the whole Bible but these Jewish priests were far too independent for that!
Who was Jesus?
Bono, the lead singer of U2, one of the most successful ‘rock ‘n roll’ bands ever, was responding to a question in a 2013 interview with Irish news channel RTE about his Christian faith. He was asked about who he thought Jesus to be.
“I think it’s the defining question for a Christian: who was Christ? And I don’t think you’re let off easily by saying, ‘A great thinker,’ or ‘A great philosopher.’ Because actually, he [Jesus] went round saying he was the Messiah. That’s why he was crucified. He was crucified because he said he was the Son of God. So, he either, in my view, was the Son of God, or he was…”
The interviewer interrupts him: “Not?”
“No, no. Nuts!” Bono corrects. “Forget rock‘n roll messianic complexes. This is like, Charlie Manson type of delirium.”
A bit later, the interviewer is direct:
“Therefore, it follows you believe he was divine?”
And Bono is clear in his response:
“Yes.”
Bono was invoking a version of C.S.Lewis’ ‘Trilemma’, named after C.S. Lewis who popularized it in his apologetic writings. He reckoned that Jesus had to be either ‘mad, bad or God.’
The argument is that one cannot reasonably consider Jesus to simply be a good teacher who wasn’t divine, since Jesus made such radical claims about himself. For example he said,
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14.6
There is ample evidence that the New Testament is a carefully checked record of the life and teaching of Jesus so the decision we all have to make about Jesus as he stands before us is “Who is he?”
BVP
