John chapter 19

vs 1

It's such a short verse, and yet there is a lot of pain contained within that short description. However, it is still better than being killed.

vs 2-3

But more than just flogging him, they violently mock him. What's the point of this, you may wonder? Well, it seems to me that Pilate is trying to punish Jesus (for committing no crime other than being hated by his fellow Jews) so much that they will let him free. So he's probably hoping that a mixture of violence and mockery will save Jesus' life. It might not be the path we choose to save someone's life.

vs 4-5

After all this punishment, Pilate then reaffirms Jesus' innocence. Maybe now that they have seen him mocked, scorned, beaten and flogged, that will placate them. Of course, it never will.

vs 6

Remember, Ciaphas had a vision about Jesus dying for the good of the nation. So they're not going to stop until he dies.

And for the third time, Pilate says that he finds no reason to charge this man, certainly not with death. So he tells them to take him and kill him. He is, now at least, less worried about saving Jesus, and more worried about committing a crime against humanity in killing an innocent person. He doesn't want to be implicated. But he is also condemning himself - for if he has stated publicly three times that Jesus is innocent, and yet still punishes him and has him killed, then he cannot wash his hands of it.

vs 7

Now they had plenty of laws which, according to them, people had to die. They killed them all the time. Why not Jesus? Just like everyone else, they don't want the blood on their hands. Passover had been a time of rioting and rebellion in the past, and the high priest was probably using that to stir up sentiment and get the governor to do something.

vs 8

Pilate is well and truly freaked now. It's not just a political issue, it is a religious issue. This guy claims to be the Son of God. It probably isn't a claim you hear often, but it's one you don't want to screw up. But surely the Jews would not crucify their own Messiah?

vs 9

Pilate does try to get to the bottom of it, but Jesus doesn't speak to him. Was Pilate really trying to get to the truth of the situation? What is truth, after all? Or was he just trying to get Jesus to admit that he wasn't really the Messiah?

vs 10

Pilate obviously gets a little flustered when Jesus won't talk to him. So he does the carrot-and-stick thing. He could free Jesus, or he could crucify him. But he has shown already that he doesn't want to crucify Jesus, so what's the game here? He is trying everything he can to not bow down to pressure to kill an innocent man. And again, anything you can do to make Jesus feel like a criminal will only make this feel easier. So he won't talk to you? Must be guilty of something - disrespect if nothing else.