SERMON: "“Pilate’s Failures” (John 18:39–19:7)
“Pilate’s
Failures” (John 18:39–19:7)
Series: “John: Life in Christ’s Name” #99 Text: John 18:39–19:7
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: April
13, 2025
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
I.
Introduction
This Palm Sunday, we’re continuing our
journey through the Gospel of John. We
find ourselves in a pivotal moment in John’s narrative, standing at the
threshold of the cross. We’re reading a
drama unfold before us of human failure and of divine sovereignty.
Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, stands
face-to-face with the King of kings. Yet,
he seems unable to grasp the truth before him, even asking somewhat
dismissively in v. 38, “What is truth?” Not recorded here is Pilate’s attempt to pawn
Jesus off to Herod, which would have occurred between John 18:38–39. Not only did Pilate receive Jesus back from
Herod, every plan from here on will prove unsuccessful, forcing him to finally give
in to the crowd in 19:16. Pilate’s tries
to evade responsibility, to manipulate outcomes, to appease a hostile crowd,
but each of his attempts collapses.
His failures, though, are not merely
political or personal — they are spiritual.
As we walk through this passage, we’ll see three of Pilate’s failures:
he failed to provide a substitute (18:39–40), he failed to provide a compromise
(19:1–5), and he failed to provide leadership (19:6–7). As we read each failure, though, we’ll take
special note how Christ’s identity shines brighter. Let’s consider the first point:
II.
First, Pilate Failed to Provide a Substitute (18:39–40)
But you have a
custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I
release for you the King of the Jews?” So
they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.
Pilate was a man who was trying to balance his own desires
against appeasement, and he had created a custom in the past that he thinks might
provide him an out now. This was his
custom of setting a prisoner free. This
practice isn’t well-documented outside Scripture,[1] but appears in all four
Gospels (cf. Mark 15:6; Matt. 27:15; Luke 23:17).[2] It likely served as a gesture of goodwill
during the Passover, a festival commemorating Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. It was a clever gesture by Pilate to mollify those
he saw as a disagreeable people.
How could he use this custom to his advantage? Pilate seems to reason that he can put
someone so unlikable before the people that they would choose on their own to
set Jesus free. Yet, he miscalculates,
letting his contempt slip through as he refers to Jesus as the “King of the
Jews;” Jesus had earlier affirmed being king to Pilate (v. 37), yet Pilate uses
the term sarcastically. Perhaps he
thought the crowd could be humored into thinking this bound and bruised Jesus
is a harmless loon when compared to a hardened criminal.
Who was the “robber” of v. 40? His name is “Barabbas,” a word that literally
means, “son of the father” (somewhat an ironic name as Jesus is the unique Son
of God the Father). Barabbas was hardly
a spiritual man, though. While the term “robber”
makes it appear that he’s a non-violent or low-level offender, we read elsewhere
that Barabbas murdered during a rebellion (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19; Acts 3:14). As one commentary notes, the term could refer
to “the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of
nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.”[3] He was not a man that Pilate thought the Jews
would want over Jesus.
However, the crowd’s response is swift and shocking: “So
they cried out again, saying, ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas.’ ” The phrase “not this Man” in reference to
Jesus uses a contemptuous tone,[4]
dismissing Jesus as unworthy. According
to Mark 15:11, “the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.” Their hatred of Jesus far outweighed their
fear of a man like Barabbas walking the streets again.
This moment is rich with theological irony. Barabbas, a guilty sinner, is set free, while
Jesus, the innocent Son of God, takes his place. Some Christians misunderstand what Jesus was
doing at the cross — He didn’t die to create some possibility of salvation; He
died in the place of sinful people. The fact
that Jesus would literally take the cross prepared for Barabbas pictures the
substitutionary atonement, where Jesus takes the wrath of God prepared for
us. He bears the punishment we deserve
(2 Cor. 5:21), becoming the true substitute.
Our efforts to offer our own substitutes for sin fail just
as much as Pilate’s attempt to appease the crowd with a substitute did. God has a plan for redemption, so don’t rely
on your own strategies rather than trusting God’s sovereign purpose? As you face temptation or guilt this week,
remember that Jesus has already paid the price.
Certainly don’t be like the crowd, either. They chose a criminal over Christ, a decision
that mirrors our own tendency to prioritize sin over the Savior. Reflect on your heart: Is there a “Barabbas”
you’re clinging to — an idol, a habit, a worldview — that keeps you from
embracing Jesus fully?
It’s sad that none of the people in this account embrace Jesus. However, we might say that, at the very
least, Pilate continues to seek a way of freeing Jesus. Let’s consider that next.
III.
Second, Pilate Failed to Provide a Compromise (19:1–5)
Pilate then took
Jesus and scourged Him. And the
soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a
purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of
the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. Pilate came out again and said to them,
“Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt
in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing
the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!”
We’re starting a new chapter, but it obviously continues the
narrative we’re reading. After failing
to secure Jesus’ release, Pilate takes a darker path. We don’t know his exact thought process, but
it seems that he thinks that, if he punishes Jesus enough, the Jewish
leadership will be satisfied or the crowds will turn on them.
So, he directs his soldiers to take Jesus to be scourged. To be clear, this refers to a brutal Roman
punishment. There are different kinds of
such punishment, but this appears to be the worst of them. Victims were stripped, tied to a post, and
beaten with a whip embedded with bone or metal. As the whip made contact with the skin, it
would grab and pull back flesh, exposing muscle and bone. So horrible was this punishment that people
died from the scourging alone, and it often was used in crucifixion cases.[5]
The other Gospels might give the impression that Pilate sent
Jesus for scourging after condemning Him to the cross. However, John seems to be showing that these
were separate incidents, that Jesus was scourged before His sentencing.[6] Again, John gives us an added dimension to
these events.
Pilate likely intended this as a compromise.[7] He was hoping the crowd’s bloodlust would be
satisfied without crucifixion (cf. Luke 23:16). Yet, this act fulfilled prophecy, as Isaiah
53:5 declares, “By His scourging we are healed.” This suffering is all part of God’s plan of redemption.
Sadly, Jesus must endure this agony while the soldiers engage
in cruel mockery. We read that they twisted
together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. The stephanos (“crown”) mimics a
victor’s wreath, but here it’s woven from thorns, possibly from a date palm
with spikes up to twelve inches long.[8] Pressed into Jesus’ scalp, it would have
caused excruciating pain and bleeding. Perhaps they chose such a thorny plant not
just for the pain, but also because the spikes would appear to radiate from His
head, like some of the radiant crowns of Eastern kings. [9]
They also place a “purple robe” upon Him. It was likely a soldier’s cloak, symbolized
royalty, mocking Jesus’ claim to kingship. Royalty would wear something like this, but
this alone would also be painful against our Lord’s now raw backside. This was setting the stage for a parody of
kingship.
In v. 3, their mockery continues. They took turns coming to Him and echoing the
greeting they would give Caesar (Ave, Caesar), obviously in derision
here.[10] As one commentary notes, “Moreover, instead of
the homage paid to Caesar by the bended knee and in some cases the kiss of
fealty, the soldiers administered on Jesus the slap of rebuke or challenge.”[11] This scene fulfills Psalm 22:6–8, where the
Messiah is scorned and mocked.
Eventually, the ordeal is over, and Pilate is ready to see
if his compromise is successful. He
reemerges from his praetorium and speaks to the gathered crowd there in v.
4. He says, “Behold, I am bringing Him
out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” We see here a hint as to his reasoning; he
wants them to see why he finds no guilt in Jesus. As he leads a bloodied, humiliated, mock-king
out before the crowd, Pilate hopes they will see Jesus as pathetic man he currently
believes Him to be. As he gives his second
declaration of Jesus’ innocence (cf. 18:38), he hopes the people will agree.
So, in v. 5, the climactic moment arrives. Pilate delivers one of his most famous lines,
“Behold, the Man!” He hopes they will
see Jesus as pitiful and no threat to anyone.
Jesus did come as a man, taking on flesh to die for us, and
we need to behold Him. He is the Son of
David, and the true King. Though the
Romans mocked Him, Jesus remains in control.
He simply is turning back the curse, wearing it literally in the crown
of thorns.
We can’t compromise with sin. Just as Pilate was wrong that blood would
satisfy this crowd, half-hearted obedience to God never works. Are you compromising in your walk with Christ —
tolerating sin, diluting your witness, or seeking the world’s approval?
We must also honestly behold the Man! Don’t allow the mockery of others scare you
away from Him, for every knee will bow one day.
Consider that Jesus, beaten as He was, is steadfast in His mission to
save you. And one day, we will see Him
as the King He really is.
This contrasts Pilate, a man of futility, despite his
position. By scourging an innocent man,
he violates justice while failing to appease the crowd. Let’s consider his failed leadership next:
IV.
Third, Pilate Failed to Provide Leadership (19:6–7)
So when the chief
priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!”
Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt
in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have
a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the
Son of God.”
The crowd’s reaction wasn’t as Pilate had hoped. The chief priests and the officers cry out, “Crucify,
crucify!” They lead the crowd in becoming
an anti-Christ mob.
Pilate has had enough.
We can almost sense exasperation in his words when he says, “Take Him
yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” He knows the Jewish leaders lacked authority
to execute (John 18:31). He has made his
third (and what he thinks is his final) declaration of Jesus’ innocence (cf.
18:38; 19:4).
Yet, he faces pressure.
The Jewish leadership pushes back with a new accusation: “We have a law, and by that law He ought to
die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” Of course, this isn’t a new accusation for
them, but this is the first time Pilate is hearing it.
What are they referencing here? They may have in mind Leviticus 24:16, which
says, “Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be
put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he
blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.” By claiming to be the Son of God, Jesus
asserted equality with God (John 5:18; 10:33), a claim they reject as
blasphemous.
Blasphemy laws are important. We’ve even had early cases in the United
States where they have been argued; those who blaspheme create disruptions to
faith and practice. However, the Jewish
leadership had been ignoring a great deal of the Law to get to this point, and considering
that Jesus is who He says He is, they were blaspheming the Son of God!
This passage underscores the clash between human rebellion
and divine truth. The chief priests,
entrusted with God’s law, twist it to condemn the One who fulfills it. Pilate, meanwhile, abdicates leadership,
declaring Jesus innocent yet refusing to act on it, a broader refusal to submit
to Christ’s authority.
Pilate’s failure to lead challenges us to stand firm for
Christ. He knew the truth but lacked
courage. Do you shrink from declaring
Jesus’ lordship when it’s unpopular? In
your workplace, your family, or your community, lead with conviction, trusting
God for the outcome.
V.
Conclusion
Pilate’s failures are stark: he couldn’t provide a
substitute, a compromise, or leadership. But his greatest failure was not political—it
was spiritual. He stood before the King
of the Jews, the Son of God, and failed to behold the Man. Mocking, wavering,
and compromising, he missed the truth that could have saved him.
Yet, Pilate’s failures magnify Christ’s triumph. Jesus, the true Substitute, took Barabbas’
place and ours, bearing the penalty for our sin. Jesus, the true King, wore a crown of thorns
to secure our redemption, reigning even in His suffering. Jesus, the true Son of God, fulfilled the
law’s demands, offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice.
[1] There is some extra-biblical evidence in Josephus, the
Roman historian Livy, and the Talmud. See Ted Cabal, Chad Owen Brand, E. Ray
Clendenen, Paul Copan, J. P. Moreland, and Doug Powell, The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger
Faith, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1611.
[2] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible,
(Biblical Studies Press, 2005).
[3] Ibid.
[4] A. T. Robertson, Word
Pictures in the New Testament, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn
18:40.
[5] John MacArthur Jr., Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word
Pub., 1997), 1623.
[6] Ted Cabal, Chad Owen Brand, E. Ray Clendenen, Paul
Copan, J. P. Moreland, and Doug Powell, The
Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith,
(Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1611.
[7] Edwin A. Blum, The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, 1985, 2, 338.
[8] MacArthur, 1623.
[9] Ronald L. Trail, An
Exegetical Summary of John 10–21, Exegetical Summaries, (Dallas, TX: SIL
International, 2018), 386.
[10] Robertson, Jn 19:3.
[11] Gerald L. Borchert, John 12–21, The New American Commentary, (Nashville: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 2002), 25B:249.