The Jews had little power to put anybody to death as they were under the rule of Caesar, the Roman Emperor. So, they had to build a water-tight criminal case against Jesus so that the Roman government would award capital punishment to Him. So, they tried to build a case of treason against Him. They said Jesus tried to poison the Jewish nation, forbidding them to give tribute (taxes) to Caesar and ultimately usurping the kingdom from Caesar to become King with popular support. They twisted a religious case into a political one to incite the Roman authorities to pass an adverse judgement against Jesus. They also gathered many witnesses to support their case. Then, they bound Jesus and brought Him to Pilate.

Pontius Pilate had been Governor of Judea for at least three years and had the power to award the death penalty to a Judean criminal. He was a Roman (gentile) and considered an untouchable by the Jews. He was a tyrant and had put to death some religious Galileans who had come to sacrifice to their God. Also, there was no love lost between him and one of his tetrarchs, King Herod.

While he should have heard about Jesus and His miracles (he had been governor of Judea for at least three years by then) he seems to have cared little. But his wife seems to be one who had heard about Jesus and probably even His discourses. She had a terrible dream and hastened to communicate to the Governor warning him not to do anything against Jesus. His wife sent unto him, saying, “Have thou nothing to do with that Just Man”. – Matt 27:19.

When Pilate heard the case against Jesus, he was totally convinced that the Jews were only manipulating His words and building a false case against Him. He understood that this was a case pertaining to the Jewish religion (which he knew little of) and so, tried to ease himself from the situation. He threw the ball into the court of Jewish priests and authorities to decide the case for themselves. But when they insisted that Pilot should decide (as the death penalty was what they were seeking for Jesus), Pilot shot a point-blank question to Jesus about the accusation of His claim to be the King of the Jews. Jesus told Pilate upfront – I am King but not the kind that you accuse me of. My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence. – John 18:36. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth My voice. – John 18:37.

Pilate was totally shaken when he heard that Jesus claimed Himself to be the Son of God. Pilate’s fear worsened when Jesus told him that he would have no authority against Jesus unless he received it from God.

During the trial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate asked Him, “What is truth?” Little did he realise that the Truth was standing a few feet right in front of him. Jesus had earlier identified Himself this-wise, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. – John 14:6. He said, “For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice”. – John 18:37. The whole world is being filled with falsehood ever since man sold himself to sin during which time all power and glory in the world were delivered to Satan. Since the first lie in the Garden of Eden, Satan has been spewing out lies like a flood and mankind is drowned by this deluge of deceits. Idolatry is one such lie. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. – Romans 1:23. There are other lies in the name of belief systems like Atheism (there is no God), Communism (Community is God), Socialism (State is God), Capitalism (Money is god), Agnosticism (Don’t care if there is a God), Hedonism (Pleasure is God), Humanism (Man is God), Environmentalism (Ecosystem is God) etc., that mankind has managed to cook up. Truth is not a belief system. Truth is a Person. Everybody else is a fake; everything else is a falsehood.

Pilate’s final verdict was, “I find no fault in Him”. In other words, Jesus is innocent, not a criminal and deserves no death penalty. He said at least three times, I find no cause of death in Him. He, all the while during the hearing of the case, was determined to let Jesus go. He also came up with an option of freeing Jesus as the one who the Governor could release once every year during the Jewish Passover. But the Jews were adamant and were determined to put Jesus to death and so, they started adopting some arm-twisting technics. They said, if Pilate does not pass death punishment on Jesus, then he would be Caesar’s enemy. If thou let this Man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. – John 19:12.

When Pilate found that the Jews were resolute to put Jesus to death, crying and shouting at the top of their voices, he did a strange thing. He took water and washed his hands before the multitude saying I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. – Matt 27:24.

Washing of hands or relieving oneself of a duty that is expected of him at a crucial time and at a decision point is shirking of responsibility amounting to betrayal of faith and breach of trust. It also speaks loudly of the cowardice of the person to stand for the truth.

See ye to it? (Take charge of this yourselves!). He (Pilate) delivered Him to be crucified. – Matt 27:26; Mark 15:14 Take ye Him and crucify Him: - John 19:6. Dr. Luke says in his second treatise, Both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together (against Jesus). – Acts 4:27.

There was a brief moment during the trial of Jesus when Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to be tried by the tetrarch Herod Antipas as the case fell into his jurisdiction. Herod was the King of Galilee and was in Jerusalem at that time – probably because of the Jewish Passover. And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see Him of a long season because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him in many words; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. And Herod with his men of war set Him at nought, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. – Luke 23:8-12. The trial of Jesus was an occasion for the two to come together though for a diabolical cause.

Herod Antipas was also a seed of the Serpent! He was a man of loose character, vanity and full-blown ego. He kept Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, to himself after she deserted Philip. He murdered John the Baptist (who condemned him of his misdemeanour), though reluctantly, to please his mistress and to maintain his ego amid his officials. He killed James, one of Jesus’ disciples and brother of John, by the sword. He also sought to kill Peter, another of His disciples. To gain the favour of this man, people praised him as God. Since he did not render to God the glory that is due only to Him, an angel of the Lord smote him, and the god died a gory death!

Who was responsible for the bloody death of Jesus on the cross? Unless a person agrees, “I am the one”, there is no forgiveness of his sins that Jesus purchased by paying His blood as a ransom. Salvation begins here!