221. The Lord at Trial Before Pilate. Mt. 27:11–14; Mk. 15:2–5; Lk. 23:2–5; Jn. 18:28–38

It was morning when they brought the Lord to Pilate. Those who brought him did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled, but so that they would be able to eat the Passover.

Pilate came out to them and said: What accusation do you bring against this man? They said to him in answer: If he were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. Pilate said to them: Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. The Jews said to him: We are not permitted to put anyone to death; that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spoke, indicating by what death he would die. And they began to accuse him, saying: We found that he is perverting our nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, calling himself the Christ, a King.

Then Pilate entered the praetorium again and called the Lord Jesus. When the Lord stood before the governor, the governor asked him: Are you the King of the Jews? The Lord Jesus answered him: Do you say this of yourself, or have others told you about me? Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me; what have you done? The Lord Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting for me, so that I would not be delivered to the Jews; but my kingdom is not from here. Pilate said to him: So you are a king? In answer, the Lord Jesus said to him: You say rightly that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.

Pilate said to him: What is truth? And saying this, he went out again to the Jews and said to the chief priests and the people: I find no guilt in him; I find nothing guilty in this man. Then the chief priests began to accuse the Lord of many things. But when these chief priests and with them the elders accused him, he made no answer.

Then Pilate said to him: You give no answer? Do you not hear how many accusations they bring against you? Do you see how many charges are against you? But the Lord answered him nothing, not a single word, so that the governor Pilate marveled greatly.

Meanwhile they insisted, saying that he was stirring up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place. When Pilate heard about Galilee, he asked: Is he a Galilean? And learning that he was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.