The Soldiers Mock Jesus

(Isaiah 50:4–11; Matthew 27:27–31; Mark 15:16–20; Luke 22:63–65)

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had [Him] flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set [it] on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. 3 And they went up to Him {again and again}, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.

4 [Once] again Pilate came out and said to [the Jews], “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.” 5 [When] Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, [Pilate] said to them, “[Here is] the man!”

6 As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify [Him]! Crucify [Him]!”

“You take Him and crucify [Him],” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”

7 “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to [that] law He must die, because He declared Himself {to be} [the] Son of God.”

8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back into the Praetorium. “Where are You from?” he asked.

But Jesus gave no answer.

10 So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the [one who] handed Me over to you is {guilty of} greater sin.”

12 From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this [man], you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”

13 [When] Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on [the] judgment seat at a place called [the] Stone Pavement, [which] in Hebrew[fn] [is] Gabbatha. 14 It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour.[fn] And [Pilate] said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”

15 At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away [with Him]! Crucify Him!”

“Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.