John 18:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

NIV: So Pilate came out to them and asked, 'What charges are you bringing against this man?'

NASB: Therefore Pilate came out to them and *said, 'What accusation are you bringing against this Man?'

CSB: So Pilate came out to them and said, "What charge do you bring against this man? "

NLT: So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, 'What is your charge against this man?'

KJV: Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?

NKJV: Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

So far as the Roman Empire is concerned, their appointed governor, Pontius Pilate, is the man in charge of Jerusalem and the surrounding regions. For Jesus' enemies to complete their plans to have Him killed (John 11:49–53), they need the governor to issue a death sentence. He won't do that for merely breaking Jewish religious traditions (John 18:31), so the scribes and Pharisees need to cast Jesus as an insurgent against Rome.

In the most literal sense, Jerusalem's religious leaders will fail to convince Pilate that Jesus is guilty of rebellion (Matthew 27:18). However, they will use a crowd, threatening to riot (John 19:12–15; Matthew 27:24), to coerce him into executing Jesus (John 19:16).

Pilate comes outside to speak with the Jewish leaders because they refuse to enter a Gentile's home—fearing ceremonial contamination (John 18:28). The mutual contempt between the governor and Jewish leaders is on full display in this exchange. History indicates Pilate was not popular—either with Jews or with Roman politicians—thanks to his heavy-handed and violent style. Some scholars think Pilate had been threatened with discipline if he was involved in another ugly incident in Jerusalem, which contributed to his cowardly choice to execute Jesus.

John 18:28–40 describes Jerusalem's religious leaders taking Jesus to the local Roman governor. While Jewish authorities are allowed punish blasphemers, Roman law will not let them administer the death penalty. Jesus is too well-liked to be assassinated, so His enemies will attempt to paint Him as a rebel against Rome. In a private interview with Pilate, Jesus claims His role as King, but also notes that His purpose is not yet to rule an earthly kingdom. Pilate attempts to appease the crowd, trying to spare a clearly innocent man, but a mob has formed to demand Jesus' death. John continues his habit of skipping details offered in other Gospels. He does not repeat the account of Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:55–65), nor the part of Pilate's investigation where Jesus is sent briefly to Herod (Luke 23:6–12).

Jesus is secretly, quietly arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and taken to a series of sham trials before Jewish leadership. This leads to His encounter with the local Roman governor. Jesus accepts being described as "King" but denies that His current purpose is earthly rule. A mob assembled by Jesus' enemies reject Pilate's attempt to free Jesus. In the meantime, Peter fulfills Christ's prophecy about a three-fold denial.

John's Gospel was written well after the other three, so he frequently chooses to present different details. Chapter 17 detailed Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, just before He entered the garden of Gethsemane. This chapter describes Jesus' arrest, sham trials before Jewish leadership, and the beginning of His trial before the Roman governor. In the following chapter, Jesus will be unfairly condemned, executed, and buried.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.