John 19:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

NIV: From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, 'If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.'

NASB: As a result of this, Pilate made efforts to release Him; but the Jews shouted, saying, 'If you release this Man, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!'

CSB: From that moment Pilate kept trying to release him. But the Jews shouted, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar! "

NLT: Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, 'If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.'

KJV: And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

NKJV: From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

Pilate clearly has no interest in Jewish religious squabbles (John 18:31). He's seen through the obvious feud driving Jerusalem's leaders to persecute Jesus (Matthew 27:18). Jesus has shown no sign of political rebellion (John 18:36–38). One would expect a governor to simply release such a prisoner and refuse to do anything else. And yet, Pilate has already had Jesus viciously scourged and mocked (John 19:1–5). He's attempted to negotiate with the crowd to release a prisoner, only to see the people choose a known murderer (John 18:39–40). This verse, with some context from other gospel writers and from history, helps explain why this is the case.

Pilate had a poor relationship with the people of Judea. His tendency to be violent, cruel, and offensive led to several incidents of civil unrest and public outrage. That was not how Rome preferred to rule conquered territory. It's likely Pilate was under a form of "last chance" warning at this point. He may have been afraid to anger the people during a major religious holiday such as Passover. Making this more difficult, Jesus' enemies have brought along a crowd (Mark 15:15) who make it clear they're ready for trouble (Matthew 27:24).

The comment recorded here is pure propaganda. Pilate already knows Jesus made no claims to earthly kingship. Those orchestrating Jesus' death (John 11:48–53) are creating a political trap. Innocent or not, the mob is demanding Jesus' death. That same mob cynically claims they are motivated by loyalty to the Roman Empire (John 19:15). Pilate will be forced to choose between two options. He can refuse to bow to the mob, release an innocent man, and risk a riot. Or he can give in to his own subjects, execute an innocent man, and maintain his position.

At this point, Pilate makes his decision, and immediately changes tactics. His main objective now will be to "save face": to deflect being humiliated over losing this political game (John 19:13–15).

John 19:1–16 continues Jesus' interrogation by the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate has already recognized Jesus' innocence and continues to look for ways to release Him without an execution. Religious leaders refuse this, using the threat of a riot to coerce the governor. Eventually, Pilate gives in and orders Jesus to be crucified. Parallel accounts are found in Matthew 27:24–30, Mark 15:12–15, and Luke 23:20–25.

Pilate recognizes Jesus' innocence, but fears the mob assembled by Jewish religious leaders. He attempts to satisfy them by having Jesus viciously whipped and mocked. This only results in more cries for Jesus' death. The governor then shifts to protect his own reputation, ordering Jesus to be crucified on a charge of being "King of the Jews." John is directly present as Jesus is executed. He notes the fulfillment of several prophecies as Jesus dies. Once He is confirmed to be dead, Jesus' body is taken by two friendly members of the ruling council. They hastily bury Him in the borrowed crypt of a rich man.

When Jesus was first brought to Pilate, His innocence was obvious (John 18:36–38). However, the mob refuses to be satisfied with anything less than crucifixion. Pilate gives in to these demands. John, who is present for the entire gory spectacle, notes several instances of fulfilled prophecy (Psalm 22:18; Psalm 69:21; Exodus 12:46; Zechariah 12:10). Jesus is then buried in the borrowed tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9) to complete yet another Old Testament prediction. A guard will be posted to ensure no one steals the body (Matthew 27:62–68), which will only serve to confirm that Jesus' eventual resurrection was a true miracle (John 20:1–8).

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.