CHAPTER XIX

Verses 1–3. Then Pilate gave Jesus to drink and beat Him. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns, and put it on His head, and clothed Him in a scarlet robe, and said, Rejoice, King of the Jews. And I beat Him on the cheek. [1035] All this is explained in the interpretation of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (John here shortens the story, since the other evangelists have already written about it, but he always tries to insert what they have omitted.

Verse 4. For Pilate went out and said to them, Behold, I will bring him out of the praetorium,[1036] that is, out of the praetorium.

Verse 4... Let you understand, that in Him I find not a single guilt. [1037] Thus said Pilate, desiring to know the opinion of the accusers themselves.

Verse 5. And Jesus came out, wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet robe. [1038] (Pilate brought Jesus Christ out in such shameful clothing that the Jews, seeing such dishonor of their enemy, would be satisfied with this and calm down).

Verse 5... And she said to them, Behold, Man... Pilate called Jesus Christ a man out of compassion, in order to arouse compassion for Him in them.

Verse 6. And when the bishop and servants saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." As soon as they saw Jesus Christ, like angry dogs, they barked furiously at Him (and like wild beasts sensing their prey, they immediately rushed at Him.

Verse 6... Pilate said to them, "Take Him and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him...,[1039] you unjust." Angered by the violence and shamelessness of the Jews, Pilate left Jesus Christ to their will.

Verse 7... And Judah answered him, "We are the law of the Imam, and according to our law we must die, as we have created the Son of God for Thyself...,[1040] of course, according to nature. The Jews said this in order to deflect the accusation of injustice. Not knowing what to do, they jumped to another accusation. But what about Jesus Christ? While such accusations were made against Him, He was silent, fulfilling the prophecy: "He does not open His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

Verse 8. When Pilate heard this word, he was the more afraid... [1041] that perhaps Jesus Christ really was God and could have punished him, having suffered such a mockery from him.

Verse 9. And he went into the praetor, and said to Jesus, Whence art thou?... [1042] He no longer asks Him: "What hast thou done" (John 18:35)? but whence art Thou? from heaven or from earth?

Verse 9... But Jesus would not give him an answer. What Pilate was now asking about, he already knew, because he had heard from Jesus Christ: "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). (And just as then he did no good when he weakly defended Jesus Christ, so now he would not do any good, being faint-hearted and fearful.)

Verse 10. And Pilate said unto him, Sayest thou not unto me? Do you not know that it is the power of the Imam to crucify Thee, and the power of the Imam to let Thee go? [1043] And fears and frightens. Enraged that Jesus Christ did not answer him, although he even tried to protect Him, Pilate threatens with his power. Insane! If you have the power to let Him go, why don't you let Him go, although you know that He is innocent, and have already testified to this about Him several times?

Verse 11. Jesus answered, "Have no power over me, unless it be given from above..." [1044] He answered, in order to reproach Pilate for exalting himself with authority, and said, "Thou shalt have no power against me, unless it be given from above," showing that he suffers by divine predestination. And so that Pilate, hearing this, would not consider himself completely innocent, Jesus Christ added: