Pontius Pilate

50There was a man named Joseph. He was a member of the ruling council. He was a good man who did what was right.

And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:

NoteThe ruling council was a group of leaders who judged cases.

51He had not agreed with what the others planned and did. He came from Arimathea, a town in Judea. He was waiting for the kingdom of God.

(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.

52This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.

53He took the body down and wrapped it in linen cloth. He laid it in a tomb cut out of rock. No one had ever been laid there before.

And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

NoteLinen is a plain, strong cloth. Tombs were small rooms cut into rock, with a stone rolled over the door.

28Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor's house. It was early morning. The Jewish leaders did not go inside. They wanted to stay clean so they could eat the Passover meal.

Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.

NotePassover was a special meal eaten once each spring. It helped Jews remember when God brought their people out of Egypt long ago. The leaders followed rules to stay ready for it. Going inside a Roman's house would break those rules.

29So Pilate, the Roman governor, came outside to them. He asked, "What are you saying this man has done wrong?"

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

NotePilate was the Roman ruler in charge of that whole land. Rome had taken over the country, and Pilate spoke for Rome.

30They answered, "If he had done nothing wrong, we would not have brought him to you."

They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.

31Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." They said, "We are not allowed to put anyone to death."

Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:

NoteRome did not let the Jewish leaders put anyone to death. Only the Roman governor could give that order.

32This made the words of Jesus come true. He had said what kind of death he was going to die.

That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.

NoteThe Romans killed people by nailing them to a cross. Jesus had already said that this was how he would die.

33Pilate went back inside. He called Jesus to him and asked, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?

Note"King of the Jews" was a dangerous name to be called. Rome allowed no king but its own ruler. Claiming to be a king sounded like fighting Rome.

34Jesus answered him, "Are you asking this on your own? Or did other people tell you about me?"

Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?

35Pilate said, "I am not a Jew. Your own people and the chief priests handed you to me. What have you done?"

Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

36Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not come from this world. If it did, my helpers would fight to keep me from being handed over. But my kingdom is not from here."

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

NoteA kingdom is the land and the people a king rules over.

37Pilate said, "So you are a king!" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born for this. I came into the world to tell people the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

38Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" Then he went back out to the Jewish leaders. He told them, "I find nothing this man has done wrong.

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

NoteThe words "no fault at all" were a judge's way of saying not guilty.

39But you have a custom. Every Passover I set one prisoner free for you. Do you want me to free the King of the Jews?"

But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

NoteEach Passover the governor let one prisoner go free. It was a gift to the crowds who came for the feast.

40They all shouted back, "Not this man! Give us Barabbas!" Barabbas was a robber.

Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

NoteThe old wording calls Barabbas "a robber". That word could also mean a fighter who attacked people and stole.

1Then Pilate, the Roman governor, took Jesus and had him whipped.

Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

NotePilate was the Roman ruler in charge of that country. Rome ruled many lands then and sent rulers to keep order. Whipping was a hard punishment. Soldiers used a whip that hurt very much.

2The soldiers twisted thorn branches into a crown. They put it on his head. They also put a purple robe on him.

And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

NoteA crown is what a king wears on his head. Real crowns were made of gold. This one was made of sharp thorn branches. Purple cloth cost a lot of money, so kings wore purple. The soldiers were pretending Jesus was a king.

3They said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they hit him in the face.

And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

Note"Hail" was the word people shouted to greet a king. The soldiers did not mean it. They were making fun of him.

4Pilate went outside again. He said, "Look, I am bringing him out to you. I want you to know I find nothing he did wrong."

Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

Note"Behold" is an old English word. It just means "Look!" You will see it again in this chapter.

5Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

6The chief priests and guards saw him and shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" That meant killing him by nailing him to a wooden cross. Pilate said, "You take him and do it. I find nothing he did wrong."

When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

NoteThe chief priests were the leaders of the temple. The temple was the big building where Jewish people worshiped God.

7The Jewish leaders answered, "We have a law. By our law he must die. He called himself the Son of God."

The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

NoteWhen this book says "the Jews" here, it means those few leaders. It does not mean all Jewish people. Jesus and his friends were Jewish too.

8When Pilate heard them say this, he was even more afraid.

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;

9He went back inside the hall where he judged people. He asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus did not answer him.

And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

Note"Whence art thou" is old English for "Where are you from?" We do not use the word "whence" anymore.

10Then Pilate said, "Will you not speak to me? Don't you know I can set you free or have you killed?"

Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me at all, unless God gave it to you. So the man who handed me to you has done the greater wrong."

Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

12After that, Pilate tried to set Jesus free. But the leaders shouted, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar, the ruler of Rome. Anyone who calls himself a king is against Caesar."

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.

NoteCaesar was the emperor, the most powerful ruler in Rome. Telling Pilate he was "not Caesar's friend" was a threat. It meant Pilate himself could get in trouble.

13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down in the judge's seat. The place was called the Stone Pavement, or Gabbatha in the Hebrew language.

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

NoteThe judgment seat was a chair set up outside. A Roman ruler sat in it to decide a case. Gabbatha was the name for that spot in Hebrew, the old language of the Jewish people.

14It was the day to get ready for Passover, the holiday when the Jewish people remembered God saving them long ago. It was about noon. Pilate said to them, "Here is your King!"

And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

NoteBack then people counted the hours from sunrise. The "sixth hour" meant about six hours after the sun came up. That is close to noon.

15But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate asked, "Should I put your King on a cross?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

16So Pilate handed Jesus over to be put on a cross. They took Jesus and led him away.

Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

19Pilate wrote a sign and had it put on the cross. It said: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

NoteNazareth was the town where Jesus grew up. The Romans put a sign on a cross to tell everyone why the man was being punished.

20Many Jewish people read this sign. The place where Jesus was crucified was close to the city. The sign was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

NoteHebrew, Greek, and Latin were the three languages people used there. Writing all three meant almost anyone walking by could read the sign.

21The chief priests said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews.' Write that he said, 'I am King of the Jews.'"

Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

38After this, Joseph from the town of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph followed Jesus, but he kept it secret because he was afraid of the leaders. Pilate said yes, so Joseph came and took the body away.

And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

39Nicodemus came too. He was the man who had first come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes, which are sweet-smelling spices.

And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

NoteThe King James Bible says "an hundred pound." A Roman pound was smaller than ours, about three quarters as heavy. So it was about seventy-five of our pounds. That is very heavy to carry. Sweet-smelling spices were put with a body when someone was buried.

40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in strips of linen cloth with the spices. That was the Jewish way of burying someone.

Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

NoteLinen is cloth made from a plant called flax. It is light and smooth, like a thin sheet.

41There was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified. In the garden was a new tomb. No one had ever been laid there.

Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

NoteA tomb was not a hole in the ground. It was a small room cut into a rock hillside. A big round stone was rolled across the door to close it.

42It was the Jewish day to get ready, and the tomb was close by. So they laid Jesus there.

There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

13"The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has honored his servant Jesus. You handed Jesus over and said you did not want him. You did this in front of Pilate, even though he wanted to let Jesus go."

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

NoteAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived hundreds of years before this. All of God's people came from their family. In Peter's day, Rome ruled the land, and Pilate was the Roman leader in charge.

14"You said no to the Holy and Good One. You asked for a killer to be set free instead."

But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

NotePilate had let the crowd pick one prisoner to go free. They picked a man who had killed someone, and not Jesus.

15"You killed the one who gives life. But God raised him from the dead. We saw it, and we are telling you it is true."

And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

24When the friends heard this, they all prayed together. They said, "Lord, you are God. You made the heavens, the earth, and the sea. You made everything in them.

And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

25Long ago you spoke through your servant David. He wrote, 'Why are the nations so angry? Why do the people make useless plans?

Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

NoteDavid was a king long ago. He wrote many songs and prayers that are in the Bible.

26The kings of the earth get ready to fight. The rulers join together against the Lord. They join together against his Chosen One.'

The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

Note"Chosen One" means the person God picked for a special job. Long ago a person was chosen by pouring oil on his head.

27That is just what happened here against Jesus. Jesus is your holy servant, and you chose him. Herod and Pontius Pilate joined together against him. So did people from other nations and people of Israel.

For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

NoteHerod was a king in that land. Pontius Pilate was the Roman ruler there. The old words say "Gentiles," which means people who were not Jewish.

28They did the very things you had already planned. You decided long before that this would happen.

For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

27The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not know who Jesus was. They did not understand the prophets' words, even though those words are read every Sabbath. By saying Jesus was guilty, they did just what the prophets said would happen.

For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.

28They could find no reason to put him to death. Even so, they asked Pilate, the Roman ruler, to have him killed.

And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

NotePilate was the Roman governor. Only he could order someone put to death.

29They did everything that was written about him. Then they took his body down from the tree and laid it in a tomb.

And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

Note"The tree" means the wooden cross Jesus was killed on. The King James word "sepulchre" means a tomb, a room cut into rock.