Jesus before Pilate Flashcards
Who does Pilate act as the representative of?
The Romans
What do the Jews believe will happen if they enter a Gentile’s house?
They will become spiritually unclean. This means they stay outside Pilate’s house so as to not corrupt themselves on a holy day
What is the Johannine irony behind the Jews concerning themselves with ceremonail uncleanness?
They do this while trying to kill the Son of God
What does Pilate ask Jesus?
If he is the true King of the Jews
What does Jesus do in response to being questioned by Pilate?
He starts interrogating him in return. Pilate responds by saying ‘am I a Jew’ to sum up his disdain for religious matters
What is the irony of Pilate asking ‘am I a Jew’?
Because Jews symbolise unbelief so the question really asks whether Pilate is an unbeliever. For John, it is Pilate rather than Christ who is really on trial
What does Culpepper say about this interaction?
‘It is Pilate who is on trial and his judgement will be a verdict on himself as much as it is on Jesus’
What does Jesus say when revealing his identity to Pilate?
He says that he is the King of a spiritual realm of which unbelievers know nothing
What does Pilate represent when he says ‘what is truth’ in response to Jesus telling him about the truth of God?
Agnostics and atheists who don’t recognise the truth even after it has taken human form and stands infront of them
What is Pilate’s response to Jesus?
He finds Jesus fascinating and seems reluctant to kill him. He goes over the heads of the religious leaders and asks the crowd if they would like to see him released as part of a Passover amnesty, but they elect to release a criminal called Barabbas instead
How does John preserve Jesus’ dignity when he is being punished?
Because the soldiers think they are punishing him, but they really are dressing him as the King that he is
How is Pilate still reluctant to have Jesus executed?
Matthew claims that Pilate’s wife has a dream about Jesus and begs Pilate to have nothing to do with the trial; John suggests that Pilate is becoming aware that Jesus is someone special. Pilate hopes that the crowd will be satisfied with seeing Jesus whipped but it only makes them more determined for him to be crucified
What does Culpepper claim the key issue is once Pilate has realised that Jesus is someone special?
The issue is no longer his guilt or innocence but whether Pilate will protect him from the Jews
Why do the Jewish leaders say Jesus has to die?
Because he is a blasphemer who claims to be the Son of God
Why does Pilate become afraid discovering what the Jewish leaders have charged Jesus with?
Pilate had assumed up until that point that Jesus had just broken one of the senseless Jewish rules. Pilate now sees Jesus as someone who could actually be God and becomes nervous about what is taking place
Why does Jesus not answer when Pilate asks where he has come from?
Because he already knows enough to discover this for himself; it is cowardice, rather than lack of explanation, that is holding Pilate back
What does Jesus say when Pilate tries to assert his authority - claiming that he has the power to grant life and death?
He says that Pilate has no power except that which is lent to him by God. Pilate is a puppet and it is Jesus, rather than Pilate, that will choose whether Jesus will live or die
Why does Pilate have no choice but to execute Jesus?
Because the emperor insists that governors like Pilate must keep the peace and execute troublemakers
Why do the Jews condemn themselves using their own words?
They say that they ‘have no King but Caesar’ - thus denying God
Explain this passage in terms of christology
Jesus claims to be a spiritual rather than physical King. This fits in with the christological view of the Synoptics. The higher Johannine christology is established when Jesus reveals ‘I am he’ and knocks over the soldiers with his mere presence
Explain this passage in terms of blasphemy
The Jewish leaders explicitly say that blasphemy is the reason they want Jesus to be executed
Explain this passage in terms of Jesus being a threat to power
If Jesus claims to be King he is challenging the authority of the Roman Empire. However Pilate recognises that Jesus is just claiming to be a spiritual King, which Jesus does not see as a threat
Explain this passage in terms of political expediency
Pilate is forced to execute Jesus because he fears a mob and is scared that the Jewish leaders will report him to the Emperor for not fulfilling his duties
What is the johannine irony of Jesus being put on trial before Pilate?
Because Jesus is in complete control of Pilate- using him as an intermediary between himself and the Jews. It is Pilate, rather than Jesus, who is actually being put on trial
What is the curse of the law?
An idea stemming from Deuteronomy that anyone who is crucified is cursed by God and cannot be saved
Why is verse 37 a mistranslation?
It should say ‘I was born for this’- showing that this is JC’s hour and he is in control
Why is Pilate trying to pull rank on Jesus an example of johannine irony?
Because JC is the one who is actually in control of whether he lives or dies and it is in fact Pilate who is on trial
How are the Jews judged at the end of this chapter?
They fail in their eschatological judgement as they say that Caesar is their King - when God should be their one and only King
Why is it wrong to use this passage to perpetuate the blood libel?
Because most scholars agree that the seeming blame that is placed upon the Jews is just symbolic and that all mankind, including the reader themselves, must be held responsible for the death of JC
