Under Gods Command
Jesus Stands Trial before Pilate
John 18:28-32 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we could not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
By Jewish law, entering the house of a Gentile would cause a Jewish person to be ceremonially defiled. As a result, he could not take part in worship at the temple or celebrate the feasts until he was restored to a state of “cleanness.” Afraid of being defiled, these men stayed outside the house where they had taken Jesus for trial.
The Roman governor, Pilate, was in charge of Judea (the region where Jerusalem was located) from A.D. 26 to 36. Pilate did not like the Jews, but when Jesus, King of the Jews, stood before him, Pilate found him innocent.
Pilate knew what was going on; he knew that the religious leaders hated Jesus, and he did not want to act as their executioner. They could not sentence him to death themselves-permission had to come from a Roman leader. But Pilate initially refused to sentence Jesus without sufficient evidence. Jesus life became a pawn in a political power struggle.
Under Gods command 