And the Jews would not enter into the Praetorium, because they believed it would defile them and disqualify them from keeping the Passover.
So, Pontius Pilate went out to them and said,
‘What accusation do you bring against this man?’
They answered,
‘If this man was not an evildoer, we would not have brought him to you.’
Pilate said to them,
‘Take him and judge him yourself according to your law.’
The Jews said to Pilate,
‘It is not lawful for us to put a man to death.’
This happened so that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled. He had spoken of the manner of death by which He would die.
And they began to accuse Him, saying,
‘We found this man perverting our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he is the Christ, a king.’
Pilate entered into the Praetorium and called Jesus.
Jesus stood before the governor who asked him,
‘Are you the King of the Jews?’
Jesus answered,
“Are you saying this yourself or did others tell you about me?”
Pilate answered,
‘Am I also a Jew? Your own nation and your chief priests have delivered you up to me. What have you done?’
Jesus answered,
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom was of this world, then my servants would fight to keep me from being delivered up to the Jews.”
Pilate said to him,
‘Are you a king then?’
Jesus answered,
“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born and for this purpose I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”
Pilate said to him,
‘What is truth?’
And after he said this, he went out to the Jews and said to the chief priests and the crowds,
‘I find no fault in this man, no crime in him.’
Then the chief priests accused Jesus of many things. Jesus did not answer back.
Pilate again asked Jesus,
‘Listen to all the things they are accusing you of. Don’t you have anything to say for yourself.’
Jesus would not say a word, and Pilate was amazed.
But the chief priests became even more urgent, saying,
‘He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem.’
