(a) Give an account of the trial of Jesus before Pilate. (b) In what two ways are people denied justice in your society?

Answer Details

(a) The trial of Jesus before Pilate (Luke 23:1-25; cf. the Synoptic accounts)

After the Jewish council had condemned Jesus, the whole company led Him to Pilate, the Roman governor. They brought accusations against Him, saying, "We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king."

Pilate questioned Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "You have said so." Pilate then declared to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no crime in this man." But they were the more urgent, saying that He stirred up the people throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee. On hearing that Jesus was a Galilean, Pilate sent Him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem; Herod questioned Him and, receiving no answer, mocked Him and sent Him back.

Pilate again told the chief priests and the people that neither he nor Herod had found Him guilty of anything deserving death, and proposed to chastise Him and release Him. It was the custom to release one prisoner at the feast. The crowd, stirred up by the chief priests, cried out for Barabbas, a man imprisoned for insurrection and murder, and shouted concerning Jesus, "Crucify, crucify him!" Pilate appealed a third time, asking what evil He had done, but their voices prevailed. Pilate washed his hands (in Matthew's account) to declare himself innocent of Jesus' blood, and finally, wishing to satisfy the crowd, he released Barabbas and delivered Jesus to be crucified.

(b) Two ways people are denied justice in my society

• Bribery and corruption. Cases are often decided in favour of those who can pay, so that the rich escape punishment while the poor are wrongly condemned.
• Bias, false witness and mob influence. Justice is perverted by tribalism, favouritism, intimidation and false accusations, and sometimes by public pressure that forces the innocent to be punished, just as the crowd forced Pilate.