The Innocence of Christ

Introduction

I love to see justice. Don’t you?

There is something deeply satisfying about watching a court case unfold when you know who is guilty and what they have done. You hear the testimony, you see the evidence, and after being troubled by the wickedness of what was committed, you finally hear the correct verdict rendered. Justice has been done. The guilty answer for their guilt, and the innocent are vindicated.

That satisfaction exists because we are created in the image of a righteous and just God. We love justice because He loves justice. We want unrighteousness exposed for what it is, and we want truth to prevail. Just as much as we enjoy seeing justice rendered, however, we are deeply bothered when we see the wrong verdict given. It troubles us when someone innocent is declared guilty, or when someone guilty escapes accountability. Our sense of justice rebels against such things.

As we come to the trial of Jesus, we encounter one of the greatest acts of injustice in human history. Yet at the same time, we discover one of the greatest displays of God’s grace.

Before our passage begins, Jesus has already endured a mock trial. In the middle of the night, He was taken before Annas, a man who was no longer even the high priest and therefore possessed no legitimate judicial authority. Jesus was questioned concerning His disciples and His teaching. He answered honestly and respectfully. He even requested a fair trial. For asking for fairness, He was slapped in the face.

The law required witnesses before judgment could be rendered, yet Jesus was given none. The entire proceeding took place in secret while most of Jerusalem slept. Then, very early in the morning, Jesus was led through the streets of Jerusalem by temple guards. The sun was just beginning to rise as He was taken to stand before a Gentile ruler named Pontius Pilate.

Pilate had been appointed governor over Judea by the Roman Empire. His responsibility was simple: keep the Jews under control. The Jewish people had long frustrated Rome because they refused to conform to Roman religion and customs. Pilate’s task was to maintain peace while ensuring loyalty to Caesar. History tells us that Pilate’s relationship with the Jews was filled with tension and conflict. By the time Jesus stood before him, Pilate’s primary concern was avoiding political turmoil.

The Jewish leaders now needed Pilate’s help. They wanted Jesus dead, but Roman law prevented them from carrying out an execution themselves. Adding to the irony, all of this was happening during Passover week—the most significant religious celebration in Israel. The nation was supposed to be focused on worshiping God and remembering His deliverance from Egypt. Yet the religious leaders were consumed with eliminating Jesus.

John tells us that “they led 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.”

Notice the hypocrisy. They were willing to send the Son of God into a Gentile residence, but they would not enter themselves because they feared ceremonial defilement. They were careful about ritual purity while plotting the murder of the Messiah.

When Pilate came out and asked for the charges against Jesus, their answer was revealing. They essentially said, “If He were not guilty, we would not have brought Him.” They offered no evidence. They offered no crime. They simply demanded a verdict.

Pilate responded by telling them to judge Jesus according to their own law. They replied that they lacked the authority to execute Him. They needed Rome to do what they could not.

What follows is Pilate’s repeated attempt to establish a simple truth: Jesus is innocent. Three different times Pilate examines Christ, and three different times the evidence points to the same conclusion. Jesus is not guilty, yet He will still be crucified.

What I want you to see this morning is that Jesus was not crucified in spite of His innocence. Jesus was crucified precisely because of His innocence. Had an innocent Savior not died, guilty sinners like you and me could never be forgiven.

Pilate Confirmed Christ’s Innocence Through Questioning Him

Pilate’s first examination begins in John 18:33-40. When Jesus is brought before him, Pilate asks the obvious political question: “Art thou the King of the Jews?” If Jesus were attempting to establish an earthly kingdom or overthrow Roman authority, Pilate would have a legitimate concern.

Jesus responds by asking whether Pilate is asking from personal interest or simply repeating accusations made by others. Pilate quickly makes it clear that he has no personal stake in the matter. “Am I a Jew?” In other words, this dispute means nothing to him. Why is this man standing before him?

Jesus then explains, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight… but now is my kingdom not from hence.” Jesus addresses Pilate’s concern directly. He is not leading a rebellion. He is not threatening Rome. His kingdom is heavenly, not earthly.

Pilate presses further: “Art thou a king then?” Jesus answers, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” Jesus explains that His mission is one of truth. He came to proclaim the truth of God’s kingdom so that those who belong to the truth might hear and believe.

Pilate’s famous response follows: “What is truth?” Whether spoken cynically or dismissively, Pilate has already heard enough. He goes back to the Jewish leaders and announces his verdict: “I find in him no fault at all.”

That statement is critical. Pilate is not a friend of the Jews. He is not inclined to favor Jesus. Yet after questioning Him, Pilate finds no basis for condemnation. Jesus is innocent.

Pilate then proposes a solution. It was customary during Passover to release a prisoner, so he offers the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas.

Barabbas was everything Jesus was not. He was a robber, a murderer, and an insurrectionist. He was genuinely guilty. Surely the crowd would choose Jesus.

Instead they cried out, “Not this man, but Barabbas.”

The guilty man goes free. The innocent man remains condemned.

Pilate Confirmed Christ’s Innocence Through Beating Him

Pilate next attempts to satisfy the crowd through punishment. John 19 begins, “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.”

The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and pressed it onto His head. They dressed Him in a purple robe, mocking His claim to kingship. They struck Him. They ridiculed Him. They surrounded Him with sarcastic cries of, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Then Pilate brought Jesus back before the people. His purpose is plainly stated: “Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.” Pilate is essentially saying, “Look at Him. He is not dangerous. He is not a threat. He has endured this abuse without resistance.”

Then comes the famous declaration: “Behold the man!”

Jesus stands before them bruised, bleeding, crowned with thorns, and clothed in mock royalty. Surely this display would satisfy them. Surely they would see that He posed no danger.

Instead, the crowd cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”

Pilate is bewildered. Again he says, “I find no fault in him.” The religious leaders finally reveal the real issue. “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

At this point Pilate becomes increasingly uneasy. He brings Jesus back inside and asks, “Whence art thou?” Jesus remains silent. Frustrated, Pilate says, “Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?”

Jesus answers with one of the most powerful statements in the passage: “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.”

Jesus reminds Pilate that these events are not unfolding according to Roman authority or Jewish authority. They are unfolding according to God’s authority. This moment is not ultimately about Pilate. It is not ultimately about the Jewish leaders. It is about the sovereign plan of God.

Jesus is not a helpless victim being swept away by circumstances. He is the willing Son of God carrying out the eternal purpose of His Father.

Pilate Confirmed Christ’s Innocence Through Publicly Declaring It

After this exchange, John tells us, “And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him.” Pilate knows Jesus is innocent, and he is desperately trying to find a way out of this situation.

The Jewish leaders escalate the pressure by making the issue political. They tell him, “If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend.” Now the threat is no longer merely religious. It is personal. It is political. They are warning Pilate that releasing Jesus could cost him his position and perhaps much more.

So Pilate brings Jesus out publicly and sits upon the judgment seat. This is the official place of legal declaration. What Pilate says here carries judicial authority. After hours of examination, questioning, and investigation, he gives his final assessment.

Pointing to Jesus, he says, “Behold your King.”

He is effectively affirming Jesus before the crowd. He sees no danger in Him. He sees no crime in Him. He finds no legitimate reason to condemn Him.

Yet the response is immediate. “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!”

Pilate asks, “Shall I crucify your King?” Then comes one of the most tragic statements in all of Scripture. The chief priests answer, “We have no king but Caesar.”

Think about the significance of that statement. These are the leaders of Israel. These are the men who should have been directing the people to worship and serve Yahweh. Yet in their hatred of Jesus they publicly reject their true King and declare allegiance to Caesar instead.

At that moment Pilate realizes the battle is lost. The pressure is too great. The crowd will not be satisfied.

And so John tells us, “Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.”

The Innocent Died So the Guilty Could Go Free

The conclusion is unavoidable. Jesus should not have died that day.

According to Jewish law, He was innocent. According to Roman law, He was innocent. The Jewish leaders could find no legitimate charge. Pilate could find no legitimate charge. Again and again the verdict was the same: not guilty.

Yet Jesus was condemned while Barabbas walked free.

Why?

Jesus Himself gives the answer when He tells Pilate that a greater authority is at work. This was not an accident. This was not a miscarriage of justice beyond God’s control. This was the sovereign plan of God unfolding exactly as He intended.

Jesus did not die despite His innocence. Jesus died because of His innocence. Had you or I stood in His place, guilt would have been easy to establish. Pilate could have found fault in us. More importantly, God could find fault in us.

If I stood before the holy God of heaven and were judged according to my own works, I would be found guilty. I have broken God’s law. I have sinned against Him repeatedly. Left to myself, I would stand condemned before His judgment seat.

But God had a plan throughout eternity. He would send His perfect Son into the world. The Jews examined Him. Pilate examined Him. His life examined Him. Every examination arrived at the same conclusion. He was perfect. He was innocent.

Yet He still went to the cross.

That was not judicial oversight. That was not a tragic mistake. That was the loving plan of God.

The world declared Him innocent. God declared Him innocent. His life demonstrated that He was innocent. And because the innocent Son of God went to the cross, someone guilty got to walk away free.

You and I are Barabbas.

Jesus, the innocent One, died so that the guilty could go free.

The Bible says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We are offered forgiveness because the innocent Son of God died in the place of guilty sinners. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can receive pardon, righteousness, and eternal life.

Application

First, rest in the innocence of Jesus Christ.

God is not asking you to earn your salvation by measuring up to His law. Christ has already fulfilled that law perfectly. Through faith, His righteousness is credited to those who trust Him.

When you stand before God one day, you will not be accepted because of your own innocence. You will be accepted because Christ’s innocence has been placed upon you. The righteousness of Jesus Christ has been imputed to your account, and when God looks upon you, He will see the perfect righteousness of His Son.

Second, live in light of that reality.

If Christ purchased your freedom at such a cost, then your life no longer belongs to you. It belongs to Him. We should live each day in service to the King who paid our debt and secured our pardon. The freedom we have received is not a license to live for ourselves. It is an invitation to live for the glory of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Finally, remember that we are surrounded every day by guilty people who desperately need this message. If they stand before God in their own righteousness, they will be condemned. But there is good news. There is One who has already paid the price. There is One who has already borne the judgment. There is One who offers forgiveness to all who will come to Him by faith.

So let me ask you an honest question. When is the last time you personally told someone about Jesus Christ? When is the last time you invited someone to come hear the gospel? We all know people who need this message. We cannot sit back and wait for them to discover it on their own. We must take it to them.

Thank God for the innocence of Jesus Christ, because through faith that innocence has been given to us today.