“又出来到犹太人那里，对他们说：‘我查不出他有什么罪来。’ ” - 约 18:38

　　历史记载告诉我们，在彼拉多统治时期，作为巡抚的他向来不遗余力，镇压任何可能威胁罗马政权的活动。彼拉多很可能有一个间谍网，里面的人不断观察造反的先兆，宁可误杀，也不放过任何一个漏网之鱼。

　　当被视为危险人物的拿撒勒人耶稣，被带到他的面前。彼拉多其实有些不解，因为耶稣的名字并没有出现在任何“通缉犯”的名单上。

　　即或有任何关于耶稣的报告，其内容也很可能只是：耶稣是税吏的朋友（路加福音 15:1；19:1-10），祂曾公开表示，凯撒的物当归给凯撒（马可福音 12:17），祂有医病的能力，所以吸引了很多穷苦大众来跟从祂，耶稣也医好了罗马百夫长的仆人（路加福音 7:1-10），等等。然而，这些都不是犯罪记录啊！

　　根据圣经的记载，彼拉多询问耶稣时，他对耶稣的评估或许是这样的：“患妄想症？是。被人误导？有可能。可怜？这个肯定是。但犯法或危害人？当然不是！” “这个人很可能患有妄想症，被人误导。这人实在可怜，但却没有犯罪啊”！故此，在考查完各方面的证词后，彼拉多得出一个结论：“我查不出祂有什么罪来”。

祷告

天父，我们为寻求真理、维护正义的人感谢袮。同时，也为制裁犯罪活动的司法制度向袮献上感恩，求祢帮助我们渴慕真理、爱慕公义。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。

 

约翰福音 18:33-38

33彼拉多又进了衙门，叫耶稣来，对他说：“你是犹太人的王吗？”
34耶稣回答说：“这话是你自己说的，还是别人论我对你说的呢？”
35彼拉多说：“我岂是犹太人呢？你本国的人和祭司长把你交给我。你做了什么事呢？”
36耶稣回答说：“我的国不属这世界；我的国若属这世界，我的臣仆必要争战，使我不至于被交给犹太人。只是我的国不属这世界。”
37彼拉多就对他说：“这样，你是王吗？”耶稣回答说：“你说我是王。我为此而生，也为此来到世间，特为给真理作见证。凡属真理的人就听我的话。”
38彼拉多说：“真理是什么呢？”

No Basis For A Charge

"He went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against him.'" — John 18:38

英语音频 English Audio

Historical sources outside the Bible inform us that Governor Pontius Pilate did not hesitate to suppress any threat to Roman rule in his imperial province of Judea. Pilate likely had a network of informers looking for signs of rebellion, no matter how insignificant.

That might explain his perplexity when Jesus of Nazareth was presented to him as a dangerous man worthy of execution. Jesus' name was not on any "most wanted" lists.

If there had been any report, it might have noted these things: Jesus was a friend of tax collectors (Luke 15:1; 19:1-10). He had stated publicly that people should give to Caesar what they owed to Caesar (Mark 12:17). As a healer, Jesus had drawn crowds of mostly down-and-out (and politically unthreatening) followers. One of the persons Jesus had healed was the servant of a Roman centurion (Luke 7:1-10). These were not crimes!

From the biblical record of Pilate's legal interrogation of Jesus, we can sense that Pilate's evaluation of Jesus might have checked off this way: "Delusional, misguided—maybe; pitiful—certainly; but criminal or dangerous—no way!"

So Pilate came back with the most obvious finding from the accumulated evidence: "I find no basis for a charge" against this man.

Prayer

诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳