s
silent and made no answer. And the high priest asked him, "Are you the
Christ? If you are, tell us." He said to them, "If I tell you, you will
not believe, and if I ask you questions, you will not answer me. But
after this the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of God
Almighty." Then they all said to him, "Are you then the Son of God?" He
replied, "It is as you say; I am." So they said, "What further need have
we of evidence? We have heard it from his own lips."

Then all the high priests and scribes rose and brought Jesus before
Pilate, and began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man leading our
people astray, forbidding them to pay taxes to the Roman emperor, and
saying that he himself is Christ, the King." Pilate asked him, "Are you
the King of the Jews?" He answered, "I am." Pilate said to the high
priests and the crowd, "I do not find that this man has done anything
wrong." But they insisted, saying, "He stirs up the people by teaching
through all Judea. He began in Galilee, and now he has come even here."
When Pilate heard this he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean, and when
he learned that he was and that he came under Herod's rule, he sent him
to Herod Antipas, who was also in Jerusalem at this time.

Herod was glad to see Jesus. He had long wished to see him because of
what he had heard about him, and because he also hoped to see him do
some wonderful deed. Although Herod asked him many questions, Jesus made
no answer, and the high priests and the scribes loudly shouted their
charges against him. Then Herod, and his soldiers, after mocking him,
and dressing him in a bright colored robe, sent him back to Pilate.

Pilate then called together the high priests and other officials and the
people, and said, "You brought me this man on the charge that he stirred
up the people to rebel. Now I have examined him before you and found no
guilt in him of those things of which you accuse him; no, nor has Herod,
for he has sent him back to us. You see that he has done nothing that
calls for death. I will therefore have him flogged and then release him"
(for it was the custom at this feast to release for them one man). But
they all cried out, "Away with him and release for us Barabbas" (a man
who had been put into prison because of a riot which had occurred in the
city, and on the charge of murder). Pilate spoke to them again, because
he wished to release Jesus; but still they shouted, "Crucify him!
Crucify hi