Jesus Is Condemned to Death

“It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about twelve noon. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!” At once they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they led Jesus away.” (cf. Jn 19:14-16)

Look

Midday, in front of the governor's residence. Three times Pilate has said that he finds no reason to condemn him (cf. Jn 18:38; 19:4, 6). Yet he asks the crowd instead of asking his own conscience. The shout “Take him away!” grows louder and louder, and he chooses what is safe for himself. His own declarations that Jesus is innocent show that this is an unjust sentence, not a misunderstanding. The Church teaches that responsibility for the Lord's death must not be attributed to all the Jews of that time, nor to Jews today (cf. CCC 597). Jesus still steps onto that road, out of love for all the people he came to save.

Ask your heart

Have you ever stayed silent, or gone along with the crowd, even though you knew someone was being treated unjustly?

One small thing

Today, if you hear someone being badmouthed or mocked, don't join in: say one word in their defence, or at least don't add anything more.