John 19:2-16

Soldiers made a crown of thorns and placed it on his head, and put a purple robe on him. Time and again they went up to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapped him. Pilate went outside once more and said to them, “I'm bringing him out here to you so you'll know I find him not guilty of any crime.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. “Look, here's the man,” said Pilate. When the chief priests and the guards saw Jesus, they shouted out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “You take him and crucify him,” Pilate answered. “I find him not guilty.” The Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this he was more afraid than ever, and he went back into the governor's palace. He asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus didn't respond. “Are you refusing to talk to me?” Pilate said to him. “Don't you realize that I have the power to have you released or to crucify you?” “You would have no power over me unless it had been given to you from above,” Jesus answered. “Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of the greater sin.” Because of this statement Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you set this man free you're not Caesar's friend. Anyone who sets himself up as a king is rebelling against Caesar.” When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called Stone Pavement (Gabbatha in Hebrew). It was around noon on the preparation day before the Passover. “Look, here is your king,” he said to the Jews. “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!” they screamed out. “Do you want me to crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “The only king we have is Caesar,” the chief priests replied. So he handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.