John Recorded the Chief Priest and Pilate

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John records some very interesting interactions between the chief priest and Pilate in Chapters 18 and 19 of his Gospel. I believe it is fair to say that there was no love lost between these two.

I am going to start with John and point out one sentence in 18:16. John, who does not identify himself, says he was known to the high priest. To me, this important and should refute the idea of Jesus picking “poor, uneducated fisherman”. To be able to walk into the chief priest palace and talk to a female doorkeeper to get Peter in is quite a feat. The easy explanation is that it had to do with fish deliveries, that is my guess on the subject. A few other notes here seem timely: the Upper Room seems to have belonged to John and James’ sister, and John Mark was their cousin. That also makes Barnabas a relative. I think there was “a lot of family” in the Gospel stories and Acts.

Chief Priest – Sources (see below) make it clear that the office of high priest was bought from Herod or Rome. Those moneychangers and animal sellers were part of a well-lubricated money-making enterprise.

 Annas/Ananias (See Acts 24) is a family name and there were several men who had that name and served a high priest. (From a Google search.)

It is important and fair to note that not all priest were corrupt or even Sadducees.

Pilate – I think every Jesus movie made portrays Pilate a little different, but that’s Hollywood. Pilate and his soldiers make up the Gentile component for the crucifixion. They did not conquer their known world by being nice. John 18 and 19 contains the drama that is recorded between Caiaphas, the high priest, and Pilate. Including the other Gospel accounts will complete the picture.

 Chapter 18:

  • 28 – the Jews had Pilate come out to them. I am sure he did not like that.
  • 30 – the priest did not answer Pilate about the charges against Jesus.
  • 31a – “judge him by your own Law” is Pilate being nice and saying leave me alone.
  • 31b – they did not “want to be guilty” of actually killing Jesus. They could always cast shade on Rome. Stoning Jesus would have been fast, but hanging on an etz was a curse.
  • 33-37 Pilate’s private conversation with Jesus. The Jews could not go in to listen; know that made them mad.
  • 38b – “I find no charge against Him.” Pilate saw what the high priest was doing, he was to kill Jesus and they could always blame him and Rome.
  • 39 – Release the “king of the Jews.” Pilate saw a way out and take a jab at Herod and the political structure in Jerusalem.
  • 40 – Barabbas, being part of the fourth major political/religious party in Israel (Zealot) was not a friend of the Sadducees or Herod. I bet the priest were very smug about yelling that choice. Barabbas was a Roman killer.

Chapter 19:

  • 5 – “Here is the man.” O, I have heard some great sermons on that one phrase. It does give you the fact that had no clue who Jesus was, but I bet he had heard about the miracles and the crowds.
  • 7 – “He claimed to be the Son of God.” Finally, the charge Pilate had asked for in 18:29, and that made him uncomfortable. Remember, Rome was polytheistic and their gods were always making babies, especially with humans. Sounds like the fallen angels before and right after the Flood in Genesis.
  • 8 – 12a Here it would be good to look at the other Gospels, especially Matthew 27:19, which tells about Pilate’s wife warning him about Jesus. You may speculate all you want as to why Pilate wanted to let Him go. I do not know, but for this post, it was to make the Jews mad;( The death of one more Jew, probably meant very little to Pilate.
  • 12b-16 This is the Jews trump card over Pilate, threaten to tell Caesar. His final solution was in Matthew 27:24, wash his hands, and crucify Jesus. Note, that the Jews “friend and king”, Caesar, destroyed Jerusalem and their temple forty years later.
  • Pilate’s final words: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. I have no doubt that he loved telling the high priest, NO, when they demanded that he change it.

A time frame for all of this, including a trip to Herod, is relevant.

  • John 18:28 The trial with Pilate started very early in the morning (6 a.m.). Pilate may have been pulled from bed for this. Talk about a lot of drama packed into three hours.
  • Mark 15:25 Jesus was on the cross, with the “notice of charge” by 9 a.m. (third hour).
  • Matthew 27:45 From noon to 3 p.m. (6th to 9th hour) it was dark. Then Jesus ended it. In my dramatic mind, noon was when Pilate told the Jews no and when he said it the darkness fell.

Herod the Great – Chabad.org priest paid for the office

Topical Bible: The High Priest: Office of, Made Annual by the Romans

High Priest Corruption

John Recorded – Jesus Quoted

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John recorded in Chapters 13-17 the Last Supper. This version compliments and completes (well at least fills in) Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22. John 15 is Jesus telling the disciples that the world will hate them because of His name. In verse 24 Jesus talks about the miracles, He did to show Himself the Son of God.

The Jews, Pharisees, and chief priest had a hard time believing these signs, even though some watched Him do them. So, in classic deflection they accused Him of working (doing good) on the Sabbath or getting that power from the devil. Their struggle with Jesus and the miracles started with John the Baptist. Those who were not baptized by John did not believe and could not “hear” Jesus.

In John 15:25 Jesus refers to these Psalms: 69:4, 35:19, and 38:19. These verses all talk about hating (Jesus) without having a reason. 35:12 and 38:20 also have similar thoughts; they give evil for my good. Yes, those are good Psalms to reflect on during Lent.

Lent mirrors the forty days Jesus fasted at the beginning of His ministry. We like to think of that ministry as three and half years; how about changing that to 40 months:)  

John Recorded

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As I write this, it is the start of Lent 2026, and I am reading the Gospel of John. The greatness of this Gospel comes from the aged John writing to tell that Jesus is the Son of God. After I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, I was encouraged to read three chapters of John a day, which would take a week. This could have been to make a strong beginning, and I would not be weak in my walk with the Lord. One Christian school I taught at, it was pretty common if you got a surprise devotion to do you would open to the Book of John. Its contents are so good you could always find something important to talk about.

Lent is a time of reflection before Easter to focus on Jesus and what He did for you. It is not found in the Bible, but it is a good practice and tradition. Please count and check up on this statement: it is 47 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. But Lent is 40 days of fasting and penitence! My friends in college pointed out to me that Sundays “did not count” and they could drink alcohol on that day. Actually, (No, we were not saved.) Sunday was already a day of obligation, but they justified it as not being part of the fasting period. They should have become lawyers, but they were not in a pre-law major.

Okay, another “homework” or study for you. Most of the focus of the Gospels is on Jesus’ “last year” before His ride into Jerusalem and much of that is filled with what happened after that ride or the time leading up to Passover, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. I begin this action filled period with the feeding of the 5,000. The intensity really heats up after the Transfiguration in Matthew 17. I guess Matthew, Mark, and Luke did such a great job talking about the Transfiguration that John does not include it in his telling of the story. Compare how much of the gospel is written after the feeding of the 5,000 to before it.

Back to John. His “last year” starts in Chapter 6 (out of 21) and I want to point out some important Jewish feast in John’s chapters. 7:2 is about the Feast of Tabernacles, which is in the seventh month (Jewish calendar). Chapter 10:22 is the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, which is in the winter months in Israel. John 11:54 and Matthew 19:1 put Jesus on the east bank of the Jordan River, where He is waiting for Passover (first month in the Jewish calendar). This timing and location have important historical events that are part of the song of redemption for Israel and us:

  • Joshua and Israel crossing at Passover to take the Land. Joshua 3 and 4.
  • David crossing, after Absalom’s rebellion, for his triumphant ride in to Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 19.
  • Elijah and Elisha crossings during a change in prophets. 2 Kings 2.

People and their actions and reactions to Jesus, His words, and the miracles are what caught my attention for this post. The Twelve, His friends, the crowds, the Jews, the chief priest(s), and the Pharisees all have dialogue and drama because of Jesus in the Chapters of John. John 6:70, the trigger verse, comes after two important miracles: feeding the 5,000 and walking on water. He chose the Twelve and one was a devil is my basic translation. Devil or diabolos is Strong’s G 1228 and can refer to someone devil-like or a slanderer; demon is daimonion δαιμόνιον | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com. John adds a personal footnote here but records no reactions from the men; contrast this to the reaction at supper when He uses the term betrayer. Jesus makes this announcement again in John 13:10 and 18, verse 11 is another footnote; again, John records no reaction from the men.

Personal thought – The Gospels are narratives and include “private” thoughts and conversations from meetings. How did John know what the Pharisees and chief priests were talking about? The first answer might be, the Holy Spirit revealed it to him and the other writers; there is a precedent for that with Elisha, and I believe that could have happened. For this thought, however, I will go to John and Luke for the source of this material. Luke records in Acts that priests and Pharisees were obedient to the faith and John talks about leaders believing, especially Joseph and Nicodemus. (See John 19:38+39.) This is where the private information probably came from.

Another sorrow-causing example. John 7:3 tells of Jesus’ brothers mocking Him about being famous. They had already tried to collect Jesus because they thought He was crazy. Jesus’ circle of family and friends provided some painful times for Him. John the Baptist sent disciples with questions, all the disciples ran away in the Garden, and Peter, the rock, denied Him; these could not have been good moments for Jesus.

Isaiah 53 predicts Jesus to be “a man of sorrow and acquainted with pain”. Normally, this is thought of starting in the Garden, they were there. But Jesus carried many painful moments with Him before His ride into Jerusalem and all the way to the cross.

The Good News is Jesus forgave His family and friends and even the Pharisees and priest who choose to have faith in Him. That mercy and grace extend to us today when we have doubts and fears. So, if Jesus can forgive a hater like Saul of Tarsus and make him Paul the Messenger to us, you can have hope that this Jesus thing works.

John wrote about miracles so we could believe in the name/power of Jesus the Messiah the Son of God. John also recorded why Jesus came, the people, he penned many examples of why we need to make Jesus Lord.

Earthquakes in the Bible – A Second Look

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In the time of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation there were earthquakes. In my first Earthquake post I have more listed; this post is more on the “apocalyptic” quakes. However, 1 Kings 19:11 is the quake and story that shook this second look into being written.

These first three quakes have several things in common. The major one is that God came down to meet His people (or person) and things started. Wind, fire, and loud noise also happened when God came down on the mountains.

  • Exodus 19:18 – Moses on Mount Sinai with the Children watching in awe. The Law was given.
  • 1 Kings 19:11 – Elijah went to Mount Horeb (Sinai) to hide from Jezebel. This was a fresh start for Elijah and the beginning of the end for the Northern Kingdom.
  • Acts 2:2-3 – Okay, the earthquake here happened when Jesus died and the stone was rolled away. But the Holy Spirit came with fire and a loud noise to start the Church on Mount Zion.

The last one was a little shaky, so I will slide another one in that may challenge your thinking. The quake in Genesis could be when the “fountains of the deep were opened”. Many people might say this was just water, but the fractures that are the tectonic faultlines and volcanoes are also a type of fountain and should fit into your Creation Theory.

These first three quakes have plenty of symbolism and other actions going on at the same time as the earth shakes. The types and shadows of Old Testament quakes form the base for the ones that Jesus talked about in Matthew and will be seen before He comes again.

The seals, trumpets, plagues, and bowls in Revelation are first shown in the plagues God used to get Israel out of Egypt. But there was no quake in the plagues on Egypt. All of the other earthquakes before Jesus are the pre-tremors for the big ones to come. The shaking of the adam we come from is saved for the end.

I believe these apocalyptic pre-quakes served their purpose in their time and spoke to things to come. These quakes do not show up by themselves and have plenty of action to go with them.

Isaiah 29:6 has thunder, an earthquake, great noise, windstorm and tempest, and flames of devouring fire coming against those who attack Jerusalem. In Isaiah 36 Sennacherib does attack Jerusalem. I know this also carries past the attack by Assyria, but you have to wonder if there was more than just a “plague” killing those 185,000 men.

Ezekiel 38:19 has the Lord’s zeal, fiery wrath, a great earthquake, torrents of rain, hailstones, and burning sulfur on Gog and the nations with him.

Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, and Luke 21:11 are references to the “birth pains” Jesus talks about on the Mount of Olives, this is the second sermon for the day. Luke has the most things listed, but all have earthquakes and famines.

Matthew 27:51 and 28:2 happened after Jesus proclaimed “it was finished”, but they accomplished several things.

  • Matthew 27:51 – This caused the Roman guards to believe, set people free from the grave, and tore the Temple curtain, which opened the way for Jesus to carry His Blood offering into the presence of the Father.
  • Matthew 28:2 – (See Earthquake) This rock-roller got everyone in Jerusalem awake to make unleavened bread for the day and opened the tomb so the women could see a “Mercy Seat” picture on Easter morning.

Revelation 8:5, 11:13 + 19, 16:18 – I am going to list what is in the Bible about these quakes, because the opinions have produced a magnitude 10 quake and a 300-foot-high tsunami.  

  • Revelation 8:5 – This is with the seventh seal and the golden censer is the cause. It comes with the smoke of the incense, peals of thunder, rumblings, and flashes of lightening.
  • Revelation 11:13 + 19 – The quake in verse 13 is with the sixth trumpet and after the two witnesses are brought back to life; a tenth of Jerusalem collapses and 7,000 people die. The quake in verse 19 is after the seventh trumpet when God’s heaven was opened and the Ark was seen. It came with lightening, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great hailstorm.
  • Revelation 16:18 – The seventh bowl has been poured out and a loud cry of “It is done” is heard. Lightening, rumblings, and peals of thunder come with this quake. It tears Jerusalem into three sections, cities collapse, Babylon the Great gets wrath, mountains and islands are gone, and huge hailstones start falling.

Come Lord Jesus!

Latest Earthquakes from the USGS.

If

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Matthew 8 tells the time Jesus cast out demons from The Man and they went into a herd of pigs; this narrative is also found in Mark 5 and Luke 8. Yes, the three writers approach this story from slightly different angles, so they are not word for word. One difference is the name of the area, you will find Gadarenes, Gerasenes, and the Ten Cities or Decapolis.

This is not the first time I have written about the “man” in the story, see The Man of the Gadarenes and Me and Me and the Man. But as I read Matthew this time one little word stuck out – If.

Now, “if” starts the second line of dialogue that the demons are saying. In Matthew the first conversation (8:29) is the demons questioning Jesus why He was there and was He going to torture or punish them before “the time”. I looked in the English translations in BibleGateway and the statement about time was consistent in them, which should tell you the demons know what their future is. The first part varied some by the translation, but that is okay.

When I did the same study on 8:31 I was amazed that all of the translations had “If you cast us out…”. My NIV Bible is the 1984/1990 copyright, and I expected it to be different in other translations. The reason for that is I assumed that “if” was not a word by itself in Greek; I was wrong. It is ei, Strong: G1487, and see εἰ | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com. I was surprised. Now, before I studied deeper, I wondered if it was a challenge or were they trying to bargain with Jesus to stay where they were. O, the translation/meaning of εἰ comes from the words around it.

Paul, in Ephesians 6, talks about our struggles with spiritual forces. Jesus did many miracles and healings and some specifically mentioned demons/devils and evil spirits, or unclean spirits. Even Jude talks about demons leaving their authority and their home. Over my years as a Christian, I have seen the topic of demons create a wide range of reactions; from denying that they are a factor today to one is behind everything bad that happens. So, seeing Legion trying to negotiate is not surprising. (To be clear, my thinking is not IF, but WHEN Jesus would cast them out.)

I do not like giving the devil or his minions very much thought-time, but this is a study and it seemed good to know how much they were mentioned in the Gospels. Matthew and Mark had about the same number of references at 27 and 28. (This is from the NASB wordsearch in BibleGateway, I tallied all four categories.) Luke had the most at 39, this is not surprising given the that “Gentiles/Greeks” was his intended audience. John had only 9; these primarily were Jews saying Jesus had demons.

A rabbit-trail I went down briefly, was why are there three different groups of minions? At this point I did not find a good reason. Satan is in rebellion, but he still copies the Father’s plans because they work. So, there is some sort of hierarchy to his followers.

Jesus never was intimidated, nor did He retreat, or have to make a deal with the demons. In Matthew 8, I see a classic deflection tactic, it did not work. In His practices, promises, and prophecies, Jesus extends His authority to us His Church. Luke documents demonic activity in Acts, Paul had authority. It is part of the struggle, but we have victory in Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews included two passages that speak to a future and final end to this: 1:13 and 10:13. When He comes, not if, Jesus will put all of this rebellion under His feet.