Words

Yesterday we looked at the setting of his passage. Today we will examine its character: Jesus, Pilate, the Jews, and other supporting characters.

Part One - Introduction | Part Two - Rhetoric | Part Three - Irony | Part Four - Setting

Character

Jesus

Despite the fact that Pilate is the only character to appear consistently throughout the narrative, Jesus occupies center stage in this scene.¹ He is a round character with many complex traits. He frames the narrative; it starts with him being led to Pilate and ends with him being led to the cross. Jesus is called this man, the king of the Jews, the Man, the Son of God, and your king.² These names are used by the characters either in jest or disbelief, yet the evangelist uses them to correctly identify who Jesus truly is.³ The evangelist portrays Jesus as “the unique revealer who alone can speak and show the truth about God.”⁴ Jesus does not talk directly about his royal status before Pilate, instead he discusses his kingdom –what it is not and what it is, a kingdom of truth.⁵ His interests are not of this earth, but are from above.⁶ In this way Jesus demonstrates that he is not planning a rebellion by earthly means, but rather his kingship is marked by the acts of God through him for salvation and redemption.⁷ Jesus’ point of view is clear when he announces that Pilate’s authority is given to him by God, Jesus is ultimately in control of his own destiny.⁸

The points of view of the evangelist and Jesus are the same. Jesus is the king, his kingdom is that of truth, he alone judges and holds supreme authority and sovereignty in all affairs. He alone is competent to reveal the truth of salvation.⁹ The characterization of Jesus by the evangelist makes this abundantly clear.

Pilate

Pilate can be categorized as a dominant character in Gospel of John. He is from the ruling elite who have the authority and power to dominate others. He is characterized by a duplicity that results in his wavering judgment of Jesus. He is constantly going back and forth from the presence of Jesus and truth, to the presence of the Jews who demand death. This physical movement from inside to outside the praetorium reflects his waffling opinion between the truth and the world. Duke notes that “Pilate’s response to [the Jews] throughout the trial seems to be motivated both by a desire to avoid dealing with Jesus and a desire to humiliate [the Jews].”¹⁰ In order to avoid making a decision, Pilate “plunges Jesus deeper into physical and mental degradation.”¹¹

There is misunderstanding in Pilate’s speech that also highlights his wavering. He asks Jesus if he is a king by making a truthful statement in the form of a question. Jesus catches this and says that Pilate has spoken correctly, Jesus is king. Ironically, Pilate asks what truth is and then departs from Jesus; he has misunderstood, both that he has spoken truth and that Jesus himself is truth.¹² Again, he wavers between truth and the world.

Pilate is weak in character and duplicit.¹³ Instead of allowing truth and justice to be his guide, he allows himself to be swayed by popular opinion. He has stated that Jesus is an innocent man, but yet he cannot side with the truth. Pilate’s character moves downward (interestingly enough paralleling the Jew’s downward movement) as he increasingly mishandles Jesus while becoming increasingly aware of Jesus’ innocence.¹⁴ Even when he hears that Jesus claims to be the Son of God and rushes back in fear to question Jesus, this fear cannot move him to act justly.¹⁵ Instead, he allows himself to be convinced that he must condemn a man who is not guilty in order to satisfy the Jews.¹⁶ He has failed to listen to the truth and illustrates for the evangelist that those who fail to listen will “inevitably finish in the service of the world.”¹⁷ It shows how a person who refuses to make the right decision can lead to tragedy.¹⁸

The Jews

In this pericope, the character of the Jews is played by the Jewish ruling elite. Ridderbos points out that the evangelist has repeatedly shown that opposition to Jesus lay with the leaders alone.¹⁹ Therefore, since, in this case, the Jews are meant to be the Jewish leaders, they, along with Pilate, are categorized as dominant. They can be classified as a static character since they do not change their opinion of Jesus throughout the narrative; in fact, their resolve only hardens as the scene progresses. In their speech they make all sorts of false claims against Jesus, but their claim that Jesus makes himself to be the Son of God, is ironically correct.²⁰ Their last speech act of this pericope is an utter renouncement of their status as God’s people; the forsaking of the promised kingdom of God.²¹ For the evangelist the greatest sin of the Jews is their unbelief.²² It is this very unbelief that drives them to regard the Son of God as a criminal.²³ Throughout the narrative the evangelist shows their pride being humbled and their hidden desires being exposed, thus showing how hatred and unbelief can blind.²⁴ They represent an outright unbelief and rejection of Jesus.

Supporting Characters

The two supporting characters are Barabbas and the soldiers. They are mentioned only briefly and are used to illustrate the evangelist’s point of view. Barabbas is a foil who serves to highlight the Jews intent to kill Jesus regardless of the cost or the truth. He is called a robber, which is used to ironically highlight the Jews’ selection of the thief who enters the sheepfold some other way rather than the Good Shepherd (John 10 [NASB]). The soldiers are stock characters who scourge and mock Jesus. They are used in the evangelist’s carnivalesque scene to depict, with irony, the crowning and presentation of the true king.

¹ Carson 1991, 587.

² Brown 1970, 891 notes that these titles were given at the beginning of his ministry as the faith of the disciples grew, then at the end of his life, “in a crescendo of disbelief” he is mockingly and incredulously called these same things.

³ Duke 1985, 130 notes that this Gospel is one “in which strangers and enemies have borne constant witness to the identity of Jesus.” He believes that the evangelist wants the reader to see that each character has said it in their own way: “this Jesus whom they will neither recognize nor receive is by their own unconscious admission who he claims to be.”

⁴ Brown 1970, 869.

⁵ Moloney 1998, 494; Bultmann 1971, 654; Beasley-Murray 1999, 331. Beasley-Murray notes that Pilate’s understanding of king falls short of the reality of what Jesus is, so that Jesus must further explain the nature of his kingship. Carson 1991, 594 points out that Jesus has gone far enough throughout the Gospel in self-disclosure, but at this point must explain the nature of his reign in order not to be misleading.

⁶ Brown 1970, 892.

⁷ Schnackenburg 1990, 249; Beasley-Murray 1999, 330.

⁸ Ridderbos 1997, 603 notes that “Jesus is in God’s hands not in Pilate’s.” Beasley-Murray 1999, 340 adds that “Jesus shows little concern as to what may become of him through Pilate’s judgment…” again showing that Jesus believes he controls his own destiny.

⁹ Schnackenburg 1990, 250.

¹⁰ Duke 1985, 128.

¹¹ Ridderbos 1997, 600. Beasley-Murray 1999, 335 notes that the scourging of Jesus even when Pilate knew of the innocence of Jesus “reflects the cruel streak in Pilate….”

¹² Beasley-Murray 1999, 332 notes that this turning on his heal of Pilate before an answer can be given highlights Pilate’s belief that no one can truly answer that question. Schnackenburg 1990, 251 notes that for the evangelist this is an avoidance and rejection of Jesus’ witness.

¹³ Schnackenburg 1990, 245 notes the Gospel portrayal of Pilate in this way is often dispute, yet it is not unbelievable. Carson 1991, 590 notes that from both “biblical and extra-biblical sources, historians have come to know [Pilate] as a morally weak and vacillating man who, like many of the same breed, tried to hide his flaws under shows of stubbornness and brutality.” He also notes on 595 that had Pilate had integrity, his verdict of innocent would have ended the matter.

¹⁴ Brown 1970, 889.

¹⁵ Ridderbos 1997, 590 notes that the movement cannot be described as nervous pacing since Jesus is in such a pitiable and non-dangerous condition. Yet Schnackenburg 1990, 260 points out that it could be the “numinous terror before the divine, which falls upon this representative of earthly power” and Beasley-Murray 1999, 339 concurs. After citing Schnackenburg on this exact point, Beasley-Murray notes that Pilate’s fear “increases by the thought of the vengeance that could be taken by a divine being on one who had maltreated him….”

¹⁶ Duke 1985, 131 notes that Pilate has forfeited his decision to the world outside.

¹⁷ Brown 1970, 864.

¹⁸ Ibid., 864.

¹⁹ Ridderbos 1997, 601.

²⁰ Moloney 1998, 499.

²¹ Ibid., 496-497; Brown 1970,895.

²² Schnackenburg 1990, 259.

²³ Ibid., 245.

²⁴ Ibid., 245.

Technorati Tags: setting, Jesus, Pilate, narrative, Gospel of John, Barabbas