The Trial

After His capture, Jesus was brought to a kangaroo trial hastily called by the religious leaders of the Jews.  The Jewish leaders decided that He should die, but since Judea was a Roman province, only a Roman governor had the authority to impose the death sentence.  So early the next morning the Jewish leaders brought Him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. 

Pilate could find no guilt in Jesus and wanted to let Him go.  To appease the Jewish leaders, Pilate had Jesus flogged, a whipping so vicious that people sometimes died from it.  Here are two paintings entitled The Flagellation of Christ.   The first is by Bougereau, a great Victorian artist, and the second is by Caravaggio, a great Baroque painter.

After suffering such horrible treatment, Jesus was mocked by the soldiers.  They knew that He was accused of claiming to be the King of the Jews, so they put a purple robe on His shredded back, put a mock "scepter" in His hand, and fashioned a crown of sharp thorns and pushed it down on His head.  Since a head wound bleeds profusely, He must have been pouring out blood.  Here is Christ Crowned with Thorns by Titian, a Renaissance painter, and after that a painting on the same theme by Baburen Utrecht, and then a third painting by an unknown artist.

In this mutilated condition, Christ was again brought before Pilate.  Again Pilate tried to escape condemning Jesus to death, but the Jewish leaders threatened a riot if he did not pass sentence of death.  Afraid of ruining his political career, Pilate washed his hands of the matter, but gave permission for Jesus to be executed.  Here is Christ before Pilate by Nicholaes Maes (a Roman in a turban is unlikely).

From here, Jesus was taken to the place of execution outside the city.  If you would like to see His crucifixion, click on the following picture, called Christ Before Pilate by Cornwell.

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