Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. (Mt. 27:11-14)
Pilate asks, “Are you the king of the Jews?” The last time we heard this phrase was when the Magi arrived in Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” Then Herod tried unsuccessfully to hill him. Now Pilate will try unsuccessfully not to kill him.
Jesus responds, “You say so.” His answer is affirmative, but he does not take responsibility for everything Pilate has in mind. For Jesus, “king” has religious connotations – “Messiah.” For Pilate it is political.
The chief priests bring accusations against Jesus. Recall that in the previous scene they heard Judas confess that he had betrayed innocent blood – which makes their accusations all the more hypocritical.
Then Jesus is silent. In Matthew, except for his cry to God on the cross, the last words Jesus speaks before he dies are: “You say so.”
Sometimes we think that before we die we’ll straighten out every misunderstanding about us. As though that mattered. What really matters is the truth about ourselves that each of us will see after we die. All will be clear. And that’s all that really matters.
Spend some quiet time with the Lord.
