“They did what Your Power and Will had decided beforehand should happen.” 

Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”  (John 19:10)

Pilate was a Roman governor and a criminal court judge.  As a judge he interpreted laws and assessed evidence presented.  Jesus was brought to him by the Jews to be executed since they had no authority to kill him (John 18:31).  Pilate was not interested in religious cases, but reluctantly complied to please the Jews.  The Jews told him according to their law Jesus must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.  Pilate did not have the knowledge of Jewish laws to judge Jesus.  He questioned Jesus with the evidence presented by the Jews and found no basis for any charge.  Pilate was troubled when he found out Jesus was the Son of God.  Pilate thought he could use the customary release of a prisoner at the feast to release Jesus instead of the notorious prisoner Barabbas.  He tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, crucify.  He asked the Jews, “Shall I crucify your king?”  A judge who claimed to have power was asking the Jews what to do!

The Jews protested the sign on the cross, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  They asked Pilate to remove the sign and His answer was, “What I have written, I have written.”  I believe Pilate was moved by the power of God when he gave the order to write, ‘Jesus is King of the Jews.’  The Jews could not influence Pilate to change the truth.

The Jews perceived Pilate had power over Jesus and thought they influenced Pilate to crucify him.  Pilate thought he used his power as a judge to crucify Jesus.   Jesus came to die and redeem us from the enemy.  “They did what God’s power and will had decided beforehand should happen (Acts 4:28).”