Journey to the cross, Jesus was brutally beaten. He was bounced from ruler to ruler to be interrogated. But who was really being examined? Today on truth for life weekend, we'll take a closer look at pilots interrogation of Jesus. Alistair begg is teaching from the gospel of John, we're starting with the closing verses of chapter 18. By the time we get to the verses that we read together, it is actually the morning of good Friday. If we have thought in terms of the time process here as being protracted in some way, then we have thought inaccurately. And the pale gray light has passed into the dawn of another morning. And from the slope on the other side of the Temple Mount where you find or would have found in those days the temple of caiaphas, these individuals, this melancholy procession has made its way through the narrow streets and to the upper city of Jerusalem. And has now approached the palace of the Roman governor. That's what John tells us, the Jews then led Jesus from the palace that was that of caiaphas to the place of the dwelling of the Roman governor. Prior to this, in the scenes that had taken place there in the jurisdiction of caiaphas, Jesus had been abused and maligned greatly. Indeed, we are told in one of the other gospels that they spat in his face, they struck him with their fists, they slapped him and they said, prophesied to as Christ who hit you. Now, these same people who were involved in this are those who are then described here as being so concerned in verse 28 to avoid the ceremonial uncleanness, which would be theirs as a result of entering the palace. What strange perversity it is. That men can be guilty of such dreadful abuse, and yet at the same time determine that they can't go over the thoroughfares of the palace because they may find themselves ceremonially unclean. Because of this and in order to facilitate their expectations, we are told in verse 29 that pilot comes out to them. If they're not going to come in, he will come out. We're not going to take time to sketch in the background of this man. Our knowledge of him is that he was proud and cruel and shrewd and self seeking and superstitious and paid a lot of attention to what his wife had to say. At least in that last respect, he should be an example to us all. But it is that we find in this opening scene that in the precincts of the palace far enough on the outside so that the Jews will not be ceremonially unclean. He engages in a discussion with them. And he begins, of course, by asking straightforwardly what are the charges that you're bringing against this man, a perfectly reasonable request on his part because if he was going to pronounce in any legal fashion, then it was legitimate for him to know exactly what the charge was that was being brought against the man. Their reply, of course, is as vague as his question was clear.