<p>19:12 <em>Upon this, Pilate sought to release him- </em>The Lord had told him that he did indeed have &quot;sin&quot; over this matter, although Caiaphas had greater sin. And there was something in Pilate that didn't want to sin or be held guilty by the power &quot;from above&quot; (:11) which was clearly involved in all this.</p><p><em>But the Jews cried out, saying: If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone that makes himself a king speaks against Caesar</em>- On one hand, there was Pilate's desire not to sin or be held guilty before God. On the other, there was the manipulation of the crowd, the desire to retain office, and not offend our secular superiors. And that voice, as with so many, was more powerful than the voice of the <em>logos</em> of encounter with Jesus.</p>