John 18:31

John 18:31 says, Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye Him, and judge Him accordingly to your Law.  The Jews therefore said unto him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."  Pilate, the governmental ruler, put the fate of Jesus back in the hands of the religious leaders.  Whether he did this to mock their power under Roman rule or to mock their law that they could put a person to death without real proof of the charges is unclear.  Either way, they could not accomplish what they wanted, the death of Jesus, without the help of the government.  They had gotten away from God once again and were under the control of another powerful government.  As followers of Christ, we need to be careful about looking to the government to solve disputes among believers.  If we are indeed subjects of the God of the universe, we should be able to resolve our own problems among ourselves.  Verse thirty-two adds, That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spake, signifying what death He should die.  When anyone, even religious leaders, is in conflict with the word of God, God's word will prove to be true. Verse thirty-three continues, Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto Him, Art Thou the king of the Jews?  If Pilate really thought Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, it shows how little respect he had for them.  Here was a lowly man, bound by His own people, brought before Pilate for the express purpose of having Him put to death.  That is not much of a king in the eyes of the world, but Jesus came not only to be King of the Jews, but King of the whole world.  Though Pilate may have seen Jesus as defeated already, Jesus was really about to start His reign as redeemer.  The powers of the world today may mock the power of Christians, but we are living under the reign of Christ.  His kingdom started at the cross.  We as His followers are part of that kingdom, and we serve the most powerful, eternal King.  There really is never a reason to live in doubt and fear.  We know the outcome, and we are victorious through Christ.