彼拉多對祭司長和眾人說：「我查不出這人有甚麼罪來。」 ……就對他們說：「你們解這人到我這裏，說他是誘惑百姓的。看哪，我也曾將你們告他的事，在你們面前審問他，並沒有查出他甚麼罪來； 就是希律也是如此，所以把他送回來。可見他沒有做甚麼該死的事。 ……彼拉多第三次對他們說：「為甚麼呢？這人做了甚麼惡事呢？我並沒有查出他甚麼該死的罪來。所以，我要責打他，把他釋放了。」 他們大聲催逼彼拉多，求他把耶穌釘在十字架上。他們的聲音就得了勝。 路加福音 23:4, 14-15, 22-23
Pilate then said to the leaders of the priests and to all the crowd of people, ‘I cannot find anything that this man has done which is wrong.’ ……He said to them, ‘You brought this man to me. You said that he was causing the people to fight against their rulers. Listen! I have asked him some questions in front of you. But I have not found that he has done anything wrong. Herod also did not find that he had done anything wrong. That is why he has sent him back to me. You can see this. He has not done anything bad that means he ought to die. ……Pilate asked them the same question for the third time. ‘Why should I kill him? What wrong things has he done? You want me to say that he should die. But I have not found anything wrong that would cause me to say that. So, I will punish him. I will order my soldiers to hit him with a whip. Then I will let him go.’ But they continued to shout at Pilate, ‘Kill him on a cross.’ They continued to shout very much. So, in the end, Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22-23