I find no fault in this man

While emphasizing the true manhood of the Lord Jesus,Luke in his Gospel is at pains to assure us that the Lord’s humanity is holy humanity. In this passage he calls three witnesses to testify to the faultless Man. Each witness has his own reason for testifying, and this is the subject of our meditation today.

Pilate testifies, ‘I find no fault in this man’, v. 4. Here is the voice of human justice. Rome prided itself in its legal code, aspects of which have influenced our own legal system. This corrupt Roman governor was forced to acknowledge on three separate occasions that the Lord was guiltless, vv. 4, 14, 22. Accustomed to judging all types and classes, Pilate had no doubt as to the Lord’s innocence. Incidentally, the trial of the Lord is without parallel in this respect, that the condemned Man is thrice unequivocally declared faultless by the judge!

The repentant thief declares, ‘This man hath done nothing amiss’, v. 41. This is the voice, not of human justice, but of criminal experience. The thief has been watching the Lord’s reaction to His suffering and listening to His words. What he sees and hears results in a dramatic turnaround in his thinking. From his brief acquaintance with the Lord (possibly only three hours) he is able to make such a startling statement.

The centurion glorifies God and exclaims, ‘Certainly this was a righteous man’, v. 47. His is the voice of military assessment. As a Roman soldier, the centurion would have been no stranger to violent death and execution. Rome ruled with an iron rod, and the martial discipline and severity of her troops was legendary. Perhaps he was experienced in this very duty - the execution of criminals. He had no doubt seen many in their last moments, but none had died like this Man! Scripture says he ‘saw what was done’, v. 47.

Pilate testifies to the absence of evil: the Lord is without fault. The repentant thief testifies to His perfect actions: the Lord has done not one thing out of place. The centurion testifies to the positive aspect of His character:He is a righteous man. An unjust trial, dreadful sufferings, and death by crucifixion served only to reveal the perfections of this Man!