John 19: Pilate, Jesus, and Looking Up to the Right Place

Introduction

"Pilate looked up too. But instead of that false 'above,' let's look to the true one." With these words, Pastor Yoshihiro Maruyama states the conclusion of his message right from the start. He gave it at the prayer meeting of October 21, 2026, at Yonezawa Kōjō Church in Japan, as episode 83 of the series "People Who Met Jesus."

The title borrows a song everyone has heard somewhere, "Ue o muite arukō" ("Let's Walk Looking Up"). The text is John 19:9-12, at the heart of Jesus' trial. Pilate declared Jesus innocent several times, then handed him over to be crucified. The pastor asks which word entered Pilate's heart and decided his life.

From this he draws a question for each of us: when you lift your eyes, who are you really looking at?

Outline of the Message

1. The Words You Let Into Your Heart

"Ue o muite arukō" is a huge hit by Kyū Sakamoto. The pastor recalls another of his songs, "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands," drawn from Psalm 47: "Oh clap your hands, all you nations! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!"
According to the preacher, the lyrics of "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands" were written in 1959 by a Christian. He had traveled to a workshop in the Philippines, a country with a Catholic tradition. During the Second World War, the Japanese army had occupied the land there, and some people had lost loved ones. Yet Filipino Christians said: the war is over, let us forgive the Japanese. They welcomed him. He put Japanese words to a song he heard there, the melody reached the ears of Kyū Sakamoto, and it became an enormous hit.
Another example: the actress Sayuri Yoshinaga, who became a great actress through the film "Kyūpora no aru machi". Her director asked her to think about poverty. She answered that she herself came from a poor family. He replied that her poverty was that of the nice neighborhoods, and that there was another kind of poverty, that of the working-class districts.
She could have taken offense and stopped there. Instead she kept those words in her heart, thought about them, and understood them on the film set. "Depending on the words you let into your heart, and on who speaks them, a person's life changes."
That is the question asked about Pilate: which word decided his life?

2. Pilate Declares Jesus Innocent

People often see Pilate as a villain. He did have a cruel side. But in Jesus' trial, he tried to judge fairly and objectively, according to Roman law.
After asking "What is truth?", he went out to the Jews and declared: "I find no basis for a charge against him" (John 18:38). A capable man, he quickly understood that the accusation had been fabricated. A revolt against Rome would fall under Roman law, but blasphemy under Jewish law could not be judged by that law.
The matter did not calm down. It was the Passover feast, and Pilate was in Jerusalem to keep order. Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, was there too. Since Jesus was a Galilean, Pilate sent him to Herod. Herod hoped to see a miracle. When Jesus did nothing, he despised him, mocked him, and sent him back to Pilate.
Reassured by this support, Pilate repeated his verdict: "I found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him, nor did Herod" (Luke 23:14-15).
He then tried a compromise: have Jesus flogged to stir up pity and obtain his release (John 19:4).
His last resort was the custom of releasing a prisoner at the feast. "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:15-17). Barabbas was a notorious criminal, arrested for robbery and murder. Reading these verses, Pilate almost seems like a decent man.

3. Yet Pilate Hands Jesus Over

"Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified" (Matthew 27:26).
Why did he give in after so many efforts? Because of this choice, his name is known all over the world: every time the Apostles' Creed is recited, it says that Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate."
Pilate was the most powerful man in Judea. With a gesture, he decided whether a man lived or died. And this man bowed before the words of the crowd and changed course completely.

4. Fear of Other People's Eyes

A politician anticipates and calculates. Pilate thought that the crowd, unlike the Jewish leaders, would take Jesus' side. On the Sunday of that same week, Jesus had entered Jerusalem on a donkey, welcomed by a crowd waving branches and spreading their garments.
Reality turned out the opposite. The crowd, pushed by the chief priests and the scribes, shouted: "Not this man, but Barabbas!" (John 18:40), then "Crucify him! Crucify him!" (John 19:6). The account is sober, but the atmosphere was explosive, on the verge of a riot.
"If someone is convinced he stands on the truth, he holds firm. You can tell him he is wrong as often as you like, he answers: no, this is how it is." Pilate did not stand on the truth.
A riot would have proved that he governed badly. His greatest concern was the emperor's judgment. That is why one word went straight into his heart: "If you release this man, you aren't Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!" (John 19:12).
The pastor tells a memory about his cousin, a civil servant who is now retired. When young, he had announced a promotion in his New Year's greetings. The pastor teased him: now you will finally be able to work as you see fit. The curt reply, which he has never forgotten: "It's not like that at all! Even today, I look upward. I work looking upward." The section chief looks at the department head, who looks at the director. "The part where you live as you please is tiny."
Pilate looked up too. But his "above" was Caesar, and his fate depended on him. The pastor sums it up: he did not act according to the truth, he was driven by fear. Those who are afraid watch other people's faces and quickly go back on their decisions, even the gravest ones.

5. Standing on the Truth: The Example of a Sister in Prayer

The pastor recalls an elderly sister of the church, now with the Lord, whom he considers a model of faith. She stood on the truth and believed in Jesus.
She prayed rubbing her hands together, repeating "Jesus, Jesus." This image remains engraved in the pastor's memory.
Did God grant her everything she asked? No. Her life went through so many trials that one could wonder why, if God exists. Facing a new trial, she went through three stages: first a face of extreme distress, with no show of "hallelujah," because she knew pain and thought "again?" Then she prayed to Jesus, simply, without letting up. Finally her face found peace again.
Many things worked out thanks to her prayers. But the pastor has no memory of a self-centered prayer, the kind that says "do this for me." What stays with him is "Lord, show your glory." "That kind of prayer really comes true."
Not everyone around her became a Christian. Some found it absurd that she suffered so many trials despite her prayers. Others came to faith, drawn by her. Each person chooses freely.
"The one who lives on the unshakable foundation of God is shaken, and yet is not shaken." Following her example, the pastor also prays rubbing his hands: "I truly can't do anything more. But God, I believe that through this trial you will do what is best."

6. Jesus' Silence, a Time of Love

The last point concerns the authority "from above" that Jesus speaks of to Pilate: "You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above" (John 19:11).
Pilate's "above" was the emperor. For fear of being demoted, he presided over an unjust trial. Jesus' "above" was the Father. "Knowing the authority of God, who governs the whole world and decides our eternal destiny, he feared nothing that did not come from that authority."
Pilate asks: "Where are you from?" (John 19:9). He knew Jesus came from Galilee. His question is about the origin of Jesus' authority: who are you really? He himself acted in the name of the Roman emperor. Jesus gives him no answer.
"This silence is not a refusal. It is a time of love." Jesus was trying to save Pilate too. A person is tossed about by what he holds on to. If Pilate had not cared about Caesar, nothing would have moved him. Jesus' silence tells him: let go of what you hold.
"To turn our eyes to God, the true 'above,' we must give up what we now consider our 'above.' For that, we need to deeply realize how vain the things we hold on to are."
Silence is a time to reflect. Without realizing it, we hold certain things to be the most important. In prayer or in trial, we meet God's silence: "Today, God did nothing." In that emptiness, he says nothing, but he asks: what are you holding on to? Money, health, children, someone's mood at work.
We cling with all our strength to vain things, to the point of placing our whole being on them, when once the tie is cut we would say: in the end, it's a relief. That is why we waver and are tossed about. God wants to lead us to the discovery that when we let go, we are truly relieved.
Pilate let in the words of the crowd. "What a pity." Jesus forces no one. The question remains: what will you choose? The pastor concludes by calling us to walk with our eyes lifted to the true "above," to God, in a life of faith.

Key Takeaways

The words you let into your heart steer your life. Pilate let in the words of the crowd.
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, but he did not stand on the truth. Fear of Caesar decided in his place.
Whoever is afraid watches other people's faces and goes back on decisions. Whoever stands on God is shaken without being overthrown.
Jesus looked to the Father and feared no other authority.
God's silence is not a refusal but a time of love, to lead you to let go of what you hold on to.

Personal Application

When you have to make a decision, do you look first to God or to other people's faces?
What is your false "above" right now: money, health, your children, someone's mood at work?
Which word have you let into your heart recently, and where did it come from?
In trial, do your prayers mostly say "do this for me," or also "show your glory"?
If God seems silent today, what might he be inviting you to let go of?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Pilate hand Jesus over when he declared him innocent?

Pilate declared several times that he found no basis for a charge against Jesus. But he did not stand on the truth. He feared a riot and, even more, the emperor's judgment. When the crowd shouted "If you release this man, you aren't Caesar's friend" (John 19:12), that word entered his heart and he gave in.

What does it mean to look to the true "above"?

Pilate looked up, but his "above" was Caesar. Jesus looked to the Father, who governs the whole world and decides our eternal destiny. For Yoshihiro Maruyama, turning our eyes to God means giving up the false "aboves" we hold on to: money, health, children, or someone's mood at work.

Why did Jesus stay silent before Pilate?

When Pilate asks "Where are you from?" (John 19:9), he wants to know where Jesus' authority comes from. Jesus does not answer. For the preacher, this silence is not a refusal but a time of love: Jesus was also trying to save Pilate and invited him to let go of what he held on to.