The Chief Priests and other officials who brought Jesus to Pilate in the final chapters of John were clearly amateurs in the art of persuasion.
Upon receiving Jesus as a bound prisoner, Pilate asked the priests, "What charges are you bringing against this man?" (John 18:29)
They seemed unprepared for the most obvious question they were going to face from the Roman government! Here is their brilliant answer: "If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." (18:30)
Seriously? This amounts to nothing more than "Trust us - he's a bad guy. Would we be bothering you if he wasn't?"
Pilate was unpersuaded.
In fact, his response to this was downright dismissive: "Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law." (18:31)
To this they responded, "But we have no right to execute anyone." (18:31)
The Chief Priests were demanding Pilate carry out the most serious punishment possible, but still offering no particulars as to what Jesus had done to warrant execution.
Now, eventually, they found an approach that actually worked. Do you remember how they were able to persuade Pilate to kill a man whom he knew to be innocent?
It is the most basic and powerful tactic in the persuasion handbook.
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