Thanks, Scottinalaska, for your comments. As you are obviously aware, there is one lone passage in the canonical Gospel of John (19:10-11) that implies that Jesus recognized Pilate's jurisdiction. It is interesting that the Synoptic Gospels make no mention of the exchange. In the KJV, Pilate, frustrated by Jesus' refusal to dignify the proceedings by answering questions, said to Jesus, "Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, THOU COULDEST HAVE NO POWER AT ALL AGAINST ME, EXCEPT IT WERE GIVEN THEE FROM ABOVE; THEREFORE HE THAT DELIVERED ME UNTO THEE HATH THE GREATER SIN." There are, of course, several ways that this brief passage can be interpreted. One is that Jesus was pointing out that Pilate's only authority came from Caesar. Another is that he was pointing out that Pilate's authority came from God. I believe that Jesus' reference to "above" was to Caesar not to God the Father, because I believe that all of man's attempts at lawmaking are a usurpation of God's perogative, which men have been usurping always and everywhere, except among God's chosen people who recognized Him as the only Lawgiver from the time Moses received the Decalogue until the end of Samuel's reign as judge of Isreal, at which time the Jews rejected God as their lawmaker in favor of a king, who became their lawmaker. As far as I know, no other nation nor geographically extended society of people have had the wisdom to recognize God alone as their lawmaker. If Pilate's power came from God, I do not think that Jesus would have treated Pilate with such distain, refusing to even answer his questions. If Pilate's authority came from God, it would be legitmate, and that is quite simply ludicrous by my way of thinking.

The question of jurisdiction in courts of law is a "legal" question that begs the larger question: whose legality. All of the Laws that men and women need are in the Decalogue. The Decalogue provides measures that when followed guide men and women to live harmoniously with each other. Man-made laws represent a usurpation of God's jurisdiction as the one divine Lawmaker and provide measures by which some men and women can rule others.

Again, Scott, thank you for the courtesy of replying to my thread and particularly for taking your valuable time to read my humble essay. God bless you with the abundance of his love.