404 THoMAS ToPS destiny is not finally in Pilate’s control anyway” 28. In 19,12a we come to know that Pilate was seeking (evzh,tei) to release Jesus. De Boer correctly points out that the imperfect evzh,tei implies repetition or persistence 29. Hence, de Boer thinks that originally Pilate was still very reluctant to convict Jesus on the basis of the new charge. In 19,12b we see, according to de Boer, that the Jews attempt “to convince Pilate that the religious charge that Jesus made himself Son of God really means that he was making himself [our] king which in turn means […] that he opposes Caesar” 30. According to de Boer, Pilate now has found a juridical ground, that is, opposition to Caesar, to condemn Jesus to death. De Boer considers it as part of tradition that the Jews had first to explicitly repudiate Jesus, before letting Pilate proceed to Jesus’ cru- cifixion, even if Pilate did not repudiate Jesus (19,15). In 19,22.31.38 Pilate repeatedly confirms in both word and deed that Jesus is indeed king of the Jews. De Boer concludes that Pilate is used as “a tool of the theological agenda of the evangelist” 31. So what de Boer is saying is that the Jews have finally convinced Pilate to convict Jesus, but not without expressing, with characteristically Johannine irony, that Jesus is the king of the Jews, even if the Jews rejected him. Tuckett has a very different interpretation of what Pilate says and does in 19,7-16. He also speaks of the greater fear of Pilate in 19,7-8, and also states that 19,9 points out that Pilate is not able to understand Jesus 32. yet, unlike de Boer, Tuckett considers 19,14 as an illustration of Pilate’s mocking sarcasm. Pilate understands all too well that the Jews cannot accept Jesus’ kingship. In 19,15 Pilate mocks the Jews even more by emphasizing Jesus’ kingship in the formulation of the question: to.n basile,a u`mw/n staurw,swÈ According to Tuckett, Pilate’s mockery is so extreme that it is the cause of the Jews’ cry in 19,15f.: ouvk e;comen basile,a eiv mh. Kai,sara 33. Pilate’s aggressive mockery is understood here as the direct cause of the Jews’ recognition of Caesar as being the only sovereign, and therefore the cause of the Jews’ repu- diation of their own religious heritage, in which yHWH is recognized as the only sovereign. Piper remarks that the Jews could have refused Jesus as their king without distancing themselves from their religious 28 De BoeR, “Narrative Function”, 153. 29 De BoeR, “Narrative Function”, 144. 30 De BoeR, “Narrative Function”, 153-154. 31 De BoeR, “Narrative Function”, 154. 32 TUCkeTT, “Pilate”, 137. 33 TUCkeTT, “Pilate”, 138.