Do you feel sorry for Pilate?

If the story of Jesus was a long play, the character named Pilate would be seen in one small scene from one act near the end of the play. If Pilate was a recording artist he would have been a one-hit wonder. Yet, despite having so little space devoted to him in the Gospels, his name has been synonymous with villainy for two thousand years. Even non-Christians know the name Pilate and his historic role.

The full account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate is spread through all four Gospels. In his sermon, James referenced the accounts from both Matthew and Luke. Here are all four accounts:

Matthew 27:11-26          Mark 15:1-15          Luke 23:1-24          John 18:28 – 19:16

Pontius Pilate was the Governor of Judaea and the highest Roman authority in the land, answering only to Caesar himself. He was both ruler and judge and was the only one who could order a criminal’s execution. His job was to oversee the people and see that they were good tax-paying Roman citizens. In addition, the Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar didn’t want to be bothered with nuisance issues like political unrest in the far reaches of his kingdom, so he expected his appointed governors to keep peace amongst the conquered peoples.

As James described Pilate’s predicament on Sunday, I felt sorry for him (Pilate, not James). When the Jewish High Court wanted Jesus executed for blasphemy, they knew Pilate wouldn’t be swayed by his supposed violation of their religious laws. So they brought false or twisted charges that Jesus was sowing seeds of sedition amongst the Jewish people by seducing them away from loyalty to Rome, by opposing them paying taxes, and by claiming to be a king and thereby challenge the Emperor’s role.

In Pilate’s investigations he found no credibility to the charges and he was ready to let Jesus go. Even his own wife told him that she believed Jesus to be innocent. But the Jews’ mob mentality was escalating and they simply wanted Jesus executed. Pilate conferred with the Jews’ own King Herod who agreed that Jesus was innocent. He then pleaded with Jesus to at least refute the charges but Jesus remained silent. Roman law stated that if an accused person didn’t refute the charges then the ruling must be against them. Pilate was torn. Then he had a brilliant idea: a possible loophole. In an earlier attempt to win the favour of the Jewish people, Pilate agreed every year to commute the sentence of a condemned criminal in honour of Passover. So he gave the people a choice of freeing Jesus or the most hardened criminal on death row. Surely the people would pick Jesus. The people chose the criminal.

Pilate’s forever-famous response was to wash his hands in front of the crowd and say, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; it is now your responsibility!”

If we could ask Pilate why he gave in to the crowd, I’m sure he would say, “I had no choice.” But isn’t it true that most times when we say that we have no choice, what we really mean is that we just don’t like the choices we have. Pilate didn’t like his choices, but he still had a choice. Many times in our life we will be faced with incredibly difficult choices; let’s remember that just because we don’t like the choices we have doesn’t mean that we have no choice. We always have a choice. In situations like these, I ask God’s Holy Spirit to guide me to make the right choice … one guided by godly wisdom rather than worldly consequences.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have told us in Your Word that if we lack wisdom, we should ask for it. Therefore, please give us Your wisdom and guide us by Your Holy Spirit to live out that wisdom so that we may bring You glory by all of our choices. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!