Pilate: The career politician.

 

Oh, poor Pilate. The career politician. A second tier Governor serving in the region he despised. A blip on the radar screen at the apex of history yet infamous for reluctantly ordering the greatest injustice of all time.

Pilate could stomach life at his Palace on the Mediterranean Coast, but the Passover annually brought him to the crowded, noisy city of Jerusalem. He had to be ready to quell any unrest the rowdies might stir up. Pilate had goofed up one too many times and was now on Rome’s probation list.

A knock at his door came exceedingly early Friday morning. Knock, knock, knock. A delegation of Jews wanted him to sign off on an execution. Pilate wanted to wash his hands of the matter but remembered he was in that catch-22 situation. His job was on the line.

Pilate asks Jesus, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” The implication was, “Is this a joke?” A bloody peasant. No army. No Kingly clothes. He could tell this was no insurrectionist. Three times Pilate declared Jesus innocent. This guy Jesus should not be on anyone’s Most Wanted List.

Pilate asks Jesus another question, “What is truth?” The Roman world was much like our post-modern world... Truthless. There was no such thing as Truth with a capital T. It was simply, you got your truth, and I got my truth. Truth was, and still is, up for grabs. Pilate did not realize that TRUTH was standing 6 feet in front of him. Pilate did not understand TRUTH because he did not understand Jesus… who was the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6).

Pilate’s definition of truth that his beliefs automatically reflect reality is akin to the man who once told me “I don’t believe in hell” as though his belief changed the existence of hell. If I were to claim that “I don’t believe in Mexico,” does that change the existence of Mexico?

Pilate was forever the politician. He tried everything:
1. Dismissing the case.
2. Referring the case.
3. Amnesty
4. Reason with them.
5. Satisfy them with some blood.

Finally, Pilate puts his wet finger up in the air to see which way the wind was blowing. His conscience (and wife) told him to let Jesus go but political expediency won out. Eight of the saddest words in the Bible follow, “The voices of the crowd began to prevail.” Pilate caved. A perfectly innocent man was sentenced to death.

Interesting, at that exact moment, at the Temple, literally a stone’s throw away from Pilate’s front door, unblemished Passover lambs were being prepared for the slaughter. 

The old hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” Hallelujah!!!!