new church life: march/april 2017
defend himself of the charges against Him. Jesus did not give him much to
work with and neither did the priests and Pharisees, but Pilate could tell that
something was amiss. He was certain that Jesus was innocent of the mess of
charges brought against Him, and he asserted this conviction, even shouting
over the angry mob at his door to make his ruling known. (Matthew 18:23, 24;
Mark 15:10, 14; Luke 23:14-16, 20, 22; John 18:38, 19:4, 6, 12)
This trial set Pilate’s teeth on edge. This was not an ordinary sedition case,
it was something more. Not only was it unsettling to Pilate, it disturbed his wife
as well. She sent an urgent message to Pilate telling him to be careful because
she had unsettling dreams about Jesus, whom she believed was innocent.
(Matthew 27:19) Something was different. Pilate was accustomed to being in
control, but his authority seemed to mean nothing to Jesus. (John 19:10-11)
His authority, in fact, was challenged at every turn. Pilate was positive that
Jesus was innocent, and he did all in his power to stick to this ruling. However,
he had a weak spot: Pilate cared about his reputation.
This case left Pilate feeling uneasy. He regularly feels shocked, anxious,
afraid, even exasperated by the events that are unfolding. (Matthew 27:14, 23-
24; Mark 15:4-5, 14, 44; Luke 24:20-24; John 18:35, 38, 19:6, 8-10) Again and
again, Pilate sputters, trying to hold his ground that Jesus is innocent, but in
that moment his authority meant nothing to the crowd.
There was only one ruling that would satisfy the mob: crucifixion. Pilate
was loath to make that call, but when
the crowd pressured him by calling
into question his loyalty to Caesar,
he broke. Pilate, despite his better
judgment, gave in to the pressure of
their demands and sentenced Jesus to
death by crucifixion. (Mark 15:15; Luke
23:24; John 19:12-16)
The Biblical Pontius Pilate is a
very compelling character. When we
take all of his details into account, we
are left with a sense of a real flesh-
and-blood human being. The Biblical
Pilate is a person with convictions
and relationships. He is a person with
strong character traits. He is willing
to stand up for what he believes, but
he has his limits, and when he gets
pushed too far, he breaks. He seems
committed to justice, but is also wary
Echoes and shadows of
Judas’ humanity remain
preserved between the
lines and verses of the
Gospels. By taking a
close look at his own
words as recorded by
the Evangelists, we
can hear him calling
to us, begging us to
understand his life
and struggles.
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