We are Pontius Pilot

The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.

So, how does it feel to have condemned Jesus the Son of God to death? No, I didn’t ask you how would it feel, but how does it feel? No other devotional has been as difficult to write as this one. Its evolution has spanned over thirty years to arrive at one of the most sobering and painful conclusions imaginable: Pontius Pilot is no more responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion than we are. How so, you might ask?

Pontius Pilot was meeting Jesus in person for the first time, but he could not have been completely ignorant regarding who Jesus was, who He claimed to be and what he was doing throughout Pilot’s region. And now, suddenly the Jews were making their dilemma Pilot’s dilemma with no good way out. Don’t we all find ourselves in similar situations occasionally?

According to the Gospel writers, Pilot asked Jesus many probing questions, and Jesus, who often remained silent in such situations, answered most of Pilot’s questions honestly. Pontius asked Jesus twice if he was a king, and Jesus admitted that He was, but that his kingdom was not of this world. Pilot also asked Jesus where he was from, which could not have been a question of geography since he already knew where Jesus was born and raised. This question probed beyond physical residence.

The Gospels reveal that the more Pilot examined Jesus, the more fearful he became. Pilot thereby resolved to release Jesus and tried to do so six times. In his last attempt he appealed to Jesus saying, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you, and have power to crucify you?” The tone of Jesus’ reply confirms that Pilot was desperately asking Jesus to work with him toward release, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore, he who delivered me to you has greater sin.” Jesus was assuring Pilot that this was destiny and Pilot was powerless to prevent it. When Pilot understood that there was nothing more he could do, he publicly washed his hands of the matter and declared Jesus an innocent and ‘righteous’ man. He also personally wrote in three languages “This is Jesus, The King of the Jews” and had it affixed to the cross over Jesus’ head. And when asked by the Jews to modify the inscription, Pilot absolutely refused saying, “What I have written, I have written.” It’s reasonable to wonder if Pilot’s consent to secure Jesus’ tomb was partially motivated by curiosity to see if in fact Jesus would rise.

We might firmly believe that we would not have a man killed to take his wife, like King David did. But if we found ourselves in Pilot’s situation, would we have done anything different – knowing that to do otherwise would most likely cost us our position, our life, and even the lives of our wife and children? The painful truth is that, as Peter quickly denied Jesus three times, we would do precisely what Pilot did when everything dear to us was suddenly at stake. And, as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, the mere thought of a transgression is equal to committing the act. We therefore cannot excuse ourselves by thinking “he or they” killed Jesus. No, we must humbly accept the reality that Pilot was no more responsible for the death of Jesus than we are today. We would all wash our hands of Jesus’ fate.

When we find ourselves at the foot of the cross, it is not enough to simply thank Jesus for suffering so in our stead. No, we need to earnestly accept responsibility for our part in His death, faithfully accept His forgiveness and then move beyond the cross and on to following Him as our Shepherd and mentor.