The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." (John 19:21-22)
It’s impossible to consider the crucifixion without considering the thoughts and actions of Pontius Pilate, the governor who sentenced Jesus to death. From our vantage point as faithful followers of Christ in the year 2012, it’s easy for us to demonize Pilate and all the others involved in the crucifixion. But can we not for a moment step into the shoes of those in positions of authority at the time?
Lest I create a firestorm of controversy during Holy Week, I am not downplaying Pilate’s responsibility in Christ’s crucifixion. He had the power to spare the life of God’s own Son, the only truly innocent man ever to exist, and he chose not to. Pilate was corrupted by power, a slave to status, swayed by the political and cultural whims of his time – not at all unlike many leaders of today. It is often argued that Pilate was simply carrying out a very integral part of God’s plan. While that is true, it’s not because God forced Pilate to sentence Jesus to death; rather, God knew that Pilate would ultimately make that choice. Just as God uses all of our choices to accomplish His will, so too did He use Pilate’s choice. But Pilate alone was responsible for the choice he made.
It is well documented in the gospels that Pilate did not want the responsibility of sentencing Jesus to death. He stated several times that he could find no legal fault in Jesus, no crime that Jesus had committed. He was troubled by the fact that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. His wife had warned him to leave Jesus alone, based on a disturbing dream she’d had. There was no legal basis for punishing Him. All things considered, it seemed like a no-brainer for Pilate to pardon the King of the Jews. He didn’t because he was as human as you and me.
All those in positions of power at the time felt threatened by Jesus and what He had been teaching. The chief priests were not about to pass up this golden opportunity to finally get rid of Jesus. Pilate sentenced Jesus to die, literally washed his hands, and passed the buck to the riotous mob. I believe he knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he was too intimidated, too mired in self-preservation to do what was right. He tried to convince himself that he had no choice but to appease the crowd and that Jesus’ blood was on their hands, not his. We can call Pilate a deluded coward, but how often have fear, peer pressure, or threats to our power or status influenced our own decisions?
I find the above passages from John fascinating. Did Pilate simply make a mistake with the wording, or was it intentional? If it was intentional, was it another way of placing blame on the crowd? Or was it a last-ditch attempt to quiet his conscience by declaring the truth about who Jesus was? When questioned about his omission of the phrase "claimed to be," Pilate could have answered by saying, "Oops – my bad!" He didn’t. Sometimes what is not said speaks volumes.
Regardless of the motivation behind them, Pilate alone was responsible for his choices. Despite logic and a nagging conscience telling him it was wrong, he nonetheless chose of his own free will to sentence Christ to death. That is certainly not something I would want to be known for, but I am far from innocent. Through my own sinful choices in life, I contributed to the suffering of Christ on the cross. A prickly point in the crown of thorns, a slash from the flogger, a slap to the face, a nail through tender flesh…these have my name on them. I deserve to bear the punishment for my sins, to spend eternity separated from God. Mercifully, Jesus took my place, sparing me from such an awful fate. Why? Because God also makes choices.
God chose to save us from ourselves through the sacrifice of His beloved Son. Let us honor His choice by choosing Him in all that we do.
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