Pilate Under Pressure

Brothers and sisters, it didn’t matter what the people said, Jesus knew it was his time. It was time to submit to his father’s will. He would submit to his father even though at the moment, what the people were doing was just what his father was angry about. But Jesus still believed. My My…

Do you hear what they are saying about you, Pilate would ask Jesus? Why want you defend yourself? Pilate might have been saying “I can’t help you, if you want help me, help you”.

Little did Pilate know that Jesus was helping them all? Jesus knew what Pilate didn’t. He knew he had to die. Pilate knew Jesus was not an evil man, yet he knew he had not the strength or inner power or voice to save him. The pressure of the high priest, the scribes, the council, and the crowd would win, and Jesus would die. Oh My Lord…

Barabbas was guilty of Treason, Murder and felony charges. He had committed the three worst crimes. In my mind Pilate could have given the people similar criminals since he knew that the Justice system was unjustly against Jesus. But he would place Jesus in front of them anyway. He may have said, I wash my hands of this, but the stains would forever remain. My My..

Matthew 27:25 states: Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

Brothers and sisters, the scriptures state that this was the feast of the Governor; the criminals were already selected for the people to choose from. By failing to do what his inner soul spoke, Pilate opened the door to deception, and the Chief Priest walked right in to deceive a crowd that would ultimately say that a good man should die.

Pilate, well Pilate, as ashamed as he might have been, followed right along. Pilate knew it was not Jesus’ guilt that had condemned him, but his righteousness that the Chief Priest has despised. It was their intent to remove him from the radar of the people. Pilate could have handled things differently but because he himself was under pressure of the power of the Chief Priest, and others, he would ask the people. But to his demise, the devilish trickery of the Priest had also gotten to the people. He brought on more pressure assuming the people would make the decision that he knew was right. My Lord!

Even before he got to the people, his wife had sent him a message and added to his pressure. She told him to leave it alone. Don’t have anything to do with it. But did he really listen. I don’t think so.

His wife had dreamed a scary dream. She had warned him not to participate in the actions .Now, I'm not sure, if she was dreaming about Christ unjust punishment or the punishment of all those that participated in his punishment. But it would seem that this dream had scared her, so much she spoke out to her husband to not participate.

Remember Nebuchadnezzar, he dreamed about things that troubled him.

Daniel 2:1says: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

Brothers and sisters, Pilate was not a weak man. He was known by the Romans to be rough, willful, spirited, relentless, and oppressive, and the Jews were weary of his government. Yet on this day he would be used like a puppet on a string. He would cave under the pressure of the chief priest as though they themselves held those strings.