Pilate was appointed procurator of Judea in A.D. 26, which was only about 3 years
before the crucifixion of Christ, but already he had so much trouble with the Jews that he
despised them. When he first came to Jerusalem he discovered that it was about the only
city in the whole Roman Empire that did not have an image of the Emperor. He did not
realize how the Jews hated idols, and how they would rather die than bow down to one.
In his ignorance he sent a guard to set up images on a tower overlooking the temple. He
had enough sense to do it at night, but when it was discovered in the morning, the angry
Jews began to stream out of Jerusalem toward the palace of Pilate. By the time they got
there they had gathered seven thousand people and completely surrounded the palace.
The people sent Pilate their request to remove the images, but he refused, and so
they camped there for 6 days. Every time Pilate looked out he saw seven thousand Jews
praying that God would change His mind. Finally, he told them to go to the marketplace
and he would speak to them. Then he ordered his soldiers to surround the marketplace.
He then gave them a warning that they either go home quietly or the whole lot of them
would be killed. They said it was better to die than have images in Jerusalem. This called
Pilate's bluff, and he knew if he began his career there by killing thousand of unarmed
Jews he would soon be back in Rome. He had to give in and order the idols removed. He
despised the Jews for winning this battle and forcing him to be humiliated.
On another occasion he tried to rob the temple treasury and started a riot. Many
Jews were killed by his soldiers. On a third occasion he tried to bring in shields with
pagan gods on them, but again the Jews won out by writing to Caesar. He rebuked
Pilate, and so with this as a background we can better understand the attitude and action
of Pilate when Jesus is brought before him. First we see-
I. PILATE'S CONCERN. v. 28-32
Pilate was suspicious from the start. In the first place he could not stand their smug
self-righteousness. They would not come into his judgment hall less they be defiled, but
they could plan a cruel murder and think nothing of it. The letter of the law was
everything to them, but the spirit of it was nothing. Pilate knew they were up to no good,
but he went out to them and asked what they charged Jesus with. The Jews had no love
for him either, and so they said, "If He wasn't guilty we would not have brought Him to
you." They were saying this is none of your business. We only come to you to get your
order to crucify Him.
In verse 31 Pilate shows he is not to be outwitted. He says, "That is just fine. If you
don't need to tell me anything, then you take care of it yourself and judge Him by your
own law." That was a victory for Pilate, for he knew he had them there. They had to
admit it and confess that they could not put a man to death without his permission. Pilate
would have been glad to see them try, for then he would have Rome behind him while he
satisfied his thirst for revenge against them. They knew this, of course, and so they
obeyed the law of Rome that forbid them to practice capital punishment without
permission.
Pilate was concerned also because he knew they were charging Jesus with treason.
Luke tells us that they said he claims to be a king, and if you do not try Him, you are no
friend of Caesar. Pilate had to consider this charge, for if news ever got back to Rome,
he would be in serious trouble. He knew, however, that this was not the real reason they
wanted Jesus crucified. He knew they were envious. They hated Rome and would be
glad to see someone overthrow it. When Jesus was only a boy Judas the Galilean started
a rebellion, and all of Galilee was in a uproar. Many of the Pharisees joined him. It was
soon crushed by the Romans, but it showed that the Pharisees hated the Romans, and so
Pilate was very suspicious of their charge. Pilate was cruel, but he did have a typical
Roman concern for justice, and so he determined to examine the prisoner.
II. PILATE'S CONVICTION. v. 33-38
When Jesus was brought into Pilate the first question he asked Him was, "Art thou
the king of the Jews?" Jesus had to be very cautious here, and so He answers by asking
another question. Pilate responds with a third question, and so we an easily see why a
conversation would be confusing if it contains nothing but questions. Finally, Jesus
breaks the chain of questions. Jesus knew He asked the question only because the Jews
charged Him with being a king, but he also knows that Pilate's eternal destiny is being
worked out right there, and so He tried to become personal and get into the inner man.
He asked Pilate, "Are you asking because of your own interest, or just because others
have told this to you?" This made Pilate nervous, but Pilate tried to laugh it off as he
would say something like, "What a question! What do I care about this whole business?
I am no Jew, and it makes no difference to me. Your own people delivered you up to me.
I just want to know what you have done to disturb them so that they say you are a king?"
Jesus answered him plainly then and said, "Yes, I have a kingdom, but it is not of this
world." The kingdom of Christ does not originate in this world, and it is not built like the
kingdoms of the world with swords and armies. Had that been the case Jesus would not
have stopped Peter from using his sword, and all of his followers would have been armed.
This was confusing to Pilate, but he began to be convicted. Could it be there is another
world and a greater kingdom than that of Rome? Tradition says that Pilate's wife was a
secret believer, and Pilate may have heard of Christian teachings through her. He
certainly had heard of the miracles of Jesus, and of some of His amazing teachings. Now
as he talks with Jesus personally it all makes so much sense, and he wonders if it could be
true.
Pilate said, "You are a king then?" Jesus said, "Yes, I was born a king and came into
this world to be a witness of the truth. My kingdom is a kingdom of truth, and I am the
king. All who are of the truth hear my voice." This was another personal appeal to
Pilate. Jesus knew He was under conviction and was saying something like this: "You are
really the one on trial here Pilate. I am the king of the realm of truth, and you are in a
spot right now that you have to decide what is the truth. If you intend to make the right
decision, you will listen to me and follow me." That was a personal invitation to accept
Him as King. Pilate was faced with a decision even greater than the one he began with,
for now he was personally involved.
There's a great deal of difference of opinion as to how Pilate asked this question in
verse 38. A few think he was only jesting, and that he thought the whole business was a
silly waste of time. I am inclined to agree with those, however, who see that Pilate was
more serious at this point. He may have been skeptical and said it with the attitude of,
"Well, how can you know what is right in a mess like this? I lose either way. If I don't
give in to the Jews, they will write Caesar that I am protecting a rival of his. If I give you
to them I will be killing an innocent man. How can a man know what to do?" With that
said, he went out to the Jews and tried to persuade them to let Jesus go. Pilate did not
want to make a decision, but he wanted to get rid of the whole problem. He felt the price
was too great to follow the truth as he knew it. Some even feel he wanted to get rid of the
crowd and talk with Jesus alone, but I feel he was trying to escape making it a decision
for Christ by getting Him out of the way. He had the conviction that Jesus was innocent,
but he did not want to choose Him as his King.
III. PILATE'S COMPROMISE. v. 39-40
It is obvious that Pilate was desperate, for he was foolish enough to think he could
come out and make a suggestion and they would go for it. He was never further from the
truth. He comes out and says there is no fault in this man and so you will want him
released as is your custom each year at the Passover when I release to you a prisoner. To
his shock they cried out, "Release Barabbas." The crowd wanted Jesus crucified and the
real rebel released. Pilate knew Barabbas was a scoundrel and that Jesus was innocent,
and so he kept trying to do what he knew was right, but he did not try the one thing
necessary, for he did not listen to the truth. He stood for the truth, but not at any cost.
He compromised and gave up his personal conviction to do what the crowd wanted.
Pilate believed right but acted wrong. He believed Christ in fact, but he denied Him
in act. He was willing to accept Christ as a good man and try to set Him free, but he was
not willing to submit to Him as King. To do that would be to take up his cross and follow
Jesus, but it was easier just to send Jesus to the cross. He just could not bring himself to
the place where he would risk his earthly throne for a heavenly throne. He was no
different than millions of other people. He had a good position and he was not sure it was
worth losing it to be in the kingdom of Christ. When the showdown came between
Caesar and Christ he compromised his stand for justice and chose Caesar and crucified
Christ.
He wanted truth and justice, but not at such a price. Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces
of silver, and Pilate sold Him for his job. He had one of the most important posts in the
Roman Empire. He was somebody in this world, and he couldn't afford to gamble with
stakes like that, and so, like the rich young ruler who could not pay so big a price, he
walked away from Jesus. How hard it is for a man with so much of the world to risk to
yield it all to follow Jesus. History is filled with men of position who are almost
persuaded, but they never take the step of commitment. John the Baptist almost had
Herod, but not quite. Jesus almost had Pilate, and Paul almost had Felix and Agrippa.
All through history great preachers have had much influence on kings and leaders, but
for the most part they only came close, for most of them never came all the way.
It is with real pleasure that I read the story of Thomas Cranmer who lived in the
1500's. He was an outstanding leader in England who compromised his faith out of fear,
and because of pressure he signed documents repudiating his convictions. In his final
confession, however, he became one of the most noble leaders in history. Because his life
was at stake he denied the Gospel and bowed down to the forces of compromise. When
he saw other Christians going to the stake, however, he was so ashamed of his cowardice
that he wrote a denial of his denial. He confessed Christ as his King. When he was taken
to the stake to be burned he held up the hand that wrote his denial of the Gospel, and he
said, "It shall first be punished." He thrust it into the fire. He came close to being like
Pilate, but he repented in time and sacrificed all to follow Jesus.
We can only wish that Pilate might have repented and confessed faith in Christ, but
history records that he went on being cruel to the Jews. About 6 years after the
crucifixion he killed a number of them unmercifully and was called to Rome. He was
exiled where he, like Judas, according to tradition took his own life. A famous legend
from which Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland takes its name says that over the waters of the
Lake of Sucerne at the foot of the Swiss Mountains there can often be seen on moonlight
nights the ghost of Pilate moaning as he washes his hands, but they are never clean from
the blood of the innocent Christ he allowed to be crucified. Christ would have cost him
his career, which he soon lost anyway, but compromise cost him eternity. We learn from
Pilate that nothing is more dangerous than to compromise with the truth, and especially
with Jesus who is the King of truth.
