A couple weeks ago I stopped at a gas station on my way to make a hospital visit. As usual my mind was focused on a number of things, and I wasn’t paying attention to the howling hurricane whipping through the flat lands of Illinois. As I got out of the car, the wind pulled the door out of my hand and bent the hinges with an ugly metal-on-metal sound. My first response was to ignore the problem so I slammed the door quickly in order to get the Snicker bar that I had stopped for. Unfortunately, the door wouldn’t shut so I used my seat belt to hold the door closed while I went in to the station for my chocolate fix.
When I came out, I was surprised that the situation hadn’t fixed itself on its own so I took matters into my own hands and tried to force the door shut by slamming it repeatedly. With the whirling wind working against me, I decided to just drive to the hospital slowly as I held the door shut with my left hand. This was not easy to do and I almost fell out of the car a few times. When I finally got to the hospital, I decided to try slamming the door shut again. After about five tries, the door shut and stayed closed. I ran into the hospital and when I came out, I did something that reveals my Polish heritage. I thought that since I got it shut once that I would be able to get it to shut again. Wrong. I opened the door and then tried to force it closed through my slamming routine. It didn’t work.
I then drove to my next appointment afraid that I was going to go airborne as the vortex of tempest force winds attempted to suck me into the sky as I gripped the door handle. When I arrived at my destination I got out of the car and proceeded to repeatedly put my weight into the door as I pushed against it in order to get it to latch. At this point, my wife and another church member showed up and told me to try harder, which I gladly did. Another church member parked next to me and expressed concern that my car door was going to fly open and scratch her car. I apologized in advance if that were to happen and told her to make sure she had good insurance because I had to leave my car out in the lot for about an hour. I then called a mechanical, non-Polish friend of mine, and asked if he would come and take a look at it. When I returned there was a bungee cord wrapped around the door.
When I was finally able to take it in for an estimate, the manager told me that this happened to four or five other cars that day and he was able to bend the hinges back and send them all on their way. Apparently I was the only one who persisted in propelling my door shut, and in the process, I pulverized the latch. I had to wait several days before the parts came in, and every time I slid in through the passenger door I was reminded of the war I lost with the tempest…and with my temper.
As we continue to “Experience the Passion” by studying the final 12 hours of the life of Christ, the winds of opposition are picking up gale-force speed. This morning our focus is on how Pilate kept trying to slam the door shut but was unable to do so. After the religious authorities come to the decision to put Jesus to death, the Message paraphrases Matthew 27:2: “Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor.”
The Perplexed Politician
Before we go much further, it’s helpful to understand a little about Pilate’s background. Pilate was governor of the southern half of Palestine and was directly responsible to Rome. His job description contained two primary responsibilities: collect taxes and keep the peace. He had considerable difficulty in that second category because there were constant revolutions and threats, much like the Middle East turmoil today. And Pilate wasn’t a very tactful governor. In fact, he was a ruthless tyrant.
When he first came to power, he marched his armies through the city of Jerusalem. His troops carried the Roman banner, complete with an image of Caesar attached to the poles. The Jewish people objected to this on grounds that it was a graven image and protested for five days. Pilate finally agreed to meet with them in the amphitheater. He then surrounded them with soldiers and threatened to kill them. The Jews were so angry that they bared their necks, daring him to do so. Pilate backed down and the graven images were reluctantly removed.
Some time later, Pilate built an aqueduct and financed it from money he stole from the temple treasury – he didn’t even ask for a referendum! The people were angry and started rioting in the streets. Pilate had his soldiers dress as civilians and as they mingled with the mob, they clubbed many to death. We know from the Bible that Pilate was a cruel killer. Luke 13:1 describes an unknown atrocity: “some Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.” Caesar received a number of written protests and Pilate was on the hot seat for much of the time as the winds of dissatisfaction were blowing strongly from Rome and the tsunami of distrust from the religious leaders raged around him.
Pilate does not fare very well in the creeds of the church either. The Apostle’s Creed affirms that Jesus Christ was “born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried.” The Nicene Creed states that the Lord Jesus Christ “was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate” (“Creeds of the Church,” PC Study Bible, Copyright © 2003). It’s interesting that the Apostle’s Creed goes right from the Virgin Birth to His sufferings. Both of these statements of faith teach that Jesus was born to die. The word “suffered” sums up everything that happened between his birth and his crucifixion. And Pilate is singled out because he alone condemned Christ to be crucified. As someone has said, “If some of the Jewish leaders loaded the gun, it was Pilate who pulled the trigger.”
By the way, some critics of The Passion have pointed out that Gibson portrays Pilate incorrectly because he shows him to be perplexed and uncertain of what to do, while history tells us that Pilate was vindictive and quick to judge. This is easily resolved, as we will see in our text for today. When face-to-face with Jesus, Pilate soon discovered that he was no match for the King of Kings. Jesus unsettles even the most strong-willed person.
While we’re going to focus primarily on Matthew’s account, since all four gospel writers fill in the details surrounding the trial, I’ll draw from the others as well. In order to gain a new perspective on a familiar story, I’m going to borrow Pastor George Kreger’s outline (www.newhopecc.org).
As we follow the details of the trial, let’s put ourselves in Pilate’s sandals to feel his dilemma, wrestle with his deliberations, and learn from his decision. If you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 27:11-26 and follow along as I read:
“Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge-to the great amazement of the governor. Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.’ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor. ‘Barabbas,’ they answered. ‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’ All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.”
Pilate’s Dilemma
An angry mob brought Jesus to the Governor and put him in a squeeze play. They’re basically saying, “This man is a criminal and we want you to execute him. If you don’t, then you’re no friend of Caesar!” In other words, they were threatening Pilate with his livelihood because they knew he was already on thin ice with the Emperor. All he had to do was catch wind that the governor was waffling in his responsibilities and he could end up in a destitute place like Michigan! Basically, his dilemma was this – his job, or Jesus.
In John 18:28-32, the holy hypocrites parade Jesus to the palace where Pilate was temporarily staying. In order to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, even though what they are doing to an innocent man is unspeakable, they won’t enter a Gentile courtroom. Pilate then comes out to them and asks a question, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” They answer first by implying that he should just accept what they have determined. Pilate saw what they were up to and told them to do what their law allowed. He wasn’t going to sentence a man on the basis of their verdict alone.
They didn’t like this, so they quickly come up with three accusations in Luke 23:2: “And they began to accuse him, saying, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.’” Notice that the assertion “we have found” is false, for these three things had formed no part of their evidence against Jesus in their three religious trial of Him. They were mixing lies with truth to manipulate Pilate to do what they wanted done. This first charge is very vague. The second accusation that He advocated withholding of taxes to Caesar is blatantly false because Jesus himself said in Matthew 22:21: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” The third allegation has some traction because it was true. Jesus did claim to be a king, but as He pointed out in John 18:36, His kingdom was from “another place” and as such He was no menace to Rome.
Pilate faced a dreadful dilemma that spring morning. That brings us to Matthew 27:11-12: “Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge-to the great amazement of the governor.” These witnesses were making accusations, not giving testimony. Jesus did not reply to any of the charges because they were absurd and it was obvious to all that He was innocent. This phrase is emphatic: He answered nothing. Interestingly, Pilate experiences “great amazement” at this. He was not used to seeing someone remain quiet when their life was on the line and so he “wondered exceedingly.” But his dilemma became more pronounced because he knew that they had handed Jesus over “out of envy” (v.18). In Luke 23:4, Pilate declares to the chief priests and the crowd: “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” In other words, “case dismissed.”
Pilate’s Deliberation
When Pilate couldn’t dismiss his dilemma by telling the leaders to do their own lynching, he is forced to deliberate, and in the process he tried a number of different ways to avoid having to make a decision.
1. He passed the buck. According to Luke 23:5, Pilate discovers that Jesus was from Galilee. This was a loophole that provided a way out for him. Luke 23:7: “When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.” Herod was the one who had murdered John the Baptist and threatened to kill Jesus in Luke 13:31-32. In the only derogatory statement ever made about an individual, Jesus once referred to Herod as a “fox” (He did refer to a group of Pharisees as a “brood of vipers”). Jesus is now silent before Herod, refusing to perform miracles or answer any of his questions. Pilate saw Jesus as eccentric; and Herod viewed Him as an entertainer. The chief priests and teachers of the law followed Jesus there and according to Luke 23:10, they were “vehemently accusing him” because they saw Pilate waffling. They put the full court press on Herod just in case Pilate let them down. When Herod didn’t get what he wanted, he “and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked” Jesus. Then they abused him by dressing him in an elegant robe and sent him back to Pilate.
2. He misread the situation. I picture Pilate having breakfast with his wife, relieved that Jesus is no longer his responsibility, when a strong wind whips in through his window and he sees an angry multitude heading back toward the palace, with Jesus in tow. He leaves his McGriddle sandwich on the table and goes back to work. On his way, he has an idea. If he can’t dismiss the case altogether, and he can’t transfer it to Herod, then maybe he can try a political maneuver. Mark 15:6-8: “Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.” To keep a lid on the explosive Passover celebration, the Romans agreed to release one political prisoner each year, provided that there was no trouble.
Barabbas was an interesting character. He is mentioned in all four of the gospel accounts and his name means, “son of the father.” He used violence to control people. The Bible calls him an insurrectionist, one who rises up against the existing authority. Matthew 27:16 indicates that he was “notorious,” or popular. Pilate believes that if he allows them to choose between the most despicable prisoner they could think of and Jesus, they would pick Jesus to be set free. That would be like saying, “Do you want Osama Bin Laden, or Jesus?” Matthew 27:20 tells us that the leaders stirred up the crowd and persuaded them to ask for Barabbas and to demand execution for the “Son of the Heavenly Father.” Pilate’s hope for an easy out is dashed.
3. He ignored good advice. In the midst of this maneuvering, Matthew 27:19 reveals that Pilate’s wife sent him a message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” His wife Claudia is alarmed by a nightmare she had and tries to warn her husband to be careful. Notice that she refers to Jesus as innocent. Tragically, he chooses to ignore his wife. I tried hard to find a principle in this, but I couldn’t! I’m kidding. Fellow husbands, please don’t ever discount the advice of your bride. I’m glad Beth is not like the preacher’s wife in a cartoon I saw recently. After the service, the pastor said to his wife: “Maybe my sermons would be more effective if you would say, ‘Amen’ rather than ‘Ha’ all the time!” I’m sure Claudia did not say “Amen” when Pilate persisted down his path of perdition.
In the Passion of the Christ movie, the spoken dialogue is in Aramaic and Latin. When Pilate asks his famous question, “What is truth?” you can hear the Latin word veritas. Before his final decision, he confers with Claudia and asks her a question: “Do you recognize the truth when you hear it?” She responds by saying that she does, and with a look of love and sorrow, she tells Pilate that since he can’t hear it, he will never know veritas. Not even when the truth stands in front of him.
4. He tried to manipulate the masses. When the crowds cried out to have Christ crucified, John 19:1-3 says that Pilate “took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they struck him in the face.” In Matthew’s account, it appears that the flogging happens right before the walk to the cross but John 19 shows that Pilate had Jesus punished in an attempt to appease the angry mob so execution could be avoided. In fact, John 19:12 indicates that “from then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free…”
This scene is the most graphic part of the Passion of the Christ movie and lasts about eleven minutes. Dr. William Edwards of the Mayo Clinic describes scourging in the AMA Journal. “The usual instrument was a short whip of various lengths in which small iron balls, or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals…[The Fourfold Gospel adds, “The condemned person was stripped and fastened to a low post, thus bending the back so as to stretch the skin. Blood spurted at the first blow”]… As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim’s back with full force, - the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh” (http://jama.ama-assn.org).
Another writer suggests, “The severity of the scourging would be determined by how quickly the criminal confessed.” Jesus never confessed, and the evidence is that He received the most severe scourging possible. In fact, in the movie, Jesus actually tries to stand up after being beaten, as if to say, “Bring it on.”
Some people have been hesitant to see the movie because of this particular scene. I think one reason is that we know it actually happened this way and we can’t bear the thought of what they did to Jesus. In my opinion, it’s not gratuitous but rather shows us the price Jesus paid in order to give us grace. Here’s a suggestion to help you process this part of the film. Every time one of the whips comes down on Jesus, say something like this: “That one was for me. That one was for me. That one was for me.” Allow the words from Isaiah 53:5, which fill the screen at the beginning of the film, to become etched on the screen of your soul: “But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him — our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed” (from The Message © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson).
By the way, while it is not found in the Bible, I love the tenderness that Gibson captures when he has Claudia, Pilate’s wife, come up to Mary and give her some white towels. These are used later to mop up the blood of Jesus. Speaking of the movie, a number of you have asked, “What’s up with the Satan figure holding the 45-year old baby?” Ray Pritchard offers some help: “One key lies in the Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and the Christ Child. Several of those paintings show Mary holding the baby Jesus with his face turned toward the viewer exactly as the “baby” turns toward the viewer in the movie. The intent is to show Satan mocking Jesus. The “baby” might represent the Antichrist. Or it may simply be Satan’s way of saying, ‘See, I take care of my “baby” but your Father has completely abandoned you.’ It should be noted that this scene has no connection to the biblical text whatsoever. As a symbol of Satan mocking Jesus, it is profoundly unsettling and true in the sense that Satan mocks and counterfeits everything God does” (www.calvarymemorial.com). Gibson’s own publicist adds, “It’s evil distorting what is good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? It is weird, it is shocking, and almost too much – just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging Him on the chest is shocking and almost too much, which is the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place” (www.christianitytoday.com).
Jesus is then presented to the people. The thorny crown and the robe were designed to give Him a mock appearance of royalty, but also showed him as weak. Pilate was hoping they would relent but he misjudged their venom. The smell of blood was blowing in the air and they were not to be dissuaded.
5. He appealed to reason. When he was not able to fully shut the door on the mob action, Pilate asked his famous question in Matthew 27:22: “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Luke tells us that Pilate put this question to them three different times, so anxious was he to release Jesus. The answer is deafening and unified, “Crucify Him!” Pilate then tried to reason with them in verse 23 by asking, “Why? What crime has He committed?” They weren’t at all interested in rational discourse at this point because their minds were made up as they shouted all the louder: “Crucify Him!” Luke 23:23 says, “But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.” This phrase in the original means they “kept on screaming with loud voices.”
Pilate’s Decision
When Pilate was faced with a dilemma, he deliberated as long as he could. Now, he has to make a decision. Unfortunately, his decision was more a “non-decision” than it was anything else. Look at Matthew 27:24: “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” The Jewish people were accustomed to washing their hands to show that they were innocent of crimes committed by someone else (see Deuteronomy 21:6; Psalm 26:6). But, no matter how hard Pilate scrubbed, there was no way for him to wash away the guilt in his heart. He can’t have it both ways. He’s trying to say what a politician said recently, “I voted for it, before I voted against it!” Pilate is guilty. He has wet hands and a wicked heart.
He’s doing what most people do as he protests his innocence and goodness. He had enough information to make the right choice but he refused to make a decision. A lot of people don’t hate Jesus but many do what Pilate did – they admire Him, but they wash their hands clean of His blood. When we don’t take a stand for Christ, we’ve really taken a stand against Him. Neutrality is an impossibility. According to Chuck Colson, legend has it that years after the crucifixion, Pilate was still frantically washing his hands trying to cleanse his conscience from the blood of Christ (www.breakpoint.com).
Concluding Comments
1. The ultimate issue is not Pilate’s guilt, but God’s grace. The answer to the question about who is responsible for the death of Christ may surprise you. According to Isaiah 53:10, it is God the Father: “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.” Jesus suffered and died because the Father willed that it should happen. Acts 4:27-28 captures both the guilt of the humans involved in the death of Christ and the grace of God: “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”
As the movie so beautifully shows, no one killed Jesus against His will. One person writes, “If God had not willed His Son to die, and if Jesus had not willingly laid down His life, all the armies of Rome could not have killed Him. The Father planned it. The Son embraced it. And Herod and Pilate, and everyone else involved, were unwitting actors in the great drama of redemption.” Friends, God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place, taking the punishment we rightly deserve.
2. You can be religious and not know Jesus. The pious people back then were more concerned with being able to observe their religious feast than they were in doing what was right. Are you caught up in being religious, and in the process, are you missing out on a relationship with Jesus? Passover time should have sensitized them to the need for the shedding of blood for forgiveness of sins, but they missed the final sacrifice, the Passover Lamb, who willingly went to His death on their behalf. Remember this. Christianity is more of a relationship with a God who loves you than it is a list of rules and regulations that you must keep.
3. Believe that Jesus is your substitute. Don’t miss the reason that Jesus died. Think with me for a moment about Barabbas. He was sentenced to pay the price for his sins. As he was awaiting his punishment in his cell, he must have looked at his hands and wondered what it would feel like to have the nails ripping through his flesh. He held his breath as he remembered watching people be crucified before, as the slow agony of death eventually led to asphyxiation. He probably can’t sleep very well and then he hears the murmuring of the crowd and the sound of his name comes floating in on the wind. Next he hears angry cries, and fear rises in his heart. Then the key rattles in the lock. He must have thought it was all over. And then he discovers that he’s been set free. Friends, listen. Barabbas was saved at the expense of Christ. His physical life was spared through the death of a substitute. Jesus was literally going to die instead of him, in his place. And as a result, he was now free. Likewise, we are sinners, locked in cells of sin. Will you transfer your trust to the One who died as your substitute?
4. Decide what to do with Jesus. Here’s the question we must all answer: “What will you do then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Like Pilate, you have a dilemma this morning. Maybe you’ve been deliberating for quite some time. It’s time to decide. And remember this, to not decide, is to decide. To not choose Christ is to opt against Him. To not receive Him as Savior now is to face Him as Judge later. Don’t repeatedly slam the door on the One who alone can deliver you. He’s knocking on the door of your heart and is waiting for you to respond. Revelation 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
The wind of the Spirit is blowing strongly and the question of the ages can be heard if you listen carefully: What will you do then, with Jesus who is called Christ? Will you try to wash your hands, or will you worship Him as your sin substitute?
It’s time to decide. I’m going to close with a prayer this morning. If you recognize that you have a dilemma and you’ve deliberated long enough, will you decide right now to begin a relationship with the Redeemer? If you’re ready, please pray this quietly in your heart: “Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I repent of my sins by changing my mind about the way I’ve been living. No longer will I slam the door shut when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation and I open the door to you. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth and experiencing all that you did for me. With all my heart I believe you are the Son of God who died as my substitute on the cross for my sins and that you rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. I accept you into my life and receive you by faith. Be my Savior and Lord. I surrender to your leadership. Make me into the person you want me to be. Amen.”
