Why did Pilate who refused to crucify, eventually crucify Jesus

 

Who was Pontius Pilate?

Since AD 6, Romans have been appointing their own governors or perfects to rule over the tumultuous terrain of Judea once it became a Roman province after the deposition of Archelaus, one of the sons of Herod the Great. Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor appointed by Emperor Tiberius from AD 26 who grabbed a permanent place in the crowded pages of human history as a person who approved the crucifixion of Jesus.    

Pilate’s long tenure of ten years as a governor suggests that he did what fairly pleased the Roman empire. The office of Pilate exercised military, political, social, judicial, and economic power. He ratified capital punishments, even appointed the Jewish high priest, and collected taxes & tributes for Rome.

Pilate was based in Caesarea a city 90 km away from Jerusalem. When he visited Jerusalem, he stayed in Herod’s palace built by Herod the Great which served as Pilate’s official headquarters.  During Jewish festivals Pilate frequented Jerusalem to ensure law and order in a city that had been a backyard for backlashes for ages. 

By his actions he was rash and brutal. Bible says that he even mixed the blood of the Galileans with sacrifices (Luke 13:1). He is believed to have put people to death while they were offering sacrifices. He used rather misused the funds from the temple treasury (of Jerusalem Temple) which was a treasured possession of the Jews to build an aqueduct to Jerusalem. When a mob thronged him, he had them ruthlessly beaten by clubs and many Jews perished and died of wounds. Pilate promoted Roman culture avidly in Jerusalem. He moved the image of Caesar to Jerusalem much to the irritation of the Jews. After the resurrection of Jesus, around AD 36, Samaritans went in large groups to Mount Gerizim to unearth some vessels of Moses. He mistook this to be an expression of revolt and killed them. This cost him his throne. He was soon summoned by Tiberius for explanation for this misadventure. However, Tiberius died before Pilate arrived in Rome from a natural death. No known records are available about his trial in Rome and Marcellus succeeded him as the governor. There upon Pilate faded away from the folds of history.

Why did Jews want to crucify Jesus?

Jews wanted Jesus to be crucified primarily for his claims of deity which they declared utterly blasphemous though they had several other issues with him. He healed the sick on the Sabath, broke Sabath on various occasions, frequently challenged the pharisees and scribes, forgave sins, claimed to rebuild the temple in three days, spent time with the sinners and reformed the law. Blasphemy called for capital punishment which they were not authorized to execute without Roman permission. Neither would Romans be interested in giving capital punishment to someone for a religious crime. So, they accused Jesus of claiming to be a king to bring him under Roman attention. They assumed that Roman empire would be more than pleased to crucify a person who is emerging as a threat even to the very empire. Romans invariably crucified all the enemies of their state. What Jews expected was to bring Jesus under a Roman trial after the Jewish trial and secure a quick verdict to have him crucified.  

Pilate’s dilemmas

When Jews brought Jesus to Pilate’s office for trial, they kind of thrust him into his office and waited outside so that they were not defiled and remain eligible to observe the Passover. After the initial but brief moments with Jesus, Pilate was found to be rushing out of his office. What did he discover in this very brief encounter, where no reasonable interrogation could have happened, that he had to rush out? Was Pilate awestruck by the divine charisma of Jesus that he began to doubt the accusations that Jews brought him? Was he swept over by the unusual blend of humility and authority of Jesus that struck him so deep to the point of turning skeptical about the intention behind this trial even before it began? The question that he asked the Jews was only the start of the biggest dilemma of his life. What accusation do you bring? (John 18:29).  

                                                 

“If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you” (John 18: 30) told the Jews to Pilate. He is misleading the nation, forbidding us to pay tax to Caesar and claiming to be Christ the king (Luke 23: 2-3). The charges were framed in a logical order. The foremost crime was that he was misleading the nation. Forbidding the people to pay the taxes was the sequel. The intention of a person who misleads the nation and deny taxes and tributes to Roman empire undoubtedly could only be to create his own break away kingdom and be the king. Jews hoped that by positioning activities of Jesus as crimes of the highest order against Rome, they would win the favor of Pilate and walk away with a quick and easy judgement.

However, Pilate was unconvinced and unmoved. He struggled to spot an enemy of Rome in Jesus unlike all the enemies that he had hung on the cross.  To him the crimes presented were mere statements without any evidence. When the Pharisees had approached Jesus about his view on paying tax to Caesar, he had famously responded about rendering unto God what belonged to God and unto Caesar what belonged to him. No clear details were given how Jesus misled the nation. Even this very accusation of claiming to be the Son of God was concluded from the trial before the High Priest few hours ago. Did they have nothing to quote from the entire teachings of last three and a half years which misled the nation? Wasn’t his ministry entirely public? Did he not deliver his messages from the boat, by the temple, by the mountainside. In fact, public stormed him wherever he went. Pharisees even travelled to Galilee to catch him on his words.  They surrounded him when he was in Jerusalem. Why didn’t they quote a long list of his teachings which misled the nation? Could they pick one statement to quote where Jesus spoke against Rome? They had none and hence the desperation of the Jews only turned Pilate more even more dubious about the whole proceedings.  

Besides, Pilate did not understand the term Son of God.  The pagan polytheistic Roman world always struggled with the thought of an invisible god and they desperately sought to relate it with the physical things of the world or by creating objects larger than life and worshipping them. So, for Pilate the term Son of God was just beyond his reach. Throughout the trial, he did not even clarify the term Son of God. He simply ignored it which proves his ignorance of it. By now, he was in the territory of Judaea for more than five years. He knew the kingmakers and the tax evaders. So, after a brief reflection over the whole matter, he made a sudden and sharp retort. “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law” (John 18:31).

“It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death” (John 18:31) said Jews to Pilate. It is astonishing to see the sheer haste of Jews for a quick verdict which makes it very evident that they were not merely seeking his punishment but elimination. They wanted it without much interrogation.  They wanted it in the quickness of time. But why are they desperate to eliminate him? Through the whole trial Pilate was found to be searching for an answer. If capital punishment was within Jewish purview he would never have had to go through this single biggest dilemma of his life.  

Pilate reentered his headquarters with his conscience stricken by a growing and nagging confusion.  He lost no time to make his maiden query, “Are you the king of Jews?” (John 18:33). A judge perhaps never asks a murderer, did you murder unless he is lost and perplexed about the case before him.  They ask questions which creates proofs and evidence of the crime. Pilate had no details of the crimes he committed as a king except that he forbade paying the tax. He did not know how to probe him around his claim of being Son of God. So, he had no choice but to ask him a child-like query are you the king.

For Romans, a definition of a king would be a ferocious political rebel, seething with emotions, with an army of followers throwing violence around. Pilate himself was present in the city to ensure that there were no riots during the Passover. Apparently, there were none except the current commotion which was demanding his crucifixion. There was no crowd brandishing their swords outside the office demanding justice for Jesus. There was no civil war. What he found was a humble introvert of unusual calmness, bravery and self-assurance, a solitary king with no followers to chant and cheer for him, a king who is heard to be perhaps healing lepers, raising the dead, healing the blind and preaching around a new subject called “The Kingdom of God”.

“Do you say this of your own accord or did others say it to you about me?” (John 18:34) replied Jesus to Pilate. In other words, Jesus was asking are you here to judge me based on hearsay or evidence? “Am I a Jew?” Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me, what have you done”? (John 18:35) Pilate spoke his heart with a tone of helplessness creating the most tender moment between Jesus and Pilate.  In other words, the judge was confiding to the criminal that he was the most disqualified judge for such a trial. He had no knowledge of the Jewish law which began from the time of Moses. He was no Rabbi, not even a Jew to comprehend the complexity of the allegations stated by Jews about him, neither was he convinced about the crimes around his kingship nor does he understand the term Son of God.  

“My kingdom is not of this world, if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews, but my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36), Jesus responded addressing the very thoughts that went through Pilate’s mind. The actions of Jesus stemmed from his father will, they represented the Kingdom of God. Kingdom is the reason behind a king’s edict. His kingdom was not physical but spiritual, his battle was not physical, but spiritual hence there were no foot soldiers around. His real enemy was not Rome but satan. Jesus came to destroy the works of satan, not merely to win arguments against Pilate.  

“So, you are a king, then?” (John 18:37) Pilate floundered. He seems to have reached a conclusion that Jesus was a strange king of a strange kingdom out of a strange teaching with no geography, no boundary, no soldiers, no weapons, no warfare, an unassuming king that is turning the minds of people away from the Jewish law, seemingly having nothing to do with the Roman empire.

“You say that I am a king. For this purpose, I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37), Jesus confirmed his kingship and its purpose of bearing witness to the truth. Till now, Pilate suspected the claim of Jews that Jesus claimed to be a king.  When Jesus himself claimed that he was born to be a king, Pilate was completely shaken. This was a complete contrast to the perception he had built up around Jesus. In the least he expected of a humble person who was so brief in words and slow in speech to claim to be a king who was neither talking about conquering kingdoms nor geographies but bearing witness to the truth and claiming to have those who belong to the truth as his followers.

Pilate was baffled to the core. “What is the truth?” (John 18:38) asked Pilate inquisitively and desperately in a bid to find the truth from the criminal than the witnesses. This is perhaps the only trial in human history where the judge trusted the criminal more than the accusers. He just could not come to terms with the accusers from the word go. In a short while from now, he had to approve a capital punishment and he wanted to know the truth. Here, in front of him was a criminal calmly courting death for the sake of truth and he sensed that there was something innately amiss about the proceedings and he was grappling with the whole purpose behind this trial.

                                                             

                                        

However, the truth is that Jesus is the way, the truth and the salvation. He is the Way to the Father; he is the sole source of salvation for a sinful mankind. His blood alone can cleanse the world from its sins. This truth would be tested and tried on the cross today. He himself would have to bear witness to the truth. There were no other witnesses. All his disciples had deserted him. Even God the Father would forsake him briefly and he would have to cry out loud on the cross, why have you forsaken me Father. Three days from now he would rise above the shackles of death and his resurrection would release the truth to the world. The truth is on a trial today before it could set the mankind free.

“Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream” (Math 27:19), sent Pilate’s wife a timely note to him while he was on the judgment seat. Roman history is infested with rumors of deadly dreams. The timeliness of his wife’s note was threateningly ominous for Pilate. He sprang out of his judgment seat and declared to the Jews, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews or Barabbas the robber?” (John 18:38,39) Pilate made a ditch attempt to save the Savior. He had hung many on the cross in the past. Even today, there were two others getting hung on the cross along with Jesus. But for once he wanted to disapprove a capital punishment. “Not this man, but Barabbas!” the Jews cried out vehemently. His proposal was out rightly rejected because robbery or murder would be pardoned but not blasphemy.

Pilate had Jesus flogged to appease the Jews. He tried to get out of this trial by delivering a lesser punishment than crucifixion. The soldiers placed a mock crown of thorn on Jesus and robed him in purple robe to make a mockery out of him.  They teased him by chanting “Hail the king of Jews” sarcastically in place of “Hail Caesar” which was a common slogan in praise of the Roman king those days.

Pilate went out again and pleaded to them” See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him” (John 19:4). At this moment Jesus came out wearing the thorn crown and the purple robe. He was bleeding all through with blood droplets dripping down his face and flesh. He stooped under the weight of pain and yet his brave calmness was still there about him. “Behold the man”, (John 19:5) Pilate screamed at Jews. Pilate meant a lot from this. “How much more do you want to torture him as I had punished him enough to your satisfaction. Look at his flesh, how can such a man be a threat to you? Why don’t we release him and be done with? He has received more punishment than he deserved. I find no guilt, yet I punished him to satisfy you. Look he has nothing to defend, he has no soldiers, what kind of king is he? Why should a poor thing like this be condemned for crucifixion?”

                                            

“Crucify him, crucify him”, a sizeable multitude of Jews screamed repeatedly from all quarters like the tireless waves of a hostile beach. Pilate was stomped over. He gathered some strength from within and spat out. “You take him and crucify him. As for me I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 19:6). Romans crucified only their enemies, but Jesus was no enemy of Rome.

When Jews realized that all the accusations against Jesus made no appeal to Pilate and a clear verdict did not come through, they changed the strategy. “According to our law, he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God” (John 19:7). They still had no other accusation. They had no choice but to go back to the law to punish him against the same allegation. Roman court was unconvinced, and Jews could not give him capital punishment without their permission. Now there was only one way out, to claim that he deserves to die as per the law and seek permission to execute it and be adamant about it.

Pilate was terrified (John 19:8). His conscience was crushed. His hopes failed as all his efforts and authority bore no fruits. He had nothing much left with him to defend Jesus once the law was brought in. His wife had just warned him of dire consequences of this verdict. But the Jews were united against this man. The mighty Roman governor was helplessly sandwiched within his wishful will and watchful conscience.

He rushed back into his headquarters frantically once again. He looked at Jesus yet again. Outside his office, the crowd is flaring up. Inside the criminal is standing tall, calm, bright and bleeding. His calmness tormented his soul. Pilate wished he never had to go through this day. The blood oozed out of Jesus’ forehead in thick lines and made long blood lines on the purple robe. Jewish chants were getting louder outside.  Pilate did not know what to ask him. All his questions were childlike queries until now. They never carried the weight of a judge or the authority of a governor. Yet again he mouthed out “Where are you from?” (John 19:8). To his astonishment, Jesus gave him no answer. So far most of his answers was incomprehensible to Pilate as he operated at an earthly level and Jesus responded at a heavenly level. There was an unbridgeable gap here. Pilate would not comprehend an answer such as I am from the above or I am coming from my Father. His silence struck a deep wound within his soul. Maybe Pilate wanted to stall this trial based on the geography Jesus belonged to. He badly needed some information to fight the Jews. He did not even know where he was from. However, he seemed to have understood that there was an extra ordinary purpose Jesus stood for which does not deserve death, which seemed to be clashing with the Jewish law. He was even more shocked to see a lack of co-operation and no desperation on the part of Jesus to save himself.

“You will not speak to me. Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you” (John 19:10), Pilate boasted. Yes, Pilate had the authority to release Jesus, he knew Jesus was innocent, yet he did not set him free. For this statement on moral grounds, he becomes responsible for the death of Jesus.

Why did Pontius Pilate condemn Jesus to death?

Some might argue that the death and resurrection of Jesus is pre-ordained by God and hence Pilate is not responsible. God’s foreknowledge of human choices does not impede their choices. Hence every man or woman is responsible for their choices. So, Pilate is responsible for this decision of crucifying Jesus. God used an ill-gotten decision of Pilate to redeem mankind through the death and resurrection of Jesus. God can always work his way in an evil world for his children.

“You have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11), responded Jesus to a boastful Pilate. Pilate did not possess the realization that his powers do not last longer than the length of a breath. It is God who breathed life into man. It is he who takes it away. So, no authority on earth exists unless it is given from above.

Then Pilate sought hard to release Jesus, but his efforts were getting nowhere.  His authority did not produce the desired results. The city was about to flare up. His decision could throw the streets on fire. A distressed Pilate reluctantly delivered Jesus over to their will (Luke 23:25). 

Pilate had repeatedly declared that Jesus was innocent during the trial. He had the powers to set him free yet didn’t do it. Saving Jesus would have cost him his reputation of maintaining peace in Jerusalem. He preferred a nation to be free from riots than saving an innocent man from crucifixion which his watchful conscience repeatedly reminded him. He did not respond to it. If the death of Jesus could save a nation from riots, he would keep his job. He opted for this and kept his job though he lost his soul.

                                       

Upon this decision his soul waged a war with his conscience. Condemnation began to tear through his soul as Jesus was being dragged away. So, he washed his hands away from the single biggest dilemma of his life in public to showcase to the world of his innocence and keep his repute. Little did he know that posterity would forever judge him for this gross misjudgment from which he wanted to wash away his hands so easily. In a way, he wanted to wash away his sins, he wanted to soothe his soul from the guilt of crucifying an innocent man. He represents the fallen man who is yearning for freedom from sin, guilt, and condemnation.  

No amount of royal water could have washed away the sins of Pilate or set him free from guilt or condemnation but only the blood of Jesus can, which was shed on the cross by Jesus from the very sentence of Pilate.

Author - Prakash T John

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