Pilate

 Pilate scowled at Jesus, whom the Jewish priests brought to him. He had sent them all to Herod, hoping that the Jewish ruler would decide what to do with Jesus. Here they were back again, after Herod had made fun of Jesus and dressed him in a purple robe.

 Pilate,  the Roman governor of Judea, knew what the Jewish priests wanted. They wanted Jesus killed. However, Roman law would not let them do it themselves. So they wanted him to do it for them. 

One priest after another spoke against Jesus. “He claims to be a king. He tells the people not to pay taxes! He tells the people to fight against Rome!”

Pilate had heard other reports from the Jewish people. Jesus performed miracles, he healed the sick, he gave sight to the blind. The people loved Jesus, but they didn’t love the priests. So Pilate understood how the priests felt. They were jealous because the people were like sheep, following Jesus instead of them. 

“Are you King of the Jews?” Pilate thought Jesus would say He was not. Surely Jesus would defend himself. 

Jesus lifted his head enough to look into Pilate’s eyes. “What you say is true.“

Surprised, Pilate stared at him. “So you are a king?”

“I am a King. That is why I was born. I came into the world to tell the truth.”

A messenger came to Pilate with a note from his wife. “Have nothing to do with this innocent man. Last night I had a terrible nightmare because of him.”

“I find no guilt in him,” Pilate said. “Should I release him?” He would let the people decide. 

But the people had become an angry mob, and they told Pilate to release a criminal instead. The man was a murderer named Barabbas. When they saw Jesus they shouted, “Put him on a cross. Crucify him!” Jesus had not come to send their enemies out of their country. He had came to talk of peace with God, and they wanted none of it!

Jesus stood silent before the angry crowd. Pilate tried to get him to say something to save himself. “Don’t you know I have the authority to release you or have you killed?”

The priests and the people shouted, “If you release Jesus, you are no friend of the Roman emperor, Caesar!”

Pilate, the Roman governor, was afraid. How he hated these Jews! He even hated Jesus, because he was the centre of the trouble Pilate was facing. He ordered that Jesus be whipped. Perhaps that would make him speak for himself. And if not, maybe the people would pity him after he had been beaten. 

The soldiers beat Jesus and put a crown of sharp thorns on his head. But the people felt no pity. The people kept screaming for Jesus to die. Pilate  was afraid that the priests might tell lies to Caesar and get him killed. Pilate was afraid that the people might start a riot if he did not give them what they wanted. The whole mess was out of his control. 

Angry, Pilate pointed to Jesus. “Look at your King!” Then he told the guards to take Jesus away to be crucified. He also gave orders to have a sign put on the top of the cross. “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” He wanted the Jews to be ashamed of Jesus, for Pilate still thought he was just pretending to be a King. 

 

 

Pilate had a very hard choice to make. He knew Jesus was innocent, done nothing wrong, but the people wanted him to die. Pilate sent Jesus to die to make the people happy. Pilate was warned by his wife not to harm Jesus, but he did not listen. 

How did this Roman governor go about making this important decision? Was that good or bad?

Could God have stopped Pilate?

Why do you think God let Pilate send Jesus away to die on a cross?