PILATE'S
JUDGMENT
Lesson 48
Jesus was born about 4
B.C. You may remember that after the
wise men announced the birth of Jesus
to King Herod I, the king ordered
that all baby boys in Bethlehem, who
were two years of age or less should
be destroyed. Ironically, Herod
himself died shortly after issuing
this malicious decree. Augustus
Caesar honored Herod’s will that
stated that his kingdom was to be
divided between three surviving sons.
The will gave Antipas a quarter of
the realm, (the territory around
Galilee), Philip a quarter of the
realm (the area around Traconitis and
later, Ituraea), and Archelaus the
remaining half of the realm (Judea
and Samaria). Each son that governed
a quarter of the realm was called a
“tetarch” (or a ruler of a
fourth, see Luke 3:1), and Archelaus
was called an “ethnarch” (a
ruler of a province).
With the passage of
time, Augustus did not think
Archelaus was fit to be a king, so he
removed Archelaus from his throne
about ten years later. Archelaus was
exiled and the province of Judea
became a third-world Roman province
that governors ruled. From A.D.6 to
the Jewish revolt in A.D. 66,
governors that came from Rome’s
middle class ruled Judea. (The
exception to this was the brief reign
of Herod Agrippa I (A.D. 41-44)
The first duty of a
Roman governor was to maintain order
and keep the peace according to the
provisions of Roman law. Governors
typically had a contingency of Roman
soldiers at their command and they
used them when necessary to keep
order. Governors were also
responsible for imposing and
collecting taxes for Caesar –
which was no small task given the
intense animosity between the
occupied territories and the heavy
hand of Rome.
Then and now, people
who had political ambitions coveted
the office of governor, and yet, with
all of its trappings, the office was
not very glamorous. A Roman governor
walked a very fine line. He was
trapped between keeping the peace in
a province that hated to pay taxes to
Rome, while simultaneously, meeting
all Caesar’s demands. If the
governor offended the people, it
often caused an uprising. When this
occurred, Caesar would hear about it
and question the governor’s
ability to keep the peace. If the
governor tried to please the people
by softening Rome’s demands,
Caesar would fire him in a heartbeat
and put him to death for
insubordination. So, to be a governor
in Jesus day may have been a powerful
job, but it required a delicate
political balance.
Pontius Pilat
History says that
Pilate was the fifth governor of
Judea. Most governors served two to
four years, but Pilate served as
governor of Judea for about eleven
years. (A.D.26-36) We have no
information about Pilate before he
arrived in Judea as governor. If it
were not for a few hours with Jesus
on one fateful morning, Pilate would
have disappeared long ago into the
silent hallway of history. Josephus
indicates that Pilate’s career
in Judea ended abruptly when he
agitated his subjects one time too
many. (Antiquities 18:85-89)
As the story goes, a
messianic figure rose in Samaria and
formed a group of enthusiastic
followers. Problems became serious
when they armed themselves in an
attempt to deliver their people from
the hands of the Romans and establish
God’s kingdom. To prove his
assumed identify as the Messiah, the
messianic figure invited his
followers to follow him to the summit
of Mt. Gerizim, a mountains the
Samaritans considered a holy site.
(See Deuteronomy 11:29.) He claimed
that Moses had buried scared vessels
on top of the mountain and he knew
where they were. (Evidently he
believed if the scared vessels were
revealed, it would legitimize his
messianic claims.) Pilate learned of
this development and sent a platoon
of Roman soldiers to block their
ascent up the mountain. This led to a
bloody confrontation and the Romans
killed several Samaritans in the
melee that followed. The Samaritan
council formally complained to Caesar
about Pilate’s abusive use of
power and Tiberius summoned Pilate to
Rome. Pilate left for Rome, but
reached the city after Tiberius had
died. The new emperor, Gaius, did not
send Pilate back to the Judea. And
Pilate suddenly disappeared from the
radar screen of history.
Eusebius, a spiritual
counselor to Emperor Constantine in
the fourth century A.D., supports a
legend that Pilate committed suicide
during the reign of Gaius. The legend
maintains that Pilate committed
suicide due to the remorse for what
he did to Jesus. (Hist. Eccl. 2.7.1)
History does not reveal if Pilate
became a born again Christian.
However, it is interesting that
Christian churches in northern Africa
years later declared Pilate a saint.
In fact, Terullian claims that Pilate
was a Christian at heart in a letter
he wrote to Tiberius. (Apology 21) I
believe that Pilate had a complete
change of heart after meeting Jesus,
and his actions in the drama you are
about to study are quite revealing,
when put into context.
Even though we do not
know what happened to Pilate in the
end, we do know what happened on
Friday morning, April 7, A.D. 30,
when a long sequence of events
brought an unsuspecting Pilate face
to face with God. All four gospels
record descriptions of this
unrehearsed confrontation. This will
be the focus of this study because
there are profound end time parallels
between the events that transpired in
Pilate’s judgment hall and
events that will happen in courtrooms
all over the world during the Great
Tribulation.
Note: To review
Pilate’s experience, I have
taken excerpts from the gospels and
attempted to put them in
chronological order. You may note
some redundancy since each gospel
describes the events with a slightly
different perspective. It is my hope
that this study will reveal something
about Pilate that you may not have
noticed before. Insertions in [] and
italics are mine and are added for
clarity or emphasis.
John Begins the Story
“Then the Jews
led Jesus from Caiaphas [the high
priest] to the palace of the Roman
governor [Pilate]. By now it
was early morning, and to avoid
ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did
not enter the palace; they wanted to
be able to eat the Passover. So
Pilate came out [of his palace] to
them and asked, ‘What charges
are you bringing against this
man?’ ‘If he were not a
criminal,’ they replied,
‘we would not have handed him
over to you.’ Pilate said,
‘Take him yourselves and judge
him by your own law.’ But we
have no right to execute
anyone,’ the Jews objected. This
[response] happened so that
the words of Jesus had spoken [Luke
18:31-33] indicating the kind of
death he was going to die would be
fulfilled.
Pilate then went
back inside the palace, [he]
summoned Jesus and asked him,
‘Are you the king of the
Jews?’ ‘Is that your own
idea,’ Jesus asked, ‘or did
others talk to you about me?’
‘Am I a Jew [that I should
care]?’ Pilate replied.
‘It was your people and your
chief priests who handed you over to
me. What is it that you have
done?’ Jesus said, ‘My
kingdom is not of this world. If it
were, my servants would fight to
prevent my arrest by the Jews. But
now my kingdom is from another
place.’ [So!] You are a
king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus
answered, ‘You are right in
saying I am a king. In fact, for this
reason I was born, and for this I
came into the world, to testify to
the truth. Everyone
on the side of truth listens to
me.’ “What is truth?’ [a
puzzled] Pilate asked. With this
he went out again to the Jews and
said, ‘I find no basis for a
charge against him.’”
(John 18:28-38)
Commentary:
Pilate’s fairness
is seen in his first report to the
Jews. Pilate knew of Jesus’
reputation. He had heard of His
miracles and in a secular way, he
quickly decided that Jesus was not a
common criminal or rabble-rouser.
Pilate did not have a religious
heart, therefore the teaching of
Jesus, which infuriated the Jews, did
not personally offend him. After
listening to Jesus for a few moments,
Pilate sensed the Jewish leaders and
Jesus were embroiled in a religious
squabble “over words” and
he really did not want to get
involved. Pilate returned to the
waiting crowd and boldly declared
Jesus to be innocent.
Luke Says
“But they
insisted, ‘He stirs up the
people all over Judea by his
teaching. He started in Galilee and
has come all the way here.’ On
hearing this, Pilate asked if the man
was a Galilean. When he learned that
Jesus was under Herod’s
jurisdiction [Herod Antipas], he
[Pilate conveniently rescued
himself on the civil; matter and]
sent him to Herod, who was also in
Jerusalem at that time [to obtain
Passover].”
Commentary:
Pilate and Herod
Antipas had a long history as
political enemies and in the
quicksand of this situation Pilate
saw a golden opportunity. By sending
Jesus to Antipas, Pilate flattered
the king’s ego by showing
respect, but Pilate also had a
political motive. He was trying to
escape further confrontation with his
contentious subjects, the Jews.
“When Herod
saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased,
because for a long time he had been
wanting to see him. From what he had
heard about him, he hoped to see him
perform some miracles. He plied him
with many questions, but Jesus gave
no answer. The chief priests and the
teachers of the law were standing
there, vehemently accusing him. Then
Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and
mocked him. Dressing him in an
elegant robe, they sent him back to
Pilate [because Antipas did not
want to offend the high priest and
because of possible political
repercussions, Herod made sure Jesus
was Pilate’s problem]. That
day Herod and Pilate became friends
– before this they had been
enemies.””[A couple
hour later] Pilate called together
the chief priests, the rulers and the
people, and said to them, ‘You
brought me this man as one who was
inciting the people to rebellion. I
have examined him in your presence
and have found no basis for your
charges against him. Neither has
Herod, for he sent him back to us; as
you can see, he has done nothing to
deserve death. Therefore, [in an
effort to please you, how about
this?] I will punish him [for
stirring up trouble] and then
release him.’” (Luke
23:5-16)
Commentary:
At this point, Pilate
was convinced that Jesus was innocent
of all the charges that the Jewish
leaders had brought against him. So,
Pilate attempted to reason with them,
comparing the worst of society
(Barabbas) with the best (Jesus). The
hostility directed toward this
innocent man amazed Pilate. I believe
he sensed there was something
supernatural about the intensity of
the clamor.
“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!’”
Commentary:
The note Pilate
received from his wife stunned him.
After reading her comments, the truth
planted in his mind by the Holy
Spirit was confirmed. This was no
ordinary trial. Jesus was the
Son of God, the predicted Messiah. At
that moment, the tables turned.
Pilate suddenly found himself on
trial. What should he do with Jesus?
Pilate had the power to set Jesus
free and he had the power to crucify
Him. If Pilate set Jesus free, the
mob would go crazy and Caesar would
question his ability to govern. If he
crucified Jesus, Pilate knew an
innocent man, even the Messiah, would
be put to death. Pilate had to make a
choice! In exasperation, Pilate
uttered a sentence that every sinner
who comes under the convicting power
of the Holy Spirit has had to ask:
“What shall I do then, with
Jesus, who is called Christ?’
The mob’s reaction became
unreasonable. Pilate raised his voice
above the noise of the crowd asking,
“What crime has He
committed?” The response was
deafening. Pilate discovered an awful
truth: There is no reason in
rebellion.
“When Pilate
saw that he was getting nowhere
[and he had no political options
left], 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 [after further
discussion with the Jews, Pilate] handed
him over to be crucified.” (Matthew
27:15-26)
Commentary:
When the week began,
Pilate had no idea what would occur
on Friday morning. Suddenly, God
powerfully catapulted Pilate to the
forefront of an incredible moment of
truth and he, the governor of Judea,
like the apostle Peter a few hours
earlier, proved to be a coward.
Pilate had a lot at stake. In order
to keep his prestigious job as
governor, he had to demonstrate
skills worthy of his appointment. In
order to satisfy the protests of
angry Jews, he had to offer them
something. Pilate was convinced that
Jesus was innocent, yet he sought to
deflect his guilt by simply washing
his hands of the murderous event.
Consider the irony of his action. The
Jews, who were standing before
Pilate, believed that they had to be
ceremonially clean for the Passover.
To maintain their
“cleanliness,” they would
not allow themselves to enter
Pilate’s palace, yet within
their own hearts they harbored such
hatred and malice toward Jesus, they
were willing to murder Him. Neither
the Jews’ sanctimonious
ceremonies nor the water used by
Pilate could remove the stain of sin.
The only thing in the whole universe
that can wash away the guilt of sin
is the sinless blood of Jesus.
Both Peter and Pilate
discovered something about themselves
that day. The apostle Peter
discovered the cowardice within his
own character when he denied knowing
Jesus, just as Pilate also discovered
his cowardly character when he
allowed an innocent man to be put to
death. Pilate thought that if he had
Jesus flogged (a punishment of
indescribable agony), the Jews would
relent and their rage would be
satisfied – in which Pilate
could save Jesus from death.
John Says
“Then 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, saying, ‘Hail,
king of the Jews!’ And they
struck him in the face.”
Commentary:
After the blows and
the flogging, I am sure Jesus was
barely conscious. He had received the
harshest treatment possible this side
of death.
“Once more Pilate
came out and said to the Jews,
‘Look, I am bringing him out to
you to let you know that I find no
basis for a charge against him.’
When Jesus came out wearing the crown
of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate
said to them, ‘Here is the
man!’ As soon as the chief
priests and their officials saw him,
they shouted, ‘Crucify!
Crucify!’ But Pilate answered,
‘You take him and crucify him.
As for me, I find no basis for a
charge against him.’ The Jews
insisted, ‘We have a law, and
according to that law he must die,
because he claimed to be the Son of
God.’ When Pilate heard this, he
was even more afraid, and went back
inside the palace [to speak with
Jesus].”
Commentary:
Every human heart is
capable of feeling the hatred the
Jews expressed toward Jesus that
morning. It only takes the right
circumstances and issues to align.
Pilate was trapped in a power play
between Heaven and Hell. I believe
that every demon possible, which had
formerly enjoyed the glories of
Heaven, was present to ensure that
their Creator was destroyed. Lucifer,
the Antichrist himself, was present
– using every influence and
every power in his arsenal to torture
and destroy his holy Adversary. A
watching universe shuddered to see
the depths that sin-full hearts can
sink. Pilate knew in his own way that
Jesus was the Messiah and when the
Jews said, “He claimed to be the
Son of God,” they ironically
confirmed a truth that had previously
stirred the heart of the governor. At
that moment, he became “even
more afraid.”
During the Great
Tribulation, circumstances and issues
will align in such a way that
everyone on Earth will be forced into
a situation like Pilate faced –
not to judge Jesus, but to be judged
by Jesus. “For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive
what is due him for the things done
while in the body, whether good or
bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) The
Holy Spirit allowed Pilate to know
the truth about Jesus. His
wife’s note was not a
coincidence, but instead it was a
message from Heaven. In
desperation, Pilate declared
Christ’s innocence a third time,
yet he could not bring himself to set
Jesus free and face the ridicule for
doing the right thing. This is a
parallel of how it will be during the
Great Tribulation. The will of God
will be set before the world in terms
that are as bright as the noonday
Sun, yet few will have the strength
of character to stand up and take the
ridicule for doing God’s will.
No wonder Revelation says, “But
the cowardly, the unbelieving, the
vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic
arts, the idolaters and all liars
– their place will be in the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is
the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
Let us be real. Every human being is
a coward and will not take a stand
for truth unless they are infused
with the Holy Spirit power, which can
help them stand courageously through
trials of faith.
‘[A troubled
Pilate interviewed Jesus again.] ‘Where
do you come from?’ he asked
Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.
‘Do you refuse to speak to
me?’ Pilate said.
‘Don’t you realize I have
the power either to free you or to
crucify you?’ Jesus answered,
‘You would have no power over me
if it were not given you from
above.’ Therefore the one who
handed me over to you is guilty of a
greater sin.’”
Commentary:
Pilate condemned
himself with his own words when he
told Jesus that he had the power to
set Him free. Jesus, knowing that He
had come into the world to set us
“free,” did not address
Pilate’s cowardice. Instead,
Jesus condemned Lucifer, who truly
was responsible and guilty for
handing Jesus over to be killed. When
the demons heard these words, I
believe they shuddered. The mouth of
God declared that He would annihilate
Lucifer. Meanwhile, Pilate’s
consternation was on a different
plane. For the first time, Pilate
recognized a fatal flaw in his
character. He could not bring himself
to do the right thing. Pilate knew
Jesus was innocent and believed Jesus
to be the Son of God, the Messiah. He
also knew that Jesus was hated for
no other reason than declaring who He
was. Jesus was the King of kings!
“From then on,
Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but
the Jews kept shouting, ‘If you
let this man go, you are no friend of
Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a
king opposes Caesar.’ When
Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus
out and sat down on the judge’s
seat at the place known as the Stone
Pavement (which in Aramaic is
Gabbatha). It was the day of
Preparation of Passover Week, about
the sixth hour [noon], [When the
audience became silent, Pilate spoke
soberly from a deep spiritual
awakening within.] ‘Here is your
king,’ Pilate said to the Jews.
But they shouted, ‘Take him
away! Take him away! Crucify
him!’ Shall I crucify your
king?’ Pilate asked. ‘We
have no king but Caesar,’ the
chief priests answered. Finally
Pilate handed him over to them to be
crucified. So the soldiers took
charge of Jesus.”(John 19:1-16)
Commentary:
Believing that Jesus
was the Son of God was not enough to
stop Pilate from acquiescing to the
demands of the Jews. Simply knowing
the truth will not prevent you from
denying the truth. Peter and Pilate
represent both sides of this dilemma.
Even though Peter was religious and
personally knew Jesus, he still
denied him. On the other hand, Pilate
was secular, but he knew Jesus was
innocent and still sent Him to His
death.
In an effort to
mitigate his guilt and show some
support for Jesus, Pilate did the
following:
“Pilate [deliberately]
had a notice prepared and fastened to
the cross. It read: JESUS OF
NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many
of the Jews read this sign, for the
place where Jesus was crucified was
near the city, and the sign was
written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
The chief priests of the Jews
Protested to Pilate ‘Do not
write “The King of the
Jews,” but that this man claimed
to be the king of the Jews.’
Pilate answered, “What I have
written, I have written [and it will
remain unchanged because I believe
him].’” (John 19: 19-22)
“Joseph of
Arimathea, a prominent member of the
Council, who was himself waiting for
the kingdom of God, went boldly to
Pilate and asked for Jesus’
body. Pilate was surprised to hear
that he was already dead [since death
by crucifixion usually took days]. Summoning
the centurion, he asked him if Jesus
had already died. When he learned
from the centurion that it was so, he
gave the body to Joseph.”
(Matthew 27: 62-66)
Commentary:
The Bible does not
indicate if Pilate knew about the
predicted resurrection of Jesus.
Sensing the Jews desire to cover
their deed and keep the peace, Pilate
may have cooperated with them. Even
better, if Pilate was aware that a
resurrection might be possible, his
guards could validate the event for
him if they were present.
“[On Sunday
morning] While the women were on
their way [to tell the disciples
about the empty tomb], some of the
guards went into the city and
reported to the chief priests
everything that had happened. When
the chief priest had met with the
elders and devised a plan, they gave
the soldiers a large sum of money,
telling them, ‘you are to say,
“His disciples came during the
night and stole him away while ewe
were asleep.” If this report get
to [Pilate] the governor, we will
satisfy him and keep you out of
trouble.’ So the soldiers took
the money and did as they were
instructed. And this [false] story
has been widely circulated among the
Jews to this very day.” (Matthew
28:11-15)
Commentary:
Pilate awoke on that
Friday morning only to discover it
was his day of judgment. Yes,
Pilate sat in the judgment seat, but
Pilate was on trial. Pilate declared
Jesus was innocent three times.
Still, Pilate had Jesus flogged and
crucified rather than take any
ridicule from the Jews and a possible
reprimand from Caesar. When that day
ended, I am sure that Pilate was not
the same. You cannot violate your
innermost sense of fairness and
justice, and still have respect for
yourself. Pilate violated “the
right” to keep his job. Peter
violated “his loyally” to
keep his dignity. Both men lost the
very thing they sought to protect.
Conclusions:
Given the scant
history we have about Pilate, I would
like to offer the following scenario
about the end of Pilate’s life.
When the guards reported to Pilate
their personal experience at the tomb
on Sunday morning, inwardly Pilate
was overjoyed. Imagine that! Jesus
was really the Son of God! When
Pilate put the details of
Christ’s birth, life and death
together, he became a silent believer
in Jesus. When Pilate sent the
soldiers to intercept the
“messianic figure” from
Samaria six years later, he gave
orders to destroy the movement
because it was an insult to Jesus,
who according to reliable sources,
had ascended to Heaven. The
“uncalled for brutality” of
Pilate’s soldiers aroused the
Samaritan Counsel, who appealed to
Tiberius Caesar. He summoned Pilate
to Rome for a reprimand. Tiberius
died before Pilate arrived in Rome
and his successor, Gaius, relieved
Pilate of his career. Pilate
eventually settled in northern Africa
where he confessed to being a
believer in Christ. He found refuge
in Alexandria among the Christians
who had also found refuge from
Rome’s hatred there. (This may
explain why the Coptic and Ethiopian
churches later made him a saint.) In
time, Pilate became ill and
improvised. I am sure he often
relived that infamous day and
probably never forgave himself for
having Jesus flogged and crucified.
In a depressed and lonely state of
mind, he may have ended his life.
Ironically, legend says that when
Peter eventually faced his own death
on the cross, he asked to be
crucified upside down, since he was
not worthy to die as Christ had died.
Evidently, both men died without
being able to forgive themselves of
cowardice. However, the good news of
the gospel is that Jesus forgave them
both, and because of their faith in
Christ as the Lamb of God, I
sincerely hope to see both men
in Heaven.
Quiz:
1.
Do you feel that you now have the
courage to speak to judges when the
time comes to let your faith in
Christ show?
2.
Can you now see how important it is
to study God’s Word each day and
be the “Watchman on the
Tower?”
3.
Can an evil person change his heart
and return to God before mercy runs
out?
4.
After reading this study,
are you fair in your dealings with
others?
5.
Has the Holy Spirit spoke to your
heart when you’ve done something
you know is wrong and continue to do
it?
6.
Did you want to take something back
that happened in the past that hurt
someone you personally know?
7.
Can you see now, there is no reason
in rebellion. Give me an example?
Notes:
