 |
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 Herods 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 Romes 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
Caesars demands. If the governor offended
the people, it often caused an uprising. When
this occurred, Caesar would hear about it and
question the governors ability to keep the
peace. If the governor tried to please the people
by softening Romes 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 Pilates 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 Gods 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 Pilates 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
Pilates judgment hall and events that will
happen in courtrooms all over the world during
the Great Tribulation.
Note: To review
Pilates 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:
Pilates 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 Herods
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 kings 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 Pilates 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 judges seat, his wife sent
him this message: Dont 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 mobs 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 mans 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 Pilates 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 wifes note was not a
coincidence, but instead it was a message from
Heaven. In desperation, Pilate declared
Christs 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 Gods 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. Dont 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 Pilates
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, Pilates 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
judges 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 Pilates
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 Christs 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 Pilates 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
Romes 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
Gods 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
youve 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:
|




|