Who was Pontius Pilate? He is known by most as the man making the final ruling on Jesus Christ leading to His crucifixion. So he was anti Christian right? He was out to get all who claimed Christ and his best bet was to crucify the Christian movement leader. Or was he an Anti-Semitic? Was he out to punish the Jewish people due to all the tension between them and his Roman rule? Was he religious, therefore against any other group that opposed his god or god’s? What was he like as a man, husband, leader, and subordinate of Rome? In the book, Pontius Pilate, Paul Maier aims to answer these questions, thus giving the backdrop to the rise of Pilate in politics, through his forced decision to crucify Jesus, to the happenings after this historical event. After reading this book my perception of Pilate, the sinful state of my heart, and the overwhelming sovereign power of God the Father in heaven has changed.
Pontius Pilate was a strong, honorable, country serving leader who faithfully performed duties for the leadership of Rome with a conscious. He didn’t rule with an iron fist, crushing anyone in his path to get what he wanted. Pilate had great respect for the Cesar he served and ruled according to their vision where possible. However, as Sejanus, a prominent leader who assisted Pilate’s rise to perfect of Judea, began to drift into dislike for the Jewish people, Pilate without causing a problem or rebelling against his subordinate didn’t follow suit. Pilate loved Rome, the Roman way, his trusted leaders, his wife, and the justice in the law. However, don’t confuse the law that Pilate loved with the jewish law or the laws of some religion. He loved and believed in the laws of Rome. Pilate was not a godly man in word, worship, reference, or belief. As a young man he believed in some of the Roman god’s but as he grew older he was very skeptical of all religion and had all but written off God. So does this make him a man after the jews who were a constant mainstay in the Judea region? Pilate wanted to convert the Jewish people to the Roman way, but not by force. Pilate had grown to respect the jewish people and their faith as a whole, for in his very first encounter with them they demonstrated they were willing to lay down their lives for the preservation of their temple. Pontius Pilate realized right then that changing the worldview of the Jewish people would be a very difficult task that would take time. His truth was rooted in Rome, by its leadership and what he believed they stood for, so Pilate was up to the task. However, Pilate did start to grow a bit of distain for the religious leaders of the Jewish faith. They purposely tested Pilate on even the smallest decisions and ultimately used him to crush Jesus Christ. Pilate didn’t view Jesus Christ guilty of anything. Actually quite the opposite. Pontius was amused in the way this supposed messiah put the Pharisees and Saduces in their place with His responses, claimed miracles, and actions in the temple. According to Pilate, as long as Jesus was not causing a riot or raising a movement that could stir trouble, Pilate was fine letting Him continue with His teaching and His “hoax” mighty works. The truth is Pilate didn’t believe in the miracles, the words, the jewish law, customs, or what Jesus Christ claimed in Pontius’ face when He answered the only question that ever mattered, “So you are a king then?” (In essence asking who are you Jesus Christ?) PIlate didn’t want Jesus Christ dead. The Jewish leaders did, most of the crowd did, and most important our Father in heaven did, so He could execute His redemptive plan. Pilate thought of every stall tactic possible. He moved the trial, he stated numerous times that Jesus was blameless, he tried to use an ancient tradition to release one captive (thinking surely the massive crowd wouldn’t let one of the actual criminals free), and he even begged Christ to defend Himself so Pilate could rule in His favor. What Pilate didn’t realize is that there was no scenario where Jesus Christ and His Father were going to allow the Son of God off of the Cross. So Pilate was used by the Jewish leaders to crush Jesus Christ and at the same time by the Creator and Sustainer of the world, God the Father. Pilate couldn’t see it. Pilate didn’t believe any of it. All of it was too surreal. Even the resurrection was a hoax, just such a good one that Pilate nor anyone else for that matter could solve.
Meanwhile, all of the idols Pilate held onto where falling apart. His Roman empire was being ruled by tyrants. Through false accusation, phony trial rulings, worry, failed attempts to gain favor, Pilate ultimately lost the one thing he held to be true. The Roman empire, its law, and the leaders within it failed him. He was taken out of Government. He was a judge for years and in the end he was the one judged. In an ironic turn of events, the innocent judge was ruled to be guilty of something he didn’t do and punished by having to step out of the Roman government. He was still a good husband and honored his country. However, he was lost. Ultimately what he wanted was to be remembered. For his name to be mentioned in the history books due to his rule and service to the Roman government. He exited politics believing this would never happen. However, Pontius Pilate succeeded. He succeeded because the one truth he denied, that Jesus Christ was the divine Son of God, was actually true. Otherwise, Pontius would have lived a meaningless life. The one act that Pilate fought so hard not to execute is the one thing that echoes his name throughout history. Pilate executed the Son of God. Or did he? Both Jews and Gentiles were responsible for Christ Death. So was I. It was by design. As Cornelius, an associate and well respected man by Pilate, pointed out in the ending chapter of the book, “just as all the classes joined in to condemn the Christos, so, by divine reflex, his death and resurrection atoned for all classes, all races. You (Pilate) then, also took part in making the faith universal.”
I once wanted Christ to hop off the cross and crush everyone in the crowd, especially Pilate and all the Jewish leaders for their heartless actions. Now, I clearly see that I would have been crushed with Pilate and the Jewish crowd. I also see that what Pilate spent his time denying I denied for so long as well. Yet, due to the Grace of God, I see who Jesus Christ was, is, and will forever be. Now more than ever what I wish and hope happened is that He (Jesus Christ) opened their eyes to see and believe. That is all they needed. All I need. All everyone needs, to see and believe in Jesus Christ, thus repent of who they are before a Holy God. Pilate is no different than me prior to Christ opening my eyes.
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