After going to Good Friday service yesterday, I have a question relative to the role of Pontius Pilate. While he “washed his hands” of the crucifixion, by not engaging in a decision, he “made a decision” for which he is held in a negative light. My question is this, what if Pilate HAD made the decision to release Jesus and stated he was not to be touched or harmed? If that had occurred, then the prophecy and resurrection would not have happened. From my perspective that is a lose/lose for Pilate. I’d like to hear your take.
A: Very Insightful question and one I’m going to answer in two forms. First will be from the best historical perspectives regarding Pilate. Second, and most importantly, is the will/plan of God.
Let’s begin with this. It is important to remember that the Scriptures were written by man in conjunction with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They are not only Holy manuscripts but historical documents as well. So while there may be differing responses to events, the Bible is contextually inerrant. I say this to account for the varied political powers (think Roman government and their conflict with the early Christian church) that may have influenced style and Biblical priority. In this case, it is important to keep the Christian Church/Roman Government relationship in mind when discussing the accounting of Pilate.
An important distinction to make relative to Pontius Pilate is his role as a Roman Prefect. His background is militaristic rather than that of an elected official. Thus, his bias would be one of “law and order” (Roman style) which would lend itself to absolutism and in many cases, cruelty. So while the Gospel accounts often portray him as an individual who “washed his hands” of the crucifixion, it is possible that he gave into crowd pressure during the timing of the Passover and ordered the execution of Jesus. Maintaining order during this time was critical to the rulers of Judea and the possibility of Christ being a seditious threat more than likely played into his decision making. Regardless, by virtue of his actions (or inaction), Pilate is either central to the crucifixion or certainly complicit in Jesus’ earthly death.
Historically speaking, Pilate was, without question, the final authority. These were not times of democracy and he likely saw Jesus’ followers as a possible threat to societal order. Thus, if “one man’s death” mitigated the likelihood of an insurrection, so be it. And while the Gospels portray a conflicted Pilate (in large part based upon the dreams of his wife), secular writers defined him as a typically stubborn and violent leader like so many in those times. What should be a given is that any decision Pilate made would have been based upon his desire to do what was pleasing to Rome and their interests. Certainly the Gospels imply a “washing of hands” (Matthew 27:24) to avoid blame, but in the end, Pilate had every opportunity to exonerate Christ and simply did not do so So is it possible that the Gospel account of Pilate’s role may have been minimized due to a desire to “keep peace” with the Roman Empire? Certainly it’s possible but I would again go back to contextually inerrancy. Which in this case is, “Does it matter?”
What matters in this case is the will of God. We see this written in both the Old and New Testaments. In the book of Isaiah, Chapter 53, we read a profound foretelling of the “suffering servant” who dies as a substitute for the sins of humanity. As well, Paul speaks to this in Acts 2:23 when he writes, “Jesus was handed over to sinful men. God knew this and planned for it to happen. You had sinful men take Him and nail Him to a cross.” Thus, the important takeaway is not so much the actions (or inaction) of Pilate but rather the will of God for which there is no compromise. As Christians I would suggest that while the accounting of Pilate has historical interest, what is of far more importance is the “Covenant of God” fulfilled. Whether Pilate demonstrated inaction or was fully complicit is, in large part, irrelevant beyond historical insight. Relative to our lives, this was but a small part of what was to become the Greatest Gift. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but receive eternal life” (John 3:16).
Thank you for the question and may the blessings of our Risen Lord be with you!
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