24 HOURS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD                                                              APRIL 2, 2006

SERMON: PILATE BEFORE JESUS                                                                      MATT 27:11-26

INTRODUCTION

I continue today with the theme: 24 Hours that Changed the World.  We looked at Jesus before Caiaphas last week and will consider Jesus’ Trial before Pontius Pilate this week.  The focus of this message is on the question: What is the deep significance of these events – not only from a theological perspective but also from a personal perspective.  What is important in terms of our understanding of God and of our own spiritual destiny?

PUTTING PILATE IN HISTORY

I’m going to take a few minutes to help put Pilate into a historical context as best as possible.  I think you’ll find this very interesting.  Pilate is described by two writers (Philo and Josephus); one of this very generation and one from the next.  Both describe Pilate as a vicious, greedy and inflexible man who had very little concern for Jewish legal customs or practices.  In fact, Pilate was the protégé of a well-known Roman Jew-hater named Sejanus – commander of the Praetorian Guard - who seems to have trained Pilate to treat well-known Jewish customs with malicious contempt. 

One of Pilate’s first actions, according to Josephus, was to break a long-standing tradition concerning Roman standards.  Roman prefects before Pilate had been careful not to offend Jewish sensibilities in a particular way.  Roman standards often bore an actual embossed image of Caesar (Tiberius at this time).  This would have been understood as an infraction of the commandment against divine images (Caesars claimed divine status).  Governors before Pilate had been careful not to march the Roman army into Jerusalem with these standards in view.

Pilate, immediately upon becoming Prefect of Judea, marched his cohorts into Jerusalem in the dead of night and had the standards on display in the morning.  This aroused great indignation on the part of the Jews, and they sent a delegation to Caesarea (where Pilate lived) and they plead with him for five days for the removal.  On day six, Pilate sent in a detachment of soldiers among the crowd, and at a given signal they were to draw their swords.  When the signal was given, the Jews barred their necks stating that they would rather die than see their laws transgressed in this way.  Pilate knew that such a massacre would lead to a revolution and he backed down.  Jesus would have been about 20 when this happened.  It was undoubtedly well-known to him.

The monstrous Pilate does shine through Luke 13’s story of the Galilean blood.  Jesus just mentions in passing that Pilate mixed the blood of various Galilean temple worshippers with their sacrifices.  Galilee was known to be a place of messianic insurrectionist thinking.  Apparently Pilate got wind of some messianic insurrectionists worshipping in the temple and he ordered them killed while offering sacrifices.  This would have been seen as a monstrous offence against the sanctity of the temple.  Caiaphas apparently, puppet of Rome that he was, allowed it and cooperated.

Later Pilate – perhaps trying to placate the Jews – decided to build an aqueduct into Jerusalem.  However, he plundered the treasure of the temple in Jerusalem to build it.  When he visited Jerusalem next, he was besieged by angry Jews.  He ordered his soldiers to dress like civilians, and to hide clubs in their tunics.  They were ordered to mingle among the crowd and again, at a given signal, pull their clubs and beat the protestors.  This ended up in the deaths of many Jews.  Again, Jesus would have been in his early or mid 20’s when this happened.  Both of these upheavals would have put Pilate on very dangerous terms with Caesar Tiberius.  Tiberius was known to have had a very liberal policy toward the Jews. 

After Jesus died, in 36 AD, an event occurred which brought about Pilate’s dismissal.  Remember I said last week that Pilate held the garments of the High Priest in custody.  Immediately upon Pilate’s dismissal, these garments were handed back to the High Priest as Rome’s way of helping make up for Pilate’s 11 years of mismanagement.  According to Christian tradition, Pilate commit suicide – perhaps after he had been brought up on actual charges of mismanagement.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

What is the problem with this picture?  According to the gospel writers, Pilate is hardly a cruel, greedy, anti-Jewish governor.  NT writers have absolutely no hostility against Pilate.   Why is the NT so insistent in placing most of the blame on the shoulders of the Jews and implying that Pilate had little choice in the crucifixion of Jesus?  I think as we answer this question we again find the sermon; that is, we discover the point at which Pilate speaks to us.

According to the NT Gospels, Pilate expresses no interest in Jesus until Caiaphas and the chief priests turn Jesus over with many accusations against him.  Let’s walk our way through the biblical account and try to tease to the surface the intent of the biblical writers.  In v. 11, Pilate asks Jesus if he was the King of the Jews.  Pilate’s question is different from Caiaphas’ question.  Caiaphas is interested in Jesus’ messianic claims and the threat he posed to the temple.  Pilate asks a purely political question; Are you involved in sedition against the empire?  Jesus simply refuses to inter a plea – either a guilty ‘yes’ or a not-guilty ‘no.’  He evades saying, “You have said so” again. 

The chief priest and elders are there continuing to made accusations.  The primary charge – at least that Pilate would be interested in – is that Jesus was a political insurrectionist (Messiah – King of the Jews).  Jesus simply refuses to answer charges – amazingly Jesus doesn’t say, “I’m not a threat to Rome, Pilate.  I interpret Messiah in a non-militaristic manner.”  I think Jesus could have gotten off easily if he had – he intends to go to the cross.  Pilate is amazed and again reluctant to crucify.  He gives the crowd the choice of Jesus or Barabbas – again seemingly trying to find a way out of the situation.  They shout enthusiastically for Jesus’ crucifixion.  A key verse is 24: “So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning . . .” he washed his hands of Jesus’ innocent blood and handed Jesus over to be crucified.

Pilate appears to be here a man of principle – in theory at least – but pressured against his will to crucify Jesus lest a riot break out.  Christian presentation of Pilate is fairly positive.  Caiaphas is the bad guy in this story who forced Pilate’s hand and Pilate is weak and manipulated in their hands.  Many historians find the story unhistorical – a later fabrication that puts the onus of responsibility for Jesus’ death on the Jews.

PILATE POLITICAL CONUNDRUM

Many scholars discount the picture the gospels recount as a fabrication.  In reality, Pilate driving the story – Jesus was a threat to the security of Rome.  Jesus is a threat to Pilate more than to Caiaphas.  Gospel writers re-write the story to put all the blame on Caiaphas.  In the NT Pilate is a good man, but we know that he was a cruel heartless Jew-hater whose only concern was tranquility.  Jesus was to Pilate a threat to the peace of the area because – like it or not – people too him to be Messiah and messiahs spell trouble. 

I disagree.  Problem: how do we reconcile the monster of Josephus/Philo with the nice-guy of the NT?  I think the NT is painting a very nuanced picture if you look at all the evidence.  Here is a critical fact.  It is very helpful to know that at just about this time, Sejanus fell out of favor with Tiberius and was put to death by Tiberius in Oct. 31.  Sejanus has been promoting Pilate in Roman court and he is Pilate’s big backer before Tiberius the Caesar.  Pilate has made lots of Jews hate him, and Tiberius was known to have been friendly to the Jews in Rome.  Now without Sejanus’ backing and with Sejanus executed, Pilate’s political career is very much on the line.  After Oct. 31, Pilate would have been walking a very very tight line in keeping his job.  He lost it a few years later.

Pilate is in a very weakened precarious position.  He needs to make sure that Emperor Tiberius sees that he’s not going to offend the Jewish leaders anymore.  Yet he doesn’t want to offend the masses with whom Jesus is so popular.   Pilate is doing his best to play both sides of this coin and he cannot mess up again or his political career is over.  Sejanus isn’t there to protect him from Caesar’s wrath. 

PILATE’S GUILTY HAND WASHING

The NT claims that Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, and even came close to releasing him, but had him crucified instead.  I think understanding his political turmoil at this time helps us understand.  There was pressure from the High Priests to have him killed.  Jesus was a threat to the present temple system of religion.  But Jesus was a potential threat to Rome as well and Pilate was not guiltless when he washed his hands.  He washed his hands but remains responsible because he had Jesus crucified to protect his own political backside.  He couldn’t afford a riot just now – especially one that made many Jews angry at him.  Only a few years later a similar riot cost Pilate his life and he ended his life in suicide.  He couldn’t give Jesus a chance – not when he had so much at stake.

So there Pilate was.  This was his choice.  Let an innocent man go free and risk loosing his job or protect his backside at the cost of Jesus’ life.  Jesus didn’t help him.  Jesus didn’t open his mouth in his own defense.  It was truly the perfect storm.  What if he let Jesus go and Jesus ended up exciting a rebellion.  His career was over.  Pilate also needed Jesus dead.  Jesus was simply too big a risk.  So best turn him over for crucifixion but play up your disagreement; washing hands was a common way of saying, “I’m free of this matter.”  Jesus let the wheels of history roll over him – that was the plan all along.  “No one takes my life from me.  I lay it down willingly.”

THE PILATE SYNDROME

I want you to remember Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.  Pilate has much to teach us.  Pilate compromised the truth for securities sake.  The truth is often just too dangerous and had to die.  You and I are often in Pilate’s predicament.  You and I have done the same.  Pilate’s whole political career is on the line and Caiaphas has all the cards.  Pilate needs to ingratiate himself to both Tiberius and Caiaphas.  He cannot take a risk on Jesus at this point because he has no political capitol to expend.  So he washes his hands, knowing all along that he is about to have an innocent man put to death. 

You’ve washed your hands in the same way.  Today we are going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  Pilate meaninglessly washed his hands but he was not able to cleanse his heart.  What we celebrate he is what Pilate needed; true cleansing of heart that transforms the soul.  We remember Pilate by celebrating this great sacrifice made by Jesus which is effectual in heart-cleansing in a way that Pilate’s hand-cleansing was not.