Introduction

Pontius Pilate was the Roman ruler who sent Christ to His death by crucifixion. He was the fifth Roman procurator of Judea, serving from A.D. 26 to 36. As procurator during those years, he allowed the execution of Jesus of Nazareth. An understanding of Pilate's background helps bring to life his role in that pivotal event. Little is known of Pilate's early life. He was born in Seville, Spain, but switched allegiance to the Romans after they conquered his mother country. Seeking his fortune in Rome, Pilate married 15-year-old Claudia, the youngest daughter of Julia. (Julia was Augustus Caesar's only child and she was the second wife of Tiberius Caesar, who was the Roman emperor at the time of Christ's trial.) Because Claudia was the granddaughter of Augustus Caesar, Pilate hoped his marriage to her would result in an imperial appointment. This ambition was fulfilled when, as a wedding gift, Tiberius presented Pilate with a commission as procurator of Judea.  

Miscarriage of Justice

There  were defective  trials of our Lord and Saviour Jesus  Christ before Pilate that  is  almost a total parody of first century jurisprudence . The trials responsible for hailing Him before the Governor were models of vindictive injustice or  the  miscarriage of true justice.  Annas intended to execute on Christ the sentence his son-in-law, the high Priest  Caiaphas had pronounced (John 11:49-50, 53, 18:12-13). Jesus met those absurdities with sacred silence, broken only when necessary to respond  to Caiaphas the truth  (Matthew 26:62-64).

The trial of Jesus before Pilate was far from fair because the Governor not only didn't allow defence witnesses to speak, but didn't immediately dismiss the proceedings when the Jewish leaders failed to  produce credible  evidence to support the death sentence they demanded (John 18:28-31) of our Lord . This forced them into the fallacious charge that Jesus subverted Israel, opposed taxes to Caesar and claimed to be Christ (Luke 23:2) which only the last statement  is true rightly before heaven.  

Pilate after personally interrogating Jesus, and decided he posed no threat to Rome  declared Him innocent. Again, Jesus maintained a most eloquent silence that astonished the Governor (Luke 23:3-4, Mark 15:3-5.) This was all very remarkable since Pilate hated Jewish kings, yet concluded that Jesus was a king, but pronounced Him innocent of the charges preferred! Still, after making that decision, and after having Jesus returned from examination by Herod Antipas an innocent man (Luke 23:7-15), Nevertheless, Pilate was cowed into submission by the religious authorities  to punish the Lord, then let him go.  

The trial of Jesus before Pilate showed  Pilate's fear of the Jews that  led him to seek a scapegoat for their hatred (Matthew 27:15-18). Since he had already declared Jesus innocent, Pilate needed only to be faithful to his office and responsibility. But he had made his way in politics by giving everyone something, and no one everything, and felt that would satisfy this crisis. As it happened, his ruse to get Barabbas put in Christ's place backfired. A most fateful interruption occurred when his wife's appeal on Christ's behalf (Matthew 27:19) stole the initiative from Pilate and gave it back to the leaders (Matthew 27:20). When they demanded Barabbas, Pilate  tried to placate their fury by  agreeing to  beat our Lord  Christ. That satisfied his false sense of justice and hoped it would appease their depraved and fierce hatred. With that kind of mentality in place, who could ever hope to be justly tried? 

Having dealt with mob violence, Pilate could have ordered his soldiers to control the Jews to restore order. He had previously committed such outrages in Jerusalem (Luke 13:1). He had reason on this occasion, but refused. Why? Because cowardice always acts irrationally. It resorts to violence when reason would achieve its goals, and to reason when only force will.  

The trial of Jesus before Pilate was a judicial mockery and a kangaroo court  because Pilate washed his hands to cleanse what he knew was an unforgivable breach of justice in his court (Matthew 27:24). If he had controlled his own court, with the troops available to him, and the authority of Caesar behind him, he wouldn't have had to resort to such contemptible self-justifying behaviour.

The Deadly Compromise of a Governor

Pilate the Governor took the safe way out by having a sign printed and nailed to Christ's cross: "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS" (John 19:19).  He believed the words; and he came to that conclusion during those fateful hours with Jesus; but Pilate lacked the courage to say it when it would have proved him a real man; and declared it when its publication proved him a miserable and helpless politician who feared and favoured man rather than God. He let the Jewish menace to his relationship with Caesar (John 19:12), force his abdication of the authority Caesar granted him; then publicly re-asserted it once the threat passed. When one  has built his  life around accommodation in everyday events, it's nearly impossible to suddenly find one's integrity in a crisis. That is  the sad ending of this compromised  Roman governor who asked “What is truth?” when the Truth, the Way, the Life (Jn 14:6)  is standing right in front of him  and he is still ignorant of Him. 

Pilate saw that strict justice for Christ would threaten his position politically  and  he reluctantly and shamefully gave way to the demands of the Jews, sending Jesus to His death on the cross by washing his hands of the matter. Pilate should have followed his first inclinations and have the courage to dismiss the case, but he did not carry out the correct decision. Yet, in a miraculous manner, under  the will of heaven Jesus' illegal trials (Roman and Hebrew) opened for all the precious gifts of mercy and salvation when Christ our Lord died on our behalf and placated the righteous wrath of God and  redeem repentant sinners like us forever more. 

Conclusion

Yet, it is a sober reminder to us as Christians not to fear man today, to stand firm and fast  for Christ and the gospel of salvation even in the midst of potential  danger or possible threat of persecutions, imprisonment, rejection, ridicule and other negative responses. Let us beware of Pilate’s weak and compromising mentality and live for our Saviour in these last perilous days. For those who are still seeking Christ, He is the truth and the only hope of eternal life to come, and we are to repent and humbly embrace saving faith in Him alone.  Where true faith is tested and tried often, may the Lord give us grace in the day of tribulations and testing if the Lord tarries.