Weird Ideas: Suffered Under Pontius Pilateናሙና

Who was this man? There’s actually quite a bit known about Pilate. A quick Google search will give you all sorts of facts, and it’s worth your time to skim them. But here’s a quick highlight. Pilate was governor of the Roman province of Judea during Jesus’s ministry. So, he had jurisdiction over Jerusalem, the surrounding country, and Jesus himself. At least while Jesus was in his neck of the woods.

Pilate inherited a rough gig. You can sense when you read the Gospel accounts that Pilate was trying to keep the peace. Rome demanding order. Jews demanding freedom. People trying to manipulate him to bring about their own agenda. Riots, protests, and accusations filled Pilate’s tenure. How do you keep the peace when you’re put in charge of a social time bomb?

It’s easy to condemn Pilate. And rightfully so. He had the responsibility to carry out justice. For the sake of appeasing an angry crowd, he had an innocent man horribly put to death. Which leads to a question we should probably all ask ourselves. Where am I guilty of compromising on doing the right thing to appease the demands of some, to keep myself out of hot water, or simply because I just don’t feel like dealing with the situation?

A tradition exists in some Eastern church bodies (Ethiopian, Coptic, and the like) that Pilate eventually became a Christian. History doesn’t confirm this either way. But can you imagine? What if Pilate eventually came to put his faith in Christ and was saved? What if Pilate is enjoying the presence of Christ this moment? Was Jesus’s death big enough even for Pilate? You bet! That’s how big God’s grace is. To think that even if you, like Pilate, have condemned Jesus, God’s grace is big enough for you. Jesus died for Pilate. Jesus died for you.