Weird Ideas: Suffered Under Pontius Pilateنموونە

The Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate. In its own right, that’s a pretty weird thing to say. People don’t typically think of God or a god as one who would suffer or be prone to human weakness. But Jesus does. He chooses to suffer. When God became a human in Jesus, he willingly chose to experience everything we as humans do. Theologians call this condescension. That God lowered himself to a frail and humble state.

The Apostles’ Creed shows us that God is humble. Jesus suffered at the hands of Pilate in a degrading and humiliating way. We tend not to revel in the stories of our suffering or when people humiliate us in public ways. We tend not to triumph in our losses. We want conquering heroes and clear victories instead. But the Bible has a weird idea. Despite all his glory, power, and authority, Jesus is humble. Because God is humble. Jesus’s power is seen in his suffering, and God’s victory comes through what looks to us like his loss. So Christians boast in it. Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate! Through his suffering, God saved the world. In Christ, we need not fear it either.

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