I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      One of the most notorious villains of history is Pontius Pilate, the man who exercised his authority to crucify the Son of God.

B.      Let us consider this man whose poor and cowardly decisions played a major role in the most important events in the history of the world.

II.      WHO WAS PILATE?

A.      Outside of the Bible, very little is known about Pilate.

                                                             1.      Several secular historians referred to Pilate in their writings.

a.       The Roman historian Tacitus named Pilate as a Roman procurator (Senate appointed governor) of Judea.

i.         As a procurator, Pilate’s duties would have been to collect taxes for the Roman government and preside in certain judicial matters, especially those involving death sentences.

ii.        To carry out his duties, Pilate would have had command over about 3,000 soldiers throughout the province.

b.       The Jewish historian Josephus also wrote of Pilate.

i.         Two of Josephus’ accounts record how Pilate dealt with Jews who nearly rioted over ensigns he brought to Jerusalem that they considered idolatrous.

ii.        Another account records how Pilate ordered a crowd of Jews to be beaten because they rioted over Pilate’s use of the temple treasury to build an aqueduct.

iii.      Most significantly, Josephus recorded that Pilate presided over the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, whom Josephus explicitly called “Christ.”

                                                             2.      Many traditions, myths, and legends have been created about Pilate.

a.       These range from Pilate being exiled to Gaul by Caligula and committing suicide to him becoming a Christian (the Coptic church in Egypt even names him as a saint).

b.       All of these conflicting traditions are baseless and are not to be believed.

B.      The Bible makes several references to Pilate, but most of the records have to do with the trials of Jesus.

                                                             1.      As in the secular sources, the Bible names Pilate as the governor of Judea (Luke 3:1).

                                                             2.      On one occasion, Jesus was told of Pilate mingling the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices (Luke 13:1).

a.       The details of this event are unknown, but uprisings and rebellions were common, and they were often punished by executions.

b.       To mingle the blood of the worshiper with the blood of his sacrifice was considered a great curse, so this event speaks to a cruelness of Pilate’s character.

                                                             3.      Pilate’s role in the Lord’s trials can be read in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 18-19.

a.       To accomplish their purpose, the chief priests and the rulers of the Jews had to bring Jesus before Pilate because they had no authority to crucify Him (John 18:31).

b.       After examining Jesus, Pilate sent Him to Herod for judgment, but Herod sent Him back (Luke 23:7-11).

c.        Even though Pilate found Jesus to be free of guilt, he delivered the Lord to be crucified.

i.         The governor had a tradition of releasing a prisoner during the Passover Feast.  When Pilate gave the Jews a choice between Jesus and Barabbas (a notorious insurrectionist and murderer), the Jews chose Barabbas (Luke 23:17-19).

ii.        Because the Jews were so demanding and insistent, Pilate gave in to their will and sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion (Luke 23:23-25).

d.       After Jesus died, Pilate granted permission to Joseph of Arimathea to take the Lord’s body and bury it (Luke 23:50-53).  This is the last we read in the Bible of Pilate other than a few references to these same events (Acts 3:13; 4:27; 13:28; 1Tim. 6:13).

III.   PILATE’S LEGACY IN THREE SAYINGS

A.      “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Matt. 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; John 18:33)

                                                             1.      This question was the centerpiece of Pilate’s examination of Jesus, for it addressed the primary charge made against Him by the Jews.

a.       When the rulers of the Jews brought Jesus before Pilate, they accused Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King” (Luke 23:2).

b.       The Jews charged Jesus of other crimes, but Pilate asked no specific questions about them (Matt. 27:12-14; Mark 15:3-5; Luke 23:5-6).  In Pilate’s understanding, Jesus was on trial for being King of the Jews, the Christ (an equivalent expression).

                                                             2.      Jesus answered the question affirmatively.

a.       The synoptic gospels record the Lord’s brief answer, “It is as you say” (Matt. 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3).

b.       John records a more detailed answer by Jesus (John 18:34-37).

i.         The Lord explained to Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world.

ii.        When Pilate pressed Jesus to clarify His answer, the Lord said, “You say correctly that I am a king.”

                                                             3.      Pilate seized upon this matter as the only justification for the execution of Jesus.

a.       When discussing Jesus with the Jews, Pilate continuously referred to Jesus as their King.

b.       Pilate’s soldiers derisively dressed Jesus in scarlet, put a crown of thorns on His head, bowed down before Him, and mocked Him as King of the Jews (Matt. 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:11; John 19:1-5).

c.        When Jesus was crucified, Pilate wrote an inscription to put on the cross that declared His crime.  It read, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews” (Matt. 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19).  The Jews objected, but he refused to change it (John 19:20-22).

B.      “I find no guilt in this man.”

                                                             1.      Time after time, Pilate declared the Lord’s innocence.

a.       Luke and John each record three times that Pilate stated that Jesus was free of guilt (Luke 23:4, 14-16, 22; John 18:38; 19:4, 6).

b.       Matthew records how Pilate made a demonstration to the Jews by washing his hands in front of the multitude and saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to that yourselves” (Matt. 27:24).

                                                             2.      Not only was it apparent that Jesus was innocent, but also there were other signs that should have led Pilate to release Him.

a.       Pilate knew that the true motive of the Lord’s accusers was envy (Matt. 27:18).

b.       Pilate’s own wife urged him to “have nothing to do with that righteous Man” because of a dream that she had (Matt. 27:19).

c.        Pilate heard from the Jews that Jesus “made Himself out to be the Son of God” (John 19:7-11).  This caused him to fear and question Jesus further.

                                                             3.      Nevertheless, Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified.

a.       It was Pilate’s desire to release Jesus, but he weakly gave in to the evil demands of the multitudes (Luke 23:20-25; John 19:12-16).

b.       This was one of the few times in history when a judge pronounced a man to be innocent and then sentenced him to death.

C.      “What is truth?” (John 19:38)

                                                             1.      When Jesus said to Pilate, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice,” Pilate gave this weak and empty reply.

                                                             2.      Perhaps this question gives us the greatest insight into Pilate’s character.

a.       This reply indicates a lack of conviction and an absence of any moral courage whatsoever.

b.       Pilate is a fitting symbol for our age of moral relativism and situation ethics.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Although Pilate facilitated the predetermined purpose of God (Acts 4:27-28), he still shared the guilt with the Jewish leaders for the injustice and the murder of an innocent Man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 19:11).

B.      As for the Jews who influenced Pilate, when he asked them if he should crucify their King, they answered, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).  Because they rejected their true King, they received just what they deserved when Caesar destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70.