Pilate, politics, and the trial of Jesus: the ‘Good Friday’ scenario
By Dean Collins
It struck me today that powerful politics were involved in the last days of Jesus, just as they are today. There was no love between the politics of Rome and the politics of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. The Jews were under Roman law, yet Rome allowed or tolerated the Jewish religious traditions. And on the Friday of what we now call Holy Week, politics were front and center in how the events played out.
In John 18 we read the questions of the high priest to Jesus, who answered clearly: “I’ve spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.” The high priest had no interest in Jesus’ answers to his questions. Judgment had been determined before the trial commenced. The high priest wanted to get rid of the threat to his control, power, and, yes, his politics. But the priest was willing to play politics to his advantage. He sent Jesus to Pilate, from religious headquarters to government headquarters, a pawn in the high priest’s game.
Still today Jesus still gets sent back and forth. Players on both sides of the political aisle embrace enough Jesus to play the citizenry. And Christians can’t seem to keep from being used. Power loves power and will sacrifice anything and anyone to gain or keep control.
Pilate’s problem
Jesus was a problem for Pilate. To give in to the Jewish leaders weakened his power. To not go along could cost him his job and possibly his life. Truth really didn’t matter to either side. Maintenance of control over constituents was more important.
The prophets had spoken to these moments centuries earlier. Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life for all who will come to him was also well aware of the exchange between Pilate and the high priest and between government and religious protocols.
Jesus was very clear with Pilate as Pilate struggled with the reality that Jesus might actually be more than human.
The Jews said Jesus had “made himself the Son of God. When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, ‘You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.’”
Pilate defaulted to self-preservation as the threats from the Jewish leaders escalated. They would tell Caesar whatever they needed in order to get their execution order for Jesus. Pilate gave in to the demands and then took one last shot at the high priest and his cohorts when he ordered the placard that declared Jesus the king of the Jews. The chief priests balked, but what was written was written. To some extent it didn’t really matter as long as the crucifixion could go forward.
The Savior revealed
John wrote the fourth Gospel years after these events happened. And with his narrative he revealed the Savior of the world to scores of generations before ours. In possibly the most familiar verse in this Gospel, if not the entire Bible, we read, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John knew that at some time when a reader came face-to-face with Jesus and read of his great love demonstrated by his great suffering, they would understand and feel the truth of John 3:16.
Just a few verses later John predicted how we tend to prefer darkness to light. Light exposes our hearts. As we contemplate the sacrifice of Jesus, may we also be willing to evaluate our tendencies to cave to political power and preference over complete and unyielding surrender to Jesus as both Savior and Lord. We can bow to only one Lord. What might happen if, instead of chasing political power, we surrendered control to Jesus. I suspect more would come to know the Savior, we would watch his kingdom grow, and his hastening return would be imminent.
Seeking to make him Lord, let us use this old hymn as our Good Friday prayer.
King of my life, I crown Thee now
Thine shall the glory be
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow
Lead me to Calvary.
May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee
Even Thy cup of grief to share
Thou hast borne all for me
Lest I forget Gethsemane
Lest I forget Thine agony
Lest I forget Thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary.
— Jennie Evelyn Hussey
Your time with God’s Word
John 18:37-40; 19:4-16, 21-22; 3:16-21; Isaiah 53:7-9; Galatians 3:13-14 ESV
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Photo by Mads Schmidt Rasmussen on Unsplash
