Pilate
Open Your Bible
John 18:28-40, John 19:1-22, Psalm 2:1-12
BY Patti Sauls
“Oh, I just can’t wait to be king!” declares the lion cub, Simba, in the 1994 movie, The Lion King. Simba struts as he sings of all the power and advantages he will enjoy when he inherits his father’s throne. The royal cub’s swagger is short-lived, though, as tragedy and trials arise. No spoiler alert needed—it’s obvious that young Simba is clueless about what it really means to be king.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus was surrounded by others’ confusion about what it means to be King. Many people were drawn to His teaching and were convinced by His miracles that He was the long-awaited Messiah who would rule as King in Jerusalem and restore the Jewish nation. Just days before His arrest and crucifixion, jubilant crowds waved palm branches and proclaimed: “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12:13)
But not everyone wanted to crown Him King. The Jewish leaders were suspicious of Jesus’s growing influence, threatened by His miracles, and outraged by His claims of being united with God. All of this could disrupt their religious power dynamic. How would it affect their status if this man from Nazareth gained power?
The chief priests wanted to eliminate this threat by executing Jesus, but they knew that only Roman authorities could implement the death penalty (John 18:31–32). So, they arrested Him and charged Him with claiming to be “King of the Jews.” They hoped this would force the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, to declare Jesus a political rebel and sentence Him to death. The stakes were high. Some crowds wanted Jesus to be king. Others, riled up by the Jewish leaders, wanted Him killed. As governor, Pilate was tasked with keeping the peace between his territory’s people and the rule of Rome.
Pilate knew the leaders wanted Jesus executed, but he couldn’t reconcile the calm, quiet man before him with such fierce allegations of rebellion. Three times Pilate insisted that he saw no basis for a criminal charge, but the unrelenting crowds threatened, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!” (John 19:12). Seeing the crowd’s mounting frenzy and fearing Roman backlash, Pilate buckled under the pressure and condemned Jesus to a torturous death on a cross.
The sign that Pilate fastened to Jesus’s cross stated, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19). This was no ordinary notice of a criminal’s name and offense. It should stop us in our tracks because it was, and forever will be, a revelation of who Jesus really is. Jesus is the King who secures restoration and redemption for His people. He is the King who deflates status-seeking and disrupts self-centered living.
Pilate had this sign written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek so that all could read it (John 19:20). Jesus died and rose again so that we, too, could have the eyes of our hearts opened. We don’t have to wait for Jesus to be an earthly king. We see and recognize that our King has come. Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!
32 thoughts on "Pilate"
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I love starting my days with SRT and then going back in the evening to read the new comments-I learn so much from you all and pray for the requests too.
I had to look up why the captors could not enter the governors home- my Bible notes say entering a Gentile open air courtyard would not make one unclean but entering a Gentile building or home with a roof would. So many rules and laws- another reminder of why I am so thankful for freedom in Christ!
Kirstyn I have been praying for you and your family as you continue to grieve the loss of your son.
Thank you all for your raw honesty in your struggles…I so wish we could all meet in person and put a face to a name but for now I look forward to meeting all of you in the new creation :-)
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Using the study guide, and one of the questions each day is how was this person’s life changed by Jesus. Pilate has to be one of the most conflicted people of all time. I think he knew who Jesus really was and yet he still succumbed to the crowd’s pressure. We’re appalled by this when we read it, but don’t we do the same thing when we sin? Don’t I do the same thing when I sin? I feel so humbled by that thought. Back to the original question, I don’t know how Pilate would have ever reconciled himself to his decision but it is possible he was saved. With so many of these stories I long to know what happened later and perhaps one day we will know.
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Even the soldiers gave him lip service of “King of the Jews” as they beat him and mocked him with a crown of thorns-
Oh Jesus May our heart of hearts truly bow at your Lordship. You are worth not just of my words, but all my life. Help me to worship you in spirit and truth as the one true King and the most beautiful treasure -
This makes me think of the church today. Sometimes we have our own preconceived ideas of what Jesus looks like, or what it looks like to have Him “show up”. If things don’t seem to go the way we thought they should or look how we think they should look, we tend to reject what is happening as something negative and can miss out on what Jesus is trying to do or to teach us. He is the King, and He knows how to rule. We need to lay down our own ideas of what His Kingship should look like and just trust and follow Him, knowing He has all authority and all wisdom. His ways can seem counterintuitive to us, but He is the King of kings and is well able to rule!
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Peer pressure can be a strong and ugly thing. It makes us do things we know aren’t right. I like where Patti says that Pilate couldn’t reconcile the calm, quiet man before him with the fierce allegations of rebellion. Can you imagine Jesus standing before you and knowing that you must decide whether he lives or dies? As with the other characters, I like to think that I would stand up to the mob and let Him go, but would I? Do I stand up for what I believe, even when it isn’t popular? These days there is a lot of pressure to say what is expected and sometimes not to say what is in your heart. I pray for God’s wisdom and strength to stand up for what is right. To stand up for my Lord, even when it is scary.
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Amen!
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♥️
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Yes and amen!
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Plate had two revolutionaries on his hands. It’s interesting that the one he set free, Barabbas, never succeeded. Yet the One he sentenced to death, in His death, did. The Jesus revolution continues to this day through us, His followers. Pilate tried to wash his hands of his complicity but he will always remain on the wrong side of history. Barabbas is but a footnote. But Jesus… He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess just that.
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Here is a teaching by Tim Keller called With a Politician: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/timothy-keller-sermons-podcast-by-gospel-in-life/id352660924?i=1000470262810
Thought I would share since we are reading about Jesus in front of Pilate.
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Thank you for sharing this! I usually learn something new or think of things in a different way when listening or reading Tim Keller’s work. I look forward to listening to this.
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