Hands of Self-Preservation (Pilate)

The Priceless Nature of Peace

3.24.21 [Matthew 27:15-27] River of Life (Midweek Lenten Worship)

Pilate was sent to Judea for the same reason every Roman governor was sent somewhere: to uphold Rome’s most prized possession, her supreme export, Pax Romana. Peace, the Roman way. But Pilate came into Judea like a bull in a china shop. At first, you almost wonder if Pilate didn’t know any better—that he was just politically clumsy and didn’t know how to read the room. But the more you dig into Pilate’s background, the more non-Biblical writers like Philo and Josephus seem to indicate that Pilate was committed to ruling Judea with an iron fist.

One of Pilate’s first acts of business was bringing Caesar’s graven image into Jerusalem. In Rome, Caesar was viewed as a god. In Jerusalem, this was like bringing an idol into the Holy City. Previous Roman governors knew better than to pull this kind of stunt. For five days, the people of Jerusalem tried to persuade Pilate to remove the images of Caesar, but he refused. Instead, he sent soldiers into the crowds and instructed them to cut the crowd to pieces if they refused Caesar’s image. In response the people of Jerusalem fell to the ground and exposed their necks, daring the Roman soldiers to slaughter the peaceful protesters. Pilate eventually gave in and removed the images from Jerusalem.

Next Pilate pilfered funds from the Temple treasury to build more aqueducts to bring more water to Jerusalem. When the people of Jerusalem found out and were outraged, he disguised his own soldiers as civilians and beat the protestors with clubs. Many were killed.

Later, Pilate tried to honor Emperor Tiberius by placing shields with the emperor’s name in Herod’s old palace in Jerusalem. I guess he figured if it weren’t in the Temple it wouldn’t be a problem. Again, the Jews were offended. Even some of Herod’s sons asked him to remove the shields. But Pilate refused. So the Jews went over his head. They appealed to Emperor Tiberius who was infuriated that Pilate would be so foolishly heavy-handed. So now Pilate had the people mad at him and his boss, too.

His reign as Roman governor of Judea ended after he orchestrated a cruel massacre of a large group of Samaritans who were following a false Messiah to find the ark of the covenant.

History depicts Pilate as a man who was purposefully offensive, cruel, and corrupt. Stubborn and savage. The Scriptures also tell us (Lk. 13:1) Pilate was responsible for mixing the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices.

But that is not how we see Pilate here in Matthew 27. On Good Friday, Pilate bears little resemblance to the openly offensive overseer and looks a lot more like a spineless people-pleaser. On Good Friday, Pilate seems less like a stubborn and savage overseer and more like a man who is at the mercy of his subjects. On Good Friday, Pilate seems less like a powerful Roman governor and more like an easily manipulated plebe.

Perhaps that was because of all Pilate’s earlier missteps. Perhaps Pilate recognized he was on thin ice with Rome and Tiberius. Perhaps Pilate had come to see the value of going along to get along. Perhaps Pilate had come to appreciate the tenuous nature of peace in this world.

As he stood before the Passover crowd on Good Friday, it was clear Pontius Pilate was confused and conflicted. Early that morning the Jewish leaders had dragged a Rabbi before him and accused him of all kinds of crimes. But this Jewish teacher didn’t respond to a single one of them. Not only that, but he didn’t even open his mouth. Pilate was (Mt. 27:14) amazed by Jesus’ silence.

But still Pilate found no basis for any charge against Jesus. The Jewish leaders and the crowd insisted that Jesus was (Lk. 23:5) stirring up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and he has come all the way here. When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee, he saw a chance to escape this political pressure-cooker. Galilee was Herod’s problem. And Herod was in Jerusalem. So Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. And while that shrewd move helped Herod and Pilate mend fences, it did nothing to rid Pilate of his present problem. Herod, having grown tired of a miracle worker who wouldn’t perform any signs and a teacher who wouldn’t even open his mouth, sent Jesus back to Pilate.

Pilate had one last trick up his sleeve. During the Passover festival it was a common practice to release one prisoner. Pilate picked Barabbas. A notorious criminal. A murderer. An insurrectionist. Surely the people could see that Jesus of Nazareth deserved to be set free more than this murderous rebel!

But if backfired. The people had been (Mt. 27:20) persuaded by the chief priests and the elders to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus of Nazareth executed. And from there, things moved from bad to worse. Not only was Pilate compelled to release Barabbas the murderer, he was coerced by this blood thirsty mob into handing Jesus (Mt. 27:26) over to be crucified.

While it may feel like Pontius Pilate was railroaded into doing something he didn’t want to do, we must understand why this happened. Pilate’s goal was clear. He wanted peace. That was his only non-negotiable. In his pursuit of peace, we see him snub his own conscience, ignore wise warnings from a loved one, try to serve two masters, and foolishly negotiate with powers bent on wickedness.

And that pattern should sound familiar. Though we don’t sit as Roman governors as Pilate did, we often are forced to make choices about what we will and what we won’t do. And like Pontius Pilate, many of our past decisions leave us feeling very guilty.

How many times have you faced a temptation of the heart and found yourself waffling like Pontius Pilate. You know the good you are called to say and do. You know the evil you are called to rebuke and reject. Despite alarm bells going off in your heart and mind—despite your conscience screaming at you—you give into your pride, anger, lust, and jealousy. You steal a lustful glance of flesh God has not joined you with. You mutter something prejudiced about someone who has frustrated or irritated you. You swap a juicy bit of gossip, just to liven the conversation up. You tell yourself it’s no big deal. It’s just this one time. No one will get hurt. No one will find out. It’s just a thought—how can I control that? It’s just a word—how can that be so bad?

Like the crowds of Jerusalem, our sinful nature sees the inch we’ve offered up so easily and is ready to take us a mile down the path of sin. James lays out the sinful nature’s tactics well. (James 1:14) Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Our sinful nature is always studying us. Learning what we love. Researching what we crave. Because that’s the bait. Something that seems good in the moment. Pleasure. Power. Respect. Or in Pilate’s case: Peace. Once Satan and our sinful nature have figured out what we’re really after, they bait the hook. Here’s what you want—but God doesn’t want you to have it. Isn’t that unfair? So do something about it! So often temptation puts us in the painful position of having to choose between what we know is right, and what we think is best. Once that has happened, we find ourselves behaving recklessly. Ignoring warning signs from loved ones, as Pilate did. Turning a deaf ear to words of caution and rebuke. Agreeing to repulsive things.

And when it is all said and done, we feel, as Pilate did, incredibly guilty. Because when it is all said and done, we know what we have done. We can tell ourselves we just got caught up in a bad situation. But we know we put ourselves in that situation. We can tell ourselves that’s not who we really are. But we know that really think, talk, and act like that far too often. We can tell ourselves it is everyone else’s fault. Btu we know that we are responsible.

Negotiating with the sinful nature only leads to death. It never brings about the peace it promises. That is why God refused to negotiate with the sinful nature. He came to put sin, death, and the devil to death. He came to conquer the enemies who pierce us with many griefs and heap upon our sin-stained souls all kinds of guilt.

Jesus was sent to earth to establish one of God’s most prized possession, heaven’s leading export. Peace. Not Roman Peace, but peace between God and man. Compare Christ’s ministry with Pilate’s reign and you’ll quickly see how they had different concept of peace. Pilate brought Caesar’s power to Jerusalem. Jesus came so that people might see God. (Col. 2:9) Jesus is the fullness of the deity in bodily form. And look at what he did. He saw the real problems people had. People weren’t just sick and poor. They were infected with sin. They were destitute of any kind of righteousness. Jesus came to bring healing and relief. A yoke that was light. Jesus did not come to steal from the Temple, but to remove greediness from the Temple. Jesus (Eph. 2:17) came to preach peace to Jews and Gentiles, because (Rom. 3:23) all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Jesus did all this (Rom 5:10) while we were still enemies of God. (Col. 2:21) because of our evil behavior. But (Jn. 3:16) God so loved a world of sinners, people who loved wickedness more than they loved God and his righteousness, that he sent his Son into the world to earn and establish a peace that was out of the reach of all mankind. Through this horrific account, we were reconciled to God. Through this miscarriage of justice, sinful people were justified. Through his death, we have been given life. By his death on a cross, he has paid for our trespasses. (1 Jn. 1:7) The blood of this Jesus purifies us from all our sins. (Eph. 2:16) By his death on a cross he put to death our hostility. Through his death on the cross we have peace with God.

And when sin and temptation threaten the peace that Christ has won for us on the cross, God has provided us with a real solution to our sin, our shame, and our guilt. Not a performative washing of our hands, but a cleansing inside and out. Our God has taken water and given it the power Pilate wanted to find in it—the power to wash away sin and guilt. In your Baptism, the Judge of the Living and the Dead declared you not-guilty. In your Baptism, God himself purified you from all your sins. (Col. 1:22) God has now reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

In the waters of your Baptism, God even blessed you with a remedy for future sins. (1 Jn. 1:8) Claiming to be without sin, is nothing more than self-deception. But confession is God’s great gift to guilty sinners. (1 Jn. 1:9) When we confess our sins, we know that God is faithful and just and, because of Jesus, he will forgive us our sins and purify us, not only from the guilt pangs we feel right now, but from all unrighteousness.

Because of this Jesus, who took upon himself our sin and our guilt, we have a gift the world cannot make, much less give to us. The Prince of Peace has gifted us His Peace. A peace which the world cannot understand, imitate, or even appreciate. A peace that surpasses our minds and guards our hearts. A peace that lasts. May his kingdom of peace come. May his will be done, in us, for us, and through us. Now and forever. Amen.