Pilate Error

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams once pointed out that only three human individuals are mentioned in the Nicene Creed; Jesus, Mary and Pontius Pilate. 

Jesus, the one who says yes to him (Mary) and the one who says no to him (Pilate).

“Those three names map out the territory in which we all live” says Williams. “All through our lives, we swing towards one pole or the other, towards a deeper yes, or towards a deeper no.”

The thing about Pilate that most strikes me every time I read the passion narratives though, is that he so wants to say “yes”. Or at least not say “no”.

He actually does say yes at the start when pronounces his verdict; “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” Pilate, being the man who called the shots in Judaea at that time, imagined no doubt that that would be the end of it.

When that fails, he twice tries to send Jesus away to be judged under another jurisdiction; firstly to the Jewish Sanhedrin and secondly to Herod. He does not want to be party to an obvious miscarriage of justice.

Then, when Jesus is sent back to him, he tries to downgrade the sentence, hoping a sound flogging will be enough to appease the crowd.

When it becomes clear that that is not enough, he tries to bargain, offering the mob the clearly undesirable alternative of letting a notorious murderer loose. I'm sure he expected that to work.

But it doesn't. So he tries to reason with the crowd. “Why? What crime has he committed?”

And finally he insists that it be written The King of the Jews over his head, displaying his open contempt at those who had engineered his judicial murder.

Yet Pilate goes down in history as one who dithered when decisive action was needed. He was too morally weak to say “yes” to Jesus. Three times in the Acts of the Apostles, he is mentioned as the one who had the authority to say “yes”, but culpably said “no”.

As we approach Holy Week and Easter, I want to, in Rowan Williams' words, “move towards a deeper yes.” 

Pilate, after his “no” disappears from history altogether. Mary, after the “yes” which led her to the trauma of the cross, shared the elation of the resurrection, was baptized in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and was part of the story that turned the world upside own.

In the sight of… Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command [to fight the good fight of the faith] without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Timothy 6.13-14).