An Interview With Pilate
Luke 23
Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man inciting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.”
Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people, and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.”
Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished. (Luke 23)
Below is a fictitious recounting of these events, in Pilate’s words. Think of it as an interview from a local news reporter, taken some years later.
Reporter: Thank you for allowing this interview. I appreciate your willingness and hope to get your honest thoughts on Jesus of Nazareth. May I call you Pontius?
Pilate: I am always ready to share what I know and am eager to set the record straight on all accounts. And no, you may not call me Pontius. You may call me “Governor Pilate.”
Reporter: As you wish, Governor Pilate. Ten years have now gone by since the death of Jesus, and since you are no longer governor of the Roman province of Judea, Governor Pilate, I wonder about your reflections on the events surrounding his execution.
Pilate: Well, I had never before heard of this man, Jesus of Nazareth. And to tell you the truth, I was surprised to witness the hatred that he stirred up among the high priests. My spies should have given me some warning about that, but they did not. So, they were punished handsomely!
Reporter: You actually appointed Caiaphas as high priest, right? That was part of your job. Are you saying that he did not come to you in advance to win your approval? That would seem a bit sloppy on his part, don’t you think?
Pilate: Yes, I agree, but it’s true. I was totally caught by surprise when he and his gang of elders brought Jesus to me. And while he might have neglected planning with me, he apparently had worked very hard, because he brought quite a mob ready to cry out for the death of Jesus.
Reporter: What was the charge against Jesus?
Pilate: That’s kind of hard to answer, because it seemed so vague. They alleged that he was a rebel of sorts, inciting the people against Rome and against the emperor, claiming that he was some sort of king. But really, if that had been true, I’d have already heard of Jesus and would have jailed him at the least. What’s more likely is that they considered him a threat to their positions, although they should have known that their positions were at my discretion and their popularity was of no concern to me.
Reporter: What did they want from you?
Pilate: They wanted me to execute Jesus, to crucify him. Immediately. They already had the right to kill him themselves, by stoning, and they’d done that often enough before. But I suppose they wanted to totally and publicly humiliate the man, by having him crucified by me. I have to say that, with no warning from Caiaphas in advance, I was taken a bit off guard.
Reporter: You had the right and even the responsibility to conduct a trial. But you didn’t. And clearly, you could have jailed Jesus, allowing him legal counsel and giving him time to mount a defense. Maybe doing that would have helped to clarify just what they were charging about him. Why didn’t you?
Pilate: (sigh) I did it as a favor. I mean, this man, Jesus, he was of no account to me. He was not of the upper classes, seeming quite ordinary. A nobody, really. And despite the fact that I’d been given no warning, it seemed so very easy to just allow this for the sake of my relationship with Caiaphas and his council. I mean, after all, it’s just politics! In the world I live in, that’s how things go! The fact that they seemed so worked up about this man did puzzle me, but honestly, I had no interest in trying to understand their religion, with its strange traditions, and their culture. My job was to keep the peace and to keep tax monies flowing to Rome.
Reporter: You did question Jesus, but only briefly. Did you consider any further investigation?
Pilate: Not really. I mean, maybe Jesus was a troublemaker. They certainly thought he was. So, in my way of thinking, one less Jewish troublemaker is potentially one less problem for me. You know, I’m just being honest here. And if he was a rebel leader as they said, where were his soldiers?
Reporter: I appreciate your honesty, Governor. But tell me, what was it like to question Jesus? I mean, did your interrogation of him give you any second thoughts?
Pilate: Well, I certainly was surprised, to say the least. When I sit in judgment over life or death, you can imagine how it goes. Usually, the person starts out by denying everything. And then, when the evidence is proven, denial turns into begging. Yes, without exception, until now that is, there’s lots of begging, requests for mercy, a lighter sentence and so on.
Reporter: But not with Jesus?
Pilate: No, not at all. Strangely, he hardly said a word, and he kept turning my questions back at me. I had him flogged, thinking that would loosen his tongue, but it did not. He never asked me to look further into his case, nor did he ever deny anything. And as I said, he did not beg for mercy.
Reporter: Was that all? Did you then send him to his death?
Pilate: No. I didn’t. I can’t put my finger on it, but I could feel something about this man Jesus, that was different from all of the prisoners before. Even though he did not seem impressive at first, I was beginning to get a different feeling about him. There was a dignity and a peace. I mean, anyone who’s about to be crucified does not exhibit either of those qualities. So, I began to doubt.
Reporter: What did you do then?
Pilate: You must understand that yes, I did appoint Caiaphas, and yes, I did need to work with him. But I didn’t have to like him or respect him. He was a pompous boor if you ask me. So, I began to push back on him, to probe deeper to see what was causing all this hate. I told the crowd that I’d found no crime in Jesus. I offered to release a convicted criminal and let Jesus go.
Reporter: And then?
Pilate: And then the crowd turned into a mob. It was getting dangerous, in my opinion. As I said, I’ve never seen so much hate directed at one man. The compromises that I offered were not acceptable to them. They wanted Jesus killed and they wanted it right away!
Reporter: Looking back, could you have done anything different?
Pilate: (Sigh) For a moment, I thought to overrule the crowd. After all, I am the agent of justice, not them. Yes, for a moment I could see me pushing all that hate back into the proud face of Caiaphas, to show him that I am the final authority under the law, not him.
Reporter: Then why didn’t you?
Pilate: You may not believe what I am about to tell you. But it’s the truth. Yes, I was getting afraid of a mob and what it would take to put them down if I refused them. I mean, that’s my job, to keep the peace and maintain working relationships with the Jewish leaders. But that’s not the real reason. And as I said, I was thinking how satisfying it would feel to put Caiaphas and his kind in their place. But if you really want to know, the real reason why I gave in and handed Jesus over to be crucified is because somewhere deep inside, I had come to a different conclusion, and that conclusion was that Jesus was, in a strange way, ready and willing to be crucified. You may not believe that, but it’s true.
Reporter: That’s remarkable! And now? Ten years have gone by. What are your memories of that day?
Pilate: Well, I no longer think that Jesus was a nobody. Who was he, really? That’s hard to say. I don’t know. I thought his followers would soon move on and forget Jesus. But that didn’t happen. In fact, they claim that he was raised from the dead, and that he went off to some heavenly place. You know, we Romans have gods, just like the Jews. Well, not exactly like the Jews. I mean they worship one god and we have many. And the followers of Jesus also worship that same god, but also Jesus, who they claim was their god’s son. Our gods have personalities, some for good and some for ill. And of course, we also worship the emperor as a god. But their god is so strange. They say that he is a god of love. But if so, if he is truly a god of love, then why did he allow his son to be crucified by hateful men?
Reporter: You didn’t answer my question, governor. What are your memories?
Pilate: Sorry. I guess if you are fishing for me to say that I made a mistake in crucifying Jesus, I will disappoint you. I would never admit to that. But I will say that Jesus has not left my conscious thought. No, I think of him often. And as the years go by, in reflection, I can say that I admire him more and more. I mean, he just seemed to get under my skin. So, was I wrong to have Jesus crucified? (Pause) All I can say is that really, it was just politics!