WHAT ROLE DID PONTIUS PILATE PLAY IN THE TRIAL OF JESUS?(FIRST PART)

WHAT ROLE DID PONTIUS PILATE PLAY IN JESUS' TRIAL?

JOHN 18:1-40; MATTHEW 27:1; MARK 15:1; LUKE 22:66

LUKE 23:1-2

1 They all rose up and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man stirring up our nation, preventing tribute from being paid to Caesar, and calling himself Christ a king."

INTRODUCTION:

In the Gospels, Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of the province of Judea, one of the largest provinces in Palestine at the time of Jesus. According to the biblical account, it was Pilate who officially ordered his death after his trial before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme council.

The story goes that the Jewish leaders of the time, including their high priest Caiaphas, judge of the Sanhedrin, the traditional Jewish court, accused Jesus of blasphemy and sedition against Rome, while Pilate, according to his trial, considered him a mere political agitator.

Finally, under pressure from the crowd and the Jewish leaders, Pilate relented and condemned Jesus to crucifixion.

In this sub-theme entitled "WHAT ROLE DID PILATE PLAY IN THE TRIAL OF JESUS?", we will attempt to answer some questions about Pontius Pilate and seek to understand his exact role in Jesus' trial.

Here are the six questions we will answer in this lesson:

1. WHO IS PONTIUS PILATE?

2. WHAT FUNCTION DID PILATE SERVE IN JUDEA?

3. WHY WAS JESUS' TRIAL TRANSFERRED TO PILATE?

4. WHAT ROLE DID HE PLAY IN THIS TRIAL?

5. WAS PILATE AN ACCOMPLICE OR AN INNOCENT PERSON?

6. WHY WAS HE UNABLE TO FREE JESUS?

FIRST PART OF THIS TEACHING:

WHO IS PONTIUS PILATE?

Pontius Pilate (Latin: Pontius Pilatus) was a Roman citizen sent on a mission to the province of Judea, Palestine, to represent the Roman emperor.

LUKE 3:1-2

1 In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip being tetrarch of Ituraea and the region of Trachonitis, Lysanias being tetrarch of Abilene, 2 and Annas and Caiaphas being chief priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

WHAT POSITION DID PILATE SERVE IN JUDEA?

He was prefect of Judea, one of the principal provinces of Palestine at the time of Jesus, from 26 AD, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius, for ten or eleven years.

MATTHEW 27:1

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 After binding him, they led him away and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

His presence in Judea at the time of Jesus gave him political and social power over the Jewish people living in Judea, whose capital was Jerusalem, where the Temple was located.

In the Bible, he is primarily known for ordering the crucifixion of Jesus after his trial, which gave this simple provincial governor exceptional notoriety.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW:

At the time of Jesus, Palestine was under Roman occupation, controlled and dominated by the Romans, and consisted of three main provinces:

THE NORTHERN PROVINCE (GALILEE):

Galilee, in the north, was dominated and influenced by paganism, as it had become a metropolitan province dominated by foreigners and entirely governed by Roman authorities.

Galilee had also become a commercial province by the time of Jesus. It had numerous markets, thanks in part to the presence of foreigners. Moreover, its geographical position in Palestine provided a veritable gateway. Therefore, when the Romans occupied Palestine, they entered first through Galilee.

THE CENTRAL PROVINCE (SAMARIA):

Samaria, in the center, also influenced by paganism, was a mixed city at the time of Jesus. Its territory was home to many foreigners and was entirely governed by the Romans.

THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE (JUDEA):

To the south, Judea. The most important and influential province, thanks to the presence of the Temple in its capital, Jerusalem. Known since antiquity, the Temple in Jerusalem was the most important building in Judaism, and in the time of Jesus, it was even more important to the Jews.

During the Roman occupation of Palestine, Judea was the only province that remained pure and untouchable. The Jews of Judea therefore showed some resistance

and categorically rejected foreign occupation and Roman authority. In particular, they refused any concessions regarding the Temple, located in Jerusalem, because it was in the province of Judea.

Thus, to avoid permanent unrest, the Roman authorities were forced to conclude an agreement providing for the sharing of power over Judean territory. This sharing of power was possible, perhaps thanks to the presence of the Temple in Jerusalem, the most important site of Judaism.

JUDEA, AN EXCEPTION TO ROMAN OCCUPATION:

This means that at the time of Jesus, despite Roman domination over the country,

the Jews of Judea continued to live and practice their Mosaic and Judaic traditions in peace, celebrating their traditional festivals and going about their business at the Temple as if nothing had happened.

This is demonstrable in the Gospels, because when reading the Gospels, we clearly see that the activities of the Temple were under Jewish control and authority, represented by religious leaders. At the apex of this traditional and religious power, we see the high priest Caiaphas, who was the commander-in-chief and supreme judge of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Because the Romans had agreed to negotiate to leave them religious and traditional power. As for the Romans, they exercised only the political, economic, and social power that concerned them. Consequently, the province of Judea received exceptional treatment.

THE NOTORIETY OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS

IN THE FACE OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL POWER:

A superficial reading of the Gospels sometimes obscures the power of religious leaders in Jesus' time. However, the account of Jesus' trial and his condemnation to death by crucifixion clearly demonstrates their power and notoriety.

They exerted such pressure on the people, Rome, and Pilate that neither the emperor, the people, nor Pilate were able to free Jesus despite his innocence. This was due to the fear of his religious leaders. Everyone respected them and was afraid to challenge their decisions for fear of getting into trouble with them.

PILATE FORCED TO NEGOTIATE IN CERTAIN DECISIONS:

It was in this historical context that Pilate exercised his political and social power in Judea. Despite his position as governor of the city, he was therefore obliged to collaborate with these high-ranking Jews, as they exerted a strong influence over the people, thanks to their religious position and their functions in the Temple in Jerusalem.

The people listened to them and trusted them. As a result, they had the ability to manipulate them, to push them to revolt against anyone or the ruling power, which gave them great notoriety among the people and the Roman government.

Thus, neither Pilate nor the Romans could make any decision or act in this province without consulting and listening to them. They could influence the political and social decisions of the province of Judea in the same way. They influenced the people, and Pilate forced them to condemn Jesus to death.

WHY WAS JESUS' TRIAL TRANSFERRED TO PILATE?

According to the biblical account in the Gospels, Jesus, after carrying out his public ministry in Galilee and the surrounding area, where he taught daily in synagogues and public places, healed the sick, cleansed lepers, and performed various miracles, was accused, arrested, and brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin, where he was tried by the high priest Caiaphas and Annas, the supreme judge of this traditional court.

JOHN 18:12-14

12 Then the crowd, the tribune, and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him. 13They took him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

JOHN 18:19-24

19 The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20

Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews are gathered, and I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you question me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them; behold, they know what I said." 22 When Jesus heard this, one of the officers who stood by struck him with his fist, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" 23 Jesus said to him, "If I have spoken wickedly, show me what I have spoken wickedly; and if I have spoken well, why are you striking me?" 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. According to the procedure of his trial that led to his conviction, he first appeared before the Jewish court called the Sanhedrin, where the Jews who accused them of blasphemy were to judge him.

However, due to lack of evidence, the Jewish Sanhedrin could no longer convict him, and the trial was officially transferred to Pontius Pilate, who then sentenced Jesus to death—a death inflicted on criminals of his time, namely death on the cross, which we also call crucifixion.

LUKE 22:66

When day came, the council of elders of the people, the chief priests, and the scribes, assembled and had Jesus brought before their council.

MARK 15:1

Early in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders, the scribes, and the entire council. After binding Jesus, they led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

MATTHEW 27:1

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And when they had bound him, they led him away and handed him over to Pontius Pilate the governor.

In the second part of this lesson, entitled "What role did Pilate play in Jesus' trial?",

we will examine and list the main reasons for this transfer.

HERE ARE THE MAIN REASONS FOR THIS TRANSFER:

1. LEGAL JURISDICTION:

According to the law of the time, under Roman rule, the Sanhedrin did not have the absolute power to impose the death penalty, particularly in political and social matters.

During the Roman occupation of Palestine, Roman law reserved the death penalty to the Roman authorities, who had the power to try and sentence an individual to death for any political or social offense. Consequently, no criminal could be convicted without the intervention of the Roman authorities.

Thus, from the moment the Jewish authorities accused Jesus of being a political agitator, a man who had proclaimed himself King of the Jews—an accusation that threatened Caesar's authority, particularly in political matters—their Sanhedrin immediately lost the full right to judge and condemn Jesus to death.

This prompted them to officially transfer this case to the competent authority, legally empowered to judge this matter, and that authority was Pilate, who at that time represented the political power of Rome in Judea. One of the reasons Jesus' trial was transferred to Pilate was because of legal jurisdiction.

JOHN 18:28-31

28 They led Jesus away from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was morning. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so as not to defile themselves and so that they could eat the Passover. 29 Pilate then went out to them and asked, "What do you accuse this man of?" 30 They answered him, "If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." 31 Pilate then said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law."The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death."

John 18:33-40

33 Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 34 Jesus answered, "Do you say this of yourself, or did others tell you about me?" 35 Pilate replied, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" 36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world." If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought for me, so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate said to him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say so; I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Whoever is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no fault in him. 39 But since it is your custom that I release someone to you at the Passover, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 Then they all cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

2. LACK OF EVIDENCE BEFORE THEIR COURTS:

The second reason Jesus' trial was transferred to Pontius Pilate,the Roman governor, was that the Jewish authorities, and particularly the Sanhedrin, lacked sufficient evidence to convict him.

According to the agreement between Rome and the Jews at that time, the latter had full authority to try people before their traditional court, the Sanhedrin, for cases related to their tradition, the laws of Moses, or their temple.

According to this agreement, they therefore had the authority to try Jesus before their Sanhedrin for religious and traditional crimes, but due to a lack of evidence, they were unable to convict him. They therefore transferred the case to Governor Pilate so that he could authorise the death penalty against Jesus.

CONCLUSION ON THE QUESTION OF THE TRANSFER OF JESUS' TRIAL TO PILATE:

To conclude on the question of the transfer of Jesus' trial to Pilate: in summary, this transfer was primarily a legal necessity linked to the Roman occupation of Jewish territory.

Secondly, the religious leaders of his time and the Jewish Sanhedrin deliberately sought to condemn Jesus for political reasons, since condemning him according to their laws was virtually impossible due to the lack of sufficient evidence.

Therefore, they invented another political argument to force Pilate to condemn him, thus carrying out their plan to execute Jesus.

Matthew 26:3

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. 4 They deliberated how they might arrest Jesus by deception and put him to death.

LUKE 23:1-2

1They all rose up and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2They began to accuse him, saying, We found this man stirring up our nation, forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar, and saying that he is Christ, a king.