Even Youths

Day 5: Matthew 27:11-19 The Roman trial April 2, 2010

History shows that Pilate was a ham-fisted ruler, insensitive to the religious sensibilities of his subjects, eventually recalled by Rome for provoking the Jews to several riots and inflicting severe reprisals on them. The authorities in Rome built their empire on the realization that benign rule led to more cooperation from the local populace, and less need for expensive and disruptive military intervention. By these standards, Pilate was ineffective.

So Matthew has no particular incentive to defend Pilate, or to deny his responsibility in the execution of Jesus. Still, he clearly places the onus upon the Jewish leadership and people. Pilate finds nothing in Jesus’ demeanor or words to validate a charge that he was a dangerous revolutionary or a violent terrorist. He realizes the role that professional religious rivalry plays in the accusations (26:18). In addition, his wife has a disturbing dream about Jesus’ innocence, which she – as often in antiquity – takes as a divine message (26:19). So Pilate strategizes a way to release Jesus, while preserving face for everyone (26:17).

Matthew here underscores the miscarriage of justice inflicted on Jesus. Even an insensitive Roman authority – who presided over Jesus’ political trial – could see through the pretense. Justice did not matter so much to him that he would risk a riot, especially over charges of treason that could make him appear less than diligent in protecting Rome’s interests. Still, Pilate serves to underscore Jesus’ innocence, and the travesty of the injustice which he suffered for us, and for which we rightly worship him.