Daily Devotion for Monday 28th July 2025

St John 19: 12 – 16 

From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.’ When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’  They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’  Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

Reflection

I never know whether to pity or despise Pilate.  

Trapped in a dreadful post; Pilate would have seen Palestine as a challenging appointment with its regular rebellions, difficult population, and location on the edge of the Empire.  The Jewish faith was puzzling to polytheistic Romans and its food and ritual laws made no sense.  Jewish ideas about gentile morality were  challenging to Roman ethics.  Then Pilate had to balance the needs and desires of Jewish religious and secular leaders with whatever was current imperial policy.  The ever present threat of complaint letters to Rome meant that governors had to tread a careful line.  The implied threat in today’s passage to drive a wedge between Pilate and the Emperor certainly concentrated his mind.  His reluctance to execute Jesus has led the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and the Coptic churches, to believe Pilate became a Christian and venerate him as a saint and martyr with a feast day on 25th June.  

We have very few historical sources about Pilate.  The Gospels tell of his involvement in Jesus’ death.  Other sources show he was insensitive to Jewish customs and the historian Josephus reports he was dismissed and made to report to the Emperor Tiberius after violently suppressing a Samaritan revolt.  Luckily for Pilate, Tiberius died before Pilate made it to Rome.  The historian Eusibus, citing “tradition” held that Pilate committed suicide in shame – but no other source indicates this.  

The Gospels portray Pilate as weak, unable to challenge the religious leaders and crowds baying for Jesus’ blood.  They have Pilate coming off worse in his interactions with Jesus who doesn’t show him much respect.  Washing his hands of the affair, Pilate lets Jesus be tortured and sentences him to an agonising shameful death.  Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of the charges yet did little to intervene; injustice took its course because it was expedient.  

So we are left wondering how to evaluate this man; weak judge or political pawn?  To be pitied or despised?

Prayer

When I’m gone, Lord,
how will they evaluate me?
Will I be pitied or despised?
Mourned and missed?
Or forgotten as I return to the dust from which I came?
And does it matter?
Perhaps, in the end, 
all that matters is that You won’t forget me,
or judge me harshly. Amen.