Who Was Pontius Pilate?

Who was Pontius Pilate? What does he have to do with the account of Jesus death?

Pontius Pilate Becomes Governor of Judea

Pontius Pilate was a Roman prefect or governor of Judea for about a decade (AD 26-36).  He was under governor but still under the authority of the emperor Tiberius.   He supposedly got his name from his being a Roman knight or equestrian belonging to the clan of Pontii, which explains the source of his name Pontius.  Sejanus, who was a favorite of Emperor Tiberius, secured Pilate’s position of prefect or governor of Judea so it was not on Pilate’s own merit that he became governor of Judea in AD 26 but from that of a friend of his.  As governor over Judea, Pilate held supreme judicial power or authority over the region.

The Reluctant Executioner

Pontius Pilate did not want Jesus crucified because he believe that he was completely innocent of the trumped up charges by the Jews and so “Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him” (Luke 23:13-14) and declared “nothing deserving death has been done by him” (Luke 23:15b).  Even so, they shouted “Crucify, crucify him!” (Luke 23:21) but again Pilate said “what evil has he done?  I have found in him no guilt deserving death” (Luke 23:22).  Even though his wife said “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream” (Matt 27:19b) Pilate caved into the Jews pressure and reluctantly allowed Jesus to be crucified.

Pontius Pilate’s Later Life

There is some Christian tradition that says Pilate and his wife converted to Christianity but this is very difficult to determine.  Tradition is not the same thing as actual historical accounts.  What we do know is that Pilate’s life was a very sad account. He gave into the pressure of the Jews in order to make himself look good and decided to have Jesus crucified to keep a riot from breaking out, which would have reflected badly on him.  So, against his own conscience and that of his wife’s, he allowed and participated in the execution of a completely innocent Man.  Although he said that he washed his hands of this crime, he still had blood on them (Matt 27:24).  He failed to stand up for what was right.  He ridiculed Jesus’ claim of truth.  There are some reports that Pilate ended up committing suicide by throwing himself into the Tiber River although that has never been verified for certain. Some accounts state the he was exiled by the Roman emperor Caligula and later took his own life.

Conclusion

What will you do with Jesus?  Will you reject the truth as Pilate did?  Will your life have meaning and purpose by your decision to repent and turn from your sins, confess them to God, and then place your trust in Christ?  Or will you reject your only hope of being saved (Acts 4:12) but choosing to disbelieve in Christ and thereby seal your own fate (John 3:18b)?  The choice is up to you.  Choose today while there is still time (2 Cor 6:2) but to make no choice is to still choose to say no to Christ and not have your sins forgiven and receive eternal life.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon