If you are familiar with the events surrounding Jesus’ Passion, then you are familiar with Pontius Pilate. We will soon see that Pilate did many different things on Good Friday, but there is one thing he didn’t do. He didn’t do what he had decided to do. Instead of letting Jesus go, he let the enemies of Jesus have their way. And Pilate will forever be remembered as the man who sentenced the author of life to death.
So what happened? What made Pilate change his mind? Where did he go wrong, and what can we learn from his tragic story so that we don’t go down the same path? You and I can’t read minds, but we can read and review and learn from the Bible’s Spirit-inspired words. All four gospels share details about the interaction between the King of the Jews and the governor of Judea, but only Matthew mentions something Pilate did before he handed Jesus over to be crucified. To protect his position, to proclaim his innocence, Pilate washed his . . . Hands of Self-Preservation