This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. The gospel reading for this year is the scene of Jesus on trial before Pontius Pilate during which the nature of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom is revealed. Roman civil involvement in the death of Jesus was recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus where, speaking of Jesus, he states, ‘And when Pilate, because of accusations made by leading men among us, condemned him to the cross’ (Ant 18.3.3 §63-64).  

Pilate served as ‘perfect’ (sometimes referred to as ‘procreator’ or ‘governor’) from 26 AD to 36 AD.  His normal residence was at Caesarea Maritima; however, he was known to have come to Jerusalem during Passover, with his legions, in order to maintain Roman peace.  During his governorship Pilate repeatedly clashed with his Jewish subjects.  Pilate brought into Jerusalem the standards of a military unit that bore the image of the emperor (Josephus, War 2:169-74; Antiquities 18:55-59).  He took money from the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct for Jerusalem (War 2:175-177; Ant.18:60-62).  He brought into Jerusalem shields dedicated to Tiberius and mounted them on the Temple outer walls (Philo, Legatio ad Gaium 299-305).  He brutally put down a disturbance among the Samaritans (Ant.18:85-90) and is said to have mixed the blood of certain Galileans with their sacrifices (Lk 13:1).

Josephus reports Pilate’s deeds without spending much time evaluating his character. Philo is not so circumspect.  In describing the mounting of the shields, Philo states that this was done, not to honor Tiberius, but to annoy the multitudes.  He goes on to say that Pilate was “naturally inflexible, a blend of self-will and relentlessness”.  According to Philo, Pilate only backed down in the matter “for he feared that if they actually sent an embassy [to the emperor Tiberius] they would also expose the rest of his conduct as governor by stating in full the briberies, the insults, the robberies, the outrages and wanton injuries, the executions without trial constantly repeated, the ceaseless and supremely grievous cruelty.”

Unlike the other gospel writers, John’s principal focus is on the Roman trial.  The Jewish legal proceedings are reduced to a single question by Annas (Jn 18:19-24).  There are several theological reasons for the Johannine emphasis.  The setting emphasizes the role of Jesus as King – the questioning by Pilate is on that basis, Jesus is mocked on that basis, and he is ultimately put to death under that banner.  The setting also echoes Ps 2:2, ‘The kings of the earth rise up and the princes conspire together against the Lord and against his anointed.’ And lastly, Pilate’s role becomes representative of the State being asked to decide between the world and truth.  John is using Pilate to show that the State cannot remain neutral to truth, for neutrality will force the State to temporize even in the most elementary questions of justice and to act against its own real self-interests.  By not deciding against the world, the State is soon subjected to the world.

Pilate is also typical, not of the State that would remain neutral, but of the many honest, well-disposed men who would try to adopt a middle position in a struggle that is total.  In the gospel regarding the Samaritan Woman (Jn 4:4-26) we see a person who, despite attempts to escape decisions, decides to believe in Jesus.  Pilate’s story is the other side of the coin, for it illustrates how a person who refuses decisions is led to tragedy.  As he did with the Samaritan woman, Jesus will challenge Pilate to recognize the truth.  Pilate will not face the challenge of deciding for Jesus and against the Jewish leadership; he thinks he can persuade them to decide in favor of Jesus.  First, Pilate offers them a choice of prisoners: Jesus or Barabbas.  When that fails, he begins to yield to the world and has Jesus scourged and mocked, hoping that this will be sufficient.  When that fails, he offers to hand over Jesus to the Jews under a set of impossible conditions: if they want Jesus, he will make them ask in such a way that they have to deny all their messianic hopes and proclaim that the emperor is their only king. But the Jews will not even balk at this blasphemy; for they know that this is a struggle to the death, and that if Jesus does not die, the world will be vanquished by truth.  And so Pilate, the would-be neutral man, is frustrated by the intensity of the participants.  Having failed to listen to the truth and decide in its favor, he and all who would imitate him inevitably finish in the service of the world.

Image credit: “Christ before Pilate” by Duccio di Buoninsegna | Museo dell’Opera metropolitana del Duomo, Siena | PD-US