November 27

Fatal Decision

Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, and the soldiers took Him away. — John 19:16 BSB

We see the sad and tragic conclusion of Pilate’s weak struggle with his conscience and his sense of justice. He tried many ways to evade the decision, hoping to avoid responsibility. Eventually, he yielded to the pressure, and his name has since been infamous as the one who handed Jesus over to be crucified. He is remembered for no other act. It would have been far better for Pilate to have remained obscure than to rise to such power, only to be forever linked with this fateful decision.

We read that Pilate washed his hands in front of the Jews, symbolically declaring that he was not responsible for Jesus’ death. But the water did nothing to cleanse the guilt of that terrible sin. Pilate had the unfortunate role of being the only man with the authority to send Jesus to the cross, so despite the pressure from others, the final responsibility rested with him. The fact that others urged him to sin did not absolve him of the guilt. No one can force us to do wrong; if we choose to sin, the guilt is our own.

The Jews, in response to Pilate’s handwashing, cried out, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” The history that followed is a sobering fulfillment of their words. Thirty years later, thousands of Jews were crucified, and their nation was devastated. Though they succeeded in their goal to crucify Christ, what came of their victory in the end? The lesson is clear: sin always leads to terrible consequences, and the worst sin of all is rejecting and acting against the Lord Jesus Christ.