Luke 23:22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
Things that are important are often repeated. We say “I love you” to those we love. And if we say it only once, the receiver doubts the extent of the love. And when we stop saying it, it signals a change in the relationship. We repeat important things.
We tell children “NO!” hundreds of times, perhaps even in one day! It gets repeated for their safety and security. No good parent would say “NO!” just one time. Things need to get repeated in order to emphasize their importance.
Our text tells us that Pilate, the political leader in Jerusalem, repeatedly tried to release Jesus. He did this because he didn’t find any reason for His execution. He knew it was just a political hit job. He knew the motives of those involved, and wanted nothing to do with the injustice. But he eventually gave up trying to resist them.
What is different between then and now is the tenacity of the ruling class to fire at those they deem dangerous. They stay in office and continue the assault. They employ their surrogates to fire from multiple fronts, so they don’t have to get their hands dirty.
Did you notice that there were three attempts by Pilate to release Jesus. Think about it. Three times he defended the innocence of Jesus. Contrast this with Peter’s responses. Peter capitulated three times.
So we have an ungodly ruler defending where a devoted follower denied. And in between we have Jesus’ arrest. What a contrast in characters. But in the end, Pilate did the politically correct thing. He yielded to mob rule. He gave them what they wanted for the sake of political peace. Peter came around and became a leader of this Jesus movement.
I think many people voted the way they did in the last election not based on policy positions, but purely on personality and the desire for a absence of political drama. They were tired of defending, as Pilate did, and just gave up the will to fight. It was easier to just have the painful sore cut out, than to face the possible repercussions of defending. They didn’t want the opposition to fire in their direction.
Now, none of the characters in our political dramas are righteous, even those who are perfecting their virtues with their political stances. And just like Pilate and all the other characters in our Biblical narrative, each bears the responsibility for their decisions.
But just like Peter, all can be brought back into right relationship with the LORD. No one is beyond the reach of Jesus. We need a renewed commitment to pray for our leaders, even those who reject our prayers as a foolish remnant of time when ‘simple’ people led. Our current ‘smarter’ people will certainly do a better job living in the age of ‘know it all’, ‘expert’, and ‘professional.’ Look how far government has come with the virus, how accurate they have been with their predictions and their advice. Yikes! So much for their advice.
Are we like Pilate or like Peter? Do we defend until it gets too uncomfortable and we give up? Or do we give up too easily and then turn around in the end and defend? These two people had very different characters. They each had strengths and roles to play. And they each failed. Only one was restored, that we know of. We don’t know the spiritual condition of Pilate. Perhaps he repented of his decision, just as Peter did. Only eternity will tell.
The Arnold Journey 