Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

8. afterward, Pilate permitted Joseph of Arimathea to take the Lord’s body and to bury it (cf. John19:38) and the Jews to guard the tomb (Matthew 27:32-66)C. Pilate’s Downfall1. Pilate is mentioned three times in the book of Acts, showing his limited culpability compared tothat of the Jews who had the greater sin for they abandoned the greater knowledge to commit murder (cf.3:13, 4:27, 13:28)2. Paul also uses the courage of Jesus’s testimony before Pilate to encourage Timothy to be faithful(cf. First Timothy 6:13)3. many apocryphal writings paint a favorable picture of Pilate after this event, some even statingthat he and his wife became disciples of Christ4. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, gives an account of the incident that led to Pilate’sdemise 6a. Pilate’s cavalry is supposed to have attacked a group of Jewish pilgrims ascending amountain to look at some artifact and many were killedb. the Samaritans accused Pilate of murder before the emperor who deposed Pilate from officeand recalled him to Romec. before he could get there the emperor died and apparently Pilate slipped away5. many stories are told about the death of Pilate involving his suicide and even martyrdom, butthey are not reliable sources of informationII. Some ApplicationsA. Compromise1. all through the trial of Jesus Christ, Pontius PIlate knows the right answer regarding thedefendant’s innocence and the motives of his accusers, and he has the authority to stop the proceedingssimply be declaring an impassea. instead, he searches for a way of passing responsibility to someone else or of convincing theJews it was their idea to release Jesus after allb. he tries to entangle Herod in the incident and then to trade Jesus for Barabbas, but all to noavailc. sometimes trying to take the easy way out is very difficult; never does it prove to be a choiceof courage and honor2. as Christians, we tend to our consciences with great care, for, properly trained, they protect usfrom falling into evila. Peter’s conscience would not let him conceal the name of Jesus ever again after he haddenied the Lord at the cross (Acts 4:13-20, 5:27-29)b. Paul’s conscience was clear because he refused to conceal any part of the gospel from peoplewho needed to hear it, regardless of whether they wanted to hear it or how they responded (Acts20:26-27)3. a trained conscience is a valuable guide, for it has been molded by the will of God to recognizeright and wrong according to his standards, to reward the heart with glory when right is chosen and toprick it with guilt when wrong is chosen (Hebrews 5:14)4. but if you compromise your convictions and disregard the guilty pangs of your conscience, itbecomes scarred and begins to lose its purpose of alerting you to right and wrong (Ephesians 4:17-19)5. apostasy is the end result (First Timothy 4:1-3)B. Washing Your Hands of Evil1. Pilate made a dramatic gesture when he literally tried to wash his hands of the guilt invoked bymurdering an innocent man like Jesus Christ, who was so obviously more than just an ordinary man2. but can you really proclaim yourself innocent and make it so without taking responsibility foryour actions?a. don’t forget that Pilate had the power to intervene, but all he tried to do was find a politicalsolution to a moral problemb. that doesn’t work today with abortion, homosexual marriage or war and it didn’t work thenwith the execution of a faultless man3. God will not hold us faultless when we disingenuously disclaim responsibility for some evil(Proverbs 24:11-12)104! Jeff S. Smith