PILATE VS. JESUS-THE TRIAL
Excerpt from Chapter 10
REIMAGINE JESUS
GOSPEL FOR THE 21st CENTURY
Pilate vs. Jesus
Simon of Cyrene and his companion kept their heads bowed low. They left the wagon in a deserted area and then a woman directed them to a location within view of Jesus. They grimaced at the beatings being inflicted upon two helpless wretches. Bystanders identified the other criminals: Barabbas the insurrectionist and Sicarii II, the Zealot!
A trumpet sounded. Soldiers immediately wrenched the beaten men from the whipping posts. Too weak to walk, they were sadistically dragged along the ground towards a row of jail cells. At the same time, Jesus was struck in the head and pushed in front of a pillar that was already dripping with blood. Another trumpet blast signaled the entrance of Pilate. He mounted a small stand adjacent to where Jesus stood. The governor seemed to imply that he was a giant who towered over a weak and ignorant gnat. Simon of Cyrene and his companion inched closer, so as to hear what was being said.
EPISODE SEVEN/ THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
(“A Few Good Men”—writer/Aaron Sorkin, Director/ Rob Reiner inspired this courtroom scene)
Pilate was not speaking to the crowd; instead, he was spewing his contempt upon Jesus, this wretched dreamer! “Before you receive your just punishment for insulting a Roman ruler, let me make something clear to one who is as pathetic as you.”
“Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with swords. Who’s gonna’ do it? You? The Sanhedrin? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for the Baptist, and you curse the Romans. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: “That John’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives, and his death is not the only death that will save lives!”
“And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives!
“You don’t want the truth, because deep down in places you don’t talk about, you want ME on that wall of safety. You need me on that wall. We use words like “honor,” “code,” “loyalty.” We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use words like that as a punchline for religious creeds.”
Jesus responded in a clear and direct manner.
“Life is not limited to ‘defending something.’ Life is an opportunity to BUILD something. Leaders have a responsibility to LISTEN and to SERVE.”
Pilate sneered, “I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I PROVIDE and then questions the manner in which I provide it!”
For the first time, Jesus RAISED his voice so that ALL might hear.
“Your ‘manner’ of providing for people is to utilize force and intimidation. You are AFRAID! You are afraid of the TRUTH.”
“YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH.”
“The weakest of all leaders are ones who demand obedience and use death to choke people into compliance! People are entitled to the truth—from their leaders—and from EVERYONE!”
Soldiers started to come forward with whips! Pilate waved them back. The Roman Governor would not be intimidated! He raised his voice and denounced Jesus. Pilate
boasted to all!
Pilate said, “Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think that people are entitled to!”
This was known as a “CODE RED.”
Jesus challenged Pilate, “Admit it! You are AFRAID of the truth!
YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”
Pilate said, “I fear NOTHING! You want answers? I have ALL the answers!” Jesus questioned Pilate, “Did you order the Code Red? Did you agree that it is better that ONE man die instead of the many?”
Pilate hesitated. “I did the job that was necessary…”
Jesus repeated, “Did you order the Code Red?”
Pilate yelled, defiantly: “YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT I DID!”
Pilate now waved his hands to the guards. They leaped forward and savagely stripped Jesus of his cloak and exposed his bare back. They brutally tied him to the whipping post. The Roman Governor boldly proclaimed, “And now, I will PROVE that you are guilty of blasphemy and treason! You will ADMIT your guilt in your own words! Your own testimony will seal your death! Then, I will proclaim to the people that you finally told the truth! Your own obsession with the ‘truth’ will be the evidence that KILLS you!”
Pilate then announced, “This man will be struck until he tells the truth. I will now order him to answer YES to each lawful charge.
Did you enter Jerusalem and proclaim yourself as a king?
Did you oppose the payment of taxes?
Are you the King of the Judeans?
Did you organize and cause riots?
Are you the “Anointed One” of God?
Admit it—you ARE a king! Aren’t you?
You said you would destroy the Temple! Didn’t you?
Are you the Messiah?
Are you the ONLY Son of the Jewish God?
Are you the LORD and JUDGE of all?
Jesus remained silent.
Thus, he was whipped after every question.
Finally, Pilate demanded, “Speak to me, you damn fool! Don’t you understand? I have the power to free you, and I have the power to crucify you!”
The bruised and battered Jesus replied, “I am not your suffering servant! You are not powerful. You are a weak tyrant that commands fear and punishes any who dares to RAISE a different opinion. You can kill me, but you can never kill the truth! Believe this– many people know how to discover truth! Their quest will never end, and their spirit cannot be extinguished! Your evil deeds will be revealed and will empower generations to come!”
Pilate laughed, “No one will ever report what has happened to you. Rome will kill anyone who would dare speak of these events. Rome will also burn or censor any written accounts!”
Jesus thought to himself. “Tyrants always believe that they can control or manipulate the world around them. Our Master Plan will change that! Everyone who belongs to the truth will be forever empowered to hear the voices of the Baptist, our-ministry, Mary, and the disciples.”
For the first time, Pilate had encountered someone who would not obey his command to “confess.” Even worse, he had numerous spectators to witness this failure. A further complication: if Jesus were beaten any further, he might die before the public judgement. Throngs of people waited outside for the verdict. However, the sadistic leader had already pre-arranged an ingenious plot to guarantee Jesus’ death. He need only make a slight adjustment to insure the death of not one—but THREE of his most persistent enemies!
Pilate said, “Take him down from the whipping post. Soldiers, prepare him to go outside for the judgement ceremony.” The Roman soldiers had been instructed to clothe Jesus in attire that would mock him and continue to inflict physical pain. They dressed him in a purple robe and placed a crown (woven with thorns) upon his head. They began marching up to him and slapped him in the face. At the same time, they sarcastically proclaimed, “Greetings, King of the Judeans.” Then, they led Jesus outside the palace to the site of the judgement ceremony. Simon of Cyrene and his companion trailed behind this group.
Pilate brought Jesus outside the palace and had him seated on the judge’s place called Stone Pavement (Gabbatha in Hebrew.) However, a special privilege existed at Passover. Many Judeans and others had gathered due to the fact that one prisoner was released based on the vocal shouting of the spectators.
One other prisoner, Barabbas, was also led forth and stood alongside the platform. He had already been declared guilty. Pilate refused to even consider allowing Sicarii II as an option for this privilege. No one dared to challenge this move.
A large crowd had gathered. Caiaphas was joined by his concerned father-in-law, Annas. Tension was building. Mob hysteria was steadily building. The Zealots wanted the insurrectionist named Barabbas to be released. In addition, many faithful Jews had also been persuaded by the Sanhedrin Council to spare Barabbas. This was because Jesus must die in order to assure that the Jewish Temple would be spared from destruction.
Pilate spread this new information and sought to capitalize on this bizarre mixture of motivations. It became Pilate’s new strategy for condemning Jesus (even though he had failed to force a confession.) The mob would be manipulated to condemn Jesus, if only to spare their religious traditions, their identity as a people, and their precious Temple!
Pilate also realized that releasing Barabbas could be allowing a vicious killer to be free. He further recognized that this insurrectionist might seek revenge for being tortured. He also had evidence that Barabbas had conspired with Herod and tried to place Pilate in a bad light with Roman authority. The sinister Roman governor could not take any chances with either criminal. Both men MUST die!
However, Pilate had a DIFFERENT strategy
for crucifying Barabbas!
CONCLUSION OF PREVIEW
Reimagine Jesus 