We rely on our President to take action, set policy, and improve the state of our country. But what happens when things go from bad to worse to even worse still? Most folks in our country think of themselves as either Republicans or Democrats. Even those who consider themselves Independents usually have a leaning one way or the other with the major two parties (on policy if nothing else). So it is not surprising that when a Republican President is in office, whatever policies are being followed are considered the “correct” ones by Republican voters. The same is true of Democrats when a Democratic President is in office. You could call that bias one way or the other. The more interesting phenomenon is when one policy is followed and advocated by one side – then carried on or adopted by the other side during a different administration – that both sides switch their perspectives on the same policy. The former advocates now become the nay-sayers. And the former nay-sayers now see the light and become advocates. The policy is the same. But whether or not you support it, may have more to do with who is in the White House, and what team you align with, than with the policy itself.
Case in point; George W. Bush (Republican) started a policy of using drone strikes internationally to take out “terrorist” targets. It was a response to 9/11 in our nation. Americans embraced this policy because it looked like the only way we could reach people that were “guilty” with minimal risk to our own troops. But therein lies the problem, how do we truly “know” who is “guilty” with so little human intelligence on the ground. In truth it has to be our best guess, with a best guess level of certainty. The actions of the drone however are unmistakable. People die. Not just the target but anyone in the near vicinity, drones use bombs not bullets. So then that begs the question, is it “worth” killing the target, even if you have to kill other presumably innocent people to get him? The decision was yes. Even at a wedding? Yes. Anywhere? Yes. So while the policy was clearly not a good thing, Americans accepted it as the price of war. Hoping that one day it would end.
President Obama (Democrat) is elected 8 years later. Democrats who generally did not favor blatant use (or indiscriminate use) of the drones breathed a sigh of relief, expecting this practice to be reduced or disappear. It did not. It got worse. Much worse. But Republicans did not champion Obama because of it. Nor did Democrats criticize Obama because of it. Both just stayed quiet, and looked the other way. Enter President Trump (Republican) 8 years later. Nobody even knows the state of this policy today; but given everything we have seen and heard about Trump’s feelings, you can bet this policy is still alive and well and probably even worse that it has been up to now. The morality of it is just not examined. The Christianity of it, by supposedly three Christian President’s on both sides of the aisle is just not examined. It is just American vengeance we visit on those we presume guilty whether they are or not, and whether we knowingly kill innocents with the “guilty” or not. A terrible price of war that gets worse no matter who is in charge.
You could argue this is a military decision and bad things happen in war. Ok, then take a look at deportations of illegals across our southern borders. George W. Bush did plenty. Obama did more, way more. Trump does many, does them with cages and family separations, and reduces the incoming out of fear (which worked, but at a horrible moral cost to families). Deportations increasing from Bush to Obama did nothing to garner praise from Republicans or criticism from Democrats. Both just stayed silent and looked the other way. Because Trump still does them, and added new levels of pain in the mix, it has only been seeing the children in cages that finally stoked criticism; nothing about our broken legal immigration system, insecure borders, and the fact the by far, most illegals come thru visa overstays at US airports and are not Mexicans or South Americans that focuses our attention. Just two examples of steady policies that survive and thrive across three different administrations (18+ years now) where allegiance to them, is determined at the moment and based on who is President at the time. Better to have an Executive that “does the right thing” no matter how it has been done in the past. But what Executive has the courage to do this, and face the criticism of the crowd?
A problem that has existed since the formation of governments themselves, and has a particular example on display in the life of Christ, or rather, the death of Christ. George W. Bush, Barrack Obama, and Donald Trump could take a lesson from Pontius Pilate. And the American People (us voters) could take a lesson from the crowd and the religious leadership at the time. Matthew relays the account of what happens when religious fervor is brought to gain an alliance with the power of the State in chapter 27 of his gospel. Religion, the common man, governmental leaders, even the military all have different primary motives and desired outcomes.
If left to the Religious leadership of the day, everyone would have submitted to their authority. Control was of paramount importance. But it was under the masquerade of serving the one true God. The common man had little time for religion (of any kind), they were more interested in eating, living, loving, and repeating these things until a ripe old age. No gods ever did much to help them with that before. The leader of the Government wanted peace above all. Not for the sake of peace, but for the sake of a continual consistent flow of taxes back to Rome. In this, promotion was to be had, and a much more pleasant venue would be sought. And the military, they just would have preferred slaughtering everyone of Jewish descent and be done with it. This way, they could go home, and pursue the life of common men. While stuck putting down constant insurrections, they would never reach home, and could die in the process. Stir this mix with demons bent on finally killing Christ, and you get a perfect storm.
Matthew begins the account picking up in verse 11 saying … “And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.” Pilate gets right the heart of the matter as far as Rome is concerned. Is this person, going to be another threat, like all the other would-be Messiahs had been, and would be going forward. Pilate could care less about the question of Jesus being divine, Pilate did not believe that divinity was contained in a single one true God. It was spread out across the entire pantheon of Greek gods, adopted and renamed into Roman ones. The concept of a demi-god (half god, half man) was a common idea in Roman culture and so Pilate could have accepted this about Christ without even a second thought. But man, God, or demi-God, the question Pilate cared about was … are you a threat to the peace, or a threat to Rome. So he poses the question to Jesus about being a “new” King of the Jews. The response and manner of Jesus quickly answer this question for him. He isn’t.
Matthew continues in verse 12 saying … “And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. [verse 13] Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? [verse 14] And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.” Next, Pilate would care about whether Jesus was actually guilty of some crime that would spark the need to kill Him, and have one less Jew to contend with. So the Religious leadership present a myriad of accusations and false witnesses and Pilate sees right through their fiasco, identifying it for what it is. But what is new, is the idea that a man on trial for His own life, would say nothing throughout all the horrible accusations they made about Him. Most men, would be crying out to be heard, denying everything that was said, whether it was true, and especially if it was false. But not Jesus. He stood there already beaten and bound. But was as quiet as a lamb. Offering no defense. Saying nothing. And Pilate quickly surmised this farse for what it was – this was the problem of Pharisees wanting a popularity that Jesus had, and they did not. Jesus was only a threat to their control over religion and worship, nothing else. At this Pilate was stunned and amazed.
So Pilate determined to let Jesus go. To that end, he needed a mechanism that would justify it to the people so that no one could question it. Instead of taking the power of the Executive to do it, worry has already caused him to compromise what he knows the right thing to do is. Matthew continues in verse 15 saying … “Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. [verse 16] And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. [verse 17] Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? [verse 18] For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.” Pilate stacks the deck. Barabbas was a scumbag, and his victims were not just Roman, he killed, stole, raped, murdered – because he liked it, because it pleased him. No one was safe with Barabbas out of prison. Little children would live in fear. Women would live in fear. Unarmed men would live in fear. It was the equivalent of letting Joseph Manson out of jail, loose in a city full of potential victims and no one able to stop him. This was a choice Pilate gave the crowd of common men, between the worst criminal they would ever fear, and Jesus who presented no threat at all, loving everyone including the Romans who He considered no enemy at all.
Pilate thought for sure this would solve the problem. This was a clever trick, and surely advanced intellect can solve any problem right? But things were worse than he had imagined. Matthew continues in verse 19 saying … “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” The Holy Spirt sent to Pilate, the only real person that could ever influence him, his wife. If Romans understood superstition, then a message they would understand would be sent. Dreams, or rather night terrors or nightmares, were the tool of choice to brand it across the mind of Pilate’s wife that Jesus was innocent. Pilate creating clever situations was not enough. Looking the other way would NOT be accepted. For Pilate to keep his hands free from the death of Jesus, he must be proactive. The wife of Pilate understood this. She delivered her message to protect her husband and herself. History would have been different if this Executive had listened. Jesus would still have died, the Jews would have seen to that. But Pilate would have remained actually innocent of His blood. Unfortunately that would not be how it worked out.
Enter the influencers of our lives. Matthew continues in verse 20 saying … “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.” The common man would have normally made a normal choice. Keep the threat in prison (Barabbas), and let the guy who feeds me out (Jesus). That is the sensible thing to do. That is the thing in the interest of the common man. So Pilate’s idea should have worked. But the Religious leaders had other ideas. They were bent on the destruction of Jesus, so they set about to influence the crowd (us) to do the non-sensible claiming it was actually in our better interests. We are to defy common sense (not for God) but actually against God, as prophecy outlined so long ago. How often is the common man convinced to do the horrific because we ignore our conscience and listen to our leaders? God says “thou shalt not kill”. It is so important it is listed as one of the Ten Commandments. It is a basic tenant of how to love. Yet Christians have found a way to create a list of exemptions to that fundamental rule to justify an extraordinary level of killing without the slightest conscience prick at all.
We ignore our common sense about the simplicity of “not killing”, and complicate it with scenarios where killing seems like the best choice to do (usually for the greater good). But what if we extended love into those very same scenarios? Instead of killing Hitler when he was a baby, what if we surrounded Hitler with loving parents, loving friends, true Christians, and an environment that would bring out the best in any of us. Doesn’t that solution stop the holocaust just as effectively as murder, perhaps more so. And if we injected more love into our world today, would it not improve as well? Preventing the next Hitler, or Isis, or whatever evil we contend with today because we meet hate with greater hate. Our Religious leaders do not always advocate love (as they should). They sometimes advocate expedience, or limited death, to solve bigger death problems. The chief priests in the time of Christ made just such an argument. To be fair, they had the assistance of Satan, and his demonic hoard as well. We fight supernatural influence in these matters today too. It just seems sad that Satan is found to keep lining up with Religious leadership when hate is advocated, and love ignored.
Matthew continues in verse 21 saying … “The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. [verse 22] Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. [verse 23] And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.” Pilate does not just accept their answer. He makes a last stand for common sense and decency. Imagine that, it is the Roman fighting for decency. It is the pagan believer fighting to the life of the only Son of the One True God. The state wants no part in this murder. But religion is not leaving it a choice. In a last gasp of frustration, Pilate asks the cutting question “Why? – what evil has He done?”. There is no answer given. Only more screaming for the blood of Jesus. Again to be fair, it is the sound of demons Pilate hears mixed with those of men in this answer. But the voices of men are there as well.
It is now, that Pilate will join the ranks of George W. Bush, Barrack Obama, and Donald Trump – he must make a decision that is right but will be hugely unpopular with his constituents. If Pilate arbitrarily releases Jesus (no matter what he does with Barabbas), the people may riot, perhaps even revolt – all of it on the watch of Pilate. All Pilate has to do to appease this crowd is look the other way on what is right, and let the crowd do what they intend to do with or without his blessing. All leaders face this decision every day on a host of issues you and I may never fully understand. But to be fair, this quandary is not reserved for Pilate and Presidents alone; it is something you and I face all the time. You can choose to ignore someone in need. You can choose to judge someone in need (deciding they earned their misfortune and justifiably walking away). We have all earned our misfortune. But love overlooks what we deserve, and grants grace in spite of what we earned. Or if you lack love – it doesn’t. It is easy to “keep going” and pass by distress and need. It is much harder to stop, scrap what you in mind to do today, and do something that is needed instead. A quandary for us all. Do we look the other way, or do we look to meet the need? The measure of love in our hearts will answer that question one way or the other.
Matthew continues in verse 24 saying … “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.” Notice Pilate calls Jesus just, or in other words innocent. Pilate makes a public symbolic gesture to note this is NOT what he wants to do. But the executive who has the power to do something else, will not do it, will not do what is right. He plans to look the other way and allow these murderers to have their vengeance. Whether Jesus deserves this or not, and plainly He does not. Matthew records the chilling response in verse 25 saying … “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.” His blood be on us. As American Christians we like to read this text and attribute it to someone else, frankly anyone else. Some have speculated this is the reason why people of the Jewish faith have been persecuted world wide for only being a member of a faith and a blood line. But they are WRONG.
To believe persecution is an act of a vengeful God, is to ignore the entire life and example of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come to punish anyone, but to save everyone. “Sin” is the punishment. Salvation is the only relief from the punishment. Jesus came to offer us all that. The blood line of Abraham was offered it first, but that offer has not expired, nor will it ever. It was sin that caused the holocaust. The sin of hate of Hitler, that dragged an entire nation down with it. Only few survived the disease of hate Hitler caused. And the world suffered from it. That was not the will of God, nor was it the punishment of God. Hate itself was the punishment, and Jesus offers the only escape from hate. More to the point, His blood be on us, is what we say silently, every time we fail and go back to the cross for forgiveness. For to save us from the death we have earned, Jesus offered His own blood in our place, and we must take Him up on that offer. We do not escape our sins, until we embrace His sacrifice in our place. That is not a Jewish thing, that is a believer thing. That is a love thing. He loves us that much.
Pilate has one last trick up his sleeve. Pilate is a former soldier and has seen blood and suffering up close. Nobody (outside of sociopaths), enjoys watching humanity suffer. This is the reasons Romans use crosses in the first place. Death is prolonged. Families are tormented by the inevitable, while victims are tormented by pain until it finally overwhelms them (much like what sin does to us). People are repulsed by this, as they should be. So Pilate decides to whip Jesus one lash short of death. The agony, the blood, the horror of this will be done to drive this crowd away, satisfying their blood lust, while perhaps not quite killing an innocent man. It does not work. It only adds torment to the process. The common man watches with demonic glee. Matthew concludes this section of the story in verse 26 saying … “Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” Having already compromised doing what is right, Pilate now tries a last desperate attempt to save an innocent man through horror. But one is not saved by hate or horror, one is only made worse by them.
We cannot change history. We must instead confront history. Whether Republican or Democrat or Independent; we must embrace His forgiveness, though it comes at the cost of His blood. We must humble ourselves and realize that our lives, and our salvation, come because our God decided to take on our punishment, what we had earned, for us, instead of us. The distinctions of party or alignment with policy tend to dwarf next to that common bond. If we are Christian (believers/followers of Jesus) then we are bonded together by the blood of our God. That is humbling. That humility may allow us to love each other in spite of our politics, or any other supposed difference man can invent to divide us. His blood covers us all, and it is upon us, and our children. His blood is also highly infectious. Turn to Jesus, humble who you are in front of Him, allow Him to remake you, re-create you – and that same blood will produce in you a torrent of love for others you cannot fully imagine. It will change who you are. And before you know it, the quandary of passing by need or not, will no longer be any kind of quandary at all – it will become a no-brainer even a 2yr-old could easily understand. We don’t need to look to our Religious leaders, or to our Executives to see change appear – we need to look into our mirrors and see Jesus shining back. Then the change that happens will be unstoppable starting here and now, and without end.
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