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Brought to you by Faith's Flare. Have
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you ever heard of the saying to wash
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one's hands of something? It means to
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refuse responsibility for a difficult
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situation. Well, that phrase comes from
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a real historical event. A dramatic
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encounter between a Roman governor and a
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man who would change the world. Today,
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we diving into one of the most pivotal
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moments in history. The trial of Jesus
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Christ before Pontius Pilate. So, who
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was this Pontius Pilate? He wasn't just
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some random official. Pilate was the
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fifth prefect of the Roman province of
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Judea, serving under the emperor
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His job was tough. He had to keep the
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peace in a region that was a constant
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powder keg of religious and political
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tension. For a Roman, Judea was a
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difficult, far-flung assignment, and
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maintaining order was his number one
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priority. Any sign of rebellion or a
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figure claiming to be a king would have
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set off major alarm bells. Now enter
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Jesus. By the time he was brought before
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Pilate, his teachings had already
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attracted a massive following and with
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it a lot of controversy. The religious
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leaders in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin saw
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him as a threat to their authority and
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the established order. They accused him
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of blasphemy, but they knew that wasn't
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a crime the Romans would care about. So,
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they needed a charge that would get
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Pilate's attention. They twisted their
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accusations into a political one.
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Sedition. They claimed Jesus was calling
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himself king of the Jews, a direct
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challenge to the authority of Caesar.
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Imagine this scene. It's early morning
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in Jerusalem during the festival of
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Passover. The city is overflowing with
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pilgrims. Jesus is dragged before
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Pilate, likely at the Ptorium.
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The governor's official residence.
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Pilate, probably annoyed at being woken
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up to deal with a local religious
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squabble, comes out to face the crowd.
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The chief priests present their case.
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This man is stirring up the people and
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forbidding them to pay taxes to Caesar.
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The gospel accounts give us a
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fascinating glimpse into their
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conversation. Pilate takes Jesus inside
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away from the roaring crowd and asks him
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directly, "Are you the king of the
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Jews?" Jesus's reply is enigmatic.
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Is that your own idea or did others talk
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to you about me? He then explains,
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"My kingdom is not of this world. If it
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were, my servants would fight to prevent
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my arrest. But now, my kingdom is from
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another place." Pilot seems to see
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through the charges. He can tell this
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isn't a military or political threat in
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the way he understands it. He senses
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it's a matter of faith, not rebellion.
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He goes back out to the crowd and
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declares. I find no basis for a charge
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against him. He's trying to get out of
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it, to wash his hands of the whole
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affair. But the crowd incited by the
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chief priests, Ezra Lenlley's, they want
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a conviction. Pilate looking for an
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escape route, remembers a Passover
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tradition. It was customary for the
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governor to release one prisoner to the
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people as an act of goodwill. He offers
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them a choice. Jesus, the man he finds
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innocent, or a notorious prisoner named
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Barabus, who was known as a murderer and
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Pilate thinks the choice is obvious.
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Surely they'll choose the peaceful
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teacher over a violent criminal. It was
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wrong. Do is suck. The crowd screams
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Barabus. Pilate asks what shall I do
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then with Jesus who is called the
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Messiah and the chilling reply comes
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back. Crucify him. The pressure is
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immense. Pilate is a politician. his
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career and maybe even his life depends
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on keeping this volatile province from
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exploding into a full-blown riot. A riot
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during the packed Passover festival
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would be a disaster and a huge black
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mark on his record back in Rome. In a
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final symbolic act, Pilate calls for a
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basin of water. In front of the entire
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crowd, he washes his hands and declares,
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"I am innocent of this man's blood. It
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is your responsibility." With that, he
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handed Jesus over to be scourged and
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crucified. He chose political stability
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over what he seemed to know was right.
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This single decision made under immense
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pressure cemented Pontius Pilot's name
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in history, forever linked to the
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crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It's a
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powerful story about politics, power,
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and the difficult choices people make
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when faced with an angry mob. What do
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you think? Was Pilot a ruthless villain
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or a pragmatic politician trapped in an
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impossible situation? Let me know your
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thoughts down in the comments. Thanks
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for watching and if you enjoyed this
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journey back in time, be sure to hit
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that subscribe button for more stories
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from history. See you next time.
