What role did Pilate have in Jesus' life?

Answer 1

Pontius Pilate was the Roman Governor of Palestine at the time of Jesus's life. He had been appointed to enforce Roman law and infrastructure over a troubled and backward region of the Empire, for which he was selected by the Roman Senate for his diplomatic and astringent political skills. Neither Pilate nor the bulk of the Roman population of the region had much emnity towards Christ- they saw Him as a deranged, slightly comical individual who preached monotheism and a doctrine of peace, love and kindness that went against Roman religion, but which they basically regarded as harmless- someone to be tolerated and pitied. But the Jewish religious authorities saw Him as far more dangerous than that, as somebody who could potentially undermine their power-base amongst the people and turn the general public against them. They thus demanded that Pilate have Jesus arrested and tried for what He was doing.

Pilate did not want to do this, but he could see that by taking no action, he could risk a situation of serious public disorder that could result in widespread sectarian violence between followers of Christ on the one hand, and the loyalists who stayed faithful to the Old Testament religion on the other. He thus had Jesus put on trial, but informed the High Priests that he could find no evidence of any crime or wrongdoing against Christ, so to satisfy their desire for revenge he told the Jewish heirarchy that he would have Jesus flogged and then released. But the Jewish religious heirarchy wanted more than that- they wanted Jesus dead. Because it was customary at the time we now call Easter Week for the Governor to release one of two prisoners who were of high-profile and had been responsible for controversy in society, he brought Jesus before a large crowd that had gathered in front of the Governor's Mansion along with another man who had been arrested, a bandit and murderer who was called Jesus Barabbas. The crowd demanded that Pilate release Barabbas and have Christ condemned to death- Pilate did his best to argue Jesus's case, having considerable sympathy for Him in a land where genuine serious crime was rife, and believeing that there were others far more worthy of the death penalty than Him. But so vociferous was the mob, who rejected Jesus as being any sort of King, declaring that their only King was the Roman Emperor Tiberius, and demanding that Jesus be put to death as a fake, that Pilate could see a serious riot could develop- one which he may not have had the military resources at his disposal to deal with. He was also influenced by the fact that his wife had told him the night before Christ's trial that she had been warned in a dream that Pilate was to have nothing to do with Jesus. Pilate thus took a bowl of water and symbolically washed his hands, saying that he was innocent of the blood of Christ and that Jesus's fate was the responsibility of the mob, not of him. The crowd roared back "Let His blood be upon us and on our children!" Pilate thus released Barabbas and surrendered Jesus to the process usually undertaken for victims of crucifixion- although some of the Roman troops were very cruel and brutal towards Him, beating Him up and making fun of Him.

The worst crime that Pilate was thus guilty of was one of moral cowardice, but some would argue that his situation was so impossible, that he wasn't even guilty of that.

Answer 2

Pilate had power to have jesus crucified or released, fearing the mob he released Barbabas a thief and sent Jesus to die on the cross.