After speaking with Jesus, Pilate could not find any wrong in Him:
John 18:38New International Version (NIV)
38 "What is truth?" retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
Pilate found no fault in Jesus so he told the Jewish leaders to try Jesus themselves according to their own laws. Pilate learned that Jesus was a Galilean and was under Herod's jurisdiction so Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who had heard about Jesus and wanted to see him. When Jesus came back, Pilate told the Jewish leaders that neither he nor Herod could find Jesus guilty of a crime that brought with it the death penalty. Pilate proposed to have Jesus scourged and then released. During passover the Romans had a custom of releasing one Jewish prisoner of the crowd's choosing. Pilate thought they might choose Jesus, but the crowd made clear they wanted him to release a prisoner named Barabbas. The crowd became a mob and with increased intensity called for Pilate to crucify Jesus. Pilate knew his first mandate from Caesar was to keep these people under control. Pilate therefore took a bowl of water and washed his hands, declaring his innocence of the blood of Jesus. I do not suppose Pilate never wanted the trial, only that he knew Jesus was innocent and did not want to see Him crucified.
In Matthew chapter 27 (King James Version) begins the trial of Jesus. Although Pilate tried to absolve himself of responsibility (Pilate's wife tried to warn him) he agreed to the death of Jesus as a way to satisfy the Jews. Pilate was the Roman govenorof that area of Israel and didn't want any trouble from the people.It is interesting to note that although Pilate sentenced Christ Jesus to death, to show he didn't want any responsibility for the action he washed his hands in clean water from a bowl. That is where we get our expression "to wash our hands of (something)" whenwe don't want to absolve ourselves of responsibility.
Herod, like his father, was an evil man, jealous of his position and viewed Jesus as the prophisied of King and perceived Jesus therefore as a threat. Though professing to be religious Herod had closer ties with Godless Rome than his subjects. Pilate did not want to kill Jesus, in fact he gave the Jews an option to not so do. The Jews rejected that option, preferring a seditioness, murderer and thief be release to them and Jesus be crucified. Pilate stated he found no fault with Jesus but to please the Jews he released Jesus to them to be crucified.
They didn't. Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified against Roman justice, but bowed to considerable political pressure.
Pontius Pilate symbolically washed his hands, making this point. He personally felt that Jesus had done nothing to warrent a death sentence and spoke out in His defense. But, as was destined to happen, Jesus had to die in order to complete the plan of redemption. This is where the old phrase 'wash my hands of you' came from. Pilate did not want to feel responsible for Jesus' death.
Judea was not headed by a governor. It was administered by a prefect on behalf of the Governor of Syria. Pontius Pilate, the prefect, did not want Jesus to be executed. He thought that he was innocent. It was he crowd in Jerusalem who wanted Jesus executed.
The sins of all mankind - from Adam to the last person. In His human life to this end, the Roman Governor Pilate was the authority to condemn Him:John 19:9-11New King James Version (NKJV)9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."
Pilot thought Jesus was a heretic and should be put to death for questioning Cesar. Jesus scared Pilate in John c19v 8 - 13 it gives the impression that Pilate may have believed Jesus. However, popularity meant a lot and he didn't want to have an angry mob on his hands so he killed Jesus at the crowds' request. It was Pilate that wrote Jesus was king of the Jew on a sign and refused to change the wording to "he says that he is king of the Jews" when the priest asked him to. This too gives the impression that Pilate believed Jesus just might be the messiah and was hedging his bets.
Pilate really didn't under stand why the Jews wanted him to kill Jesus he didn't do nut tin wrong but the crowd was chanting for Pilate to crucify Jesus so he just did.
There was no pilot who crucified Jesus. The man responsible for sentencing Jesus to his crucifixion was the Roman governor of Judea Pontius Pilate. Although he did not believe that Jesus deserved to be crucified, the people demanded it and he complied. However, after he allowed it, he washed his hands, symbolizing that he did not want to be acknowledged as the man responsible for Jesus' death.
The Romans believed in many gods. They believed their emperor was a god. But they didn't think a Hebrew carpenter's son was, or could ever be, a god. Many people today hold the same belief. But the fact that they didn't believe He was God in no way enters into any discussion or consideration of why the Romans were involved in Jesus' execution. Jesus' case never left Palestine. In fact, it never left Jerusalem. The only interface He had with the Romans was with their governor, Pontius Pilate. The biblical record shows that even though he heard all the charges against Jesus, he found no fault in Him and nothing worthy of death. Pilate had no interest whatsoever in executing Jesus. This fact is remarkable because Pilate was known as a very harsh, very ruthless governor who was not afraid to spill gallons of blood to make a point. And yet, when confronted with the case of the Galilean carpenter, he tried desperately to wriggle out of issuing a death warrant. But the political pressure put on him by the religious leaders in Jerusalem was too great, and he finally caved in to their demand for Jesus' execution. The Romans [read Pilate] did not WANT to execute Jesus, and the warrant for His death was issued only reluctantly and only after the application of significant political pressure.
Pontius Pilate wanted the Jewish authorities to judge Jesus to avoid direct responsibility for the decision regarding Jesus' fate. By handing the matter over to the Jewish Sanhedrin, Pilate sought to placate the local populace and maintain peace during the Passover festival, a time of heightened tensions. Additionally, he may have perceived the charges against Jesus as a religious matter rather than a political one, thus hoping to shift the burden onto the Jewish leaders. Ultimately, this maneuver reflected Pilate's desire to navigate the complex political landscape of Judea while minimizing his own risk.