Politics has been described as “the ways that power is shared in an organization and the ways it is affected by personal relationships between people.”[1] It has to do with the “forms of power relations among individuals.”[2] The ways that power is shared – or, in many cases, hoarded – have not changed significantly in thousands of years.

Pontius Pilate, the infamous politician who ordered the execution of Jesus, is a case in point. If one studies the narrative accounts of Jesus’s trials, one sees a variety of dynamics that still come into play in today’s political maneuverings.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect assigned to oversee the volatile Judean Province from AD 26-36. In the 130 years of Roman rule over the region, only one other governor had a longer tenure; Pilate knew how to pivot when his job was on the line. Both biblical and extra-biblical history makes it clear that Pilate did not get along well with the people he governed. For example, in none of the Gospel records do any of Israel’s rulers address Pilate as “Prefect,” “Governor,” or even “Sir.” This was a remarkable breach of etiquette. In a culture that lived by honorific titles, their absence here is striking.

Shortly after taking up his duties as Judea’s governor, Pilate brought imperial standards bearing Caesar’s image into Jerusalem, probably knowing this would create turmoil. Jews protested outside Pilate’s residence for five days. The governor set up a meeting with them, but upon arriving, they found themselves surrounded by sword-brandishing soldiers. The Jews did not back down, and Pilate eventually removed the standards. Strike One.

In yet another incident, Pilate diverted funds from the Jewish temple treasury to pay for an aqueduct project he initiated. When the governor came to Jerusalem (his year-round residence was in Caesarea), protests again broke out. This time, Pilate ordered his soldiers to beat the protestors, and many were killed. Strike Two.

Pilate also placed gold shields (probably bearing the inscription, Tiberius, Divine Augustine’s Son) on the palace of Israel’s deceased king, Herod the Great. Herod’s sons petitioned the emperor to have them removed. Emperor Tiberius sided with the Jews against Pilate, reprimanded him, and ordered him to remove the shields. Strike Three.

When the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate to be tried on charges that carried the death penalty, they knew they had the governor over a barrel. He had already been reprimanded by Rome. After three major blunders, he could not afford another run-in with the Jews, and he certainly did not want to be the subject of a follow-up petition to the emperor. The biblical narratives make it clear that Pilate thought the charges against Jesus were preposterous. According to St. Mark, Pilate saw through the Jewish leaders and understood their real motive for getting rid of Jesus.

The Jewish officials, led by the former high priest Annas, whose frontman Caiaphas was the current high priest, were playing to win. Pilate, weakened by past decisions, was just trying to survive. Realizing the walls were closing in on him, he tried to pawn off judicial responsibility on Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, based on a technicality. Herod was too astute to let that happen. Pilate then tried to release Jesus as part of an annual prisoner release program. His opponents saw that coming and successfully parried the attempt. When he said he would release Jesus for lack of evidence, the Jewish leaders threatened him: “If you release this man [who is accused of treason against the Empire], you are not a Friend of Caesar.” “Friend of Caesar” was a technical term denoting loyalty to the emperor. The Jewish leaders were threatening Pilate with an accusation of disloyalty if he let Jesus go.

In politics, character matters. Pilate’s flawed character undermined his ability to rule effectively. Past actions matter. Pilate’s retaliation against his enemies left him weakened and vulnerable to the machinations of political antagonists. Financial integrity matters. Pilate’s misapplication of public funds for his own pet project came back to haunt him.

I wonder if, as the walls came closing in on him, Pilate finally understood that these things do matter. What he did not understand, sadly, was that Jesus matters even more. I wish that our 21^st century politicians would realize the same thing.

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Postscript: Pilate managed to hold on to power during Jesus’s trial and execution but was recalled a couple of years later and relieved of his post. Legend has it that he suffered a mental breakdown and became a compulsive hand washer (See Matthew 27:24).

[1] Collins English Dictionary

[2] Wikipedia, Politics – Wikipedia