October 20, 2023

 A Man Hated By Many

“Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this Man?’           They answered and said to him, ‘If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.’” John 18:28-30 (NASB)

            I had a drill sergeant in the Army who used to put the fear of God into all. I knew he was an Airborne Ranger during the Vietnam War, so he was no one to fool with. On the first day of training, he asked who the biggest man was in the room. A guy from Oklahoma stood up and said, “I’ve been in a few fights.” The drill sergeant calmly walked over and took hold of his throat. He held it until the guy turned blue. Then he let go. The guy fell to the floor. He asked again, “Who is the biggest man in the room?” No one answered. He was…

            “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium,” “The word ‘praetorium’ is a Latin loanword transliterated into Greek as πραιτώριον (praitōrion). It is derived from the word praetor, meaning ‘magistrate’ or ‘commander…’ In each of these occurrences the context suggests that the praetorium served as the residence for Roman officials (generals, governors, and traveling officials).”[1] “The Greek word (praitorion) thus rendered in Mark 15:16 is rendered ‘common hall’ (Matt. 27:27, marg., ‘governor’s house’), ‘judgment hall,’ (John 18:28, 33).”[2] Pilate was “probably connected with the Roman family of the Pontii, and called ‘Pilate’ from the Latin pileatus, i.e., ‘wearing the pileus’, which was the ‘cap or badge of a manumitted slave,’ as indicating that he was a ‘freedman,’ or the descendant of one. He was the sixth in the order of the Roman procurators of Judea (26–36). His headquarters were at Caesarea, but he frequently went up to Jerusalem. His reign extended over the period of the ministry of John the Baptist and of Jesus Christ, in connection with whose trial his name comes into prominent notice. Pilate was a ‘typical Roman’… He hated the Jews whom he ruled, and in times of irritation freely shed their blood.”[3] The Jews too, hated Pilate because of his cruelty, crimes, maladministration, and robbery over the years. He seldom visited Jerusalem because of his disdain for the Jews. When he arrived, he normally stayed in the palace of Herod the Great, as an insult to the conquered sovereign. Extra-biblical sources document his bloody reign against the Jews (Josephus, Philo). “Eusebius reports that Pilate ultimately committed suicide during the reign of the emperor Caligula, ad 37–41 (Hist. 2.7).”[4]

            Pilate was feared and hated by the Jews, but the religious leaders of Jerusalem were going to act just like Pilate in their wanton killing of Jesus. He acted outwardly, but the Jews acted in secret. Now think about it, “How do you act sometimes in response to those you don’t like?” Do you do it behind their back (like the Jews) or is it in public like Pilate?

[1] Aernie, M. D. (2016). Praetorium. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

[2] Easton, M. G. (1893). In Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (p. 558). Harper & Brothers.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Pilate, Pontius. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1695). Baker Book House.