Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea during the time of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. He is first mentioned in Matthew 27:2, when Jesus was brought before him by the Jewish leaders. They accused Jesus of claiming to be king, seeking Pilate’s authorization for His execution.
Pilate questioned Jesus, asking, “Are You the King of the Jews?” to which Jesus replied, “It is as you say” (Matthew 27:11). Pilate recognized that the Jewish leaders had delivered Jesus out of envy (Matthew 27:18) and found no guilt in Him. He attempted to release Jesus, offering the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, a notorious prisoner. The crowd, stirred by the chief priests, chose Barabbas and demanded Jesus be crucified (Matthew 27:20–21).
Despite repeated attempts to release Jesus and even declaring, “I find no fault in this Man” (Luke 23:4), Pilate ultimately succumbed to political pressure. When he saw that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it” (Matthew 27:24). Yet he ordered Jesus to be scourged and then delivered Him to be crucified (Matthew 27:26).
Pilate wrote the inscription placed above Jesus on the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19). The chief priests objected, but Pilate refused to change it, saying, “What I have written, I have written” (John 19:22). After Jesus’ death, Pilate granted Joseph of Arimathea permission to take His body for burial (Mark 15:43–45).
Though he had political authority to release Jesus, Pilate chose compromise and expediency over justice. His actions fulfilled God’s sovereign plan of redemption through Christ’s atoning death. His name is remembered in history and Christian confession as the one under whom Jesus suffered.
