“The Characters of Lent: Caiaphas & Pontius Pilate”
Matthew 26:57-27:26

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Lent Service II—February 25, 2015

A few verses before this evening’s reading, Matthew reports, “The chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.”

The first and most important thing a detective must determine when investigating a crime is motive.  In the Lenten story, what is the motive for the chief priests and the high priest Caiaphas to murder Jesus?  The vast majority of crimes are solved by following what is called “the money trail,” and following the money trail shows us their motive for Jesus’ death.

Mark reports that on Monday of Holy Week, “Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.”

The temple at Jerusalem had become a big-business.  The historian Josephus tells us that out of the 50,000 citizens of Jerusalem, 10,000 of them were employed at the temple.  The sacrifices of the Old Testament required sacrificial animals, which were bought and sold in the temple courts.  There were also money-changers the temple courts because to pay the annual temple tax required of all Jews, Roman coins, with their with pagan images and inscriptions, had to be exchanged for Jewish currency.

Overseeing all of this commerce, and taking a sizable percentage of the profits for themselves, was the extended family of Annas, who had been appointed high priest in 6 A.D.  Annas made the high priesthood his family business.  Eventually five of his sons, and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, would all occupy the office of high priest.  By the way, archaeology confirmed the New Testament when an unusually elaborate burial box was discovered in an underground tomb near Jerusalem in 1990, bearing the inscription “Caiaphas.”  Most archaeologists believe this is indeed the burial box and even the very bones of the high priest Caiaphas in the Lenten story.

Annas and his sons, and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, transformed the temple into their own lucrative money-making enterprise.  But, when Jesus clears the temple courts on Monday of Holy Week, they fear he is bringing their profitable business to an end.  As Mark reports, “Jesus taught them, saying, ‘Is it not written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”? But you have made it “a den of robbers.”’ When the chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this they began looking for a way to kill him.”  “Follow the money trail,” because that was the primary motive for the chief priests and the high priest Caiaphas to reject Jesus as the Messiah and to murder him.

 “What will it profit a man,” Jesus asks, “if he gains the whole world, yet lose his own soul?”  For Caiaphas and the other religious leaders who rejected Jesus, it came down to a question of choosing between their lucrative profits, or THE Prophet.  Do not be like Caiaphas and the others, who were so focused on earthly profits, that they did not treasure the greatest Prophet of all.

For many years skeptics of the Bible doubted that Pontius Pilate even existed.  He was dismissed as a mythical figure, fabricated by the fanciful authors of the fictional Gospels.  Then, in the summer of 1961, a two-foot by three-foot stone tablet was discovered at Caesarea on the coast of Palestine, bearing the inscription, “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.”  This was yet another stunning archaeological confirmation of the authenticity of the New Testament.

Pontius Pilate came from the Pontii family of Italy, an ancient family of Roman nobility.  A modern-day descendant of this same family is the Italian film director Carlo Ponti. 

Pontius Pilate served as the Roman governor of Judea for ten years, from 26 to 36 A.D.  He had some difficulties with the Jewish people, and by Good Friday in 33 A.D., the Roman emperor had put Pontius Pilate on notice that any more problems in Judea would result in his dismissal as governor.

The Gospels state that Pilate wanted to set Jesus free.  As this evening’s reading records, one way Pilate tries to set Jesus free by appealing to the crowd, giving them a choice between Jesus and a notorious, dangerous criminal, that no one could want back out on the streets, so Pilate assumes they will chose Jesus instead: “It is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus?”  But, Pilate’s plan fails when the chief priests stir up the crowd to ask instead for Barabbas.

Even then Pilate is reluctant to fulfill their request, but Matthew tells us he gave in when he saw that a riot was developing.  A riot was just the kind of thing emperor had warned Pilate about.  It would mean his humiliating dismissal as governor.  Mark reports, “Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them.”

Pilate then has Jesus flogged, hoping that this severe torture will be enough to satisfy the bloodlust of the chief priests.  After the flogging, John reports, “Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, ‘Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.’  When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Behold, the man!’ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!’  Pilate answered, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him.’”

At least three times Pilate declares Jesus not guilty, and Matthew records in this evening’s reading: “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said.” 

It is from this incident that we get the expression, to “wash your hands of the matter.”  That washing could not absolve Pilate of his guilt.  But, there is a spiritual washing, which does for you what Pilate’s futile washing could not: “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.” 

The cleansing of Jesus’ blood comes to you as you hear and read and study his Word, as Jesus said at the Last Supper, “You are clean through the word which I have spoken to you.”  The cleansing of Jesus’ blood is poured out upon you in Holy Baptism, as Acts says, “Be baptized and wash away your sins.”  The cleansing of Jesus’ blood is bestowed on you in Holy Communion, as you receive his body and blood, “shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.”  There is indeed a spiritual washing, which does for you what Pilate’s futile washing could not.  Trust in Jesus, your Savior, for your sins ARE all washed away by his blood.

Pilate resisted the demand of the chief priests until they found his weak spot.  John continues, “From then on Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, ‘If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.’”

“Friend of Caesar” was a technical term for an elite group of advisors to the Roman emperor.  As a Roman governor and a member of the nobility, Pontius Pilate was part of this privileged class, this elite group, a friend of Caesar. The only reason for being kicked out of the friends of Caesar was treason against the emperor, in which case you were expected to kill yourself.

“The Jews kept shouting, ‘If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.’”  Treason is exactly what the Jews are threatening to accuse Pilate of.  John continues, “When Pilate heard THIS, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat.”

The Jews were threatening to accuse Pilate of treason.  Even though he knew Jesus to be innocent, in order to save his own position and reputation, and his own life, Pontius Pilate sacrificed the life of Jesus.

“Whoever wants to save his life will lose it,” Jesus said, “but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”  The world saw a dramatic example of this last week, when 21 brave Egyptian Christian young men were beheaded by Islamic terrorists because of their faith.  Those men could have saved their lives, even at the last moment, by renouncing Christ and their Christian faith.  But, instead, on their lips as they were executed were only prayers to Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Many of them at the moment they were beheaded cried out, “Lord Jesus Christ.”

You may not have heard it caused a sensation a few days later throughout the Middle East when Beshir Kamel, a Christian musician and brother of two of these martyrs, appeared on a popular satellite television program and said something truly amazing.  “This only makes us stronger in our faith” he said.  The terrorists actually “helped us strengthen our faith” by not editing out of the video the victims’ final prayers and cries to Jesus.  He said his brothers, Samuel and Bishoy, who were 23 and 25, were “a badge of honor to Christianity.” And, he even said his home village, where most of the victims were from, is privileged to have “so many from our village die as martyrs.”

“Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” In contrast to those brave martyrs, even though Pontius Pilate knew Jesus to be innocent, he sacrificed the life of Jesus, in order to save his own position and reputation, and his own life.  But, as those young Egyptian men dramatically bore witness last week, nothing in this world, no honor, no position, no wealth or prestige, not even life itself, is worth forsaking Jesus Christ.