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Christ’s Trial Before the Roman Governor
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that was to bind him in remorse as long as he lived. Christ would
have been put to death, but the guilt would not have rested on Pilate.
But Pilate had taken step after step in violation of his conscience,
and now he found himself almost helpless in the hands of the priests
and rulers.
Pilate’s Last Chance
Even now Pilate was not left to act blindly. An angel had visited
his wife and in a dream she had talked with the Savior. Pilate’s wife
was not a Jew, but as she looked at Jesus in her dream, she knew
that He was the Prince of God. She saw Pilate give Jesus to the
scourging after he had declared, “I find no fault in Him.” She saw
him give Christ up to His murderers. She saw the cross uplifted, the
earth wrapped in darkness, and she heard the mysterious cry, “It is
finished!”
Still another scene met her gaze. She saw Christ seated on
the great white cloud and His murderers fleeing from His glorious
presence. With a cry of horror, she awoke and immediately wrote
words of warning to Pilate.
A messenger pushed through the crowd and handed him the letter
from his wife, which read, “Have nothing to do with that just Man,
for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
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Pilate’s face grew pale. He was confused by his own conflicting
emotions. While he had been delaying to act, the priests and rulers
were inflaming the minds of the people. He now thought of a custom
that might serve to gain Christ’s release. It was customary at this
feast to release one prisoner whom the people might choose. There
was not a shadow of justice in this custom, but the Jews greatly
prized it. The Roman authorities at this time held a prisoner named
Barabbas, who was under sentence of death. This man claimed
authority to establish a different order of things. Whatever he could
obtain by theft and robbery was his own. He had gained a following
among the people and had stirred up revolt against the Roman gov-
ernment. Under cover of religious enthusiasm he was a hardened
criminal, bent on rebellion and cruelty.
By giving the people a choice between this man and the innocent
Savior, Pilate thought he might awaken a sense of justice in them.