Today's passage is Matthew27:11-26.
When Pilot asks Jesus if he's the king of the Jews, Jesus says yes.
To all other questions he remains silent. Because of a dream, Pilot's wife tells Pilot to have nothing to do with Jesus. Pilot asks the crowd whether, for their annual prisoner release, they want Jesus or Barabbas. They want Barabbas released and Jesus crucified. Pilot accedes to their demands and washes his hands of the situation.
Jesus says nothing because he has nothing to say.
He is there to be crucified not debate.
Pilot is there to dispense justice but he plays political games with the crowd under the control of the chief priests until they agree to be guilty of Jesus' death.
He should've followed his wife's dream advice of avoiding the whole business.
He makes a show of washing his hands, declaring his innocence, all of which only emphasizes his guilt.
Pilot pretends the crowd is in control when it's really he who is.
How many times have I done this with students, my children, and others, manipulating them until I get them to absolve me of responsibility, pretending to cede control to them, thus being able to blame them when things go awry?
How many times have I played Pilot? Too many.
Why do I do it?
Why can't I just be honest about how I feel and what I think and then act on it?
Pilot saw that Jesus was being railroaded, that he was innocent of all criminal charges.
He had his wife warning him to have nothing to do with the case.
Yet his ege demanded that he had to be center stage and upstage everyone--crowd, chief priests and even Jesus.
That's why I play Pilot, to be the spider at the center of the web, to be in control for a minute or two, to be the main actor in a scene and rationalize away my responsibility for anything that happens.
Lord, forgive me my rampaging pride. Let me not seek to avoid responsbility and hard decisions but seek your guiding spirit in prayer. Let me always refer to the daily passage for guidance and discernment throughout my day. Forgive me for wanting to be Pilot and escape responsibility and accountability.
