Few historical figures have been attributed as little to commend them as Pontius Pilate. This seems unfair in the whole scheme of Roman Empirical life. He was not a nice man, but you might choose him any day over Caligula, Nero or Domitian, let alone any number of unnamed lesser officials.
We approach the week which makes him famous though he could hardly have known so at the time or even on his final earthly day. Even 2000 years later in lands unknown to his Empire people speak of 'washing their hands' of a person or a situation in a tribute of sorts to the week that secured Ponty's fame.
And that's not all. Every day and all over the world people in their acts of divine worship repeat his name . . . .
he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
Ponty's inclusion in the Christian creeds, in the words of Robert Runcie, "binds the eternal realms to the stumbling, messy chronology of earthly time and place". Perhaps. It also makes Ponty as well known as almost any Roman in the long history of that Empire.
He is also genuinely famous Biblically. His name appears more times in the Bible than Matthew or Mark or Luke or John (the apostle). We meet his wife (which we rarely do with Bible characters) and we know where and when he lived and what his job was.
Ponty rose to all this prominence by a simple decision that he made. One day God stood in front of him. It doesn't happen often, so you have to have a little sympathy for the poor chap. But uniquely he got his moment in the spotlight as the judge of the Judge of all the Earth. Wow!
And Ponty's decision was?
His decision was not to make a decision. "It's your responsibility" he wailed as he wiped his hands on his empirical towellette.
It is one thing to be pilloried for ever for making an evil or a ill-judged decision. It is soooo regretable to get one's fame from not making any decision at all. As I come to Passion Week I must remember the lesson of all this - either to get my hellish reputation by crucifying the Son of God afresh, or a heavenly one by taking up my cross and following Him. But nothing could be more embarrassing or humiliating than to attract the angst of eternity for dithering and diplomacy while heaven and hell clash in front of me.
