11 April, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations for Every Day

Jesus is Condemned to Death

1. Pilate was neither wicked nor cruel. He was a weak opportunist who placed his position as Governor of Judea and his own personal interests above everything else in life. He was prepared, moreover, to adopt the meanest of compromises. He had acquitted Jesus because he believed Him to be innocent. But he panicked as soon as he heard the crowd shouting and the Jewish priests accusing him of being no friend of the Emperor. Then he had recourse to an expedient. When he saw Jesus covered with blood, crowned with thorns and clothed in purple rags, he showed Him to the crowd in the hope that their frenzied hearts would be touched with compassion. He said only a few simple words. "Behold the man!" He wished them to see the condition to which this man had been reduced who had been accused and mocked by them. Looking like a trampled worm, He would stir up pity in every heart. In the crowd there were people who had been enchanted by the glory of His heavenly teaching. Some of them had listened to Him in Jerusalem only a few days previously when He was greeted by tumults of applause. Others had received favours and miracles from Him. But the good folk remained silent, for they could not summon up the courage to express any sentiments of gratitude or of humanity in that gathering. A roar drowned the words of Pilate. "Let Him be crucified!"

Sometimes when we see what is good and just, a rebellious impulse suddenly rises up inside us. Unfortunately, we may yield to it on occasion and stifle the higher inspirations which we receive. Let us resolve never to be guilty of weak or unworthy conduct towards Jesus and to obey at all costs the dictates of a sound conscience.

2. Pilate now tried another manoeuvre to save Jesus without endangering his own position. It was a custom amongst the Jews to pardon a condemned criminal during the Paschal period. There was a notorious robber in prison at this time who had been guilty of sedition and murder. His name was Barabbas. Pilate hoped that the people would choose to release Jesus when they heard Him compared with Barabbas. But once again a ferocious outcry drowned Pilate's words. “Release to us Barabbas!” (Luke 23:18) They shouted out that Barabbas should be set free and that Jesus should be crucified. Let us be ashamed in the face of such wickedness. For we also yield many times to the onslaught of our passions and prefer Barabbas to Jesus. We prefer sin to innocence, and the satisfaction of our selfish nature to the sacred law of God. We do this in spite of the fact that we are aware that Jesus is our Redeemer and our God. We know well that by serving Him we shall conquer and that by placing all our confidence in Him our souls will find peace. We know that we can be happy only by loving Him and that we can be saved only by living and dying for Him. Nevertheless, we do not always choose Jesus.

3. Pilate's reply to the demands of the enraged mob was as weak as ever. “Why,” he asked, “what evil has he done?” (Mt. 27:23) The crowd continued to cry: “Let him be crucified!” Then, as if he believed that he was making an honourable escape from his predicament, the Procurator washed his hands in public. “I am innocent of the blood of this just man,” he said. “See to it yourselves.” (Mt. 27:24) Jesus was condemned to death. When we are confronted by injustice or by sin of any kind, do we act with Christian strength of character or do we waver like Pilate in an effort to serve two masters, the devil and God? Let us remember that virtue demands sacrifice and, if necessary, even death. Woe to those who wash their hands in a despicable attempt to evade their strict obligations to their fellow-men and fellow-Christians.