Pilate had a problem, its name was Jesus. Jesus disrupted the order of things in Jerusalem, a Roman occupied city. Let me lay out the problem briefly. In Ancient Rome there were systems of power that privileged some and oppressed most others. We need to know that the Roman Empire was all about law and order. Rome liked taxes; taxes paid for roads; roads allowed trade and ease of military movement. Trade increased wealth. Soldiers protected trade routes and conquered new lands to further extend trade. All the conquered lands had to do was agree to pay taxes keep the peace and they got roads and soldiers to maintain the peace and increase wealth. Governors like Pilate and Herod were put in place to administer peace and taxes. (Ok, history nerds, I know this is over simplified but I have a point). Pilate had a job of keeping the peace.

Pilate in this context of Roman rule allowed Jesus’ to die at the hands of a mob with the imperial stamp of approval. If he refused to let Jesus die riots would break out. The oppressed people would make their voice heard in the only way a blood-soaked empire can seem to hear: rioting. And if there are riots then soldiers come, and then uprising, public executions, assassinations, bedlam, melee, pandemonium. Soon Caesar hears about it and removes Pilate from his position (assuming he survives the riots) and tries him in Rome. You can almost hear Ceasar shouting him down, “You had one job Pilate! One Job! Keep the peace. That man Jesus had no rights. Rights are for Roman citizens you nincompoop (a probable anachronism).” There was already so much fighting to get Jerusalem to quasi submit through the decades. Judas Maccabaeus led a revolution 70 years prior, and Israel was looking for a savior to free them from Roman oppression. Roman governor, to placate the zealots, developed a tradition of releasing a prisoner at Passover just to keep the peace.

Pilate wanted to keep the peace but he didn’t know how to be a peace maker. Maybe he thought they were the same thing. Sitting in my peaceful living room, I can condemn Pilate’s choices. But in his shoes (another anachronism, I mean sandals) I don’t know if I would have been able to make a different decision. Peacekeeping keeps the status quo. Peacemaking is sacrificial.

Where do I as a privileged individual keep the peace instead of making peace? Where am I like Pilate? I am like Pilate in that I want to keep peace. I don’t like rocking the boat or making noise. I want to be comfortable. For instance, this blog post is uncomfortable for me, but Jesus didn’t call me, or you, to being comfortable. My love of comfort leads to Disney Princess Theology (not my original thought, but I don’t know where I heard it from to give proper credit to the source). DPT is a way of reading the Bible where I read scripture with an eye to how it applies to me, and how that usually means seeing myself or the church as the protagonist or in the right. Thus, when I read the book of Esther I would identify as Esther or Mordicai, and not as Artexerxes. I see myself as Moses or Joshua, and not as Pharoah or Balaam. However, as a member of the white, male privileged class, I have more in common with Pilate and Herod than with Peter or Mary. There is a system in place that I benefit from, I like how I fit in the system. I can be nice and not get my hands dirty, and remain oblivious to how others who are not white or male feel and operate within the power systems that are “normal” for me. And then if some uncomfortable truth comes to my attention I can wash my hands like Pilate and say “it isn’t my responsibility, it’s those white supremacists fault.”

That last paragraph was uncomfortable to write, it may have been uncomfortable to read.

In many ways I am in Pilates sandals. Maybe you are too. I don’t have program on how to change your paradigms of race and power structures in three easy steps. In fact I am pretty new to racial reconciliation, but I can tell you it is the good and necessary kind of uncomfortable. The place that I started was with my discomfort, and then seeking out and listening to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) voices. For my white brothers and sisters I would highly recommend participating in the Be the Bridge 101 small group. Be the Bridge also has a Facebook group that is worth looking into (search for the group on Facebook for more details, its requirements are really good).

It would have cost Pilate to say no to a mob, to uphold justice and let the innocent live. For us who have privilege and benefit from the status quo it will cost at the very least our comfort. Because when Jesus calls you, he doesn’t call you to comfort, but to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow him.