How Will You Be Remembered?

Back in my twenties, I spent a lot of weekends attending friends’ weddings. Nowadays, I only seem to be invited to funerals – and this last month has been no exception.

One was for a beloved elderly gentleman, who had lived a long life well into his nineties; the other was for a young man, whose life has ended far too prematurely, without him ever reaching his full potential.

Both men were followers of Jesus. Both services were packed with people whose lives they had touched. And both funerals touched on the legacies they have left behind.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising, then, that this has got me thinking …

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As we head into this year’s Holy Week, and re-read the disciples’ eyewitness accounts of what happened, it’s easy to focus solely on Jesus.

But I’ve also been asking myself about the other characters who had a role to play in the drama that led him to the cross on that first Good Friday. What is their legacy? How are they remembered?   

There are many to choose from, but the character who has most captured my attention is Pontius Pilate.

For the last 2000 years, the phrase, “suffered under Pontius Pilate”, has been recited in Christian creeds. It has echoed down generations. It has been translated into multiple languages. It has featured in church liturgy across denominations all over the world.

Pontius Pilate’s name is arguably better known than many of the greatest men in history.

But why is he remembered? And what does it mean that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate”?

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On that first Good Friday morning, Pontius Pilate was the man who had been given the political power to decide whether or not to pronounce the death penalty over Jesus.

The Jewish court had already made their decision during the night. So it was assumed that Pilate would simply rubber-stamp what they had decreed – and he was up at dawn that morning, ready to ratify their verdict.

But none of them banked on God speaking to his wife through a disturbing dream.

As soon as she woke that morning, she sent her husband a message. “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man.” (Matthew 27:19)

What follows is an utter shambles, as Pilate tries to heed his wife’s advice. He knows she is right, and we can sense the tension in the atmosphere. Initially, he seeks to defer responsibility for the decision, first to the Jewish leaders, then to King Herod. But it soon boomerangs back, and then he seeks to appease the crowd.

In John’s eyewitness account, it reads like stage directions in a pantomime!

“Pilate came out to them.” (John 18:29)
“Pilate then went back inside.” (John 18:33)
“He went out again to the Jews.” (John 18:38)
“Once more Pilate came out.” (John 19:4)
“He went back inside.” (John 19:9)
“He brought Jesus out.” (John 19:13)

Why was he back and forth, in and out of the palace, so much that morning? Why was he being so weak and wavering, dithering and indecisive?

I think it’s because he was trying to heed his wife’s dream. He was trying to have nothing to do with Jesus. He was trying to absolve his responsibility, but still save face, in front of a baying crowd.

Only he simply couldn’t do it. He couldn’t control events.

It was Pontius Pilate who asked the question: “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22) And it was Pontius Pilate who answered his own question – through his actions.

He tried to wash his hands of it, tried to absolve his guilty conscience, tried to distance himself from his decision, telling the crowd: “I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility!” (Matthew 27:24)

But his actions spoke louder than words.

It was Pilate who had Jesus flogged, with a twisted crown of thorns placed on his head. It was Pilate who allowed him to be mocked and slapped in the face. It was Pilate who delivered him up for crucifixion and had him nailed to a cross by his hands and his feet, hoisted to hang, suspended, until he died. (John 19:1-3)

When we read the details of the text, describing those four hours, on that first Good Friday morning, it feels like an understatement for the Christian creed to simply state that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate”.

Yet that is how Pilate is remembered; that has been his legacy for the last 2000 years.

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I think Pontius Pilate has lots to teach us …  

• Maybe God has given you a warning, just as he did when he gave Pilate’s wife a troubling dream. Maybe you know you need to heed it, but you don’t know how.

If this is you, why don’t you ask God for wisdom and protection?

• Maybe you are trying to abdicate responsibility for a role that God has given you. Maybe you know that it needs you to make a crucial decision, but you would rather have it made by someone else.

If this is you, why don’t you ask God to help you own your responsibilities and decisions?

• Maybe you think you can control events that, in reality, only God can orchestrate. Maybe you are doing everything you can to manipulate your situation to save face or appease other people.

If this is you, why don’t you humble yourself before God and submit to his plans and purposes?

At the end of your life, what will your legacy be? How will you be remembered? Will your words and your actions add up?

As always, constructive comments are welcome below.

(Please note: This is my ‘thought for the month’ reflection for March. You can find all my ‘thought for the month’ reflections here.)

Photo by Melissa Jeanty via Unsplash