…Jesus Christ… suffered under Pontius Pilate
The Apostles Creed jumps directly from Jesus’ birth to the trial and persecution by Pontius Pilate leading to his crucifixion, death and resurrection. This blog will address Christ’s teaching more fully in later posts following this series on the Creed.
Judas, one of Jesus’ Twelve Disciples betrayed Jesus so the jealous chief priests and elders could capture him and find a way to put him to death. These religious leaders took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman Governor and claimed he was leading a revolt against Caesar, the head of the Roman Empire.
Pilate tried to get to the bottom of the bogus accusations the chief priests, elders, and their angry mob had made against Jesus. Realizing they had brought Jesus to him out of jealous envy, Pilate concluded that Jesus did not deserve to die. He had Jesus flogged by the Roman Soldiers who also mocked and ridiculed him, hoping this would pacify the jealous priests and elders, but they stirred up the crowd with their demands to have Jesus crucified. Pilate ultimately gave in to their demands.
Meanwhile Jesus did not resist his arrest or his beatings. Isaiah prophesied this many years before Jesus’ birth saying “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” Isaiah 50:6 (NIV)
Read for yourself the passages that relate the events that happened between Pilate and Jesus and at the hands of Pilate’s soldiers:
Matt 27:11-31 (Click on link to read passage)
Jesus vs Pilate – An excerpt from Jesus of Nazareth (1977) to illustrate the message of the Principal of Shung Tak Catholic English College in Hong Kong.