Secular history tells us that Pontius Pilate ruled for ten years. Most governors were only in office a quarter of that time and then were promoted in some way. Why wasn’t Pilate promoted? Was it because he loved serving in Judea? Or did his superiors have it in for him? Whatever the case, we can see Pilate was one who did not like confrontation. In his dealings with Jesus and the Jewish mob, he tried to pass the buck.

“I find no basis for a charge against this man” (Luke 23:4). He hoped for sympathy after Jesus’ flogging. Next, his ploy to free Barabbas blew up in his face. And then finally when he knew he couldn’t win, “he washed his hands in front of the crowd” (Matthew 27:24). 

Pilate could have said, “Sorry, I’m not going to kill this man.” Nope, he caved in to the pressure of the masses. Sound familiar? Compromise is a good thing in marriage and in teamwork. However, compromising our beliefs to fit in or our morals to be loved is a no-win situation. In his painting Forgiven, Thomas Blackshear depicts a man who is falling. In his hands are three nails and a hammer to show it wasn’t Pilate who put Jesus on that cross; it was us. But what is more comforting is the person who is holding this man up. Jesus, the one who did not compromise but fulfilled the promise to save all people from their sins … and that includes you.