He certainly did just about everything he possibly could to let Him go free.

Until he realized it might cost him.

The Jewish leaders threatened him:

If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. (John 19:12)

Self-preservation compelled this skeptic, this puppet man, this man-pleasing man to deliver the Man, the King, the Savior to be crucified.

So it was for one, the pathetically infamous one of our Creed (for we confess that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate”) .

Proud Self, and other threatening Self-righteous Religious Selves drove him to have nothing to do with this Jesus, to wash his hands of this case, to go home, take a nap, plan the next party (maybe with Herod, his new-found friend?)--life as usual for the blissful truth-less ignorant.

Pathetic Pilate preached, though, before he was done with Jesus.

I find no fault in Him at all. Behold the Man! Behold your King!

He preached to the Jews then, and to his own soldiers, and to his own little world.

He who questioned Truth preached truth. And He preaches Truth today through Holy Writ.

Jesus is the Innocent One. He is the Messiah Man. He is the King of the universe and of salvation.

By witless, wicked hands, slain. By God’s own decree delivered up for the salvation of sinners.

Believe in this Man, this Messiah, this King, this One from God.

Believe or beware.

For the Creed goes on to say: the crucified One is the risen One, is the One returning to judge the living and the dead.

When He will say to Pilate, and to all Pilate’s man-pleasing, truth-denying, careless, worldly ilk, too caught up trying to cure the world of viruses and building the kingdom of Little Man to seek sin’s double cure in Christ…to hell with you.

For such a time as this.

With you in Him, confiding in the Savior and His truth and love,