Pilate for President:

No, I'm not really serious. There are two major reasons why Pontius Pilate cannot run for President of the U. S. One, I'm fairly sure he isn't an American citizen, and two, he is occupied elsewhere--he's dead.
I just worked through the account of this First-century political hack presiding over the trial of the Lord of the Universe, and I saw several characteristics that seem to be essential for today's politics.

Pilate famously asked, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) Clearly the query did not represent a search for veracity. It was the statement of a cynic--one who had given up the search for the authentic and certain as a futile effort. If truth is an unavailable commodity, then one is left with what works--in particular, what works for ME.

It is clear that Pilate's commitment to doing what is right was, to say the least deficient. He clearly had an interest in insulting the Jewish leaders. He wanted to keep the peace--I doubt because he regarded peace as virtuous, but likely because conflict was an aggravation to him.

He knew Jesus was innocent. He was totally convinced that the Jewish leaders had brought Him before his judgment seat for selfish, corrupt reasons. He was warned by his wife to have nothing to do with this "righteous man." He had the power to do what was right. What he didn't have was the character that would give him the resolve to be virtuous.

In the end Pilate did what was convenient. I figure he dispatched a contingent of soldiers and then went back to bed, while the greatest travesty of justice of all time unfolded.

I hope I'm not guilty of the cynicism that I spoke of earlier, but I see a lack of commitment to truth and right in our world. Since politics involves working with people it tends to exhibit the same characteristic that is observed concerning some poisons in the environment. The further up the food-chain you go the greater the concentration.

I wonder. If we took care of the Procurator's problems that I mentioned at the beginning of this article, gave him a 21st Century image, and hired a good political team to manage him, how far would he get?

My answer scares me.

It's STTA.