Episode:Jesus Faces Death—Brought to Trial (Part 11)

From Symmetry of Soul


Pilate made one last appeal to the pity of the clamoring Jews. Being afraid to defy this misled mob who cried for the blood of Jesus, he ordered the Jewish guards and the Roman soldiers to take Jesus and scourge him. Then, after being subjected to this wicked ordeal, Pilate led forth this bleeding and lacerated prisoner and, presenting him before the mixed multitude, said: "Behold the man!"

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Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Pilate’s Last Appeal, Pilate’s Last Interview, Pilate’s Tragic Surrender

Note: Timothy Arnold was our guest co-host this week, while Kermit Anderson was away.

Summary by Kermit

Commentary after Review

The post summary discussion led off with a reminder that this detailed material about the Master’s final hours in the flesh is not simply an expansion of the gospels texts. The sparse nature of the gospels with its gaps of fact and information, for well-nigh 2000 years, have been filed-in with the preconceived opinions and individual perspectives of believers to the end that we require the 5th ER for a portal to the truth of these doings.

The revelation’s precise narrative allows each of us to find relevance of these doings for ourselves. This is valuable not only for the self-knowledge it provides, but it further serves to liberate us from our natural animal-origin limitations by aligning our higher mind with the revelation and be grown. Now is always the time to recognize the willful but unquestioned preconceived opinions, settled ideas, and long-standing prejudices short-circuiting our development. Many must await the reboot of natural death to be freed for continued growth and progress. Even before determining to cultivate the five favorable conditions for growth we are so fond of citing in SoS, we must find the courage to do the unnatural, and demand of our animal-origin nature that we intentionally work to establish a reflective life and actually follow the fruits of our reflection in pursuit of making the five favorable conditions part of our consistent behavior and response to life’s vicissitudes.

In terms of our story, we note the tension between Pilate’s civilized nature and his deep attachment to his personal fortunes of position, power, and prosperity, and conclude he is simply over his head, too deep in. The sophistry then and operative today in many of our so-called public servants is: persons in positions of power are supposed to be reflective of the will of the collective in determining policy. But such is not leadership. It is more like weather forecasting to determining the direction of the winds of popular opinion—moral cowardice.

185:6. Pilates Last Appeal

Note the composition of the two mobs confronting Pilate—sworn enemies of Jesus and an unthinking populace. Jesus is either seen as having no power to effect outcomes or he is unwilling to do so. Pause to consider that the Master with his powers of discourse and charming personality could have from the very beginning of his ministry convinced the Jewish people (even the world) to follow and obey his direction, but we learned in our earlier arc Jesus in Galilee, that his mission was to awaken individuals to an inner life recognition of sonship with God and loving fraternity with all men and women.

Pilate’s pusillanimous attempt to placate the crowd by scourging Jesus is not without a shred of positive motivation. Perhaps he was hoping the sight of a scourged Jesus would appeal to some remnant of humanity in his bloodthirsty accusers? As can be seen, Pilate himself cut short the scourging and presented the bleeding and lacerated Jesus to the crowd, saying “Ecce homo!”, “Behold the man!” The revelation goes on to describe the shudder through the realms of a vast universe. The discussion concerning the nature of this shudder and also the personal inner victory Jesus achieved in the face of this outward humiliation is worthy of visiting in the archive of this broadcast. Also visit [100:7.1] for further discussion of Pilate’s famous declaration.

Pilate is not a poster boy for the so-called evil in the world. Can we love him as a child of God?

Review our further discussion of the pernicious nature of genuine hatred, not mere dislike, in the archive. It is a masterly explanation of the mindal mechanics in terms of the hourglass analogy of the human mind of the nature and relationship of compassion in the upper domain and sympathy in the lower domain with respect to the “unfeeling hearts of those who are victims of intense emotional hatred and slaves to religious tradition.”

Virtually defeated in his pathetic attempts to save Jesus, Pilate reverts to his legal role as Judge and demands, “Who will declare his crime?” At this point the high priest steps forward and reminds Pilate that Jesus’ declaration of divinity is punishable in accordance with Jewish sacred law. Pilate, recalling his wife’s note concerning her troubled dreams about Jesus, is plunged further into fear and trembling amidst his recollection of Greek mythology and gods coming down to earth. Then in a remarkable demonstration of his humanity Pilate leads Jesus by the arm inside the building for a final interview.

185:7. Pilate’s Last Interview

By this time Pilate is beside himself with superstitious fear of Jesus and mortal dread of the Jewish leaders. Pilate was so disrupted and corrupted the Master could hardly respond to his inquiries: “Where do you come from? Really, who are you? What is this they say, that you are the Son of God?”

Pilate is now thoroughly in the grasp of material gravity, such that he is beyond the point of no return, and completely unable to spare Jesus from crucifixion. The final blow is delivered in Caiaphas’ threat to inform Caesar of Pilate’s dereliction of duty should he release Jesus. Pilate’s sarcastic retort to the crowd, “Shall I crucify your king”, was met with the surprising reply, “Yes, crucify him! We have no king but Caesar.”

185:8. Pilate’s Tragic Surrender

Fearing a riot and realizing that there was no hope of saving Jesus, Pilate orders the release of Barabbas. He then famously and publicly washes his hands declaring his innocence of the shedding of Jesus’ blood, whereupon the crowd cheered and uttered a declaration that would be recorded and redound to centuries of woe and tribulation for the Jews, “His blood be on us and on our children.” And as history shows this declaration was nothing less than a self-assumed curse on the Jewish people that plays out today in a myriad of ways.