21 QUALITIES: RESPONSIBILITY - Pontius Pilate Failed to Lead (Matt. 27:11-31)

Extracted From the Maxwell Leadership Bible

President Harry Truman was right when he said, "The buck stops here." Leaders cannot pass the buck. We cannot lead without taking responsibility. It comes with the territory.

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Israel, gives us a sad example of a leader who failed to take responsibility. When Jesus appeared before him for judgment, he could find nothing wrong in Him. Yet instead of judging Him as innocent, he succumbed to the pressure of the crowd. Sensing they wanted to punish an innocent man, he gave them a choice: Barabbas or Jesus? When they wrongly chose Jesus as the more gulity man, Pilate walked over to a basin of waterand tried to wash his hands of any responsibility for his decision. He pretended he could evade ownership of the consequences. Pilate committed the sin of omission and tried to get off on a legal technicality.

None of this surprised the Jews, since Pilate had a history of such behaviour. He tended to withdraw when things heated up. Once he put the Roman eagle in the temple, prompting 5000 Jews to march to his vacation home to demand he remove it. He called in the army and demanded they leave. When they refused, he threatened to cut off their heads. The Jews got down on their knees, in essence saying, "Go ahead!" Shocked by their moral conviction, he backed down. From that point on, the Jews knew this man lacked a backbone and would run from responsibility. He illustrates moral and political compromise. Just why did Pilate "wash his hands" of responsibility?

1. He had a problem with foundations (v. 22).
Pilate never forged the character to withstand adversity. Conflict paralyzed him.

2. He had a problem with futility (vv. 23, 24).
He perceived that no good would come from a right decision, so why waste time?
Apathy proliferates when we sense that action seems useless.

3. He had a problem with fear (v. 24).
Pilate felt preoccupied with survival. If he fought the Jews, he feared the loss of control, image, or position. His wife's warning added fuel to his fear.

4. He had a problem with failure (v. 24).
Pilate knew a riot was brewing. The last time it happened, he failed to rise to the occasion and the Jews called his bluff. They knew he worried most about failure than they did.

5. He had a problem with focus (v. 24).
Leaders cannot be neutral or passive over crucial decisions. Pilate picked up a basin and tried to wash his hands of the whole mess. No good leader does this.