【双语灵修】彼拉多PILATE

马太福音 27:11-26

耶稣站在巡抚面前，巡抚问他说：“你是犹太人的王吗？”耶稣说：“你说的是。” 12 他被祭司长和长老控告的时候，什么都不回答。彼拉多就对他说：“他们作见证告你这么多的事，你没有听见吗？”耶稣仍不回答，连一句话也不说，以致巡抚甚觉稀奇。巡抚有一个常例，每逢这节期，随众人所要的释放一个囚犯给他们。当时有一个出名的囚犯叫巴拉巴。众人聚集的时候，彼拉多就对他们说：“你们要我释放哪一个给你们？是巴拉巴呢，是称为基督的耶稣呢？”巡抚原知道他们是因为嫉妒才把他解了来。正坐堂的时候，他的夫人打发人来说：“这义人的事你一点不可管，因为我今天在梦中为他受了许多的苦。”祭司长和长老挑唆众人，求释放巴拉巴，除灭耶稣。巡抚对众人说：“这两个人，你们要我释放哪一个给你们呢？”他们说：“巴拉巴！”彼拉多说：“这样，那称为基督的耶稣，我怎么办他呢？”他们都说：“把他钉十字架！”巡抚说：“为什么呢？他做了什么恶事呢？”他们便极力地喊着说：“把他钉十字架！”彼拉多见说也无济于事，反要生乱，就拿水在众人面前洗手，说：“流这义人的血，罪不在我，你们承当吧！”众人都回答说：“他的血归到我们和我们的子孙身上！”于是彼拉多释放巴拉巴给他们，把耶稣鞭打了，交给人钉十字架。

4月16日

彼拉多

“彼拉多见说也无济于事……就拿水在众人面前洗手，说：‘流这义人的血，罪不在我……’” -太27:24

在耶稣受死的故事中，彼拉多是一个令人费解的人物。他是罗马帝国在犹太地的总督，直接监督了对耶稣的审判，并将祂交付给人钉十字架。但他似乎也曾努力想办法避免对耶稣判刑。他多次询问耶稣究竟被指控犯有什么罪，并试图利用习俗释放耶稣——即逾越节期间总督会随众人所要的释放一个囚犯给他们。但众人想要释放另一个囚犯，他们想要把耶稣钉死在十字架上。彼拉多的妻子警告他不要管这人的事，因为她做了一个梦。最后，彼拉多象征性地洗手，想与整个事件撇清关系，并宣布自己在这件事上是无辜的。

尽管如此，彼拉多仍要为自己的行为负责。他知道耶稣无罪，祂不应该被钉死在十字架上，但他还是使之发生了。面对压力，他随了众人的心愿，却没有做他认为正确的事。

我们是否也经常这么做？我们知道自己该做什么，虽然那些事不一定会受欢迎。但我们却选择随波逐流，屈服于压力，做了我们明知不对的事。

然而，靠着神的帮助，也因着耶稣为我们所做的一切，我们可以改变这种模式。我们可以为正义的事挺身而出，哪怕它不受欢迎。

祷告

主啊，请帮助我们去做我们确定是对的事。无论你引领我们到哪里，都帮助我们跟随你。阿们。

PILATE

"When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere . . . he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. 'I am innocent of this man’s blood,' he said." - Matthew 27:24

Pilate is a puzzling character in the story of Jesus’ death. He was the Roman governor of Judea, and he directly oversaw Jesus’ trial and handed him over to be crucified. But it seems that he also tried to do what he could to avoid sentencing Jesus. He asked several times what crime Jesus was actually accused of, and he tried to make use of a custom in which the governor would release a prisoner of the people’s choice during the Passover festival. But the people wanted another prisoner released and they wanted Jesus crucified. Pilate’s wife even warned him to have nothing to do with Jesus because of a dream she had had. In the end Pilate tried symbolically to wash his hands of the whole thing and proclaim his own innocence in the matter.

Still, Pilate was responsible for his actions. He knew that Jesus wasn’t guilty and that he shouldn’t be crucified, but he let it happen anyway. In the face of pressure, he did what the crowd wanted, not what he knew was right.

How often do we do the same thing? We know what we need to do, even if it isn’t the popular thing. But we go along with the crowd, giving in to pressure, and we do what we know is wrong.

With God’s help, though, and because of all that Jesus has done for us, we can change. We can stand up for what is right, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do.

Lord, help us to do what we know is right. Help us to follow you wherever you lead. Amen.