The search for Justice

I lost my case, yet justice was served.

By John W. Williams

Recently the governor of Illinois made national headlines by suspending all capital punishment in his state. He was shocked at the high number of death row cases the Illinois courts had overturned as fundamentally flawed. Many people are questioning the legal system and its ability to deliver justice—including those charged with making the system work, from police officers to judges, from defense attorneys to probation officers. Yet the apparent conflict between law and justice is not new. Two thousand years ago, Pontius Pilate struggled with the same conflict.

Now, there's a name I've grown familiar with. Every Easter the role of Pontius Pilate falls to me. At that time, our community's ministerial alliance puts on a benefit play. They ask me to be Pilate. I waver until I consider what I could learn about and from the man. He had an important political and legal role to play in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Pilate struggled with the conflict between justice and the requirements of Roman law.

In order to play the role with empathy, I read more about this Roman official. including the relevant passages in the New Testament. The most complex version of Pilate's story is found in the book of John, where he interviews Jesus and then questions the crowd of Jesus' accusers.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

The search for Justice

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access