Jesus’ trial before Pilate takes place near Passover, but it’s a Day of Atonement, as Barabbas is selected to go free and Jesus sent outside the camp bearing the sins of His people.
A student, Stephanie Beauchamp, points to another Day-of-Atonement theme in John’s account. Throughout the narrative, Pilate is the mediator between the Jews, who stay outside the Praetorium to avoid contamination, and Jesus, who is inside. In and out, in and out, Pilate is playing the role of a priest. Of course, everything is inverted. The clean Jews are outside, and the “priestly” character is a skeptical Roman governor. The Jews end up “outside”; despite their concern for purity, they don’t have access to the incarnate Glory in the Praetorium. In the end, they declare their devotion to Caesar instead of Yahweh; they become Gentiles.
This highlights the connection between Peter’s denial and that of the Jews. Peter is in the actual high priest’s court, and denies Jesus; the Jews, in the quasi-templar court of the quasi-priest Pilate, say “We have no King but Caesar.”
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
