Lent assignments

Farewell from the Governor.

Where to begin?

You know, when I first sat down to compose this, I was thinking of making this about how I feel about theJews. As a Roman, I have often thought them a rather foolish race. They howl about their god being so loving and so all-powerful, but then they show disdain for people who do something like eating pork or even, and I still have trouble believing this one, not wanting to chop off one's foreskin. From what I understood of this God, he is actually rather obnoxious. When you add to the that the fact that this god has not protected their country from being overrun by virtually every conquering race in the known world (I assume you all know that we Romans, were by no means the first to oppress Jews. We weren't even the worst. In fact, when you look at what the Assyrians and the Babylonians did to this country, my culture seems downright humane.), you sometimes wonder why anyone would worship this god at all.

We Romans have gods, and we think them powerful, but it's not quite the same thing. For one thing, we don't really give them credit for our nation's success. No really, when you think about it. Whenever anyone asks why Rome is now the most powerful empire on Earth, people are always willing to give a multitude of answers, but not one person ever has the gall to suggest that it is because Jupiter is pleased with us or even because he is so powerful. Indeed, the idea would be laughed at, because while Jove and his kin may be powerful people, they are also quite silly in some of the stories told about them.

It hearkens back to what my father said about how it was not our gods or even our emperors which made Rome great, but our Senators, our codes, and most of all, our laws. Here is another way of looking at it. It's because we have so little faith in our gods that we are such a great nation. No really, think about it. We don't really believe that our gods can help us that much, so we developed a culture that almost does not really need them. Or at least a culture that we think does not need them. I think you will have to admit that that rather gives us an advantage against cultures who do claim to need their gods, and it would seem that no culture needs them more then the Jews.

During my time in office, I have interacted with many Jews and I no doubt will interact with many more. Still, none were quite like the many among our number which I have been traveling with during the past few weeks.

It is difficult for me to express what this difference is exactly. In many cases it is the kindness and gentleness of you people and the earnestness with which you seek answers.

I guess it's that. . .well. . .I have come to like you. Perhaps, I would even go so far as to say that I love you, and that is not the sort of thing I usually say to people.

And yes, there is the Jew who has been the man of the hour, here: Jesus. Quite an impressive person, no matter how you look at it. You know, in all my life, I don't think that I have ever seen anyone who is quite so. . .kind. During the time that he was with us, did he ever become truly angry? And that makes me wonder even more now, when I hear that he is going to enter Jerusalem for the Passover when there are all these rumours about the Jewish authorities getting ready to have him killed. It seems so foolish, but he does not seem at all scared. I am not sure whether to admire him or think him an idiot.

Of course, if it does come to it, then Jesus' fate might very well be in my hands. The Jews can arrest a man, but they cannot sentence him to death without the authority of the Roman governor. I cannot say that I am looking forward to that possibility.

It brings me back to what I said, or rather what I was going to say, about Jews. On the one hand, they are like Jesus and the other people that I have traveled with during the past few weeks. On the other hand, they are like those people calling for a stoning or a crucifixion in Jerusalem. How can one race produce such different kinds of people?

And when a race can produce such different kinds of people then maybe it has no business being self-governing. It would be better for such a people if they remained subservient to us, Romans.

Now, before you all start rolling your eyes and making sarcastic comments at me, let me say that I remember what became of that man, John the Baptist. That man, Herod, got drunk, and had him beheaded. I could say that that reinforces my point about what a wonderful government, you Jews would have if we left you completely to your own devices, but that is not quite right. The fact is that what happened to John should never have happened anywhere in the Roman Empire, and it still pains me to think that it did.

Indeed, I would like to tell you that I have vowed to never let it happen again, but well. . .when I look at what is happening in Jerusalem, there is a side of me that is not so sure.

Now, awhile back I said that I was going to write about my feelings for Jews, (and it looks like I ended up saying a great deal about that anyway), but this morning, I was discussing this with my wife, who has also been greatly changed by these past events, when she reminded me of one of Jesus' quotes, "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone."

"What has that to do with the Jews' inability to govern themselves?" I asked.

Well, she started recounting some of the darker moments in Roman history. Like when the people turned against Pompey and yelled for Julius Caesar, and when Caesar was stabbed to death twelve times in his own Senate. The people involved with that were ultimately brought to justice, but not without a great deal of civil war and not before the Republic was essentially destroyed.

She suggested that I apologize to the Jews, and I do, but I am more terrified by what it means.

You see, I no longer think that this is about Jews and Romans anymore. I think that it is about people. Human beings. Men. It's not that Jews can be as kind and loving as most of you are, but also as destructive as those people in Jerusalem. It's that all human beings have such potential.

So what does that mean?

For one thing, it means that I am no longer sure how I feel about people. Romans, Jews, and everyone else for that matter. They're all people. And what god, in his right mind, would actually love people? Maybe I've known this deep down for most of my life. It reminds me of what I said before about not saying that I "love" people very often.

Yet, I do love all of you. And you are all people. It's so confusing. And Jesus, people think that he is actually the son of God. He is a person.

Of course, that's another thing which Jews already had in common with us Romans. I mean Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Venus, and all those other folks look like people. We do not worship Cats, birds, and bulls, the way my Egyptian nurse used to. And the Jews say "God made man, in his own image." So we agree that gods look like human beings. Where could such a belief have come from? Perhaps, it means that both cultures think rather highly of human beings. I am beginning to wonder if that makes us both foolish.

Oh well. My poor wife implores me not to let anything happen to Jesus. I have not lost all hope. Are you aware that there is a law which says that one prisoner should be set free for a religious festival? Since Passover is coming, that might come in useful to our friend Jesus.

Jesus may yet survive, but I still worry because, well, because there are quite a few people in Jerusalem.


Good-bye and thank you to you all.

Pontius Pilate