As millions of Americans and their families celebrate Easter this Sunday, an American couple made the trek to Israel to get a fuller understanding of what transpired over 2000 years ago. To do this, they visited the Pontius Pilate Museum in Jerusalem to learn more about the governor who sentenced Jesus Christ to his death by crucifixion. It’s one of the earliest examples of anti-semitism and certainly the most successful, by far, creating a martyr followed by billions and adored by more.
Alvin and Tamara Johnson made the trip after their longtime pastor, Jeremiah Long, was removed by their church for “questionable behavior” with parishioners. Alvin, who has been with the church since a child, began to question how much of his pastor’s lack of integrity tainted the lessons about Christianity upon which he had been raised. Said Alvin, “What better place to start than the crucifixion.”
The museum, whose exhibits detail the life and times of Pontius Pilate, was recently renovated. “It was quite incredible,” says Tamara. “It has some interactive displays, a hologram deck, and bathrooms with replica sinks that Pilate used to wash his hands.”
“We both learned so much about one of the top five villains in world history,” Alvin declared. “I mean, you have Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Atilla, and Pontius. Pontius was so evil, even Caligula wouldn’t renew his governorship.”
One of the most noticeable and disappointing aspects of the museum is just how much it ignored other aspects of Pilate’s life to focus on the crucifixion of Christ. “Sure, there were some neat coins he minted, and the Pilate stone, but mentions of his great achievements were downplayed,” said Tamara. “He built aqueducts, roads, and sewers for Jerusalem. He modernized ruins. He was tough on crime with a record number of stonings and crucifixions. I mean, Jesus wasn’t alone on the cross, not sure why he owns it,” Alvin mused. “But still, wherever you turned, it was crucifixion this and crucifixion that. It was a bit much. They really beat it to death.”
While some historians claim it wasn’t even Pilate that sentenced Jesus to death, religious scholars have worked overtime for the last two millennia to make sure he owns it. It’s so bad that Christians won’t do Pilates. Oddly enough, however, Christians have carried on the tradition of antisemitism, capital punishment, and cross burning, which makes one wonder…if you kill enough people, at some point, won’t you ensnare the Son of God?
Happy Easter!
This guest post was written by John Steal.
Featured image care of Unsplash.com