Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. – Luke 13:1

Today's Scripture Reading (January 17, 2024): Luke 13

Pontius Pilate is a fascinating historical figure, partially because we know so little about him. That lack of knowledge has invited a few rumors and stories about Pilate that cannot be confirmed. But we do know that Pilate was governor over Judah from 26 to 36 C.E. and that he presided over the execution of Jesus Christ.

We also know that Pilate could be a cruel ruler, often meeting resistance with violence. One story highlights this tendency, although we are not sure of the date of the episode. But during Pilate's governorship, he decided to build an aqueduct from the Pools of Solomon to Jerusalem, bringing much-needed water into the city. The idea was good, but Pilate didn't have the money to get the job done. And so, Pilate decided that the thirty-nine-kilometer (twenty-four-mile) aqueduct would be paid for out of the Temple treasury. For Pilate, it was the perfect solution; he could upgrade Jerusalem, but the upgrade wouldn't cost his Roman employers a thing.

However, the priests and the Jews were less excited by Pilate's solution to the problem. The presence of soldiers in Jerusalem had already caused problems between the Jewish faithful and their Roman overlords. Taking money from the Temple treasury and using it for a secular aqueduct was nothing less than stealing from God. It was a crime the people could not let stand. And so they planned a protest and surrounded the governor's house to let him know of their displeasure, hoping that the governor would change his mind about the source of funding for his aqueduct.

Instead, Pilate sent soldiers disguised as protestors into the crowd. After the governor gave a predetermined sign, the soldiers began to kill the protestors. Ultimately, Pilate got his aqueduct, and Temple funds paid for it. That aqueduct was destroyed almost forty years later during the First Jewish-Roman War (66-74 C.E.).

We do not know about the specific incident that Luke is talking about here, but there is no doubt that it was within Pilate's character to kill those who did not go along with his plans. What these Galileans did to anger the governor may not be known, but his tendency toward violence is well known, so there is no need to doubt Luke's comment in this passage.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Luke 14