Part 1 Friday Afternoon - Pontius Pilate

The Nail
Part One Friday Afternoon
Chapter Three Pontius Pilate...

Truth! You’ll forgive me if I don’t join in the merriment. It is never as simple as you think. Very rarely black or white. Not as clear as you imagine. Usually shades of grey, that run into each other and collide. But truth itself. It is uncommon. Elusive. Like trying to catch the wind. That was Jesus’ mistake. He saw it clearly. Or, rather, he thought he did.

So take off your blinkers. Stop pointing your fingers at me, and consider one of the few bits of black-and-whiteness in this whole sorry episode. I tried to release him. I didn’t want him killed. It was what I had to do to keep the peace. The crowds had turned on him. There was no other choice.

I actually quite liked the man. He had a certain steely coolness: not aloof but assured. It was uncomfortable. Everyone commented on it. My own wife told me to have nothing to do with the man, to let him go. And, as I said, that’s what I wanted to do...

Taken from The Nail by Stephen Cottrell