John 13-21: Jesus and Destiny

What happened in these readings with Jesus and Pilate, were some events I'd been waiting to write about and discuss. Is Pilate thoroughly to blame for the death of Jesus? Yes, it was his destiny and Jesus knew he was going to die to later resurrect. But, there are always the what if's you can't help but wonder about. What if Jesus was saved by Pilate? Is Pilate really as bad as he seems to be? Did Pilate try to help Jesus? And if he did, why does it seem so overlooked?

At first, while reading John 18, I didn't see Pilate as a prejudiced leader, his actions made sense and were not unfair. Pilate asked the Jews to judge Jesus according to their own laws, separating himself completely from the issue as can be seen in the following quote: "If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death..." (John 18:31) But then the Jews went all complicated on Pilate and told him, basically, that the crime Jesus had committed was so felonious that he deserved death, and they weren't allowed to sentence him to death. Pilate is put on a very difficult position. To sentence a man ,for whom he is not responsible for, to death. To kill him for having committed a crime that does not deserve death. He even confirms it, "Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?" (John 18:35) Pilate did not find Jesus guilty of any crime as you can see in the following quote: "...he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all." (John 18:38)

So far, we can come up with a few conclusions. 1) Pilate did not feel responsible for Jesus as he was a Jew. 2) Pilate did not find Jesus guilty of any crime. 3) Pilate had to do something, the Jews were going to go crazy if Jesus did not receive a punishment for declaring himself as Son of God. So his next move made complete sense. Pilate "scourged" Jesus. This is the part in which we are supposed to feel bad for Jesus and hate Pilate because he is so unfair! But in my interpretation, isn't this Pilate's move to help Jesus? To scourge him and then release him? To please the Jews by punishing him, but being equitable by letting him go afterward? Pilate did not find any "fault" in Jesus at all, as he mentions several times. But there was nothing Pilate could do about a crowd's uproar and plea for Jesus to be crucified. I defend Pilate because there are these small and possibly meaningless (because he did allow Jesus to be crucified in the end) moments in which I felt sorry for him. I really do think that he tried to help Jesus, "Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar." (John 19:12), he was just afraid. It was written that Jesus had to die and resurrect.