It is probably the most famous trial in history. At services around the world, Catholics (and other Christians) will hear and perhaps participate in Jesus’ questioning by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. In all of the Gospels, this is perhaps the most relatable incident to our time. There are no miracles, and Pilate has no religious interest in the matter – he regards Jewish belief as all Romans did, a bothersome and quirky faith at odds with the rest of the pagan world.
What concerned him was public order. Though empowered as a judge and charged with separating the innocent from the guilty, this was a secondary consideration compared to the interests of the Roman Empire at large, and his career advancement in particular.
It is plain that he knows Jesus is being set up. He knows that King Herod was, like so many in his line, obsessively paranoid about usurpation or a revolt. Indeed, that was what made them such useful allies to Rome.
The question is thus an easy one for a modern, secularized audience to understand. There is debate about miracles, prophecy, or salvation history in play. It is purely a question of justice vs politics, and then – just as happens often now – politics won.
If one goes back to the release of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, liberal reviewers observed that Pilate was to them the most sympathetic character, and struggled to find fault with his decision. Well, of course. If one believes in moral relativism, than the idea of killing an innocent in order to placate a mob makes sense. And from there it’s a tiny step to going from a single individual to adding more bodies to the tally. “Better that a few perish, and all,” which then becomes “Better that the minority perish than the majority,” and so on.
Once justice becomes a secondary concern, it quickly stops being a concern at all.
Chateau Lloyd 
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