And if this report reaches the governor’s ears, we will win his favor and free you from worry.”
This verse reveals the chief priests’ false concern and cunning: they promised to protect the soldiers if the lie were exposed. “We will win his heart” means we will soften Pilate or persuade him by a bribe. This statement shows that sin always demands a new lie in order to preserve the previous one. They were trying to protect the soldiers not by justice, but by a false guarantee. This episode also shows that when fear and lies unite against the truth, then, in order to seem convincing, other forms of deceit always come to their aid, for example, greed. But the truth has no need of help: it stands alone.