Sermon Ash Wednesday 2020
Text: Matthew 27:11-26 – His blood be
on us.
Having just returned home from a
cruise on the Princess cruise ship I have been watching with great interest and
also relief what is happening in China with the Coronavirus and the passengers
stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
When cruising there is great emphasis
on hygiene to prevent spreading of disease particular gastric viruses.
When going to the dining rooms you
are requested to both wash your hands and then also sanitise them.
But despite all these precautions we
find that it still does not prevent you 100% from catching the virus.
Pilate today thinks that by washing
his hands that he is ridding himself of all guilt in handing Jesus over to be
executed.
But the reality is that the symbolic
act does not remove his guilt.
Pilate knows that this is something
he should not be doing.
He looked for every opportunity to
have Jesus released.
He thought that for sure that if he
offered the choice to release Jesus or a murderer that for sure they’d choose
Jesus.
But no, they choose the murderer
Barabbas.
Even Pilate’s wife knew it was wrong
and tried to warn her husband – don’t have anything to do with that innocent
man for I have suffered a great deal in a dream because of him.
So Pilate again pleaded with the
people – “why – what crime has he committed”.
Pilate thinks he can get away with it
by handing Jesus over to them and washing his hands of the matter.
But it won’t.
He reminds me of Judas who after he
had betrayed Jesus and realised his wrongdoing thought he could just throw the
money back at the Pharisees and that would be it.
But it doesn’t do anything to relieve
his guilt and he takes his own life.
Maybe you’ve discovered that also;
That you’ve been living with a guilty
conscience and have tried many ways to relieve yourself from the pain but there
still lingers that heaviness of guilt weighing you down for Satan to accuse you
with.
That’s how King David felt about the
weight of his sin he was carrying.
He discovered that the weight wasn’t
removed by trying to wash his hands clean but by confessing his sin to God and
having him remove it.
It reminds me of the time Jesus
healed the paralytic lowered through the roof.
He forgives his sin and the Pharisees
complain – who can forgive but God alone?
So often God reveals the truth
through irony.
In Psalm 32 he wrote - Blessed is the
one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord
does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted
away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on
me;
And, again, ironically, although
though not intended, in our bible reading we have God’s message to us about how
we can be relieved from the guilt of our sin.
After he has washed his hands, Pilate
hands Jesus over to the people and says – I am innocent of this man’s blood –
it is your responsibility.
To which the people say – “His blood
is on us and on our children”.
Although not intended that way the
people have revealed God’s work of removing sin and guilt from our lives – His
blood is on us and on our children”.
Tonight we begin our Lenten season
again.
A season of reflection on our
sinfulness and God’s graciousness.
Tonight you will be offered to come
and lay your sins bare and receive the mark of ashes as a sign of your guilt
and repentance.
You will then be invited to come
forward and receive the remedy for your guilt and sin – the blood of Jesus in
the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Here you continue the statement of
the people – his blood is on us and on our children.
That’s where we seek and find our
comfort.
On our journey to the cross this Lent
we will follow Jesus again and hear of his passion – the suffering and
sacrifice for us.
And again the irony will be that his
suffering and death are the outcome of our sinfulness.
But his suffering and death will also
be the source of healing of our sinfulness.
We can’t deal with our sin simply by
washing our hands of any guilt we might have.
Sin, guilt and the devil are too
powerful for that.
Only by the blood of Jesus can we
find comfort and relief from the weight of our guilt and sin.
There can be great shame when we have
to admit our sin and guilt.
Like Judas, Peter had a great shame
for having denied Jesus 3 times.
When Jesus approaches him on the
beach after his resurrection Peter falls on his knees and tells Jesus – go away from me for I am a
sinful man.
When Jesus reinstates Peter as a
disciple it took 3 goes for Peter to finally accept Jesus’ love and acceptance
of him.
When you come forward, whether for
the ashes or for holy communion – or both, bring all your sin and guilt with you.
Leave it here at the foot of the
cross and let Jesus blood be on you.
You cannot wash your hands enough
that will ever remove the guilt.
As King David discovered - Then I
acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Like Pilate and Judas there is
nothing that can be done by human means to rid our guilt.
But Jesus blood on us washes away
everything and creates a clean heart in us.
In these 40 days of Lent, reflect on
what it is you want to bring to the cross this Easter and let Jesus blood be on
you and wash away all your sin and guilt.
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