Text: Matthew
27:11-26 - His blood be on us and on our children!
11 Now Jesus
stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the
Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief
priests and elders, he did not answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not
hear how many accusations they make against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer,
not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
15 Now at the
festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd,
anyone whom they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called
Jesus Barabbas. 17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do
you want me to release for you, Jesus[b] Barabbas or Jesus who is called the
Messiah?” 18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed
him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to
him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a
great deal because of a dream about him.” 20 Now the chief priests and the
elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21
The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release
for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should
I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”[d]All of them said, “Let him be
crucified!” 23 Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted
all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate Hands
Jesus over to Be Crucified
24 So when
Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he
took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent
of this man’s blood;[e] see to it yourselves.” 25 Then the people as a whole
answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 So he released Barabbas
for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
It would seem
that Pilate tried very hard to get Jesus freed.
He tried to
reason with the people believing it was out of jealousy that they had handed
him over.
He tried to
have Jesus released under a clemency provision that allowed him to release one
prisoner at this time of year – but the people chose Barabbas instead.
He begins to
panic when his wife pleads with him not to have anything to do with this
innocent man because of a dream she had – even she knew he was innocent.
Finally Pilate
succumbs to the demands of the people but exonerates himself allowing for Jesus
to be put to death by crucifixion but symbolically washing his hands as a sign
that he has nothing to do with it.
Is it that easy
to excuse what he has done?
I’m going to
allow you to put him to death, but I’m washing my hands of his death.
Isn’t that what
we do sometimes when it comes to the things we do wrong?
We wash our
hands of our guilt.
We might do
that by making excuses – it wasn’t my fault, someone else started it, they
deserved it, it was an accident, I was affected by drugs or alcohol.
Our legal
system strives for more lenient sentences by finding some mitigating
circumstances – it was his upbringing, he stole to feed his gambling addiction.
I always find
it amazing that when reporting on a crime the police and media have to say the
person “allegedly” committed the crime, even if there is clear video of the
person doing it.
Finding an
excuse for doing something wrong may entitle you to a more lenient sentence in
criminal law – and may even get a person off a conviction.
Not getting
caught may mean you don’t have to face the punishment or consequence of what
you did wrong.
But there is
something that “washing your hands” of doing wrong cannot do.
It cannot
relieve a guilty conscience.
Many times we
see someone confess to something they did years ago even though they got away
with it because their guilt cannot let them forget it.
Or the sense of
relief you sometimes hear from them as they feel the weight off their shoulders
not having to run from their guilt any more.
In our bible
reading, washing his hands of Jesus’ death won’t exonerate Pilate.
In fact we are
reminded of it every time we confess our faith.
“He suffered
under Pontius Pilate”.
In Judas we see
the full extent of his guilt as he tried to buy his way out of his remorse by
giving back the money by which he betrayed Jesus but ends up taking his own
life.
But we do find
comfort in our bible reading albeit the people had no idea what they were
saying.
When Pilate
handed Jesus over to be crucified, the people cried out:
“His blood be
on us and on our children!”
We can make
excuses that may get us off the hook.
We may be able
to keep some things secret in our life.
But our guilt
can never be ignored.
And we must
never underestimate the damage guilt can do.
It can cause
physical and spiritual damage.
The physical
damage it causes can create sleepless nights – depression – loneliness as we
withdraw from friends and family – it can break down relationships.
The spiritual
damage it can create is in our relationship with God.
Just look at
Adam and Eve who tried to hide their guilt by hiding from God.
That’s what
guilt can do.
If we know
we’ve hurt someone, even if they don’t know it we will avoid them because every
time we see them it reminds us of our guilt.
So too as we
come into God’s presence we are reminded of our guilt and it turns us away.
King David, as
he tried to hide his guilt and shame after committing adultery with Bathsheba
and ordering her husband’s death, felt the full effect of his guilt in sin when
he wrote Psalm 32:
Blessed is the
one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Not blessed is
the one who does no wrong or who gets away with his sin.
He continues:
When I kept
silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
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.
All have sinned
and fallen short of the Glory of God.
God invites us
to come to him – not to be punished but to be comforted through forgiveness
from the blood of Christ shed for us.
And even though
the people had not intended its meaning in such a way the saying is true for us
in Jesus’ death:
“His blood be
on us and on our children!
In this Lenten
journey take time to reflect on your sin.
Read your Small
Catechism and Luther’s explanation to the 10 Commandments which show us that we
have not loved God with all our heart or our neighbour as ourselves despite our
best attempts to believe we’ve done nothing wrong.
Even if you can
totally justify why you acted in such a way, your guilt at some stage will
return and convict your heart.
Your guilt is
Satan’s greatest weapon.
God wants you
to know the sweet comfort of his grace and mercy which does not just cover up
sin, which is all our excuses do.
God’s grace and
mercy wipes away our sin and guilt forever as God remembers our sin no more.
Admitting our
sin is one of the hardest things we have to do but God invites you to come to
the cross and let Christ’s blood be on you.