“When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said, ‘It is your responsibility!’ All the people answered, ‘Let His blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:24-26)
In these few verses we are given several views of the “blood” of Jesus which give us truths to ponder on this next leg of our lenten journey. First, we have Pilate who has found Jesus innocent but succumbs to the will of the crowd. Before he gives the Savior over to be crucified he does something that people have talked about ever since…he washes his hands. He did it to show that the blood of Jesus was not on his hands and that he was not responsible for His death. Pilate, however, was deceiving himself. The blood of the Christ was on his hands and the hands of us all.
Truth #1 – We are all responsible for His death and no amount of hand washing can rid our hands of the stains of his blood.
The people were so intent on the execution of Jesus that they gladly accepted the responsibility of this act on themselves and their children. “Let His blood be on us!” Without knowing it they were voicing the act of salvation. It is because the blood of Christ is on us we can be reconciled to God. This was the very purpose of the cross…that we receive the forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus. So, what they claimed was true.
Truth #2 – His blood is upon us and, therefore, we stand before God cleansed of our sins.
Then we have a convicted murderer, Barabbas. We never hear him say a word but we know his circumstances. He was an insurrectionist who was convicted of murder and awaiting execution. On this day he was one of three taken from their prison cell on “death row”. Two would be crucified but one would be set free…Barabbas. Through a weird chain of events an innocent man was to be crucified in his place, a substitution of sorts. His cross and the punishment that he deserved would be shouldered by an anonymous stranger. Barabbas probably didn’t understand it all as he stumbled into the sunlight, but he knew that he was once a man condemned who was now free.
Truth #3 – Scripture tells us that we all have sinned and stand condemned to die but Jesus has taken upon Himself our iniquities that we might have eternal life. Because of His sacrifice we have been set free to experience life as we were intended.
Today, meditate on these words from the Apostle Paul,
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1, 2)