His Blood on Us
His Blood on Us
22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” 24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”
Matthew 27:22-24
Pilate was in a difficult situation. He was holding a man that was obviously innocent and he tried to set him free but the Jewish leaders would not have it. No matter what he said, they demanded he be crucified. From the outside, you would think that Pilate was the one in charge and with the authority but he was actually powerless to the lies that the Jewish leaders could make. He knew very well that if they complained to Rome that Pilate was helping a man claiming to be the king that his own position and even life could be in jeopardy.
In the end Pilate just washed his hands of the matter. It was too much for him to figure out. He couldn’t find a compromise or better solution so he gave over to the loud voices opposing him.
25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
Matthew 27:25-26
In the end, a bad man was released into the world and an innocent man was condemned to die. The most striking part of course of this story are the words of the Jewish leaders themselves. In a prophetic tone, they condemned themselves and their entire people. The death of innocent blood, of God’s Son no less, was now hungrily accepted by the Jews and history tells us just how high of a price those words ended up being.
When we only think about this world and the current moment, we can fall into the same error. When a person is starving they can do things that they never thought they could. When someone has no hope, morality often falls to the wayside. When you want something so badly, you can often be blinded by bad decisions.
Let us be wiser than this. Let our gaze be far reaching. Let us see the true goal that God has for us and not the daily ones we give ourselves.
God bless,
Pr. Steven Couto