A BLOODY RESPONSIBILITY
Pilate was really in a difficult situation. He was the Roman governor placed in the land of Judea to oversee a historically volatile Jewish people. He was supposed to maintain order over a nation that had violently revolted before and was publically resentful of the government that was now over them. And if that wasn’t a tough enough assignment in and of itself, now a riot was starting to form in Judea’s capital city with a guy named Jesus right in the middle of it. The Jews had brought him in front of Pilate and had asked for the death sentence to be issued. Now, Pilate didn’t know much about Jesus, but he could quickly see that this prophet from Nazareth was innocent and that he was not leading a rebellion in any way, but he couldn’t just ignore the crowds. Because they were getting belligerent and if things got too out of hand, Pilate could lose his job and be banished from the kingdom by the Roman emperor himself, as had happened to a previous ruler in Judea 20 years before Pilate took the position. Pilate really didn’t want the responsibility that had fallen in his lap. He knew what he was going to be forced to do and he didn’t want to be held responsible for an innocent man’s blood.
It is rare to find a person who takes full responsibility for their actions no matter how bad they may be, a sinner who immediately and unequivocally accepts the blame and all of the consequences that come with it without a single excuse. It’s hard to find those kinds of people because accepting the blame and taking full responsibility is not natural! It’s natural to cover sins up. And it’s natural to pass the blame to someone else when those sins can’t be denied. People will do or say anything to get out of the responsibility for what they have done because no one wants to feel guilty, no one wants other people to think any less of them than what they did before, and no one wants to suffer the repercussions that they rightfully deserve. Pilate certainly didn’t want to be held responsible for what he was going to do. And so he went out to the Jewish crowds and asked, “‘What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ 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 hand him over to be crucified.”
Pilate felt trapped; and so he tried to pass the blame. Pilate knew he was wrong; and so he tried to unload the responsibility onto someone else. Which isn’t anything different than what we do in our own lives. We try to deflect the accusations of our conscience onto someone or something else too - in order to convince ourselves that we shouldn’t be held fully responsible. Sometimes we conveniently blame the weaknesses of our sinful nature: “I just struggle with this particular sin; I’m going to fall into this temptation regardless and so there’s not much I can do about it. It’s not my fault that I’m more prone to this sin than other people are.” But we blame others too. “If that person hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have had those inappropriate thoughts about them… If that person hadn’t said what she said, I wouldn’t have lost my temper… If that person hadn’t done the things he did, I wouldn’t have had to insult him behind his back… It’s my coworker’s fault for dragging me into the wrong situation… It’s my family’s fault for not supporting me… It’s the situation’s fault for my bad language; I was just a little bit angry in the heat the moment...” We shirk the responsibility every chance we get. We try to avoid any accountability for our actions because, if we are able to shift some of the blame, that takes away some of the guilty feelings. If we are able to pass on some of the responsibility, then we don’t feel as bad. If there’s one thing that makes us uncomfortable, it’s that rotten, achy, sick-to-your-stomach feeling of a guilty conscience.
Pilate felt guilty. He knew he shouldn’t condemn an innocent man to death. And so he washed his hands in water in front of the Jewish crowds and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility.” He didn’t want to be held responsible for the decision he was about to make. On the other hand, the Jewish people had no problem accepting the responsibility for Jesus’ death! “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” they shouted. They had no guilty feelings at all. They felt fully justified in their request that Jesus be crucified and they called down a curse on themselves to prove it! “If he happens to be innocent, Pilate, we’ll take the blame. We won’t hold it against you. We’ll deal with the consequences if this so-called ‘King of the Jews’ actually ends up to be who he says he is. You don’t have to worry yourself about it. Put his blood on us.”
Although these crowds didn’t know it, just a few hours after they said these words to Pilate, Jesus’ blood did settle upon them; and in more ways than one. Jesus’ blood was certainly upon them in condemnation - they were guilty beyond a doubt - but Jesus’ blood was also upon them in salvation. That’s why Jesus died in the first place! So that his blood could be upon the people. So that his blood could wash them clean. So that his blood would make their robes white. The crowds were undeniably guilty of shedding Jesus’ innocent blood, but they were also forgiven for shedding Jesus’ innocent blood. “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” they had brazenly proclaimed. But that was Jesus’ intention all along! That’s why Jesus allowed them to take his life: so that he could be held responsible for what they did to him!
Jesus held himself responsible. Pilate obviously didn’t want to be held accountable for his sin and the people never thought that they would be found guilty of any sin at all, and so Jesus took the responsibility on himself. He took Pilate’s sins of fear and selfishness, he took the people’s sins of hate and rage, he took the soldiers’ sins cruelty, Judas’ sins, Peter’s sins, his mother’s sins, and our sins, and he suffered the punishment for all of them. He allowed his Father to hold him personally responsible for every sin that has ever been committed. And he didn’t complain about it. He didn’t object. He didn’t cry out on the cross: “My people, why are you doing this to me?” No, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus did not proclaim to those watching him die, “I am innocent!” Instead he announced to those for whom he was dying, “It is finished.” And Jesus said those words because he was guilty. He was guilty in a very real way. Jesus became responsible for all our sins so that we wouldn’t have to be held accountable for any of them.
Jesus took the blame. We were going to be called to account because of our sins and Jesus stood up when no one else would and said to his Father, “It was me! I did it. I’m guilty. And I’ll take whatever punishment is necessary.” And so that’s exactly what his Father did: he punished Jesus. He disowned his Son. He held Jesus fully responsible. And because of that intervention, the ugly and embarrassing sins that we never want to claim as our own, we don’t have to. Jesus already claimed them. He already counted them as his own and suffered severely for every offense. We no longer have sins on our conscience; we no longer have sins on our record; we just have blood on our hands. Jesus’ blood is on our hands - and not because of guilt, because of grace. Jesus’ blood is upon his people. He put it there. He wanted it there. And there it will stay. Because since he held himself fully responsible for our sins, he is also fully responsible for our salvation. Amen.
“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” - Jude 24-25
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