Blood on Our Hands

I remember standing in front of my twelfth grade English class, staring at my hands where I'd cupped them in front of me, as I dramatically acted out the edited version of Lady Macbeth's guilt-ridden speech: "Out, spot, out, I say! One, two... why, then 'tis time to do it..." 

Bless the requirements of that class. I had gone through years of acting out dramatic presentations: Sophocles' Antigone, James Weldon Johnson's The Creation, Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, Bronte's Jane Eyre ("Do you think I am an automaton, a machine without feelings?")

Each of those presentations had their own challenges, but this rendition of a broken woman, driven mad with guilt, was one of the most difficult to portray. She had aided and abetted in the murder of a king, the blood was on her hands. And no amount of water, soap, or scrubbing could remove it from her seared conscience.

John 18:28-40 gives us one of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor. In this account, as in the other three accounts, Pilate sees Jesus, and the first thing he asks is: "Are you the King of the Jews?"

This is a loaded question in a political situation where Caesar is the greatest known power the world over, and where little peon countries like Israel and little peon people like the Jews are watched constantly by guys like Pilate to stamp out any insurrections. In fact, he already has one guy in his prison who has committed just such an act, a man name Barabbas, who has led a revolt against Pilate, murdered a couple of Romans in the process, and got himself tossed behind bars. A firebrand whose name means "son of the father," Barabbas is headed for crucifixion, the capital punishment for treason against Rome.

People familiar with all the implications of Jesus' death on the cross and what it means for our salvation are already seeing all the juicy morsels in the above paragraph. Isn't it good? Isn't this sooo good? This story is called The Greatest Story of All Time for a reason!

"Are you the King of the Jews?" Pilate asks.

"Is that your own idea?" Jesus replies, "or did others talk to you about Me?"

See, I think even as He faces death and hears the shouts of His accusers right outside of Pilate's chambers... that He's looking past Pilate's power and position and directly into Pilate's heart. And he sees there a man who could believe. 

Shakespeare gives us another famous quote: "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" (Henry IV, Part 2). Pilate didn't wear a crown, but he did carry a mantle of weighty responsibility, and he's trapped here. The Jews whom he governs have presented nothing in the way of actual evidence leading to capital punishment. So if he hands this Man over to them, he will be answerable to his superiors (Caesar!), because he unjustifiably executes an innocent Man. On the other hand, the Jews are causing a ruckus. Actually, no, it's beyond ruckus by this point. Rioting is happening in his courtyard. And if Caesar gets wind of that, he'll have to replace Pilate for not keeping his governorship under control. One insurrection is one too many -- Pilate is already on the knife's edge.

So he snaps back at Jesus a little. "Am I a Jew? It was Your people and Your chief priests who handed You over to me. What is it You have done?" Come on, Jesus, give me something to work with here. I've got nothing.

Jesus doesn't care much about Roman politics. He's obviously quite affected by Roman politics (see: death on a cross, which is Roman capital punishment versus death by stoning, which is Jewish capital punishment). But He's not itching to storm Rome and take over Caesar's palace. Instead, He says: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is from another place."

Pilate blows right by that entire message: Another place! Another world! He latches like a bulldog onto the political implications and doesn't let go. "You are a King, then!"

Maybe Jesus sighs. So close, Pilate. Sooo close. "You are right in saying I am a King. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this, I came into the world, to testify to the Truth. Everyone on the side of Truth listens to Me."

Ah, Truth. Jesus continues to let it burn (see my blog post from yesterday), but Pilate's tough. He's kind of leathery, cynical. A lot is riding on what happens here: His position is at stake. "What is Truth?" he asks rhetorically. His mind is working. There are a few things that John doesn't mention that we find in the Gospel of Matthew. 

While Pilate is grilling Jesus, a guard enters the room and strides over to Pilate. He gives him a message from his wife. "Don't have anything to do with that innocent Man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him."

Innocent blood will be on Pilate's hands if he gives the Jews what they want, and the torture of carrying that burden does not appeal to him. Out, spot, out! Still... Caesar will not let him live if Insurrection #2 begins in his courtyard.

The four Gospels each record various details of the next stretch of time -- Jesus is sent to Herod, who happens to be in town for the Passover. Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate goes back and forth between Jesus and the Jews: "I can find nothing that this man has done worthy of capital punishment!" 

The Jews are having none of it. They want blood and they want it now. Pilate pulls out what he thinks is his ace in the hole. Barabbas, the insurrectionist, Barabbas, the murderer. They want blood? Blood they shall have. Let's give it to them in the form of an actually-guilty man. "Who would you rather I release from punishment? Barabbas?" Come on, y'all, repeat after me, nice and slow: In-sur-rec-tion. Mur-der-er. "Or Jesus?"

"Give us Barabbas! Crucify Jesus!" Crucify the Son of the Father!

Pilate calls for a bowl of water and a towel, and ostentatiously, he washes his hands in front of the chanting crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood!" he shouts. "It is your responsibility!"

And the rioting Jews shout: "Let His blood be on us and on our children!"

Chills! I mean, honestly, let those words ring in your head. Centuries before this, Joseph, in his position as second-in-command of the entire powerful nation of Egypt, faces his eleven brothers and says: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).

The saving of many lives. "Let His blood be on us and on our children!" The blood that saves many lives! They intend to harm Him, kill Him, raise Him up on a tree -- but God intends it for good, He intends it to fulfill all of prophecy, He intends it to be the crushing of the enemy's plans, for the purpose of salvation for everyone, for the Jews who want to kill His Son, and for their children, too.

For all of us. For all sinners. For all time. 

This is the message of the cross! This is the greatest story ever told! This is Truth, and all the water that Pilate uses to cleanse himself will do not one ounce of good.

It's Jesus' blood on his hands that will cleanse him from his sin. It's Jesus' blood on our hands that cleanses us from our sins, makes us clean, washes us free of guilt.

There's snow outside my window today! "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7). Thank you, Jesus, for the blood that is on me and on my children!