By My Hands, for My Sake
The Hands, Washed and Innocent?
Matthew 27

May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ help you understand what it means to have clean hands, and therefore no guilt or shame….

• Who was Pilate kidding?

Barabba’s hands were freed, Judas’s hands threw back the money, Nicodemus’s hands took the Lord Jesus, down from the victorious cross. Adam’s hands would not die, but would work the ground…While their sin was the factor in Christ’s death, only one set of hands could had done anything about it…

And he decided to wash his hands.

As if that would remove the blood that was shed, as the spikes entered the wrists and ankles, and the blood and water which poured out as the centurion’s spear entered Christ’s sacred side…

Who the heck did Pilate think he was kidding?

He wasn’t fooling the Jewish leaders, they realized that with enough voices shouting, they could get him to back down.

He wasn’t fooling his army, they would go ahead, and crucify him according to Roman standards

He wasn’t fooling his wife, who told him to have nothing to do with the holy man.

And he wasn’t fooling Jesus… for God knew his heart.

While Pilate claims he isn’t guilty of the death of Jesus, he needed Jesus to die as much as any of us.

Paul will write of Pilate and his friend Herod,

“⁷  No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. ⁸  But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (NLT2)

Pilate, no matter how hard he tried, was as guilty as any of the death of Jesus…it was by his hand the order was given to crucify Jesus….

He didn’t fool anyone… it was by his hands… and ours.

• Do We Try to Duck Responsibility for our Decisions?

Over the years, I have heard people talk about Christ’s death, and “who killed him.” Even today some people want to blame the Jews, or at least the Jesus leaders. Others want to blame the soldiers, or the Roman politicians.

Like so much of what goes on in this world, we want someone to blame! Someone to hold responsible for causing the mess, so that we have someone to hold responsible for cleaning up the mess caused by the sin.

I don’t care if it is a big issue, like wars and homelessness. Or something in your home, like who left the garage door open, or who forgot to flush the toilet.

We all know the name of the guilty person, some illusive guy named “not me!” or perhaps, “not us!”

Pilate’s answer would work to- “I am innocent – you are responsible!” And so more damage is done, as sin breaks apart another relationship.

Some of us even have the nerve to blame God for the mess, the sin, the decision.

And we like Pilate – try to wash our hands to prove we are innocent!

• It was for Our Sake…

In researching this sermon, I came across an interesting passage about Pilate. It was written by an early church writer and leader named Tertullian, who wrote, “All these things Pilate did to Christ; and now in fact a Christian in his own convictions, he sent word of Him to the reigning Cæsar, who was at the time Tiberius^[1]” Other writers insist that he was a martyr, who was killed because he wouldn’t give up on his being a witness to Jesus’ death… and came to believe he rose from the dead.

I hope these testimonies are true!

The man who tried to wash his hands of the sin of signing the death warrant, cleansed of the sin by being united in baptism with the Lord?

The hands that once tried to place the responsibility in other hands accepting it, and having it forgiven! What an incredible story!

It is almost as good as our sins, which we blamed on others, being forgiven!

We don’t have to pass the buck anymore, and the buck doesn’t stop here. It stops there –  Paul says it is nailed to the cross, where Jesus took on its incredible burden.

That’s the point –  Jesus died at our hands, but He died for our sake.

He washed us, as He did the disciples’ feet, and to quote what He said to Peter,– you are clean indeed.

This is true for all who have confessed their sin, seeking not to justify it, but to accept and receive God’s promise of forgiveness.

^[1] Tertullian. “The Apology.” Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, edited by Alexander Roberts et al., translated by S. Thelwall, vol. 3, Christian Literature Company, 1885, p. 35.