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Faith

It’s not my fault

FaultThe events of Matthew chapter 27 have given rise to one of the classic symbols of denial of responsibility: the washing of hands: “When Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, and instead a riot was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this innocent man. See to it yourselves.’ All the people answered, ‘His blood will be on us and on our children!’” Essentially, Pilate is saying that it’s not his fault, he’s only doing it because other people made him do it.

It’s a fairly feeble protest from Pilate, because he then orders Jesus to be flogged and crucified. The crucifixion is carried out by his soldiers. The mob to whom he has said “See to it yourselves” doesn’t actually do anything other than shout. Pilate was under pressure from the crowds, but he didn’t have to condemn Jesus; the decision was his, and he couldn’t escape responsibility by blaming the people who wanted his to do it. Washing his hands achieved no more than publicly demonstrating his own weakness at making decisions.

The statement of the crowd (“His blood will be on us and on our children!”) is ironic, because it is only through Jesus’s blood that people can be washed clean of their sins. The crowd thought they were saying that they were happy to be responsible for the death of Jesus, but as it subsequently turned out, the only way to be saved from having to pay the penalty for your own sins (eternal separation from God) is to acknowledge that you are responsible for the death of Jesus (that is, confessing that he died instead of you).