Scripture: So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Matthew 27:24-26 ESV
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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, following a goodwill custom to curry favor during the Passover celebration, Pilate asks the people who he should pardon: Jesus, “who is called the Christ,” or Barabbas, a confirmed freedom fighter who, along with two other men, murdered a Roman soldier during a failed coup. Stirred by the chief priests and elders, the crowd, many of whom cheered Jesus into Jerusalem five days earlier, now clamors for his crucifixion in exchange for the freedom of an actual criminal, Barabbas (who was likely a hero to many Israelites who despised the Romans).
Today’s reading continues the drama between Pilate and his audience of religious leaders and their confederates dispersed among the crowd. Pilate, fearful of rioting and realizing he had said all he could to end this matter, symbolically washes his hands before the gathering to emphasize that he is innocent of the blood about to be shed. Undeterred, the crowd shouts, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (v.25 above). So Pilate obliges by releasing Barabbas and commanding his soldiers to scourge Jesus and carry on with his crucifixion.
Historical notes: Regarding the act of washing one’s hands to declare one’s innocence, this did not pertain to Roman custom. However, it may have been a Jewish tradition that politically-minded Pilate observed through his years of interacting with Jewish leaders (confer Deuteronomy 21:6 and Psalm 26:6).
Regarding the scourging of a convicted criminal, while Jewish law limited the whipping of an Israelite to thirty-nine lashes, the Romans adhered to no restrictions. Cruelly, they often would plait pieces of bone or lead into the leather thongs of the whip (as in the case of Jesus) and strike the flesh repeatedly to a pulp until even exposing the bone—all of which was to send a stern message to would-be dissidents and to hasten the criminal’s death on the cross.
Takeaway: We must not eisegete Scripture (interpreting the text to support one’s bias). As addressed in a recent Daily Focus, the Jewish nation (as a whole) did not condemn or crucify Jesus. More likely, a small number of the crowd (the religious leaders and confederates) were to blame for inciting an ignorant gathering of the masses to demand Jesus’ presumed rightful death by cursing themselves before God if otherwise proven wrong. Still, it is shocking that they would even call down this curse on the next generation. Indeed, their mindless, impassioned response demonstrates how our emotions can get the best of us when not tuned to the will of God.
Our takeaway? We need to be grounded in Scripture. Over the past two millennia, charismatic leaders have preyed on people who are immature in their faith, resulting in disastrous outcomes for all concerned. And often, biblically illiteracy is the root of the problem. Still, the high priests and elders excelled in their knowledge of Scripture. Yet, the Word did not inform their lives in the ways of the Lord. Instead, they used the law to control the masses and maintain their positions of power.
Our part? When we immerse ourselves in God’s Word and cooperate with his Holy Spirit to incorporate its promises and commands into our lives, it matures us in all wisdom. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul urges the church to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (3:16 ESV). Indeed, when we let the Word “dwell in us richly,” it will guide us in all truth and wisdom and rescue us from following blind guides heading to their demise (see Matthew 15:14).
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who possessed supreme knowledge of Scripture and perfectly applied it to his life following your will. Indeed, he is the Word incarnate from which all wisdom dwells richly in us. Still, we confess we can be inconsistent in reading, marking, and digesting your Word. So, please help us to cooperate with your Holy Spirit and develop the habit of daily grounding ourselves in Scripture as we journey onward and upward. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling