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 manʼs blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" All the people answered, "His blood is on us and on our children!" Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Matthew 27:24-26 NIV
Pilot wanted to avoid the guilt of killing Jesus, but the Jews eagerly accepted it. The reality is that none of us can wash our hands of the blood of Christ. Like Pilot, we are each guilty of killing Jesus. And yet, the irony is that, from an Old Testament sacrificial perspective, having Jesus's sacrificial blood on our heads is actually pardoning (not condemning) us of the blood on our hands.
Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus's sacrifice. Thank you for not holding us guilty of the blood on our hands. Jesus, please help me better appreciate your sacrifice. Holy Spirit, please help me help other people experience forgiveness and restoration through the blood of Jesus. I ask in the name of the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world.
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