Lent 2014: Pilate

Matthew 27:11-26

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How often do we know something is wrong and try to excuse our decision to commit the sin by claiming that we are forced into the action or somehow "have no other choice"? Pilate was the governor of the Jewish province and often did things that the chief priests and elders did not like. And of course it was within his ability to simply refuse to cooperate. How many individuals over the centuries have elected to die rather than act contrary to what they believe, even without the hope of heaven.
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Pilate could not wash away his guilt for Jesus' death no matter how hard he tried to. Nor can we. Jesus' death is the means to our salvation and so we are all guilty of His innocent blood. It does us no good to claim that we had no other choice. Pointing the finger at someone else to blame them for our own choice is simply not effective in the face of an all-knowing God. We are guilty, just as Pilate continued to be guilty for Jesus' death, regardless of whether we admit that guilt or not.