Hand Washing: Matthew 27:11-26 (Sermon)
Introduction
Thank you, worship team. It is good to gather and praise the Lord.
As we turn to God’s Word, I want to begin with a silly story from decades ago. I won’t say who told it to a loved one. A few decades ago, an elderly gentleman approached the person sitting next to me and asked her to smell his finger.
What would you do if someone asked you that?
I tell my kids never to smell anyone’s finger when presented to them.
To this gentleman’s defense, this person was innocently illustrating the power of ketchup. After cleaning a Northern Pike, your hands stink like fish. If you wash your hands in ketchup, they no longer smell like fish. That makes sense. Right? [Try it out]
I think of it like this. If you stub your toe, you can take your mind off it by accidentally hammering your thumb instead of a nail. You no longer notice the throbbing pain in your foot, but your thumb. A stinking ketchup smell is better than a stinky fish smell. And the ketchup smell is easier to rinse off your hands than fish.
You may be asking yourself, what am I saying this for? Last week, pastor Mike alluded to washing one’s hands as a metaphor for distancing oneself from sin.
In Matthew chapter 27, Judas Iscariot tried to wash up his life after things went sideways with Jesus. He tried to fix the situation by admitting his error, returning the blood money, and then taking his own life.
The Pharisees washed their hands of guilt by using Judas’s blood money to help strangers.
Today, in our passage, Pilate, the Governor of Jerusalem, literally washed his hands to assuage his guilt,
How do we deal with guilt and shame? What do we do when we can’t go back and fix something we did? What does God want?
TEXT
I will have K.S. read the text for us this morning to help us find an answer. We are continuing our sermon series in the book of Matthew. We are in chapter 27, starting at verse 11. We will project the words behind me. Would you please stand with me in honor of God’s Word?
MATTHEW 27:11–26
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24 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.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:11–26, ESV)
PRAYER
As Pastor Joe has been working with us, let us say, “Thanks be to God,” after I say, “The Word of the Lord.” The Word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God]. Will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. It is true. This is a familiar passage; however, it reminds us of what you suffered for our sins. We need your help to follow you. We need mercy. We can’t wash our guilt away; only your blood can do that. Help us to recall and rejoice in your love expressed on the cross. In Jesus’s name, we pray, amen. You may be seated.
CONTEXT
As we preach verse by verse, chapter by chapter, let’s remember the theme of Matthew. We are following the Promised King into his Kingdom. The crazy thing is that this king came riding into Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, on a donkey. People threw down their coats for his donkey to ride on and threw down palm branches. They cried out, calling Hosanna and blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. On the other hand, the leadership of the city interrogated Jesus. He taught and called them out for their hypocrisy. He turned the tables on their arguments and injustices. At the end of the week, in the middle of the night, the followers of Jesus went on the run. You see, goons had come to arrest him. Peter had boldly said hours before that he would never let such a thing happen. But he did because Jesus did. Jesus willingly went to trial and said nothing to his prosecutors until he said something about his being the Son of Man. Peter came around and secretly watched it all. People blew his cover, and three times, he lied about his connection to Jesus. A rooster crowed, just as Jesus had predicted. And Peter realized his lies and wept for his sins. Matthew tells us that although the leadership pronounced a death sentence on Jesus, they didn’t have the authority to administer it. That was the job of the Gentile, the Romans. So, they took Jesus to Pilate, the Governor of the day.
STRUCTURE:
The trial transcript K. read has an organization of three sections; scholars call them pericopes. These sections fit within the larger context of the book. Here is the breakdown:
THE QUESTIONING 27:11–14
THE RESCUING 27:15–23
THE PRONOUNCING 27:24–26
Mattew moves the story along, showing that Jesus predicted the subsequent developments. These sections end with Pilate pronouncing his innocence, washing his hands of the ordeal, and the Jewish leadership accepting the consequential moral responsibility of Jesus’s execution.
THE QUESTIONING 27:11- 14
Turn back in your Bible to Matthew chapter 27, verse 11. Let’s walk through this trial verse by verse:
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. (Matthew 27:11–14, ESV)
Here, Jesus responded like he did in his pretrial: with silence. His tight-lipped response echoed Isaiah 53, verses 7.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7, ESV)
Jesus’s reticence astounded Pilate.
Jesus didn’t deny one single accusation, although they were false.
Jesus didn’t demand his rights, even though he had them.
Jesus didn’t attack the leadership, throwing together this sham of a trial.
Pilate saw Jesus not as a dangerous foe, someone to fear or execute. Instead, he was someone who inspired wonder.
JEWISH CLAIMS
These Jews claimed, as some do today, that he was only a man. I was talking to a Jewish woman this year, and she said, “He was a good man. But we Jews don’t believe that he was the Messiah. We are still looking for him.” If he wasn’t the Messiah, who was he? We have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s testimony from the first century. They were so convinced he was Yeshua, the Messiah, that they suffered and died proclaiming the truth about him. They didn’t fleece the church or people or harm those who disagreed with them. Instead, they loved their enemies to death because they were so sure that Jesus was who he said he was. He was the Lord who called us to live like him, radically loving our brothers, sisters, neighbors, and enemies. We are to turn the other cheek. In Jesus’s trial, he let them have their say.
Why, then, was there so much hatred regarding Jesus? What did he do?
The leadership falsely accused him of not what he did but what he would do, saying he would destroy the temple in Jerusalem. John provided the context and fact-checked this claim. Jesus said that when someone destroys the temple, he will raise it in three days. Jesus was referring to his body, not the building. Mind you, I believe Jesus did make predictions about the destruction of the temple but not to tear it down himself. When the topic turned to Jesus’s Messianic nature, the anger of the leaders fomented to a level justifying their intent to assassinate him. As predicted in Daniel, he called himself the Son of Man, seated next to God, who would come on the clouds in judgment over the world and reign forever. Jesus knew he could not win with these people. He was guilty before his arrest and trial. Their minds were made up; they wanted blood. And all too enthusiastically, Caiaphas—
“the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?’ They answered, ‘He deserves death.’ ” (Matthew 26:65–66, ESV)
But Pilate was not thinking that way. This brings us to the next section, The Saving, verses 15 through 23.
THE SAVING 27:15-23
Let’s look at verses 15 and the following.
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:15–18, ESV)
The choice he gave was between a man named Barabbas and Jesus. Who was Barabbas? Mark wrote he was
“Among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection” (Mark 15:7, ESV).
Barabbas was an enemy of the state, a terrorist of sorts. Rome wanted peace, the Pax Romana. They didn’t want people revolting. Barabbas led a revolt. This anti-establishment, violent movement led to death. So Barabbas was on a death row of sorts. And crucifixion was the preferred method of torture.
PREVIOUS CRUCIFICTION
This week, I read that rebellion and crucifixion were not new sights and punishments for Jerusalem. For example, “the Romans quelled the relatively minor rebellion in Judea in 7 A.D. [sic.] triggered by the death of King Herod, [and they]...crucified 2,000 Jews in Jerusalem.”
(http://www.christ4all.com/2017/11/evidence-for-crusifixtion-of-jesus.html ). Crucifixion curbed civil unrest. This method of death involved attaching a person to a cross, t, or x structure. They would hang there until they suffocated. If they didn’t die, the guards would break their legs to speed the asphyxiation. Picture the grotesque sight of 2000 people hanging dead or dying as you walk the store, work, or school. If this were the penalty, you would think twice about a revolt or breaking the law. Crucifixion was the leadership’s draconian response. In 1846, Michigan was the first state to abolish the death penalty. Twenty-two have followed. Yet, nationally, for cases like:
Murder…
Treason…
Espionage…
Genocide…
And Hijacking…
We have a federal death penalty. Our nation, too, will not tolerate gross evil.
But Pilate doesn’t seem to think Jesus warrants such retribution. Pilate tried to save Jesus by pitting him against a hardened criminal, Barabbas. I picture Pilate saying, “Which was more worthy of death? You decide, a rabble-rousing murderer or a poor, uneducated itinerant rabbi who is teaching about a spiritual kingdom, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and doing good. He even claims to be a prophesied Son of Man.” (https://tyndalehouse.com/explore/articles/jesus-barabbas-or-jesus-christ/#:~:text=A%20few%20Greek%20manuscripts%20do,other%2C%20the%20son%20of%20God.) We know from the rest of Scripture that Jesus had done nothing wrong. We read in Hebrews that he was tempted in every way, yet without sin. He lived thirty-some years and never once sinned in his thoughts, words, or deeds. You would think the choice between Barabbas and Jesus was evident. Matthew tells us about Pilate’s motivation. Look at verse 18.
“For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up” (Matthew 27:18, ESV).
The Greek word “Envy” means a “State of ill will toward someone because of some real or presumed advantage experienced by such a person” (Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 759.) What advantage did Jesus have that the leaders wanted? Well, we know from the text that Jesus had quite a following. People were amazed at his teaching. They were attracted to his healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead. In John, we read,
“The Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him [Jesus]’ ” (John 12:19, ESV).
These Pharisees wanted the world to go after them. They wanted fame, glory, power, and wealth. How would they get that? One way was to take out the competition. Trap Jesus. Imprison Jesus. Slander Jesus. Kill Jesus. But Pilate was not going to be their fall guy or tool. He perceived their jealousy. He is going to offer them Barabbas. They would be crazy to release a killer. Matthew writes Pilate sought to save Jesus for an additional reason.
VERSE 19
Go on to verse 19:
“While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream’ ” (Matthew 27:19, ESV).
Pilate’s wife had a bad dream about Jesus. Her understanding of him was accurate: He was righteous, just, and good. It would be wise to listen to her, and it seems like he tried.
DEATH SENTENCE
He offered to exchange Jesus for Barabbas. This crazy exchange seemed like an easy way for Jesus and the leaders to save face—a killer for the spiritual guru. What did the leadership decide? Let’s keep reading, verse 20.
Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” (Matthew 27:20–23, ESV)
The religious leadership was at it again, stirring up the masses to go along with their evil machinations. They sought Jesus’s destruction. They viewed Jesus as more of a threat than Barabbas! And the crowd in the morning demanded blood. Pilate would capitulate. What was he thinking? John points out what else happened.
FRIEND OF CAESAR
If you have your Bible, keep your finger in Matthew 27 and look at John chapter 19, verse 12. Let me say that again, John chapter 19, verse 12.
From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour[Noon]. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. (John 19:12–16, ESV)
The leaders knew Pilate’s weakness, his pinch point. He wanted to keep his job and life. The Caesars were not fond of riots in their provinces. If Pilate didn’t take out Jesus, there could be an insurrection, and he might become the fall guy. I picture Pilate understanding that his hands were tied, rolling his eyes, waving his hand, and telling the leaders, “Fine, put him to death; see if I care.”
THE PRONOUNCING 27:24-26
This brings us to the final section, The Pronouncing. Jump to Matthew 27, verses 24 through 26, to see what he said.
“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’ ” (Matthew 27:24, ESV).
Notice a few things.
First, Pilate was well aware of the riotous atmosphere. Things were getting out of hand, and he didn’t have control. He was gaining no ground in his attempt to save Jesus.
Second, what did he do? He washed his hands. He symbolically and literally washed his hands as a statement of his innocence of the death of Jesus. Now, did that remove his culpability? Does that make him innocent? No. Pilate was still in charge in the eyes of Rome and responsible for his actions before God. Alternatively, he could not have allowed the Jews to kill Jesus. He could have stuck his neck out for Jesus. He could have bowed down and worshiped Jesus. Instead, he handed him over to the executioners that day.
RESPONSE
Jump to verse 25 to see what the crowd did:
“All the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ ” (Matthew 27:25, ESV).
Note that all the people accepted Pilate’s statement that he was innocent and that it was their responsibility to bear. Why would the crowd agree to that? Did they want guilt? They said that because they thought they were pronouncing a good thing. Jesus must die. They thought they were in the right. But they were in the wrong.
CRUCIFIXION
Let’s land on the final verse, verse 26.
“Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified” (Matthew 27:26, ESV).
The passage concludes with Jesus’s prophecy coming true: Jesus had said as much multiple times, most bluntly in Matthew chapter 20:
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.” (Matthew 20:17–1, ESV)
Jesus knew his destiny. His death was the cup of suffering he had to endure for the salvation of many. It was part of God’s eternal plan to save humanity, the gem of his creation.
WHY INCLUDE THIS?
Now, why did Matthew include these verses? Here are three reasons:
First, it occurred. These were objective facts, history, not myths.
Second, they demonstrate how Jesus predicted the details of his death repeatedly. Jesus can and did do that. He knows the future. He is more than a simple country teacher with good moral character. He is the godman.
Finally, these verses show us the persistent nature of this plan. We see that Jesus might not have to die for his so-called “crime.” Five times, things seem to lean towards Jesus’s release.
Pilate was amazed at Jesus’s silence.
Pilate saw the petty case that the leaders brought to him,
Pilate’s wife warned him not to execute Jesus,
Pilate offered Barabbas in exchange for Jesus,
Finally, when the people choose Jesus over Barabbas, Pilate asks what they want him to do with Jesus. I believe he was hoping they would change their minds or be content with a beating.
But there was no escaping death. The people demanded blood, and Jesus came to earth to die.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US?
Now, to the original question: What does this passage of Scripture teach us? It gives us another look at insufficient means of cleaning oneself from sin. Have you tried to purify yourself from your sin? Have you sought to wash your own hands like Pilate? The Bible says we all are guilty. No one is right before God.
Does baptism clean us?
Does church attendance fix us?
Does Bible reading heal us?
Does doing good things for neighbors redeem us?
Does donating at a cash register deem us pure?
No.
People who get baptized, attend church, read the Bible, and are generous and friendly will suffer eternal punishment because they are not clinging to the only way to become innocent: to be washed. The only way is to turn to Christ, as Matthew 1:21 pointed out. An angel talked to Joseph about Mary and her son’s purpose, saying:
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, ESV).
Listen, folks. Jesus came to save us from our sins. Being good doesn’t cut it. That is not the good news. As I did this week, you will hear politicians on the left and right say it is about being good. No, it’s not. None of us are good enough. We all have no hope in this life or the next one without trusting in Jesus. Peter preached in Acts chapter 4:
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, ESV)
Only through believing in Jesus’s death on our behalf can we enjoy the kingdom of heaven forever. Will you trust him? Some of you have but still struggle with guilt. How do we deal with guilt?
CONFESSION
Have you confessed your sin lately?
Have you acknowledged how you have strayed recently?
Will you read John 1:8 and 9 with me now?
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (John 1:8–9, ESV).
Let’s confess our sins quietly to ourselves in our seats right now.
NO CONDEMNATION
Now, let’s read Romans 8, verse 1 together, reminding us of our holy God’s grace and mercy for humbled sinners:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, ESV).
GUILT REMAINING
Do you believe that? Do you believe God’s Word, or do you believe your feelings? What has more credence? Our feelings and convictions can collide from time to time. Let the truth win. Run to the promises and love of God in the Bible. Some of us have to do this over and over and over. Some of us need to confess more. Others need to meditate on God’s grace and love more. We all need to strive toward living right before our Creator and resting in his love. God is not done with us, church. Jesus is on a mission and has us here for a reason. Let’s pray.
PRAYER
*Use by permission. All rights reserved
-min.png)
%20(1).png)
Comments
Post a Comment