The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead. But they feared the Roman government too much to exact justice themselves. So they passed Jesus over to Pilate, who wanted no part of it. While Pilate would have been glad to just let them handle it, he was still a politician, and catered to the crowds. Later in the conversation, between Pilate and Jesus, Jesus lets him off the hook saying that the ones who handed him over were more guilty of the sin than Pilate was. So Pilate washed his hands of it, and was able to keep a clear conscious. There Jesus hung on the cross, dying. In my mind, I imagine Pilate saying to himself, "look what the people have done"... and the people saying... "look what Pilate has done"... who takes ownership? Do we resemble any of the characters in this story? How quick are we to blame? How much responsibility do we take for the state of our world? Our homes? Our jobs? Our relationships? Do we recognize the impact we have on the world and people around us?
Readings: 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11
