Judas and Pilate Revisited

Scripture Verses that Caught my attention today:

Matthew 27:4 [Judas] said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But [the chief priests and elders] said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” AND

Matthew 27:24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”

Observation: Scripture says that Judas ‘repented’ and tried to do the right thing by confessing and bringing the money back. Tragically, the leaders provided no means for his penitence and refused to take any responsibility, saying; “see to it yourself.”

In similar fashion, Pilate, though he may have had good intentions, didn’t take any responsibility either, symbolically washing his hands and also saying: “see to it yourselves.”

Application: I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Judas, even more so since I attended a conference a few years ago where the Bible study leader (a college professor of New Testament) touched upon Matthew’s account of Judas. He pointed out what I mentioned above—that Judas had come to recognize the depth of his error and at that point tried to do what the law required (i.e. going to the chief priests and the elders). But they would have nothing to do with him. They basically refused to give him access to the common and accepted mode of restoration at that time. They asked him to ‘see to’ something when, in fact, that was exactly what he was already trying to do, but they would have none of it. Literally distraught beyond belief, he most likely saw his life as over except for the breathing. And, of course, we all cringe in response to what, presumably moments later, he did about that.

Today was the first time that I noticed a similar transaction of words between the crowds and Pilate. He too didn’t take responsibility for another person’s life. Like the Chief Priests and Elders, he claimed no responsibility though he actually had considerable responsibility. And by the end of the day, there was another innocent death.

There’s a fine line, it seems to me, between taking on too much responsibility and not enough responsibility. Some people error on one side, fostering an unhealthy co-dependence, and others error on the other side, taking little if any responsibility at all. Truth be told, because of sin, none of us is able to walk the fine line perfectly. Hence our confession often has a line about how we sin by what we have done (taking on too much responsibility) and by what we have left undone (taking on too little responsibility). Stealing, for example, is taking too much responsibility upon ourselves—claiming something that is not rightfully ours. Watching someone else steal and not reporting it or trying to stop it is an example of not taking on enough responsibility.

The chief priests, elders, and Pilate blew it and two lives literally hung in the balance. And while the affects are not always so dramatic for us, we miss taking appropriate responsibility on a regular basis too. Thankfully when we exclaim, “Lord help us,” it’s more than a futile cry…it’s a declaration of faith.

Prayer: Lord, you have done what we could never do—taken the sin of the world upon yourself. Help us to live in thanksgiving for your mercy and to always know that in you we can always try, try again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(readings today included: Psalm 125 and Matthew 26-27)