So, in verse 24, verse 25, when
Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, But that rather a tumult
was made, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude,
saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person. See you to it, or literally,
you shall see it. Now look at verse 25. Then answered
all the people, a multitude of Jew. Then answered all the people
and said, His blood be upon us and on our children. Now Pilate
washes his hand, said, I'm innocent of the blood of this man, this
just man. And the Jews in their agony and
violence cry out, let his blood be upon us and upon our children. So it is but a week now that
we were dealing with these things surrounding the death of our
Lord. surrounding Pilate, particularly
the governor of the Providence, including Jerusalem, for he was
the governor, was the proconsular over that territory, over Judea,
in fact, as we read in Luke chapter 3, And it happened to be Pilate's
lot to be caught up as a magistrate in this great firestorm when
the Jews demanded Pilate give to them the order that Christ
be crucified upon the Roman cross, that he be condemned, as they
claimed, as an insurrectionist, as an anti-Caesar zealot trying
to overthrow the government, and teaching the people everywhere
that they ought not to pay taxes under Caesar or under Rome, and
telling Pilate that this man had claimed to be a king, and
therefore Pilate would think a threat unto Rome. Now we saw
in that earlier study that the hand of God so wonderfully directed
all of these affairs and all of these gruesome events and
matter. Because after all, notwithstanding
Pilate's attitude and attempt It was according to the purpose
and the will of God, and that was predicted in the Old Testament
scripture. There's that one in Psalms chapter
2, that there be a confederacy of Jew and of Gentile, of kings
and of rulers of the earth, of Herod and of Pilate, and the
Gentiles and the people of Israel. And that all of these come together
for to do unto Christ whatsoever God had ordained for him. In Acts chapter 4, 26 through
verse 28, you see that to be declared. And they would do to
him whatsoever The hand of God determined it before was to be
done. Time after time we read, and
the scripture was fulfilled. Now, a major player, perhaps
the major player in this event, was a man by the name of Pilate,
a governor. sometimes referred to in the
scripture as Pontus Pilate, called a governor. Some say that Pilate
came to this office about 26 AD, and that overall he was the
sixth person to hold this office in the kingdom of Rome. And Pilate had an ongoing contention
with the Jew, and he held them actually contempt because of
their action and at times we learn that pilots suppress them
even by the shedding of blood. Consider if you would that text
in Luke 13 and verse 1. It speaks of this, quote, the
Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices. And we're not told much about
that except here there must have been an event, an insurrection
of some kind or of some sort. They could, it could have been
done right in the temple of also, which would offend the Jew even
that much more. But it occurred evidently while
they were at worship, while they were going through some of their
ceremonies of worship. And it was done by the Roman
soldier at the behest of Pilate. And those soldiers were wearing
the abominable insignia of their false gods upon their uniform. And something that these Galileans
mentioned there were followers of one Judas of Galilee in Acts
chapter 5 and verse 37 who led a tax revolt against the Roman
government and gained quite a following in his day and time. But then,
in Acts chapter 5 and verse 37 and B, he also perished. He was put to death evidently,
perhaps by Pilate and by the Romans. and his followers dispersed
or dispensed and the movement was put down. Now Pilate was
a man who had before shed the blood of Jews and was recalled
and finally replaced because of the turmoil that was there
under his jurisdiction. And some historians and some
commentators have said, one of them being John Gill, whom I
highly respect, said of Pilate, quote, it is said of him that
falling into many calamity, he slew himself by his very own
hand, unquote. Not confirmed by the scripture,
but in history, some find it. Here's the thought that came
unto me that Pilate, being no friend of the Jews, and Jesus
himself being a Jew after the flesh, yet Pilate went to great
lengths to save the Lord from crucifixion. He went to great
lengths to save the Lord. Of course, the secret providence
of God was guiding all of this and directing it unto it's appointed
in, because notwithstanding pilous belief or conviction or verdicts,
the Lord Jesus Christ must die. And He must die, not at the hands
of the Jew by stoning, but at the hand of the Romans by crucifixion,
by hanging upon a tree. And so you have this anomaly. One that is declared by the judge
to be just and innocent and unworthy of death is crucified nonetheless. Pilate sends the Lord to the
cross, even though declared multiple times, I find no fault in him,
no reason of death. even after hearing that he claimed
to be the king of the Jew and claimed to be the son of God,
even after the governor determined that his prisoner here before
him was no threat to Caesar or to the Roman government, and
he didn't believe the charges that the Jews brought against
the Lord. He knew they had delivered him
for envy, and he did not believe the charges. But we want to consider
the words and strange action of Pilate in that passage in
Matthew chapter 27 verse 24 and 25 as a lead-in under our broader
subject of blood guiltiness from the scripture. Now in verse 24
when Pilate saw, let's look at this very carefully, Pilate saw,
that is he realized It came to be a reality with him. He knew that he could not and
was prevailing absolutely nothing. In his argument with the Jew,
he had gained absolutely nothing. He had made no headway at all. He had not been successful in
persuading the Jew anyway not to crucify the Lord. Nothing
he said convinced them. Not anything that he brought
out or all of it together convinced them not to crucify the Lord. In fact, in verse 23, of Matthew 27. We read that with
every proposition that he made unto them, they cried out the
more, let him be crucified, let him be crucified. No matter what
they heard, they only demanded crucifixion. Now Pilate at this
point sees that it is useless to seek to persuade them to release
the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing that he said placated
their anger in any way or degree. They were determined to see Jesus
of Nazareth crucified and nothing less was acceptable unto them. They wanted no less sinners than
crucify him. Not only that, but also in verse
24, that rather a tumult was made, only they were unpersuadable. They were not only unpersuadable,
but the language indicates that they were on the very verge of
rioting, of breaking out in violence, rioting. In fact, one version
had it, a riot was starting, unquote, and uproar as certain
leaders and Jewish activists We're whipping the people into
a frenzy more and more. Shouting, destroy Jesus, Matthew
27 and 20. Kill him, put him to death, let
him be crucified, they cried. Now let's step back a bit and
view this scene. And there are two things here
that we want to take a special notice of in the text. One, In
Pilate, we see the pattern of many worldly leaders and heads
of state. They are corrupt men, usually. They are egomaniacs. They are high-minded. They have
no settled morals or principles, usually, and are wishy-washy
on matters of religion. They are more pragmatist than
anything else, doing that which works at the particular time. Most leaders fall in that category. And the second thing that we
might note is in the people we see a putrid ugliness of human
depravity. When it is not restrained, how
ugly is human depravity, when it is whipped up into a frenzy,
when the reins are laid upon the neck. We saw this recently
in our own nation, mobs and thugs burning, turning over police
car, breaking windows, looting, beating up those who disagree
with them upon some matter. And it happened in the streets
of our land. But then let's add also a third
thing. Let's bring in the religious
leaders as well, taking an opposite view so often of the Bible. taking an opposite view of what
God has said and the things of God. How often we find religious
leaders siding with the enemies of God, sacrificing truth upon
the altar of unity. Remember, it was the religious
leaders that led this revolt against the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not the Gentile. It was
not the Romans. It was not idolaters. It was
not the pagans. It was the Jewish religious leaders
that led this revolt against Pilate and the government. Now,
Pilate has become, at this point, as we mentioned last week, A
very desperate man. Pilate now is much convicted. He is challenged by people that
he held actually in contempt. And he had an innocent man, he
was convinced, before him, who soon he would deliver up to the
cross. that he might please the mob. And there's his pragmatism. Soon it seemed that he has a
twinge of conscience at this point in his service by what
he does before the boiling crowd that is there at the judgment
hall. And that is the washing of his
hands in water, as we read there in verse 24. One thing that he
did, one thing that he said. What he did was he had a basin
of water brought out in the sight of the people. He did it in public. He did not do it in private.
He did it out before the people, and he washed his hands, and
in the sight of the multitude, for it was designed for them. and for their benefit as well
as for himself. Now he deliberately did it in
their sight and in their hearing, in front of them. for them to
see and to behold as a witness to them and before them. We will soon see that the act
of Pilate in washing his hand was a symbolic gesture that the
Jews were familiar with out of their sacred scripture. Pilate
may have adopted that custom from them and for their benefit,
and he used it deliberately for their sake and in their sight. He himself, is what it said,
washed his hands. And it really said right in the
presence of. He really himself did the washing
right in the presence of them. Now, even in our society today,
don't you still hear people say sometimes, I wash my hands of
the whole affair. I'm just washing my hands of
this matter. I don't want anything to do with
it. They don't use water, as Pilate
did. And what they mean is, I'm done
with them, I'm done with it, I'm done with her, I'm done with
him, I'll have nothing to do with it, I want no part of it,
count me out, and so forth. So people are still saying that
today. Then what Pilate said in verse
24 and the last part, I am innocent of the blood of this just person,
see you to it. He literally said or you will
see it. You will find it to be true. Now here's one of several times
that Pilate declares of the Lord that he finds nothing worthy
of death in Him. He deserved no penalty. He's
an innocent man. He is falsely accused. And he
adds to them, ye yourself shall see it to be so. As if Pilate
says unto them, as for me, I find nothing worthy of death in him. And if you force me to put him
to death, then I declare unto you that I stand innocent of
his death. But you will see that it will
come back to you and come back upon you, you will see that I
am right. You will be answerable for it.
It will be much the same with a priest as it is with Judas
after he threw down the blood money in the temple and made
the confession, I have betrayed innocent blood in Matthew chapter
27 and verse 4. So what is that but to see to
it yourself? You bear the consequences of
it. As Gil said, the case of both
the Jews and of Judas. You answer for your own action
and consequences. Now, in Matthew 24 and 25, the
Jews have a ready answer, and they reply immediately. That makes the ears of all that
hear it to tingle. My God, what a curse have they
brought down upon themselves, showing how hard and obstinate
were their hearts and how blind they were to the things of God
and the scripture. And here they cry out, let his
blood be up on us. But notice, they carry it even
further, and upon our children. upon our succeeding or successive
generation. Let His blood be on us and on
our children. Blood, guilt in it. Now please
understand that their words, let this blood be upon us and
upon our children, is not meant Let his blood be upon us to cleanse
us of our sin. That's not their meaning in this
place. It is not meant that the blood
of the Passover lamb be upon us like it was on the doorpost
of the Israelite. Let his blood be my righteousness
and my justification." That's not their meaning at all. Only Christian believers can
say, let his blood be upon us to cleanse us of our sin and
our guilt. Let his blood be my righteousness
and be my justification. No, these Jews before Pilate,
in such a devilish frenzy, So determined to see the Lord destroyed
in an awful death, they were willing to accept both the blame
and the consequences of the Lord's death. They demanded it and stood
by the guilt and the consequences. Even if Pilate would pronounce
him innocent, let him be crucified. Even though Judas had repented
himself and said, I betrayed innocent blood, let him be crucified. Let even if the consequences
be catastrophic on us, our people, our nation, and our children,
let him be crucified. Even if it become a danger to
the people of our nation, let him be crucified." Now this was
their reply to Pilate saying, I'm innocent of the blood of
this just person. For they cry out back, and Matthew
writes, all the people did it, verse 25, not just the priests,
not just the elders, not just the activists, but the majority
of the people gathered in that place. Let His blood be upon
us and upon our children. In other words, they say, we
accept what comes with it. We accept the consequences of
what comes with it. Let us bear the blame forever,
we might say, as Judah said when he became surety for Benjamin
in Genesis chapter 43 and verse 9. If Pilate was reluctant and
had compunctions of guilt, they had none. They would assume the
responsibility for their mindset was exactly the same as Paul's
once was, as described in Acts 26 and 9. Listen to Paul as he
said, at a time previous, I truly thought that I ought to do many
things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, unquote. I thought that. I thought I ought
to do things that were contrary to Jesus of Nazareth and that
movement. And he adds this, which things
also I did in Jerusalem. I not only thought it, says Paul,
but I did it. And you can see that in Galatians
1.13. 1 Timothy 1 and 13, Acts 8-1
and Acts 9, as Paul acted out his thoughts against Jesus of
Nazareth. Then I want you to hear some
words of instruction from the Lord Jesus to the disciples. In John chapter 16 and verse
2, the Lord's warning to his disciple, he said this, the time
comes that whosoever kills you will think that he does God service. Has that ever sunk in on you,
the word service? We look at it in a minute. He
that kills you will think or consider that it is a service
unto God. This is a very clear word picture
in the word service. The word is at least five times
in the New Testament, and it has the meaning of a divine service,
even a worshipful act, a worshipful act, the ministration of God,
the rendering of religious homage to minister unto God. And he
that kills you will think that he is doing that unto God. To kill one allied to Christ
They regarded as a sacrifice to God as if they offered unto
him a sacrifice accepting and well-pleasing. Just as Paul once
thought he was doing God's service when he persecuted and wasted
the churches of God, and he cast some into prison, and he forced
others to blaspheme, and he consented unto death. one being Stephen
in the book of Acts. Such men John Gill called zealots. They were zealots for their religion. Now how could they, meaning the
Jew, be of such a mind that to kill the followers of Jesus would
be a sacrifice to God? We have to understand this. We have to get inside of their
mind. at this particular point in our
study. They were driven by what Paul
called a zeal of God in Romans chapter 2 and verse 10, but he
said it was not according to knowledge. It was a zeal of God,
but it was not in accordance with knowledge. They were acting
in their darkened mind and convoluted thinking in the belief that they
were acting to save their religion. They were doing these things
to save their religion from extinction, and they destroy a false new
way led by Jesus of Nazareth and his followers, and that they
were protecting their religion from these that they considered
to be enemies. because they were tearing down
Judaism in the mind of these blind Jews. They were speaking
blasphemous words against their holy place and against the law. That Jesus of Nazareth would
destroy this place and destroy the custom that had been given
unto them by Moses, Acts 6, 13 and 14. That their temple would
be destroyed, Matthew 24, And verse 2, Luke 19 and 44, and
that Jesus and his followers were teaching the Jews to forsake
Moses and to neglect circumcision of their children, Acts 21 and
21. So they are acting in their mind
to preserve their religion. And they justified even the murder
of those who were practicing another religion and that they
disagreed with. And that spirit is yet alive
in the world to pretend to do so. In the name and the honor
of their God and their religion, they're willing to kill others.
Even in Christianity, we have seen instances of this misguided
zeal. Remember, if you can, when some
zealots blew up abortion clinics, when they placed explosives in
them and blew them up in the name of Christ in Christianity
and Christian conviction. I remember that man who, if I'm
not mistaken, walked in the church and murdered one of the most
prolific abortion doctors in the land at that time, thinking
they did the Lord's service. thinking that it was the Lord's
work. We dispute that and do not agree
with them. But the Jews said of Jesus in
John 19 and verse 7, we have a law and by our law he ought
to die because he made himself the son of God. He claimed to
be that. This they considered blasphemy. This the Jews considered blasphemy. And for such, they said, he ought
to die. And so they were willing to bear
blood guiltiness. Let his blood be upon us and
our children. Because they justified themselves
that they were acting to the honor of God, to the preservation
of their religion, which of old time had stood. Now, let's expand
the subject a little bit beyond that. To be blood guilty, what
does that mean? To be blood guilty means to take
a life. Because the life of the flesh
is the blood. The blood is the life of the
flesh. Leviticus 17 and 11. That's why the Jew was forbidden
to eat blood. in the food that they consume.
This is why God instituted capital punishment in Genesis chapter
9 verse 5 and verse 6. Your blood will I require at
the hand of every man. whosoever sheds man's blood,
by man shall his blood be shed. And then do you remember that
there was an avenger of blood in the old economy? There was
one called an avenger of blood. You'll read about it in Deuteronomy
chapter 19. And you remember the setting
up of the cities of refuge. There were six of them in the
land of Israel. And those cities were for the
sake of someone who had killed another. Whether accidentally
or premeditatedly, he could flee to the city of refuge and find
sanctuary until his case had been heard by the magistrates
of the city. But let's go back to the New
Testament and the commotion surrounding the crucifixion of the Lord and
the confession of Judas, who betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces
of silver. In Scripture, wasn't that the
price of a slave? In the Word of God, Matthew 27,
3 through 10, you have an account, confessing his own blood guiltiness. I have sinned. I have betrayed
innocent blood. Then he came back to the temple,
and he threw down the blood money at the feet of the priest who
had bought his corruption. And they said, well, this is
blood money. We can't put it in the treasury,
so they bought a potter's field, a field of blood with it to bury
strangers in. They, too, would not put it in
the treasury. Now, this occurred because Judah
saw that Christ was condemned. When he saw that Christ was condemned,
he is in bonds, and he's being led away under Pilate. I raised
the thought. Think about it. Did Judas perhaps think in his
own mind that the Lord would deliver himself out of their
hand? After all, he'd done it before,
and Judas had been a witness of it. Judas kept his blood money
that way, and the Lord would be free. and with less pangs
of conscience." My, but what a powerful thing are the pangs
and an accusing conscience. When God lights the fires of
conscience seven times hotter than they've ever been lighted
as usual, we see its effect upon Judas again. He confesses his
blood guiltiness. I betrayed innocent blood. Secondly, we notice going further,
he repents himself. Judas does. He repents himself. Not true repentance. Not at all. It is not godly sorrow. It is
not repentance unto life. It is not a work of grace. It
is only an accusing conscience. and a fit of guilt and of remorse,
but seeking a bit of peace. The third thing we notice is
that he throws down the money at the feet of the priest. He
would have it no more, and as he would, return it. And then
the fourth thing is he goes out and he hangs himself. Judas does
that. He goes out and he commits suicide
and hangs himself and kills himself. And you have a fuller account
of it in Acts chapter 1. and verses 16 through verse 20. How awful was that death of Judas
the betrayer. He fell down and the scripture
said he burst open and all of his inwards came out. Acts 2,
Acts 1 and 20, and that's a prophecy of Psalm 69 and verse 25. Now consider the priest handling
the 30 pieces of silver and their hypocrisy. They call it blood
money, of all things, the price of blood. And they have scruples
now against putting it in the temple treasury. I wonder, did
it come out of the temple treasury to begin with, or did it come
out of their pocket personally? Did they put the guilt upon themselves,
or did they put the guilt upon Judas, which made it to be blood
money? their act, or his, or both. Now, let's quickly remind ourselves
of the consequences of the Jews' willingness to bear the blood
of Christ, to put him to death, to endure what it brings upon
them. Here are some of the consequences. The kingdom of God was taken
from them and given unto another people. Matthew 21 and verse
43. And the stone which the builders
rejected would grind them to powder. Their temple became an
empty shell. Their city was ravaged, burned,
and destroyed. And as Spurgeon put it, and I
quote, the Jewish capital became the veritable asel del ma, the
field of blood, unquote. And it reached its apex in 70
A.D. when the armies of Titus invaded
and they spared nothing and they destroyed Jerusalem completely. And multitudes of all ages and
of all genders were slaughtered in that great massacre. and they
were trodden down of the Gentiles until the fullness become end. Luke 21, verse 24, trodden down
of the Gentiles. Also consider this, if it is
true that Pilate did kill himself, the crucifixion of Christ must
have been a factor. He could never escape that divinely
assigned role in the death of our Lord. And by the way, there's
Pilate's wife. We didn't say much about her
last week. There's a short mention of her
in one verse in Matthew 27 and verse 19. But how providential
is the action of the wife of Pilate? She sends him a message. on the court, warning him to
have nothing to do with that just man, saying, I've suffered
in a dream this night many things on account of him. I wondered
this week, was Pilate's wife a Jew? Was she a Gentile? Was she a proselyte? The main
thing in her dream, however, was not her agony. And it was
not the consequences for Pilate, but it was another testimony
of the innocence of Jesus. This just man, she refers unto
him, was not just her agony, but a testimony to the impeccability
of our Lord. Again, I want you to consider
quickly the prayer of David in Psalm 51, Only one verse. Verse 14. Part of his prayer
says this. Deliver me from blood guiltiness,
O Lord. Deliver me from blood guiltiness. What? He had killed Uriah. the Hittite, the husband of Bathsheba
with a sword, 2 Samuel 12 and verse 9. Now, David didn't take
the sword in his own hand and kill him personally and directly,
but he ordered it done, and he stands guilty in the sight of
God. Same thing with the Jew. They
did not nail the Lord to a cross, but they put it into the hand
of the Romans. Consider that avenger of blood
in Deuteronomy 19 and the cities of refuge. For innocent deaths
were to be avenged by one called an avenger of blood. And he pursued the, quote, manslayer,
unquote, who had killed somebody. And when he killed someone, threw
down his instrument, immediately headed as fast as he could to
the city of refuge. And a kinsman of the dead, hot
on his trail, the avenger of blood, to catch him and to slay
him ere he made it. into the city of refuge. There were six in Israel. Sanctuary
cities, we might call them. The avenger of blood was to kill
one who had murdered a member of his family. Numbers 35 and
verse 12. Then I would have you think of
Cain, who slew his brother Abel. You have it in Genesis 4, 8 through
11. And he became blood guilty in
the sight of God when he killed Abel. Why? Because his works
were evil and Abel's were righteous. 1 John 3 and verse 12. Then in Genesis 4, verse 10,
God said to Cain, Your brother's blood cries unto me from the
ground." Here's the first murder that we read about in the scripture,
and it concerned religion. And judgment came upon Cain,
if you remember all the days of his life. I think quickly
about Moses' wife. When he circumcised their son,
she said to him, you are a bloody man. Then I want you to hear
Paul. If you want to turn to the book
of Acts, I like to read from verse 18. And in the book of
Acts, Paul in Acts chapter 18 and verse 6, in Corinth, preaching
to the Jews who are rebellious against the message of the gospel. And look at verse 6, when they
opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his raiment and said
unto them, Your blood be upon your own head. I am clean. From henceforth, I will go unto
the Gentiles. And then again, we notice in
Acts chapter 20, and I'd like to read you a passage, verse
26 and 27, gathered with the elders at Ephesus, giving them
their final instruction. And in verse 26, And I'm sorry,
verse 20 and verse 26 and verse 27 of chapter 20. I'll get it
right in a minute. Wherefore, I take you to record
this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare
unto you all the counsel of God. And it's tied to that. I'm innocent
of the blood of all because I have preached the unadulterated truth
of God. I want to give you just two examples
of being blood guilty that are applicable unto our day. Number one, false prophets, liars,
deceivers who lie to the people. who tell them lies, tell them
what they want to hear and not the truth. They deceive the people
and it's not harmless, it is to their ruin. The blind leading
the blind, teaching a false view of depravity and of the grace
of God and of the gospel. Blood guilty they are for the
blind leading the blind. I think you might can relate
to this one. How about the blood guiltiness of abortion in our
land and in our day? Bloody hands to the courts that
legalized it, that said they have a right in the Constitution
to murder a baby while it is yet in the womb because it is
unwanted. You know where they stuck that
right in the Constitution? Under the right to privacy. Not much privacy for the child. But since that time, millions
upon top of millions of babies have been murdered, from the
womb because they're inconvenient or whatever. And so, bloody,
bloody, blood guiltiness, I think, on our country and many that
partake of that. I don't have time to speak of
Hebrews chapter 10, 28, and 29, talking about those who trample
underfoot the blood of the Son of God. These are apostates who've
gone away, and they trample underfoot the blood of the Son of God. And great judgment falls upon
these that are against it and that are blood guilty. And the
judgment is from the hand of God, whether it be Cain, whether
it be Judas, whether it be Pilate, or whoever it might be. The judgment
of God falls upon the blood guilty, except they are cleansed by the
blood that they have called down upon their heads.