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NASB | Matthew 27:24 ¶ When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this Man's blood; see to that yourselves." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 27:24 ¶ So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands [to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt] in the presence of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this [righteous] Man's blood; see to that yourselves." [Deut 21:6-9; Ps 26:6] |
Subject: Was Pilate guilty for Christ's death? |
Bible Note: I agree Hank, this is another fine answer in JVH's large and growing collection of fine answers! About the only thing that I would add here is that Pilate found no political or military threat to Rome in Christ, and this was basically his only concern. Only Matthew records the event of Pilate washing his hands. By doing this, he vainly attempted to rid himself of the guilt of condemning an innocent man to death (Deut. 21:1-9; Psalm 73:13).. But this 'washing of the hands' was a custom that was frequently used of the heathens as well as the Jews (displaying innocency). However, the Jews accepted the blame for the execution of Jesus (v. 25) even though Pilate was a 'means' (being the governor) whereby they could execute Jesus. However, this does not in any way make Pilate innocent, since the blame encompasses not only Pilate himself but also the Jews, Herod, and the Gentiles (as was pointed out by JVH). :) Blessings, Nolan! |