Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified
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.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
How often do I convince myself
that I’ve taken the only available option?
How often do I justify my actions
by defining it as the least of evils?
How often is the self righteousness
I tell myself has been hard won
actually achieved
at considerable cost to another?
It is extremely possible
perhaps even probable
that there is a bit of Pilate
in all of us.
In every decision postponed
In every courageous conversation avoided
In every truth diluted
or silenced.
Hand washing
though vital for physical health
in these times
may not be so helpful
for peace of mind.
I am not an innocent bystander
but a culpable participant
more often than I care to be.
And it will take more than hand washing
to change that.
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