Are you washed in the Blood, or do you wash your hands?

In the Gospel of Matthew, in the twenty-seventh chapter, Jesus is before Pilate, the Roman governor. Having been accused of crimes such as blasphemy, the Sanhedrin brought Him to Pilate hoping he would find Jesus guilty and sentence Him to death. But Pilate, after questioning Jesus, found no guilt in Him. But after the elders insisted that he sentence Jesus to be crucified. So, Pilate, bowing to pressure, handed Jesus over to be crucified and washed his hands, saying, “I am innocent of this Man's Blood.”

But Pilate had it wrong. Jesus' Blood is on the hands of all sinners. He died for all of us, not just a select few. As Christians, we are washed in the Blood of Jesus. He said in Matthew 26:28, “This is my Blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, showed he was washed in the Blood when he was before the Sanhedrin. After hearing Stephen speak the truth about their ancestors in the Old Testament, they stoned him. But Stephan would not wash is hands of Jesus, even in the face of certain death. He saw Jesus standing to receive him, and asked that God not charge them with the sin of killing him.

Saul not only washed his hands of Jesus, but persecuted all Christians. He chained them, imprisoned them, and perhaps killed some. And he was present at the stoning of Stephen and approved of it. But then on the road to Damascus, Saul met Jesus and soon after became Paul and then was washed in the Blood of our Savior. He suffered greatly because of his love of Christ, but never washed his hands of Jesus again.

There are many who claim to be washed in Blood of Jesus, but as soon as things go wrong in their lives, they're ready to imitate Pilate and wash their hands of Him. They could be called fair weather Christians. As long as things go their way, they praise Jesus and shout, “Hallelujah!” But then when things go God's way, they accuse Him of not being with them, and they wash their hands of Him, until the next time when everything is wonderful.

Or we bow to the pressure of the world when people find out we've accepted Christ. They want us to go partying with them instead of going to bible study. And Sunday when it's time for Church we're in bed not feeling well from staying up too late. Or we go out with friends when we know we should be devoting time to Jesus. In that sense, we wash our hands of Christ.

God's Word says we are not to live that way. Paul says in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” And Peter says, “Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

We should take being washed in the Blood very seriously. After all, when the day comes and we stand before Jesus, the last thing we should want to hear is, “I wash my hands of you, since you washed your hands of Me.”