OceanSide church of Christ
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PILATE WASHED HIS HANDS
Victor M.
Eskew
INTRODUCTION
A.
After being tried before the
Jewish court, the Jews led Jesus to Pontius Pilate (Matt.
27:2).
B.
Pontius Pilate questioned
Jesus. He sent Him unto Herod. He appealed several times to the Jewish
leaders. Nothing, however, would
pacify the Jews. They demanded that
Jesus be crucified.
C.
It was at this time Pilate
tried to dissolve his responsibility in the proceedings (Matt.
27:24).
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 ye to
it.
D.
We look upon Pilate’s
actions with disgust.
1.
He knew Jesus was
innocent.
2.
He had the power to release
Jesus.
3.
In his fear, he sought to
wash his hands of the whole situation.
E.
We hold Pilate to a high
standard, but there are times when we respond to circumstances in life just as
Pilate did. We try to wash our
hands of our responsibility.
I.
PARENTS TRY TO WASH THEIR HANDS FROM
CHILD-REARING.
A.
When children are brought
into this world, God expects the parents to teach, train, and discipline their
children.
1.
Deuteronomy
6:6-7.
And these words,
which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently
unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and
when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest
up.
2.
Proverbs
22:6.
Train up a child
in the way he should go: and when
he is old, he will not depart from it.
3.
Ephesians
6:4.
And, ye fathers,
provoke not your children to wrath:
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord.
B.
The obligation to teach and
train children continues as long as the parents have authority over that
child.
C.
Some parents, however, try
to do like Pilate and wash their hands of their parental
duties.
1.
Children become difficult to
raise, especially in the teen years.
2.
Parents find that small
children are demanding, time consuming, and that sacrifice of self is involved
in child-rearing.
3.
Problems develop between
husbands and wives. One departs and
leaves the other with all the responsibilities.
D.
God does not allow “the
washing of hands” in child-rearing.
Eli is our proof here (I Sam. 2:13).
For I have told
him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth;
because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them
not.
II. ELDERS TRY TO
WASH THEIR HANDS FROM THE FLOCK.
A.
The Bible often compares the
local congregation to a flock of sheep.
In this figure, the elders are portrayed as the shepherds or
pastors. They have the
responsibility of overseeing all the sheep in their care.
1.
Acts
20:28.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the
2.
I
Peter 5:2.
Feed the flock
of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.
B.
As long as the flock is
faithful and peaceable, this responsibility is a seemingly easy task. The shepherd just continues to watch the
flock. It is when problems arise
that some shepherds seek to “wash their hands” of their
responsibilities.
1.
Members involve themselves
in sin and iniquity.
2.
False teaching raises its
head within the congregation.
3.
Members become unfaithful
and drift away from the flock.
C.
Again, God will not allow
elders to “wash their hands” from the flock. There is coming a day when the chief
Shepherd, Jesus Christ, shall appear and hold them accountable for their portion
of His flock (I Peter 5:4).
And when the
chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not
away.
III. MEMBERS TRY TO WASH
THEIR HANDS FROM CHURCH FELLOWSHIP.
A.
When a person becomes a
Christian, he enters into a fellowship of believers called the church (I Cor.
1:9).
God is faithful,
by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our
Lord.
B.
As a member of this body, a
person has many obligations to God and to the other
members.
1.
God is to be
worshipped.
2.
The Bible is to be studied,
applied, and spread to those who are lost.
3.
Mankind is to be
served.
4.
There are also about 40 “one
another” obligations that can be found in the New Testament. These express our obligations to our
brothers and sisters in Christ.
C.
Some try to “wash their
hands” of their duties like Pilate did.
1.
They attend occasionally to
satisfy their conscience.
2.
They cease being a part of
any congregation.
3.
They begin to attend other
religious organizations.
D.
Once again, God will not
allow such “washing of the hands.”
1.
Colossians
1:21-23.
And you, that
were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath
he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if y continue in the faith grounded and
settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard,
and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; where of I Paul
am made a minister.
2.
Hebrews
3:14.
For we are made
partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto
the end.
3.
Matthew
24:45-51.
Who then is a
faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to
give them meat in due season?
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so
doing. Verily I say unto you, that
he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say
in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his
fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant
shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not
aware of, and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites: there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
CONCLUSION
A.
How many of us actually
believe that Pilate was relieved of his responsibility just because he washed
his hands before the multitudes?
B.
In like manner, parents and
elders and members cannot wash their hands of their duties and
obligations.
C.
Romans
14:12.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.