That's your responsibility

Matthew 27:1-4, 19-24 (TNIV) -

1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. 2 They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."

"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."

19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."

20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

21 "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor.

"Barabbas," they answered.

22 "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Pilate asked.

They all answered, "Crucify him!"

23 "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

My thoughts -

The chief priests wanted Jesus dead. Judas betrayed Jesus and then came to regret it. Who is responsible here? Did Judas want Jesus dead? That I don't know. Clearly he made a mistake. But he was acting on orders from the chief priests. Can them telling Judas he is responsible for his own sins really negate that his sins came directly from them?

Pilate alone had the power to take Jesus's life. He didn't really want to, at least not according to the scripture. But the crowd was being worked up into a frenzy. So Pilate washes his hands and says he's not responsible for this death. Yet, he's the only one here with the power to take Jesus's life. Can he really not be responsible?

How often do we declare ourselves to not be responsible for our own actions? There's always a reason. There's mitigating circumstances. There's always something someone really needs to understand and if they did they'd know that it wasn't really our fault.