(Reflection for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion)
“I am not responsible for his blood, it is your doing” (Matthew 27: 24b)
Excerpts from the Gospel:
At Passover, it was customary for the governor to release any prisoner the people asked for. Now there was a well-known prisoner called Barabbas. When the people had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas, or Jesus called the Messiah?” for he realized that Jesus had been handed over to him out of envy.
As Pilate was sitting in court, his wife sent him this message, “Have nothing to do with that holy man. Because of him, I had a dream last night hat disturbed me greatly.”
But the chief priests and elders of the people stirred up the crowds, to ask for the release of Barabbas and the death of Jesus. When the governor asked them again, “Which of the two do you want me to set free? They answered, “Barabbas!” Pilate sad to them, “And what shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?” All answered, Crucify him!” Pilate realized that he was getting nowhere and that there could be a riot. He then asked for water, and washed his hands before the people, saying, “I am not responsible for His blood. It is your doing.” And all the people answered, “Let his blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then Pilate set Barabbas fee, but had Jesus scourged, and handed him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27: 15-26)
Reflections:
Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate to be judged. He has the power to do what he thinks should be done. When Jesus was brought to him, he realized that Jesus has been handed over to him out of envy. However, he was pressured by the people. He cannot stand firm on his own decision. He is afraid that people would not acknowledge his position as governor if he will not do their wants. He is a governor but not a leader. He is considered head yet still slave of the people. His leadership is just a title and his power is really nothing. Jesus is right enough when he said, that all powers come from the Father. God share some power on us yet we do not use it accordingly. Thus, if power is use not as expression of God’s wisdom, its meaning becomes voided.
Power can do anything. It can create but can also destruct. It can heal but can also hurt. God shares some of it to us. He trusts us. He gives complete freedom how to use them.
Power is just a term for goodness because if we use it to wrong, power is not already the appropriate term but slavery instead. We become not powerful. Our power becomes our weakness if we do it for bad thus we become slave of it. And so, those who are humble in spirit are the powerful because all their powers are based on might of God. And how pitiful are those greed in abstract power because in truth, they really have none but weakness on enslavement.
God gives every power that we need to decide for our own goodness and for the people around us. But what is bad, we disregard it and let ourselves be fallen on to sin. And after sins have committed, we blame not our own but the nature of our humanity. We say, “Sorry, I am just HUMAN” (Tao Lang). Like Pontius Pilate, we get water and wash our hands and give the blame to other rather than on us ourselves. Saying “Sorry, just human!” is just an equivalent of not recognizing the power that God has given us on our humanity. Human creation is equipped of all the necessarily things that we need to live as His sons and daughters because we are being prepared to His communion. We are “Just Human” but God creates it with Justice from His Image and Likeness. Is it not right also to give justice on our humanity to be configured on His love? We are human but we are powerful than any creation.
Today, there are trends that are akin to the situation of Pilate on his time. Contemporaneously, we have what we called peer pressure and the common act. Allow me to elaborate these things. Pontius Pilate decided in the pressure that he allowed him to be affected. He decided through the dictates of the people. He was pressured. And so today, sometimes, like Pilate, we do things because we allow also other people or we called peer to pressure us, (though sometimes unconsciously) in our decision. We are being pulled by the situation that making us no way to go out the situation. We exchange our power to just-getting-in-situation. We are being drowned to the pressure of peer having compromised the morality we should do. We let peer pressure to take us in the reason to be accepted in a group. We do it to be recognized as someone who belong even the principle of belongingness is not really an act of morality or an act that can lead you to your goodness. Thus, when things go wrong, we get water, wash our hands and give back to them the blame. “Sila kasi, pinilit nila ako.”Another thing is that of the illogical thinking that the universality of the act means already the goodness of it. Thus many are saying, “It’s just OK, everybody does it” (Ok lang yan, marami gumagawa nyan). Many are doing it, so why can’t I? Many do cheating, so why can’t I? Today, things are easy to do especially that such acts are being done by many. Thus, we could justify easily our act as something not bad but a typical thing to do as many are doing it. We, then, disregard our own capacity of classifying things accordingly. We based our act on the acts of another. Whatever is done by many is good for us even if in principle it is not. Like Pontius Pilate, we hear not our own conscience instead we hear the voice of others though we realize what is truth and good within us. What we follow are those things that can facilitate more our comfort. Though, sometimes, there are also people concerned to us prompting us of the good to do but we disregard because we follow what can save our comfort zone. As Pilate’s wife prompted on him not to do anything to Jesus, there are also people who are prompting or advising us what is right or wrong to awaken our slumbered soul. But, sadly, even those concerned person are being disregard by us because what we follow is our egoistic part that is blinded with selfish purpose. And so, when things go wrong, we get water, wash our hands and give back to them the blame. “Sila nga, ginagawa rin naman nila.”
By doing so, we are Contemporary Pontius Pilate. Even I could not deny that. I accept that I too have the same quality as Pilate has. I wash my hand and blame others for the sins I do myself. Ironically, now I could not wash my hand to give the blame to others as I confess that I am Pontius Pilate in some times of my life. I am continuously freeing Barabbas in my life doing the crime again out of my personal incarceration. On the other hand, I am continuously letting Jesus to be scourged and be crucified again with nails done by my sins.
But, I realized that God's love is so much glorious. As I wash myself with water to make me blameless and letting him to be crucified, still his marvelous love wash me truly not by water alone but by his blood on the cross that I may see my worth on him despite all the denial and disobedience I had committed. His Passion, Death and Resurrection are manifestation of His continuous presence on us. True enough that He will never leave us. He is continuously empowering us of the Word of Everlasting Life.
Pontius Pilate asked for water, and washed his hands before the people, saying, “I am not responsible for His blood. It is your doing.”
Jesus Christ embraced the cross, and washed the world from all the sins, saying, “I care for your soul. I love you.”
