Right now, during cold and flu season, it is very important to wash your hands. Washing your hands is the #1 way to prevent getting many contagious diseases, especially if you have already been vaccinated. Lately I’ve been washing my hands so much that I have used lots of lotion to keep them from being chapped.
There is a Biblical story about washing hands. It is typically read during Holy Week. You can find it in Matthew 27. The Jewish leaders brought Jesus before Pilate, accusing him of claiming to be “the King of the Jews.” Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea and in charge of keeping the peace between Rome and the Jews. Pilate had managed to do this, largely by refusing to rule on religious matters. He clearly saw this situation as a religious matter.
“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
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!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Matthew 27:22-24
The Jewish elders and the people understood the significance of Pilate washing his hands. Deuteronomy 21:5-9 lays out the law: “The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for, and you will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”
“You will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood.” This is what Pilate was doing when he washed his hands. He found Jesus innocent but he gave in to the desires of the crowd. His primary job was to keep the peace. Pilate was just doing his job.
As I reflect of this story, I think about all the people, over time, who have justified actions by saying they were “just doing their job.” It doesn’t have to reach the level of concentration camp guards herding people into death chambers. I think of the people who installed Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center or hung the Trump banners on buildings in Washington DC. Just doing their job. I think of the ICE agents spraying tear gas on peaceful protesters. Just doing their job. The jet that bombed the school in Iran. Just doing its job.
But we also, in the end, must live with the consequences of just doing our jobs. Because we have a choice. We can go along or we can stand with Jesus. We can wash our hands or we can choose the hard way and refuse to give in. Like the video that reminded the military that they did not have to follow illegal orders against the Constitution of the United States. The people who made this video have been attacked by our government.
Wash your hands to protect yourself from germs. Do not wash your hands to absolve yourself of your Christian responsibility. Be courageous in standing against the powers of evil. Resist sin and temptation in whatever forms they present themselves. Do not be part of the crowd shouting “Crucify him.” Stay beside Jesus even as we walk through these troubled times.