On Good Friday, we’re invited to ask a powerful question: can guilt ever be washed away with water alone? Pilate thought so. But his actions—and their consequences—reveal something much deeper about our need for true cleansing.
Pilate’s Public Display
Matthew 27:24–26 tells us:
“Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!’ … He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.”
Pilate tries to absolve himself of guilt with a symbolic gesture. A rinse of water. A declaration of innocence. But his soul still carried the stain. No amount of water could clean what only blood could truly address.
A Universal Longing
There’s something in this story that speaks to all of us. The desire to be clean. To be free of guilt. To know that we are okay.
Romans 2:15 tells us that even those who don’t follow God have a law written on their hearts—their conscience bears witness to what is right and wrong.
Pilate knew. So do we.
We attempt to cleanse ourselves through:
- Apologies
- Distractions
- Rationalizations
- Good deeds
- Avoidance
- Blame
But none of these reach the soul. They’re water-based approaches to a problem only solved by blood.
The Cross: Where True Cleansing Happens
What Pilate attempted with water, Jesus accomplished with blood.
The crowd called for Barabbas, a guilty man, to go free. Jesus, the innocent one, took the punishment. This wasn’t a mistake—it was a mission. Jesus was willingly held accountable for what we could never atone for ourselves.
1 John 1:7 says:
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
Water washes the body, but only the blood of Jesus washes the soul.
Following the Desire to Be Clean
That inner longing to be made right—it’s not something to ignore. It’s not a weakness. It’s a divine signal pointing us to Jesus.
You and I have all tried to clean ourselves up. And while those efforts may help us manage the outside, they can never transform the inside.
But Jesus can.
Good Friday is a reminder: Only Jesus can truly cleanse.
As you reflect on the cross, don’t just remember a moment in history. Receive the cleansing only His blood provides. The cross wasn’t a tragic accident—it was a divine exchange. The innocent for the guilty. Jesus for us.
Water can’t wash away blood. But Jesus’ blood can wash away sin.