Palmarum

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be upon us and upon our children” (Mt 27:24–25).

Years ago I had the chance to attend an outdoor production of the Passion. It was a really amazing event, put on every year by a church in Puyallup, WA. But, of course, in order to make money they had concession stands with popcorn and cotton candy and soft drinks. It seemed strange to be watching the suffering of Jesus while munching on snacks, as though He endured His passion merely for our entertainment. And I don’t know how many among the crowd were believers, or how many just came for a spectacle. But something happened during the trial before Pontius Pilate. As the words “Let His blood be upon us and our children” rang out, an absolute silence came over the audience as those weighty words were left echoing in our ears. I don’t think that a more terrible curse has ever been uttered, and even two thousand years later, in a venue filled with concession stands, among a crowd that had come to be entertained, the weight of those words hung heavily upon us. “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children.”

St. Paul writes of the danger of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily, that is, apart from faith. “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord”(1 Cor 11:27). We approach the Lord’s table with great care, because to be found guilty for the dead body and the poured out blood of Jesus would be a terrible thing, indeed. But to willingly call down this guilt upon one’s own head and upon one’s children is something else entirely. We say of a murderer, “He has blood on his hands,” and God said to Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground” (Gen 4:10). Well, if Cain was held accountable for the blood of his human brother, how much more guilty are those whose hands are stained with the blood of the Son of God?

Some have read this passage from the Passion according to St. Matthew as proof of a special curse that now rests upon all Jewish people. Perhaps this is so. Indeed, they certainly called for one with their own mouths. But that is not for us to consider today. Instead, we see in those unbelieving Jews the same wickedness that is present in the sinful nature within each one of us. This is how the enemies of God speak. And who are these enemies of God? Not the Jews. The devil, the world, and your own sinful nature. These are the enemies of God.

“Let His blood be upon us and upon our children.” You were not yet born when this terrible curse was spoken, and yet, your sinful nature was there, shouting the words along with the angry crowd, just as it was there participating in the original sin of Adam and Eve. This is what the Bible teaches when it says, “You once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works” (Col 1:21).

I appreciate the way we read the Passion according to St. Matthew this morning, because it puts the words of the hostile crowd, and the blame-shifting Pilate, and the denying Peter, and the betraying Judas into our mouths. Who is responsible for the greatest crime ever committed in the history of humanity? I cannot point to the Jews, for my own hands are stained with the blood of God’s Son. And I have passed that guilt on to my own children. “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children.”

Luther writes, “You should deeply believe, and never doubt, that in fact you are the one who killed Christ. Your sins did this to Him. St. Peter struck terror in the hearts of the Jews when he said in Acts, Chapter 2: ‘You crucified Him!’ Three thousand people were filled with terror. Trembling in fear they cried out to the Apostles, ‘Dear brothers, what should we do?’ Therefore,” Luther says, “when you look at the nails being driven through His hands, firmly believe that it is your work. Do you see His crown of thorns? Those thorns are your wicked thoughts.”

Thus far the bad news, and it is horrific. But if you can look upon the death of Christ and admit, “This is my handiwork,” then you are prepared to hear the glad tidings of great joy and to learn of the wondrous salvation that God has prepared for those who were His enemies. “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children.” We meant these words as a curse, but God takes what we meant for evil, and He turns it for our good. Let the blood of My Son be upon you? Yes, it will be upon you and upon your children. His blood will stain not just your hands, but the doorposts of your hearts, so that the destroying angel will pass over your house. His blood will be upon your lips to mark you, not as a target for God’s retribution, but as a recipient of God’s abundant mercy. We spoke these words intending evil, but God has turned them to be for our good.

 For God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom 5:8, 10).

We meant it for evil. We were His enemies, and yet, when Jesus is asked to give an account for the suffering He received at our hands, He answers, “These wounds I received in the house of My friends” (Zech 13:6). If only the unbelieving Jews could have ears to hear this today, the words of the curse, “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children,” could become the words of the greatest blessing ever spoken. “Yes,” God the Father answers, “let the blood of My dear Son be upon you. Let it be upon your lips for the forgiveness of sins. Let it be upon your forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by the Crucified One. Let it be upon you and upon your children.”

It is true that our hands fashioned the crown of thorns. We wielded the whip, we drove in the spikes, we thrust in the spear. We meant all this for evil, but God has turned it to be for our good. We were His enemies, but now Jesus calls us friends. We pronounced the words of a terrible curse, but God has made these words into the greatest blessing. We cried out, “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children,” and Jesus answers, “Take. Drink. This is My Blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” And by faith we take Him at His word and receive this gift of salvation. Amen.