Sayings

To wash your hands of the matter, of someone or something, is to refuse to be involved with them any more or to take responsibility for them. Such was case when Jesus stood before Pilate. The Passion narrative records the scene as,  “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!”

Modern business experts  say that people duck responsibility for reasons ranging from simple laziness or a fear of failure, through to a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the scale of a problem or a situation.

Whatever the reason, if people fail to take responsibility, they'll fail in their jobs, they'll fail their teams, and they'll fail to grow as individuals. All of this makes it important to address the issue.

Translate that into the disciple's life were we can also see that we can avoid our responsibility towards others, the fellowship of the church and to the Christ who calls us. Jesus spoke of shunning our responsibility as ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’ Or as the Message paraphrases it, Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.”

The whole concept of washing our hands implies that we excuse ourselves from our responsibility. As believers in Christ, we have been given incredible authority through our relationship with Him. Along with this authority, however, comes a great responsibility to live our lives in a way that honours God and reflects His love to the world around us.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it succinctly, “Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”

Dear Jesus,

We praise you for your goodness and mercy and thank you for the example of responsibility in your life. We remember how you took responsibility for the poor and helpless in your community. Help us to embrace our roles as your servants here on Earth and be all that we can be. Remind us to keep our promises and do all our tasks to the best of our ability. May we learn not to make excuses and to make things right when we do things that are wrong. Teach us to know our duties and to do them joyfully. Help us to act in all things in harmony with the will of the Father.

Amen.