On this Maundy Thursday let us ponder again the Cross of Christ our Savior and its consequences for us all. One way to approach such a task as this is to direct our thinking to two washings that take place in connection with the passion of Christ.

The first one is described by the Evangelist Matthew:

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man ‘s blood, see to it yourselves." (Matthew 27:24)

The First Washing

It concerns Pontius Pilate, who had declared Jesus innocent on two distinct occasions in the course of that wildly frightful early morning of our Lord’s crucifixion day. But when faced with a frenzied mob, shouting not for justice but for blood, Pilate …