A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 118). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
You might ask, what does that mean?
Mark says, “It wasn’t Jesus’s responsibility to wash feet. That job was reserved for the lowest servant on the Jewish totem pole. Yet Jesus took responsibility for something that wasn’t His responsibility.”
Mark goes on, “Pilate did the exact opposite, washing his hands as a way of saying ‘I’m not responsible.’ But washing his hands didn’t absolve him of guilt. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, yet he lacked the moral courage to let Jesus go. In the words of C. S. Lewis, ‘Pilate was merciful till it became risky.’ [C. S. Lewis, The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics (New York: HarperOne, 2007), 270.]
“One verse reveals Pilate’s moral weakness: ‘Wanting to satisfy the crowd . . . He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. (Mark 15:15) Weak!
“Simply put, Pilate was a people pleaser. He was more afraid of displeasing the crowd than he was of violating his own conscience. So he played a patsy instead of playing the man. Are you living for the applause of people? Or are you living for the applause of nail-scarred hands?
Mark goes on, “So which is it? Wash your hands? Or wash feet? Is there a situation where you have absolved yourself of responsibility by washing your hands instead of taking responsibility and washing someone’s feet?
“When we expect our wives to carry more than their fair share of the parenting responsibility, we’re washing our hands instead of washing feet. When we’re not pulling our weight in the workplace, we’re washing our hands instead of washing feet.”
He then says, “So let me ask the question again: Is there a situation where you have absolved yourself of responsibility by washing your hands instead of taking responsibility and washing someone’s feet?
Is there? That is a good question for all of us, isn’t it?
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