Forever Washing His Hands – v2

Can you see him still, through history, a specter,
tainted, tormented by his decision, indecision, the cost,
a soul yet wandering, caught between heaven and hell,
over and over, forever, he must have washed his hands
trying to remove the stain, the tattoo of innocent blood…
 
Blood, he allowed to be spilled, blood of a King
given for His people, those who knew His name,
but those who denied Him, those who were waiting, for Him,
whose oil was kept full, who knew more than anything else
they needed His gift, His boundless mercy, His ultimate sacrifice…
 
His wife knew too, something was wrong, something very wrong
she bitterly cried in anguish, tormented, telling him not
to shed this pure, clean blood, untainted by human sin.
A human life lived godly, that should have been proof enough
especially to those vacillating, questioning, those twelve disciples –
 
How could they walk with Him, hearing His teaching, learning,
watching Him, His actions, His compassion, His humanness,
the miracles He performed, the authority of every word
How could they not have seen He was God incarnate, seeing
His divinity, His pure love, His sinlessness, and not know?
 
He was God; how could Pilate let the rabble dictate the death
of an innocent life, a man that did not threaten Rome, a martyr,
how could he have been so weak, so impotent, washing his hands,
as if that would save him of this burden, this choice,
sacrificing Him, to hang on the cross, instead of Barrabas…
 
Forever washing his hands, no, that didn’t remove his stain
that he must have carried, he must carry still, yet, unfinished,
the tattoo still on his hands, his soul, his spirit, this purgatory,
a soul yet wandering, caught between heaven and hell,
like the Master knew and wrote so well…
 
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Edited, Typed, and posted October 12, 2024
Forever Washing Him Hands – v2
 
edited February 9, 2022
Washing His Hands – v8
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2022/02/washing-his-hands-v8.html
edited July 4, 2015
washing his hands – 2 – v5
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/07/washing-his-hands-2-v5.html
(merging edits to version 3 and version 4)
edited April 11, 2015
the stain on Pilate’s hands – v3
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-stain-on-pilates-hands-v3.html
(editing version 2)
&
March 26, 2013
“Washing His Hands - 2”
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/03/washing-his-hands-2.html
Matthew 27:17b
Matthew 27:15-26
Sanctuary for Lent for 2013
http://www.abingdonpress.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=7363
by Robert V. Dodd
scripture and meditation for March 26, 2013
read March 26, 2013
&
earlier poem
December 2, 2006 20:02
“Washing His Hands
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/12/washing-his-hands.html
Matt 27:1-26; Luke 23:1-25
and The Master and Margarita
http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/en/
by Mikhail Bulgakov
http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/en/01bulgakov/inleiding.html
 
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poetry, Christ, Faith, God, grace, love, Savior, guilt, sin, Pastor Ruth Foss, Spirit, gifts, calling, Lent, Savior, Pilate, Bulgakov, Master and Margarita, stain,
 
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