"Pilate the governor therefore, willing to release Jesus, answered and spake again to them, and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do with Jesus which is called Christ? unto him whom ye call King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him; they all say unto him, Crucify him, Crucify him, Let him be crucified." Pilate made another effort to save Jesus, by reminding the people of His innocence; and in answer to their savage cry, "Crucify him, Crucify him," he "said unto them the third time, Why? what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him and let him go. And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the Chief Priests prevailed." Pilate could stand out no longer; the people showed symptoms of breaking out into a riot, which at that moment would have been a serious matter; as there were an unusual number of Jews assembled for the Passover, and Pilate had not soldiers enough to keep order, if the people should make a disturbance. If anything like a riot had occurred, the Emperor Tiberius would probably have considered Pilate to blame; and would certainly have deprived him of his office, and most likely of his life also. Pilate had not that fear of God, which admits no fear of man; neither was his wish to save Jesus strong enough to make him risk his life to deliver Him. As a heathen, the life of one man would seem to him of little consequence; but whilst he gave way to the clamours of the Jews, he performed a symbolical action, whereby he testified that Jesus was innocent, and that he, Pilate, did not consent to His death, though forced to allow it. For "when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." Fearful words in the sense in which they uttered them! meaning, that if Jesus was innocent, they were quite willing that the punishment for putting him to death should rest upon them and upon their children. Little did they foresee how dreadful would be that punishment; and how severely they and their descendants would suffer, in consequence of the crime they were wilfully committing. In one sense, we may all pray that "His blood may be on us and on our children"; even as the blood of the paschal lamb upon the door-posts turned aside the visit of the destroying angel.