Few things incense us more than false accusations. They are like stained clothes that we are forced to wear in public. We may be clean underneath, but we feel filthy wearing the words of our accuser. Our integrity is stained in others’ eyes, even though we have done nothing wrong.
Jesus knows our pain. He lived a life of purity, and yet the leaders of the Jews covered him with a barrage of filth, stirring their allegations all around him, their washtub of false accusations staining everything Jesus did.
Not even Pilate’s words could wipe away the stains. In the eyes of the Jews, the stains had become truth.
Luke 23:14 gives us Pilate’s rebuttal to the chief priests, the rulers, and the people. He stands in his judgment hall and proclaims:
“This is the second time you have brought this man before me, and as before, I have found no fault in this Jesus. Your accusations are baseless, and I have no reason to hold him prisoner.”
However, just as wine stains soon set in unblemished cloth, so the tub full of false accusations continued to stain Jesus’ reputation.
In Luke 23:18-25 the people cried out to Pilate to release Barabbas, a murderer and a wicked man, rather than an innocent one who simply wore rags stained with false accusations.
The Jews got what they wanted, but the rest of the world got what we needed. We got salvation out of the deal, for underneath the stains of false accusation was the purity of the Christ, waiting for the opportunity to burst forth from the bonds of human flesh, and live in the hearts of frail man.
When the world throws filth our way, we can look to Jesus, for his stains were the sign that his glory was on the way.
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