Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 27:24

"So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see ye [to it]." — Matthew 27:24 (ASV)

To the best of our knowledge, this hand washing was not a Roman custom. After living several years among the Jews he detested, Pilate picked up one of their own customs (cf. Psalms 26:6) and contemptuously used it against them. Whatever his motives, Pilate had been trying to release Jesus. He sent him to Herod , suggested that the paschal amnesty be applied to him, proposed a compromise with a scourging , tried to turn the case back to Jewish authorities , remonstrated before pronouncing sentence , and here washes his hands. Matthew gives us only two of these steps.

Regardless of what Pilate thought, Matthew does not think the hand washing exonerated Pilate. He insists that Pilate’s action was not prompted by desire for justice but by political and moral cowardice and fear of a mob. The Romans expected their magistrates to maintain peace, and a possible uproar would intimidate a governor. So when Pilate says, “It is your responsibility,” Matthew intends his readers to remember the same words spoken by the chief priests and elders to Judas (v.4).