[Our apologies.  The camera pans to pulpit about 1 minute into the sermon]

Pilate washed his hands of Christ’s blood.

The people in utter defiance say:

“His blood be on us and on our children!”

The crowd was so convinced of His guilt, they invited the punishment to come down on their heads if they were wrong.

This foolish confidence and tragic irony isn’t lost on us today.  Yet God turned their curses into blessing for them and the whole world.