What Will You Do With Christ's Blood?

Matthew 27 brings the blood of Christ to the front and keeps asking what sinners will do with innocent blood. Matthew does not treat blood as some strange physical relic, but as the figure for Christ’s sacrificial death, “for us in our place condemned he stood.” The passage moves fast because the cross is near, and prophecy is being fulfilled left and right.

Judas sees Jesus condemned, and the full weight of his betrayal starts to settle on his mind. Judas knew what he was doing when he took the thirty pieces of silver, but now his conscience can no longer bear the debt. Judas goes to the temple, goes to the priests, and says, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” The priests, who should have been the ones making atonement, refuse him because to admit Judas’s guilt would expose their own. Judas throws down the silver and destroys himself, showing that every attempt to make personal atonement keeps saying the same thing: never enough.

The priests try a different way with the same blood guilt. They call the coins blood money, which proves they know what the money means, but they care more about the purity of the coins than the purity of their hearts. The priests busy themselves with ritual law and a land purchase, and the field becomes known as the Field of Blood. Their way is to ignore the debt, drown out the conscience, and keep moving.

Pilate knows Jesus is innocent. Pilate knows the leaders are driven by envy, and his wife warns him about that righteous man. Still, Pilate listens to another voice, gives in to the crowd, washes his hands, and says the blood is not on him. The water basin does nothing, because verse 26 still says Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified. Every excuse is just another handful of water trying to scrub away what only Christ can cleanse.

The crowd goes further and says, “His blood be on us and our children.” Matthew is not blaming all Jewish people for all time, but pointing to that Jerusalem generation and the judgment Jesus had already prophesied. The crowd does not merely sin. The crowd celebrates the sin.

Jesus stands silent before his accusers like the suffering servant of Isaiah. God lays on him the iniquity of all his people. The blood of Jesus is not given so sinners can repay, ignore, explain away, or bear guilt themselves. The blood of Jesus is given to be received, because the gospel is not “do, do, do,” but “done.”

Key Takeaways

• 1. Sin leaves a real debt Sin does not disappear just because time passes or words get spoken. Sin leaves wounds, scars, broken trust, tears, and empty chairs, and conscience knows that such things cannot simply be left undone. Matthew’s account presses the soul beyond horizontal damage to the greater reality that every sin is also against the holy God who owes no debt. [24:20]
• 2. Self-atonement never says enough Judas confesses true words, returns the silver, and goes to the place where atonement should have been found, yet his own attempt cannot cleanse him. Self-punishment can feel like repentance, but it still keeps the sinner at the center as the one who must pay. The gospel answers the endless “never enough” with Christ’s finished “it is done.” [35:21]
• 3. Excuses cannot wash guilty hands Pilate’s basin gives him a ritual of innocence, but not the reality of innocence. His hand washing is betrayed by his own action, because he still delivers Jesus to be crucified. Every rationalization works the same way, offering a little water for the conscience while refusing the cleansing that comes only from the blood of Christ. [49:16]
• 4. Silence reveals the suffering servant Jesus gives no answer to the charges because Matthew is pointing back to Isaiah’s lamb led to slaughter. His silence is not weakness, confusion, or defeat, but the obedience of the servant who suffers in the place of others. The innocent blood is not an accident in the story, but the means by which God lays iniquity on Christ. [58:43]
• 5. Christ’s blood must be received The blood of Jesus is not given so sinners can repay it, hide from it, explain it away, or carry guilt themselves. Judas, the priests, Pilate, and the crowd all try to do something with the blood, but none of their ways brings cleansing. Christ’s blood accomplishes forgiveness, and the only fitting response is to stop striving and receive what he has finished. [61:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [11:26] - Children’s Lesson on Innocent Blood
• [20:00] - The Blood of Christ Introduced
• [22:17] - Crime, Conscience, and Sin Debt
• [27:34] - Judas Faces Innocent Blood
• [31:25] - The Priests Refuse Atonement
• [33:14] - Self-Atonement Ends in Destruction
• [36:22] - Blood Money and Ritual Evasion
• [41:22] - Barabbas or Jesus
• [45:02] - Pilate Washes His Hands
• [49:51] - The Crowd Accepts Blood Guilt
• [53:23] - Jesus Stands Silent Before Accusers
• [57:36] - Isaiah’s Suffering Servant Fulfilled
• [60:20] - What Shall Be Done With the Blood
• [63:07] - Rest in Christ’s Finished Work

1. What did Judas do with the silver coins after realizing Jesus was condemned, and how did the priests respond? (Matthew 27:3-5)
2. How did Pilate try to absolve himself of responsibility for Jesus’ death, and what did the crowd declare in response? (Matthew 27:24-25)
3. What does Isaiah 53:7 say about the Messiah’s response to accusations, and how does this connect to Jesus’ silence in Matthew 27:12-14?

1. Why did Judas confess “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” to the priests instead of seeking forgiveness directly from Jesus? What does this reveal about his understanding of atonement?
2. Pilate declared Jesus innocent yet still delivered Him to be crucified. How does his attempt to “wash his hands” of guilt mirror modern ways people rationalize their choices? (Matthew 27:24)
3. The crowd said, “His blood be on us and our children.” How does this statement reflect a dangerous misunderstanding of guilt and responsibility?

1. Judas tried to pay for his guilt by returning the silver and punishing himself. When have you tried to “make things right” through your own efforts instead of trusting Christ’s sacrifice? What happened?
2. Pilate shifted blame to the crowd to ease his conscience. What excuses or rationalizations do you use to avoid taking responsibility for your actions? How can you confront this pattern?
3. The priests called the silver “blood money” but ignored their own guilt. In what areas of your life do you prioritize outward appearances (like religious habits) over addressing inward sin?
4. Jesus’ silence fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant. How does His willingness to bear our guilt without defense challenge you to trust His finished work when you feel condemned?
5. The crowd celebrated their sin by demanding crucifixion. Where do you see our culture (or your own heart) celebrating what God calls evil? How can you reject this mindset?
6. Isaiah 53:6 says, “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” What specific guilt or shame do you need to stop carrying yourself and instead place on Christ?