Matthew 27:24 says, 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.  Pilate attempted to wash away his responsibility for Jesus' crucifixion, but it does not work that way.  We have to choose whether we accept Jesus or not, no matter how much tumult those around us may make in rejecting Him.  We can never wash away the responsibility.  Pilate proclaimed himself to be innocent of the blood of this just person, which he proclaimed Jesus to be.  To simply proclaim Jesus to be a just person or a great prophet is not enough.  We must accept the fact that we each individually are responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, since He died for every individual.  We may attempt to wash away the decision about what we will do with Jesus, but there are really only two choices.  We either accept Jesus by faith that He is our Savior, or we reject Him as something less.  Verse twenty-five declares, Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.  The crowd of people told Pilate that the blood of Jesus would be on their hands and the hands of their children, and so it is.  We are those children, or descendants, of those who were there that day, and the blood of Jesus is still on our hands.  Jesus died in our place, and are each individually responsible for His death.  The fact that we were not there physically makes us no less responsible, anymore than Pilate washing his hands made him any less responsible.  Verse twenty-six says, Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.  Pilate had pronounced Jesus a just person, but he still had Him scourged and delivered Him to the crowd.  Again, believing that Jesus was a just person is not enough.  We in effect scourge Jesus when we attempt to send Him away because we refuse to accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-seven states, Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.  Jesus had done nothing to indicate that He was a threat, but He was delivered to the crowd by a whole band of soldiers.  They thought this made them in charge of Jesus, but it really didn't matter how many soldiers were there.  Had Jesus so desired, He could have walked away free.  Jesus went willingly to the cross, in spite of the physical abuse He suffered.  Verse twenty-eight says, And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.  Then verses twenty-nine continues, And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!   They stripped Jesus of His clothes and in mockery dressed Him as a royal person would be dressed and placed a crown of thorns on His head.  Some people are not satisfied to simply ignore Jesus, but they want to mock and discredit Him as well.  Verse thirty states,  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.  After mockingly calling Jesus the King of the Jews, they then went back to abusing Him.  When a person encounters Jesus, and refuses to believe that He is the Savior, then I believe that person must do all that can be done to discredit Him and justify the choice that he or she made.  Verse thirty-one declares, And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.  These were God's chosen people who were doing this.  After they mocked Jesus for awhile, they put His own clothes back on Him and led Him away to be crucified.  Though they didn't know it, they were taking Jesus exactly where He needed to be.  People in the world today may think that that they have defeated Jesus, but He will always be exactly where He is supposed to be.  Rejecting or mocking of Him does not change that fact.