http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Jesus Before Pilate Second Time, Release of Barabbas Matthew 27:15-26 Mark 15:6-15 Luke 23:13-25 John 18:39, 40
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Texts: Matthew 27:15-26, Jesus Before Pilate, Second Time Release of Barabbas 15. Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would. 16. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. 17. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? 18. For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. 19. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. 20. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 21. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. 22. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. 23. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 24. 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. 25. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. 26. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 Mark 15:6-15, 6. Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. 7. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. 9. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 10. For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. 11. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. 12. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 13. And they cried out again, Crucify him. 14. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. 15. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him to be crucified. Luke 23:13-25, 13. And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14. Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverts the people: and, behold, I having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: 15. No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. 16. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. 17. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 18. And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 19. (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) 20. Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spoke again to them. 21. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. 22. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 23. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. 24. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. 25. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will. John 18:39, 40, 39. But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the Passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 40. Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Commentary: I. Pilate made a fourth feeble attempt as described in these verses to release Jesus. A. It was customary at the feast of Passover to release a prisoner based on the choice of the people. 1. The multitude appealed to Pilate to observe this custom at that Passover season.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 B. Pilate gave the multitude the choice of Jesus, the king of the Jews, or Barabbas (son of father, Papa s Boy) a really bad criminal. Note: Pilate s wording of the question including the expression, King of the Jews, served only to further antagonize the multitude. If Pilate was seeking the release of Jesus, he used a poor choice of words in this instance. 1. Mark 15:7, And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. 2. The multitudes were given the choice, Barabbas (murderer, robber, seditionist, insurrectionist) or Jesus of Nazareth (one who went about doing good.) 3. Pilate must have thought the multitude would have chosen Jesus as the one to be released. C. Pilate knew the Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus because of jealousy and envy. D. While Pilate was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife (Claudia) sent to him saying, 1. Don t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him. (NIV) 2. Pilate should most certainly have listened to his wife on this occasion! E. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for the release of Barabbas. 1. The multitudes were fully complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 2. At the judgment they will not be excused because the Pharisees and scribes exerted influence on them. 3. Adam didn t get by with she gave to me and I did eat. 4. This was most definitely a lynch mob! F. Pilate was the judge. What kind of judge asks the prosecution, What shall I do with this defendant? What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? 1. The multitudes were quick to respond, Let him be crucified. 2. Everyone will face this question, What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? G. When the multitudes demanded the death of Jesus (at the urging of their leaders), Pilate asked: 1. Why, what evil hath he done? 2. Jesus had done no evil. 3. The multitudes were acting emotionally on the basis of prejudice, not on the facts in the case. 4. How often do we ignore facts and act on emotion with no evidence or with evidence to the contrary? H. The multitudes did not answer the question as related here in the Gospel of Matthew, but simply demanded, Let him be crucified! 1. Imagine this: The Roman governor gave in to the mindless demands of this prejudiced mob. Pilate knew better! 2. Acts 8:33, In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 3. John 19:7, The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. 4. This frightened Pilate and he sought all the more to release Jesus. a. John 19:11, 12, Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaks against Caesar. 5. Pilate acted this fifth time to release Jesus out of fear, not because he was an honest, fair man of character for this Pilate was definitely not. 6. Pilate asked Jesus, Whence art thou? (John 19:10) seeking some politically expedient way of releasing Jesus. 7. Pilate was also scared in view of Jesus claim to be the son of God! I. Pilate seeing he was getting no where with his efforts to release Jesus, but that the tumult was increasing, A. took water and washed his hands in view of the multitude and said, B. I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see ye to it. C. Surely Pilate did not believe for a second that this absolved him of his guilt in this horrendous judicial murder. D. The Jews were more than willing to see to it themselves!
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 1. They declared, His blood be on us and our children. 2. They gladly accepted the guilt of Jesus death. 3. In A.D. 70 30,000 young Jewish men were crucified by Titus upon the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus blood was indeed upon these children of the mob demanding the death of Jesus. E. Pilate then released Barabbas, the criminal, and delivered Jesus, the innocent, to be crucified!... because he wished to content the multitude and was fearful politically of being thought not to be a faithful friend of Caesar. II. In a matter of hours Jesus underwent six (6) "trials": viz., A. Annas B. Caiaphas C. Sanhedrin D. Pilate E. Herod F. Pilate a second time Luke 23:13-16, And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverts the people: and, behold, I having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. I. On Christ s second appearance before Pilate, A. he called together the Jewish chief priests and rulers of the people and addressed them saying:
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 B. You charged Jesus with perverting the people. C. I have examined him and have found no basis for these charges. D. Herod found no truth in the charges made against Jesus either. E. The verdict is that neither Herod nor I have found any guilt of a capitol crime in Jesus. II. If Jesus were innocent, as indeed was the case, what injustice caused Pilate to propose chastisement? A. The New Testament gospel writers present Pilate in a reasonably honorable light. B. However, history presents Pilate overall as an evil, cruel, wicked man. C. His character and political expedience caused him to prepare to chastise Jesus. Luke 23:17-19, (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) I. It was customary for Pilate to release at the Passover a prisoner. II. The Jews shouted out in unison that they wanted Barabbas, not Jesus, released in keeping with this custom. A. John 18:39, But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release the king of the Jews? B. Barabbas was a notorious robber, murderer and seditionist. C. What kind of religious leader would choose the release of such a criminal over the release of Jesus?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 D. It appears that Pilate did attempt to use this custom to release Jesus. E. Pilate could have exercised his authority to simply release Jesus. F. Barabbas literally means son of father which can be rendered Bar-Abbas which literally means son of father but can be translated son of rabbi. G. The mob chose the teachings of the rabbis to the teachings of the Messiah. Luke 23:20, 21, Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spoke again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. I. Pilate spoke to the crowd once again in an attempt to persuade the Jews to accept the release of Jesus. II. The crowd began acting like a mob and shouted all together in the cadence of a chant, Crucify, crucify him. Luke 12:22, 23, and he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. I. Pilate made a third feeble attempt to effect the release of Jesus. A. Why, what evil hath this man done? B. I have found no cause of death in him; I will therefore chastise him and release him. II. The crowd was urgent, insistent with loud voices demanding that Jesus be crucified. Pilate gave the raucous mob what it demanded. Jesus was delivered to be crucified.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 III. Pilate used several approaches to persuade the Jews to accept the release of Jesus. What he failed to do was use his authority to make the decision to release Jesus and enforce it with the power of Rome in his role as Governor. A. He asked the Jews to judge Jesus according to their laws. 1. John 18:31, Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: B. He announced a verdict of innocence. 1. Luke 23:4, Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. C. He sent him to Herod. 1. Luke 23:5-10, And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. D. He announced Herod had found Jesus innocent. 1. Luke 23:13-15, And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. E. He twice offered to substitute a lighter punishment (chastisement). 1. Luke 23:16, 22, I will therefore chastise him, and release him.... And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. F. He offered a choice between Barabbas and Christ hoping the people would choose Christ to be released. 1. Matthew 27:15, Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. G. He suggested that the Jews take Jesus without due process and execute him promising to look the other way. 1. John 19:16, Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. H. He appealed to Jesus to perform a miracle so he would have occasion to release him. He sought the more to release him. 1. John 19:11, Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 IV. However, the cowardly governor yielded to the murderous mob and delivered Jesus to be crucified. A. Pilate has been known for approximately 2000 years as the person who delivered Jesus to die. B. When Pilate stands before God Almighty, Jesus Father, what then? Luke 23:24, 25, And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will. I. Pilate decreed that Jesus would be delivered to be crucified and that Barabbas, a murdering insurrectionist, would be freed. II. This was the crime of the ages!
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 Jesus Before Pilate Second Time Release of Barabbas Questions 1. It was customary for to release a at the of based on the of the people. 2. Pilate gave the people their choice, or (son of, s ), a really. 3. How wise was Pilate s phrasing of the question, Whom shall I release unto you? 4. Pilate knew the sought to kill because of and. What part do envy and jealousy play in our lives? 5. The and the persuaded the to ask for the release of. 6. Pilate was the. What kind of judge asks the, What shall I do with this?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 7. What two things that the Jews said most affected Pilate s decision? See John 19:7, 11, 12. 8. Pilate, his in view of the and said, I am of the of this man; see you to it. 9. What good did this do Pilate? 10. What good do you think Pilate thought it would do him? 11. Would Pilate have been better served to have listened to his wife rather than the Jews? In what ways? Be careful what advice you take!