They shouted back, ”No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
This seems like an odd verse to write a meditation on.
“So…” you might be thinking, “… the crowds shouted for Barabbas. So what?” If you didn’t think that, I apologize. But that was my initial thought. Then I started to ponder the irony and hypocrisy of the whole situation.
The claims against Jesus made before Pilate are vague. After all, Pilate would have little to no interest in the theological arguments that the Pharisees held against Jesus. What the Jews needed was some way to manipulate Pilate into crucifying Jesus. What they came up with was akin to saying Jesus was organizing an uprising against the Romans.
The idea that Jesus claimed to be “king of the Jews” could be seen in two ways. The legitimate view is that Jesus, the Son of God, is literally the king of the Jews. The view that the chief priests suggested to Pilate was that the claim that Jesus was king was a direct threat to the Roman Empire. Like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, the Jews focused on the physical. They suggested Jesus wanted a physical kingship. The claim was that Jesus wanted to be king bad enough to try and overthrow the Roman governor.
In his offer to free a prisoner, Pilate pairs Jesus with Barabbas. In a way, this is a test. Barabbas was a real threat to the Roman Empire. Barabbas had actually taken part in an uprising. If the Jews were all that concerned about protecting their Roman governor, they would want Barabbas locked up if not put to death.
In choosing to let Barabbas go free, the Jews revealed themselves. They cared nothing for the Romans. Freeing Barabbas proves that. All they wanted was to see Jesus dead.
Application: The text of the gospel does not explicitly tell us that Pilate was testing the Jews. Yet we can see the results. The Bible teaches that we need to judge for ourselves and judge correctly. (John 7: 24) Sometimes to make a correct judgment we have to go beyond the words presented to us. Sometimes a test is in order.
Food for Thought: If you were advising Pilate, what would you tell him after watching the Jews choose to set Barabbas free rather than Jesus?
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In case he did not already know, and I think he did, the Jews were not friends. I think Pilate knew the Jews did not like the Romans. I think he knew he was in a pickle and he was just trying to survive politically. What he really needed was the One he was about to crucify. Turn to Jesus Pilate. That is true for all of us. We have an idea of what we really need while we can tend to neglect the One standing right in front of us that can provide for the real need.
Nicely said, Rich. I really appreciate you making this point. Jesus is the One we all need to turn to. Amen!
This is just another proof in scripture that the world does not want the truth nor does it desire the truth.. On both sides of this, from pilate to the Jewish leaders, neither really wanted the truth. They wanted what THEY wanted. Not the things of God – Christ (“I am The Way, THE TRUTH, The…”). The sinful man/woman doesn’t care. They especially don’t want to accept the truth about themselves…. being spiritually dead. The transformation of the heart and mind through Christ alone and His Holy Spirit is what causes this desire for truth no matter how much it hurts. If God is the great physician (or surgeon), the truth is like surgery. It hurts, but it also heals. Full trust in the physicians ability is required.