The crowd demand the release of Barabbas.
6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Horsham 16th December 2025
8-10 hours of Torture
We often read parts of this story in isolation, which means that we can completely miss how quickly things happened. That’s a huge part of the context. During the preceding 8 – 10 hours a great deal has happened. Jesus was betrayed and arrested (Mark 14: 43-51). He has been interrogated by the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:53-65. He has been interrogated by Pilate, who can find no fault with him (Matt 27:24, Luke 23:4, Luke 23:14, John 18:38, John 19:4). He has been interrogated and abused by Herod (Luke 23:11-12). At every stage, Jesus has been arrested and bound (Mark 14 43-51). He has been beaten, flogged, and trafficked around the city. His treatment amounts to torture (Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63-65, John 19:1-3).
This next part of the story is full of political intrigue.
Pilate: Governor of Judea
Pilate was the fifth Roman Governor of Judea. Apart from this New Testament story, relatively little is known about him. It’s probable that were it not for his involvement in this incident, his name would have disappeared into the annals of history along with those of his four predecessors.
Whilst we might sympathise with Pilate (there is even one corner of the Christian Church (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) which regards Pilate and his wife as saints), we need to keep in mind that he was a ruthless representative of a brutal regime, who showed little respect for Jewish practices and doctrine. Nonetheless, he is apparently very reluctant to be responsible for Jesus’ execution. This has, perhaps, less to do with compassion, than with political maneuvering, which led to him finding himself in an awkward position. His relationship with the Jewish leaders was fractious at best.
Earlier in his tenure, Pilate came close to provoking insurrection in Judea on more than one occasion. Josephus records that one such incident arose when he forcibly took money from the Temple treasury to fund a building project in Jerusalem. In the following furore, Pilate was censured by his Roman masters and narrowly avoided dismissal.
Pilate’s Dilemma
He needed to keep the Jewish leadership on side, but at the same time, he needed to show them that he is still in charge. There is a sense that they are an irritant to him. He recognises that their motive in this affair was jealousy (v10). His attempts to avoid condemning Jesus to death were probably in part a simple ‘push back’ against the High Priests. In an incredibly unusual insight, we see that even his wife was deeply concerned about the potential death of Jesus (Matthew 27:19). At the same time, he is prudent enough to make sure that he does not provoke a riot, especially during the Passover. He needs to assess the mood of the crowd as he makes his decision.
Decision Time
Pilate is in his judges seat. In spite of the furious demands of the Jewish leaders, he sees no reason to execute Jesus. He has unsuccessfully tried to pass Jesus back to the Sanhedrin, He has unsuccessfully attempted to shift the decision to Herod. He has one last way out.
It is the Roman practice to release a prisoner at Passover. His decision is made. Release the King of the Jews. There is outcry. There is fury. The ‘crowd’, comprising mainly of the Jewish leaders, is reaching boiling point. The noise attracts other people, who are whipped into a frenzy by the Jews.
Enter Barabbas
When Pilate offers to release Jesus, someone remembers another man who is under death sentence and due to be executed, His name is Jesus Bar-Abbas.
We know virtually nothing about Barabbas. The Gospels variously describe him as a bandit or a revolutionary.
Anyone who had the audacity to opely rebel against the Romans would be regarded as a hero by the people of Jerusalem. ‘It is possible that Barabbas was a man like that, and thug though he was, he was a brave man, a patriot, and it is understandable that he was popular with the mob.’ (Barclay Loc 7126)
Of course, if we are to accept the prophecy of Scripture, the appearance of Barabbas was no coincidence at all. It is likely, even probable, that some people had gone to the Praetorium on that morning specifically to ask for the release of Barabbas. Their voices in the crowd were a useful tool which the chief priests were ready to enthusiastically exploit. Even here we see God’s hand in the developing scenario which will bring Christ to the cross.
Whatever the charges, he has already been sentenced to death by Pilate. Someone in the crowd, perhaps one of the priests, shouts ‘Barabbas‘. ‘Release Barabbas.’ The cry is taken up until the whole crowd is chanting for his release.
Pilate must have been beside himself. Not only are the crowd rejecting the release of Jesus, they are now demanding the release of a convicted murderer. His dilemma has just become worse. If he releases Barabbas, the rest of Rome might accuse him of releasing a revolutionary. If he releases Jesus, there will be a riot during which Jesus will potentially be torn to pieces.
He throws the decision back at the crowd. Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus Bar-Abbas. The crowd demand Barabbas.
What am I going to do with the other one? This Jesus of Nazareth?
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Mark 15:12-14
The Washing of Hands
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” Matthew 27:24-26
The symbolic washing of his hands is a dramatic and lasting image of Pilate. It is an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility for what follows. Nonetheless, the final decision to scourge Jesus was his. The decision to crucify Jesus was his. It was Pilate who wanted to please the crowd (v15).It was Pilate who authorised the release of Barabbas. It was Pilate who had Jesus flogged, and it was Pilate who handed him over to be crucified.
End piece
There is of course another way to look at the role of Pilate in this affair.
‘In that very moment, Pilate was putty in the hands of God, a tool to bring about the redemption that God had ordained from all eternity.’
Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK