The Red-Letter Words of Yeshua ~ Part 172

Passion Week ~ Trial Before Pilate ~ Part 3

In our last post, we explored Yeshua’s Trial Before Pilate. Yeshua appears again before Pilate in this post.

Pilate Seeks to Release Yeshua

¹³ Pilate summoned the head cohanim, the leaders, and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought this man before me on a charge of subverting the people. I examined Him in your presence and did not find the man guilty of the crime you are accusing him of. ¹⁵ And neither did Herod, because he sent Him back to us. Clearly, He has not done anything that merits the death penalty. ¹⁶ Therefore, what I will do is have him flogged and release Him.”  ¹

Pilate intended to declare Yeshua not guilty (v. 14) and make the verdict as public as possible. He undoubtedly expected that it would put an end to the whole matter. Pilate and Herod Antipas concurred with the verdict. Though Pilate found Him innocent of wrongdoing, he was prepared to have Him flogged merely to appease the Jews. But even that punishment, severe as it was, could not quench their thirst for His blood.

Yeshua or Bar-abba (Barabbas)

⁶ Now, during a festival, Pilate used to set free one prisoner, whomever the crowd requested. ⁷ There was in prison among the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection a man called Bar-Abba. ⁸ When the crowd came up and began asking Pilate to do for them what he usually did, ⁹ he asked them, “Do you want me to set free for you the ‘King of the Jews’?” ¹⁰ For it was evident to him that it was out of jealousy that the head cohanim had handed him over.  ²

Pilate realizes that the Jewish leaders are motivated by envy and thus that their accusation of Yeshua is ill-founded. However, he does not understand the theological issue of blasphemy.

The Crowd Demands Bar-abba

¹¹ But the head cohanim stirred up the crowd to have him release Bar-Abba for them instead.  ^{3   40} But they yelled back, “No, not this man but Bar-Abba!” (Bar-Abba was a revolutionary.)  ⁴

Bara-abba means “son of the father.” Ironically, the people wanted Bar-abba released rather than the true Son of the Father, Yeshua. Each Gospel contributes something to the picture of Bar-abba as a man who had committed multiple crimes, including robbery, insurrection, and murder (see Mattityahu 27:16; Mark 15:7; Luke 23:18–19).

Yeshua’s Crucifixion Demanded

²² Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” They all said, “Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” ²³ When he asked, “Why? What crime has He committed?” they shouted all the louder, “Put Him to death on the stake!”  ⁵

This was the first direct hint of the mode of death to which the priests destined their prisoner. It was implied, indeed, in their fixed resolve to make the Roman governor the executioner of their sentence, as shown in the dialogue recorded in Yochanan 18:31.

“Why? What crime has He committed?” The question attested to Pilate’s conviction of the innocence of Yeshua, but it also attested to his cowardice.

¹⁶ Therefore, what I will do is have him flogged and release him.” ¹⁷ For he was required to release one man to them at the festival. ¹⁸ But with one voice, they shouted, “Away with this man! Give us Bar-Abba!” ¹⁹ (He was a man who had been thrown in prison for causing a riot in the city and for murder.) ²⁰ Pilate appealed to them again because he wanted to release Yeshua. ²¹ But they yelled, “Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” ²² A third time, he asked them, “But what has this man done wrong? I haven’t found any reason to put him to death. So I’m going to have him flogged and set free.” ²³ But they went on yelling insistently, demanding that he be executed on the stake, and their shouting prevailed. ⁶

Pilate continues to seek Yeshua’s release through a custom of releasing a prisoner chosen by the people at the festival of Pesach. However, Pilate delivered Yeshua to them to be crucified when the people chose Bar-abba instead of Yeshua.

Pilate affirms Yeshua’s innocence for the third time: what evil has he done wrong? The last recourse for Pilate is to declare that Yeshua has not received any accusation worthy of death (cf. Psalm 38:20–21; Isaiah 53:9; Acts 3:13). While Pilate might have attempted to make the Jewish authorities solely responsible for the death of Yeshua, it remains a fact that it occurred under his jurisdiction. Therefore, Pilate seeks to appease the crowd by beating Yeshua and releasing Him. But they went on yelling insistently. The crowd’s hatred is so great that only Yeshua’s crucifixion will satisfy them.

In our next post, the scene continues with Yeshua’s trial.

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¹ Luke 23:13–16.
² Mark 15:6–10.
³ Mark 15:11.
⁴ Yochanan 18:40.
⁵ Mattityahu 27:22–23.
⁶ Luke 23:16–23.