Luke 23:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The crowd expected Pilate to pardon one criminal as part of the Passover celebration (Mark 15:8). Consequently, Pilate presented the choice between Barabbas and Christ Jesus to the people. It was clear that Pilate desired to release Jesus, persuaded that envy was the motive for His trial (Mark 15:10). Why did Pilate harbor good intentions yet fail to act? Why did he possess knowledge of the truth yet not defend it? The absence of genuine love for the truth in his heart allowed worldly desires to stifle his conscience. Pilate further betrayed the truth by asserting Jesus' innocence to the Sanhedrin while simultaneously agreeing to punish the innocent One against his own beliefs. He descended into deceit when, acknowledging the righteousness of Jesus Christ, he equated Him with Barabbas. Who is Barabbas? A rebel and thief (Luke 23:15), who was imprisoned alongside other insurrectionists, having committed murder during the uprising (Mark 15:7). Pilate juxtaposed the blameless Jesus with such a criminal. What was Pilate's rationale? Did he believe that such an obvious wrongdoer could be chosen over the innocent Jesus? He did. Yet, is he truly a judge? Is he acting as a representative of Caesar? No; he relinquished his own authority and placed it in another's hands. To whom did he surrender his rights? To the crowd! The once-proud Roman is sinking deeper into moral decay. We can anticipate that Pilate will align himself with Caiaphas, just as he did with Herod. It is becoming increasingly clear that various sinners are uniting against Jesus Christ: deceitful hypocrites and brazen Sadducees, strong-willed individuals and those weakened by excess, representatives of powerful Rome alongside representatives of feeble kings, the educated and the ignorant, soldiers and servants. The populace is siding with Jesus' adversaries—the very same who had recently hailed Him with cries of hosanna in joyous abandon.

This made him more inclined to release Jesus, as the notion of sentencing a divine figure to death troubled even a non-Jew. Yet, the chief priests intensified their accusations, directly charging Jesus with inciting rebellion among the people and discouraging them from paying taxes to Caesar. They built upon their initial indictment by stating that Jesus propagated this teaching from Galilee (Luke 23:2).

With their malicious words, they did not hesitate to defame him, asserting he was a lawless and sinful man, associated with the adversary, from whom he drew power to work miracles. The crowd was largely composed of residents of Jerusalem, who were loyal to the Pharisees and harbored disdain for the Galileans. This ensured that the Sanhedrin’s manipulations were likely to succeed. They incited the crowd to choose Barabbas and seek the demise of Jesus. It is evident from the Evangelist’s account—“and destroy Jesus”—that the chief priests were not only urging the crowd to demand Barabbas’ release but also to insist upon Jesus’ execution. With the crowd roused against Jesus and having gained a formidable ally, the chief priests and other Sanhedrin members approached Lethostroton with faces of triumph. Pilate once more questioned the crowd, “Which of the two do you wish me to release?” The crowd responded in unison: “Barabbas.”

In line with a practice likely established by the Romans to stroke the vanity of the subjugated, encouraging them to accept their harsh reality of political oppression more easily—this was not a custom originating from the Jewish people—the Roman governor traditionally granted the release of a prisoner during Passover, based on the wishes of the people. Aware that the opposition to Jesus stemmed from the chief priests and elders, and recognizing that the general populace had recently shown fervent support for Christ during His last triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he considered presenting a choice between two prisoners for the customary release: Jesus of Nazareth, and the notorious criminal Barabbas, who some traditions also referred to as Jesus. Pilate hoped that the people would choose the One they had recently hailed as the son of their esteemed King David, representing their national pride and honor.