Matthew 27:26Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Because Christ had answered nothing to the accusations of the Jews, by which Pilate could acquit Him of what was alleged against Him, he contrives other means of saving Him. Now on the feast day the governor we as wont to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would.

Pilate many times pleaded with the Jews, desiring that Jesus might be released, which Matthew witnesses in very few words, when he says, Pilate seeing that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made. He would not have spoken thus, if Pilate had not striven much, though how many efforts he made to release Jesus he does not mention.

In the Gospel entitled ‘according to the Hebrews,’ Barabbas is interpreted, ‘The son of their master,’ who had been condemned for sedition and murder. Pilate gives them the choice between Jesus and the robber, not doubting but that Jesus would be the rather chosen.

Mark noted that Pilate intended to act in a manner pleasing to the crowd, while Luke pointed out that he agreed to their demands. The scourge, a whip made of ropes and straps, was used to lash those condemned. John makes it explicit that Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged. Pilate did this with the hope of mitigating the fury of the Jewish leaders, believing that if they witnessed the humiliation of Jesus and heard the verdict by which He was surrendered to their desires, as Luke mentioned, namely to be crucified—something they desired—they might eventually release their pent-up anger. To further appease them, Pilate permitted a series of indignities, including dressing Jesus in a purple robe, placing a crown upon His head, providing Him with a reed, and otherwise subjecting Him to mockery.

Thus do the Gentiles shew favours to those whom they subject to themselves, until their yoke is riveted. Yet did this practice obtain also among the Jews, Saul did not put Jonathan to death, because all the people sought his life. (1 Sam. 14.)

At the desire of the Priests the populace chose Barabbas, which is interpreted ‘the son of a Father,’ thus shadowing forth the unbelief to come when Antichrist the son of sin should be preferred to Christ.

The account of the Lord Jesus being "scourged" prior to His crucifixion encourages us to attribute nothing to any human shame or dishonor.

The impiety of the Jews then exceeded the fault of Pilate; but he was not guiltless, seeing he resigned his own jurisdiction, and acquiesced in the injustice of others.

It is to be noted, that the bench (tribunal) is the seat of the judge, the throne (solium) of the king, the chair (cathedra) of the master. In visions and dreams the wife of a Gentile understood what the Jews when awake would neither believe nor understand.

John explains what their envy was, when he says, Behold, the world is gone after him; (John 12:19.) and, If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him. (John 11:48.) Observe also that in place of what Matthew says, Jesus, who is called Christ, Mark says, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? (Mark 15:9.) For the kings of the Jews alone were anointed, and from that anointing were called Christs.

The relentless determination of the Sanhedrin to fulfill its malicious intent towards Christ Jesus paints a grim picture. Pilate wrestled deeply with this fierce hatred. While he does not possess the sincerity to act unequivocally in truth, he compromises truth by succumbing to falsehood's demands; yet, he still strives to defend truth against the Sanhedrin’s stubbornness. The Sanhedrin persists in its diabolical opposition to Jesus. How often might the sight of such unyielding wickedness stir within us a profound distress for the state of unrepentant souls! Subsequently, Pilate had Jesus beaten and scourged (John 19:1). He commanded the soldiers to whip Jesus while releasing Barabbas instead, as scourging was typically a preliminary act before executing a death sentence.

These are the strikes endured for the transgressions of humanity, for many are the afflictions faced by the sinner, as foretold in the scripture: I have given my back to those who strike (Isaiah 50:6). The righteous act on behalf of the unrighteous reaches its fulfillment, embodying the ultimate expression of goodness, when the just suffer in place of the unjust (1 Pet. 3:18). Through his wounds, our healing is accomplished (Is. 53:5), as stated by Isaiah.

Prior to condemning the Lord Jesus Christ to death, Pilate commanded Him to be whipped. “THEN,” St. Matthew recounts, “he released Barabbas to them, and JESUS, after being scourged,” thinking that this brutal punishment might appease the fury of Jesus’ adversaries. However, when this method failed to elicit their compassion, he handed Jesus over for crucifixion. The Holy Evangelists did not elaborate on the gruesome specifics of this punishment, as such knowledge was familiar to the early Christians. While the Jews practiced scourging, it was less brutal than that administered by the Gentiles; Jewish law permitted no more than thirty-nine stripes for the accused.

Pilate surrendered Jesus to the authority of the Sanhedrin. Subsequently, as recorded by Luke the Evangelist, Pilate agreed to their demand and released Barabbas, a man imprisoned for insurrection and murder, into their custody, while handing Jesus over to them. Thus was fulfilled the judgment of humanity against Divine Truth. The sinful world, entrenched in wickedness, could not tolerate this truth and reacted violently against it; in this rebellion, the intense struggle of evil to cling to its long-established reign over humanity was revealed. While evil cannot ultimately triumph over Divine Truth, in this fierce battle, the Herald of Truth, as a man, faced death rather than defeat. His passing was foreseen and proclaimed by the Prophets inspired by God.

Crucifixion represented the most agonizing and disgraceful method of capital punishment in ancient times, so much so that, as Cicero noted, its mere mention should not grace the thoughts, sight, or ears of a Roman citizen, let alone affect him personally. This practice originated in the East and was employed by civilizations such as the Persians, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians long before it reached Europe. In Palestine, it was first introduced by Alexander the Great after his conquest of Tyre, where he executed two thousand inhabitants as a severe warning to the rest for their fierce resistance. The Romans later adopted this method through Crassus, who infamously crucified the slaves who had revolted under Spartacus, displaying them along the route from Rome to Capua.

Jesus suffered brutal physical punishment: the Romans traditionally subjected slaves sentenced to crucifixion to severe beatings to intensify their anguish. Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that Pilate, fully aware of Jesus Christ’s innocence, authorized the beating purely for the sake of inflicting pain. According to John's narrative (John 19:1-5), Pilate commanded that Jesus be scourged to present Him as wounded and dishonored to the Jewish people, hoping to evoke their compassion and persuade them to spare Him from the death penalty.