Commentary - Luke 23:13-25

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we come to the black heart of fallen man's political process. Here we have the intersection of a cowardly civil magistrate, a venomous religious establishment, and a manipulated, bloodthirsty mob. Pilate, the Roman governor, knows full well that Jesus is innocent. He says so repeatedly. He tries to find a way out, to wash his hands of the affair, even sending Jesus to Herod, who sends Him back. But the pressure from the chief priests and the rulers, who have whipped the crowd into a frenzy, proves to be too much for him. The central issue becomes a stark choice, a choice that is a perfect tableau of the gospel itself. The crowd is offered a choice between Jesus, the author of life, and Barabbas, a man in prison for insurrection and murder. In a moment of supreme and damnable irony, they choose the murderer and demand the crucifixion of the sinless Son of God. Pilate, abdicating his God-given duty to do justice, caves to their demands. He pronounces the sentence they want, releasing the guilty and condemning the innocent. But through all this wicked maneuvering, the sovereign hand of God is never absent. What appears to be a victory for the mob is in fact the fulfillment of God's eternal decree. The great substitution, pictured here with Barabbas, is accomplished not by the will of man, but by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.

Outline

Context In Luke

This scene is the climax of Jesus's trial before the human authorities. Having been condemned by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy, He is now before the Roman governor on political charges. Luke has carefully shown Jesus's innocence at every stage. The Jewish leaders have no legitimate case, and both Pilate and Herod, the two relevant civil authorities, find no fault in Him. This repeated declaration of innocence is crucial. It underscores the fact that Jesus's death is not the result of any crime He committed. Rather, it is a gross miscarriage of justice on the human level, which simultaneously serves as the very mechanism for the perfect justice of God. The events here are the fulfillment of Jesus's own predictions that He would be delivered over to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, and killed (Luke 18:32-33).

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 And Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

Pilate is trying to manage a political crisis. He summons the three groups responsible for this uproar: the chief priests (the religious instigators), the rulers (the lay aristocracy of the Sanhedrin), and the people (the mob they have incited). He is the governor, the man with the authority, and he is attempting to impose order. But his authority is already compromised because he is operating from a position of fear, not principle. He wants to placate the mob, not to render a just verdict.

14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found in this man no guilt of what you are accusing Him.

Here is the first clear, public declaration of innocence from the highest Roman authority in the land. The charge was sedition, turning the people away from Caesar. Pilate, a man who knew what real insurrection looked like, examined Jesus and found nothing. The charge was baseless, a trumped-up accusation to get the Romans to do the dirty work the Sanhedrin wanted done. Pilate says this "before you," making them witnesses to his own verdict. He is trying to reason with a mob, which is like trying to reason with a forest fire.

15 No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.

Pilate brings in a second witness. He had tried to pass the buck to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. But Herod, after mocking Jesus, sent Him back. This was, in effect, another verdict of "not guilty" on the political charges. Herod found Him to be a curiosity, perhaps a fool, but not a threat to the Roman order. So now Pilate has two official governmental decisions on his side. He emphasizes the conclusion: "nothing deserving death has been done by Him." The case should be closed. Justice requires an acquittal.

16 Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

And here is the first crack in the dam of justice. In the same breath that he declares Jesus has done nothing worthy of death, he offers to have him punished. Why? To appease the crowd. This is the politician's compromise. "I'll give you something, just not the execution you want." He offers to have Jesus scourged, a brutal punishment in its own right, as a sop to their bloodlust. But you cannot punish an innocent man and still call it justice. This is Pilate trying to find a third way between right and wrong, and there is no such path. By offering to punish an innocent man, he has already surrendered the principle of justice.

17 [Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

This verse, though missing in some manuscripts, describes a custom that Pilate sees as another potential escape route. Whether it was a regular Roman policy or just a local tradition, Pilate intends to use it to his advantage. He thinks he can offer the crowd a choice that will force them to release Jesus. This is his next political calculation.

18 But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!”

Pilate's calculation backfires spectacularly. The mob, prompted by their leaders, speaks with one voice. And their voice is for death. "Away with this man" is a colloquialism for execution. They want Him gone, utterly. And in His place, they demand Barabbas. This is not a spontaneous decision. Matthew tells us the chief priests and elders "persuaded the multitude" (Matt. 27:20). This was an organized campaign of hatred.

19 (He had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city and for murder.)

Luke makes sure we understand exactly who Barabbas was. He was guilty of the very things Jesus was falsely accused of. He was a real insurrectionist, a genuine rebel against Rome. And he was a murderer. He was the man of violence, the revolutionary, the killer. The people, under the sway of their wicked leaders, chose a man of death over the Prince of Life. This is the human heart in rebellion against God, laid bare for all to see. They prefer a murderer who looks like their kind of king to the true King who has come to save them.

20 But again Pilate addressed them, wanting to release Jesus,

Pilate is genuinely perplexed. His political maneuvering has failed. His desire is to release Jesus. He knows it is the right thing to do. He is not the villain in this story in the same way the chief priests are. He is the weak man, the man who values his position and his peace more than he values justice and truth. His desire is good, but his will is flabby.

21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!”

The mob is not interested in dialogue. They are not there to debate legal points. They have one demand, and they repeat it with rhythmic, mindless fury. "Crucify, crucify Him!" The repetition shows the hardening of their hearts. Reason is gone. All that is left is the raw, demonic scream for the death of the Son of God.

22 And he said to them a third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt worthy of death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

For the third time, Pilate declares Jesus's innocence. His question, "Why, what evil has this man done?" is met with silence, because there is no answer. They have no case. And yet, look at Pilate's pathetic conclusion. He repeats his earlier, unjust compromise: "I will punish Him and release Him." He is still trying to bargain with the mob, still trying to find a middle ground. He is like a man trying to negotiate with a tidal wave. His weakness is contemptible.

23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices were prevailing.

The volume wins. Not the argument, not the evidence, not the law. The sheer volume and insistence of the mob prevail. This is how mobs work. They overwhelm. They intimidate. They replace reason with rage. And Pilate, the man who commanded Roman legions, the man who held the power of life and death, was conquered by shouting. "And their voices were prevailing." Luke puts it simply and damningly. The rule of law was overthrown by the rule of the larynx.

24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted.

This is the moment of capitulation. Pilate gives the official verdict. But it is not his verdict; it is theirs. He simply rubber-stamps their murderous demand. He is no longer a judge; he is a tool, an instrument of their will. He has utterly failed in his office as a minister of God for justice (Rom. 13:4).

25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Here is the great exchange, the terrible and glorious substitution. The guilty man, Barabbas, whose name ironically means "son of the father," is set free. He was condemned to die, and he walks out of prison a free man. Why? Because an innocent man is about to take his place. Jesus, the true Son of the Father, is delivered over "to their will." And what was their will? Crucifixion. But behind their wicked will was the holy will of God. God delivered His Son for us all. Barabbas is the first man saved by the substitutionary death of Christ. He deserved the cross, but Jesus took it for him. And in that, Barabbas is a picture of every one of us.

Application

This passage is a stark warning against several modern temptations. First is the temptation of political compromise. Pilate knew what was right, but he would not do it because it was politically costly. He feared the mob more than he feared God. Whenever a civil magistrate, or any leader, chooses expediency over justice, he is walking in the footsteps of Pilate. We must demand and pray for leaders who have a backbone, who will do what is right though the heavens fall.

Second, we see the terrifying power of mob rule. A crowd that has been whipped into a frenzy by demagogues is one of the most dangerous forces on earth. Reason is shouted down, and raw emotion takes over. Christians must be people of the Word, people of reason and principle, and we must never allow ourselves to be swept up in the passions of the crowd, whether on the political left or the right. We must stand apart, firm on the truth, even when we are shouted down.

Finally, and most importantly, we see the gospel in this ugly scene. We are all Barabbas. We are the guilty ones, imprisoned for our rebellion and our sin, which is spiritual murder. We deserve the cross. But God, in His infinite mercy, sent His innocent Son to take our place. He was delivered over to the will of wicked men so that we, the guilty, could be set free. Our response should not be to point the finger at Pilate or the Jews, but to look at the cross and say, "My sin put Him there." And then we must look at our own freedom and give thanks for the great substitution that Christ accomplished for us.