For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy

Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. Then Pilate asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say." And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!" But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

- Mark 15:1-11

Yesterday, we read of Peter's betrayal of Jesus. Although Peter had sworn allegiance, even unto death, before he would betray Christ, Jesus had predicted to him that this would not be so. The night of Jesus' trial by the Sanhedrin, Peter followed and was waiting in the courtyard. A servant girl spotted him and suggested he was one of Jesus' followers. But Peter denied this. He went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. Twice more, Peter was told he must be one of Jesus' followers, and twice more, he denied it even more vehemently, with cursing and swearing. Then he heard the rooster crow again, and remembered what Jesus had told him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought about it, he wept.

Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. The council meets again in the morning, because night sessions were not allowed by law. So, the official decision must be reached in the morning -- although this decision was reached in the night. The decision to condemn Jesus was arrived at using witnesses who contradicted one another in an extra-legal (that is, outside the law) session to begin with. Pilate was the Roman procurator of Judea, A.D. 26-36. My study bible notes, "The council is greatly deluded. They think they are going to take away the life of the Son of God! Jesus said, 'Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again' (John 10:17)."

Then Pilate asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered and said to him, "It is as you say." My study bible says, "Are You King of the Jews? is a political question, to which a positive answer would be tantamount to treason against Rome. Jesus answers indirectly, It is as you say." This can also be translated as, "You say so." Jesus doesn't deny His identity, but neither does He go along with a false trial, nor honor an unjust process.

Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!" But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. As He refused to answer the charges of the false witnesses at the night session of the council. so it is here before Pilate. The one thing Jesus will consistently do is affirm His identity, but even that is done indirectly here, and pronounced only to the person in the position of chief priest at the night session.

Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Even the Romans had a system of mercy in place for the feast. It is still possible to release Jesus. Clearly, Pilate knows of His innocence: he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. A rigged session, for the purpose of getting rid of the popular Jesus who is a threat to their authority. His dignity is clear to Pilate, a man accustomed to dealing in the utmost in power and authority for his time and place, a servant of Rome who holds an office of the Emperor. "Barabbas" my study bible points out, means "son of the father" (son of Abba). "A variant reading in Matt. 27:16 and a patristic tradition also attribute the name Jesus to him, thus underscoring the bitter irony that the false 'savior' and 'son of the father' is released, whereas the true Savior and Son of the Father is condemned to death." Barabbas and his fellow rebels are nationalists who have already participated in violent revolution against the Romans. Jesus has come to bring a spiritual kingdom, a spiritual liberation against the powers of darkness that enslave and oppress, and keep us from the truth of a loving relationship with the Father. Let us also carefully note the power of envy, the archetypal sin of the 'prince of this world.' Envy is a way of denying the gifts God has given to others and seeking to displace them. Here it is replayed in those who resent Jesus' popularity with the people, and fear the loss of their positions of power, and so deny Jesus' identity as well.

Let us consider, then, the role of envy in our lives. It's an important consideration, because at the heart of the injustice we have read about in these recent passages, there is the motivation of envy. Envy can get in the way of our understanding of truth, our desire for justice and good judgment. It is a way of seeking to replace or displace that person who holds what we wish we had, a way of seeking to destroy -- and hence a reflection of evil, of that kingdom Jesus has come into the world to displace. Envy keeps us from focusing on ourselves, truly and honestly, and blinds us to what we truly need. If we look into our hearts, it is there we make the choices we need to make when we realize that as individuals, we alone make the choice for what we will love. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21). An envious focus on others keeps us from choosing the relationship to the Lord in that place where we need to find the true answers to what we need. It is an obstacle, a stumbling block. It wants to reflect only what it sees mirrored in others, rather than shining with the lamp of love that God will seek to place there. So, a righteous life, right-relatedness, can be thwarted by envy, and seeking "the praise of men" rather than the "praise of God." When we are bombarded by images and suggestions of what we need to be, to have, and who we need to imitate, let us consider the privacy of our "inner chamber" and Who we seek there -- and the image the God of love gives us to fill in that kingdom where we belong. His light is infinite, and it is shared with us, each in our own way. Ultimately, it is God's gifts that are the true value and grace we need. We just may find there is great emptiness in everything else.