Why, what evil has He done?

 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.  And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him" (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done?  I have found no reason for death in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified.  And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

- Luke 23:13-25

Yesterday we read that the whole multitude of the elders, chief priests, and scribes of the council arose and led Jesus to Pilate.  And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."  Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered and said, "It is as you say."  So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man."  But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."  When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.  And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.  Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.  And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.  Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.  And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him" (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).   Pilate tries to release Jesus to the crowd.  In some early manuscripts, the text reads that Herod sent Him back to us, meaning, as the text indicates, that neither Pilate nor Herod found any wrongdoing in Jesus.  Clemency is possible on this day because of the Passover feast.

And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done?  I have found no reason for death in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified.  And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.  Pilate tries to release Jesus three times in today's reading.  And three times the chief priests and the rulers incite the people to demand that Jesus be put to death.  My study bible notes that in the end, they demand the release of a rebel "like themselves."  Barabbas means "son of the father."  It indicates, my study bible says, to which father these particular rulers belong -- the devil (John 8:44).

The story of Jesus has everything in it to teach us about justice.  More particularly, it teaches us about injustice, and the things that are done to pervert any sense of justice (or righteousness, as Scripture might put it).  In this story is manipulation, false witness, false accusation, and political pressure.  We observe that the disinterested Roman governor, Pilate, finds nothing apparently wrong in Jesus to indicate He must be put to death.  Neither did Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee.  These men have no problem with injustice if it is to serve the purposes of their rule and the state (Rome) in whose name they rule.  But even Pilate suggests chastisement (in this case, having Jesus flogged in order to teach him a lesson, so to speak) as a sort of warning or form of discipline for disturbing the peace of the community in some way.  In today's reading, we learn also about the "law" of crowds, how they are easily stirred to injustice -- with common cause of hatred, enmity, frustration vented upon a manipulated victim who stands in for whatever perceived or real injustice people suffer.  And then there is Barabbas, "son of the father."  He is a rebel.  His form of liberation is material, based on political rebellion and all that goes with it.  He's also guilty of murder.  He's the perfect opposite of Christ in the story of the Gospels, because the liberation of Christ comes on the deepest level of spiritual understanding and truth.  Jesus is a deliverer and and a savior, but He saves us from slavery to sin -- and from the kind of slavery a mindless crowd exhibits when it is easily manipulated by material concerns and worldly power.  Into this scene we must pour ourselves in order to ask ourselves about righteousness and unrighteousness.  How are we easily manipulated?  Do easy answers come when we're angry or perhaps going along with the crowds?  Christ's story pulls us out of the crowd and into a place where we are asked all the time to know ourselves and our motivation, to seek justice as righteous choices for ourselves -- and to know our savior and deliverer, our liberator, as One who was treated with injustice in our world.  Let us remember how we are to see His face in those who suffer, regardless of their places, high or low, up or down.  He is everywhere.