Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him

 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 after Christ's trial in the council, the whole multitude of them arose and led Him 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 him 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 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 one another.

 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.  My study bible points out that Pilate attempts to release Jesus three times.  In response, three times the chief priests and the rulers incite the people to demand He be put to death.  Finally, the demand is for the release of a rebel.  Barabbas means "son of the father."  My study bible says it indicates to which father these particular rulers belong -- the devil, a fellow rebel (John 8:44).

Why is it that the innocent suffer?  Why do we see this scene repeated in our world, where it is the most innocent -- and in this case, the only true innocent -- who suffers and pays the price for the sins of the rest?  Perhaps Christ is the only one who is not manipulating anyone; He does not scheme for material power, He does not have a hidden agenda.  There is nothing duplicitous about Him.  My study bible uses the term "rebel" for the religious leaders, meaning their own rebellion against God, against the coming of the Son (see the parable of the vinedressers given by Jesus to them in the temple).  Certainly we understand that Christ has known that this would be His end -- for after all, He has warned the disciples three times of what was to come to Him in Jerusalem, in quite explicit detail.   Another question comes a close second, and that is, why does God permit it?  Indeed, we may ask why God permits any evil in our world.  I don't have all the answers to these questions.  But first of all, we may be given to understand clearly that evil is a choice we can make in our lives.  That is, evil exists as an option, an influence, a rebellion against truth and the good and the beautiful -- those things we associate with God.  We can point to the usual "culprits" inside of us, the influences and impulses that are at work in such a choice, all forms of selfishness and self-centeredness (as opposed to being God-centered), in particular, envy.  (Pilate, if anything a clever observer of human nature, probably essential to his rise in the Roman hierarchy, understands this himself; see Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10).   These leaders want what they feel is their entitled share of the full pie, the whole ownership of the vineyard.  An innocent person, one who wields little to no currency or power in a given circumstance, makes an easy target, for obvious reasons.  Consistently the Gospels tell us that the religious leaders fear only the people, who love to hear Christ, and who have sought out champions for themselves, holy people like John the Baptist and Jesus.  Here in this crowd which they can easily stir up, the leaders have their way; they long to be rid of one who is not of their order, has no material authority, and stirs up the people as a natural leader.  It is only Gamaliel who will later show the wisdom befitting his position, when he counsels the religious leaders not to persecute the early Church (Acts 5:33-42).  It is a separate question to ask why the innocent suffer, and why Christ bears His suffering.   The Revelation, our book of the eschaton, the fullness of time, tells us that Christ is the Faithful and True Witness (Revelation 1:5, 3:14).  What is Jesus witness to?  Why does going to His death fulfill this role of witness (martyr in the Greek)?  He is a witness against the evil of this world, against the one "who was a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), and those who continue to carry out his work in the world.  Christ bears witness, through His innocence.  He does not participate in the evil Himself, and therefore His testimony is true and pure.  It is a part of the culmination of the age which is judgment, a final and true reckoning, which is only possible through true witnessing, honest testimony.  Who makes a more competent witness than one who has no split allegiances, no hidden agenda, no conflict of interest?  Our own need to follow in Christ's footsteps may mean that we, too, experience what He did:  the injustice done to the innocent.  Truth is a threat to those who hate truth; the light is problematic for those who do not want their deeds to come to light (John 3:19).  Until such time as we are given to know better, we understand the need for living our lives in that light, so that we, too, may be witnesses and give true testimony.  We seek to live His way, alert and awake to who we are and what we need to serve -- but not in naivete.   It is part of our mission to be wise as serpents and simple as doves; to know what our world is about, and yet to see the purity of heart Christ praises.  It is in this struggle and tension that we are true witnesses, and we may live and share in His life by bearing our own cross as He did.  Let us be glad to share in His light, for it means the salvation of the world from the alternative we can observe only too well if we but look with the eyes He asks of us.