Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?

 Now Jesus stood before the governor.  And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you say."  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.  Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"  But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wishes.  And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.  Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you?  Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"  For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.  While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"  They said, "Barabbas!"  Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"  They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"  Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?"  But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"

- Matthew 27:11-23

Yesterday we read that when morning came (after Christ's night trial in the home of the high priest, and Peter's denial that he knew Him outside in the courtyard), all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

Now Jesus stood before the governor.  And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you say."  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.  Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"  But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.  My study bible points out that the chief priests hide their real charge against Jesus (which was a claim of equality with God, ruled blasphemy by the council), because this would not persuade the governor, Pilate, to sentence Christ to death.  Instead they present a charge of treason -- enough to convict Him for capital punishment -- by saying that Jesus had called Himself the King of the Jews.  This constituted a challenge to Roman rule, and so would carry the death sentence.  No wonder Pilate marveled greatly that Jesus says nothing in reply to the accusations of the chief priests and elders.

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wishes.  And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.  Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you?  Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"  For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.  While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"  They said, "Barabbas!"  Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"  They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"  Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?"  But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"  In another twist of irony and strangeness that characterizes this time of evil typified by truth hidden and twisted to appear as something other, Barabbas bears a name that means "son of the father."   While Jesus is the true Son of the Father, and has been accused of deserving death because He has said so, the crowds are persuaded by the chief priests and elders to choose Barabbas instead.   In so doing, the religious leaders show which father they themselves belong to:  the devil (John 8:44, Matthew 23:15).  My study bible points out that Pilate, understanding that Christ was an innocent Man, and handed over because of envy, tries three times to save Jesus.  But each time he is refuted through the encouragement of the religious leaders.

This conflict of the choice between one "son of the father" and Christ the Son of the Father gives us a picture of what evil does in the world.  It is even a picture of the nature of the anti-Christ in some sense, and also the way that heresy works.   In the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43), the tares (or inedible weeds) so closely resemble the wheat and are so closely planted among them that it is better to wait until the harvest to separate them the true from the false grain.  In the choice between Barabbas and Christ, the false son somehow resembles the true Son, and the people are required to discern what is true.  In this case, misled by false rulers, they choose the false son of the father, pursuing nationalist impulses rather than truly religious or spiritual choices for salvation.  Barabbas is an insurrectionist, held for seeking the overthrow of the Romans, and so his means of salvation and liberation for the people is one of material violence.  But as Christ tells Pilate in John's Gospel, Christ's kingdom is not of this world, and therefore His servants do not fight (John 18:36).  It's striking how the corrupt religious leadership bears out the hallmarks attributed to them by Christ:  they are false prophets, wolves in sheep's clothing, the blind who lead the blind in this crowd (15:14).  Most of all, what we see on display is their hypocrisy (see chapter 23), as they relish their positions as religious leaders, and yet bring Christ to the Gentiles to be crucified on false charges out of envy.  They themselves form one more misleading appearance as spiritual guides, while Christ, the Man on trial, is the true Shepherd.  Such is the time of choice, and the way evil works in the world:  not so much through a clear image or message, but one that appears to be nominally "good" and for good reasons, and yet has the impact and motivation of ravening wolves (7:15).   Surely this choice is obvious to some, and scandalizes many, but the mob under persuasion of corrupt and hypocritical leaders walks a blind path that will lead to destruction in the eventual Siege of Jerusalem by the Romans.  Let us consider for ourselves the blindness that might be present at this moment in our own societies, problems that require a truly spiritual solution, but are posed instead by false leaders as purely political.  We might also see for ourselves leaders who are nominally "good" and say they seek peace, and especially liberation of the oppressed -- but who nevertheless mysteriously condone and ignore violence, and in particular violence inflicted among the poor who suffer the most from their "solutions."  Jesus has already told His followers, just before He goes to His death, that our job as His disciples is to remain awake and alert, to watch and pray, and to endure in His commandments -- even through all the evil we may see, and right to the end.  He has warned us that we are to beware of false prophets.   Let us not be the blind who follow the blind.  We are meant to be discerning, to know what we are about, and to obey only the voice of our Shepherd and His true servants who love His sheep.