Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go

 

 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 them arose and Jesus 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 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).  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.  On today's passage, my study Bible remarks that three times Pilate attempts to release Jesus ("I will therefore chastise Him and release Him"; Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them; 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" -- verses 16, 20, 22).   Three times the chief priest and the rulers incite the people to demand that Jesus be put to death.  In the end, my study Bible says, they demand the release of a rebel like themselves.  Barabbas means "son of the father" and indicates to which father these rulers belong -- the devil (John 8:44).  

In the perspective of my study Bible, we observe the juxtaposition between the Man of God, Jesus, and the man of warfare and rebellion, Barabbas.  The religious leaders and the crowd they've stirred up want a "rebel like themselves" in the words of my study Bible.  Even though Pilate, whose main concern is simply quelling rebellion and strife and keeping the Roman peace, sees that Jesus is innocent, and seeks to have Him given a lesser punishment and released, the crowd prefers Jesus to be crucified.  Let us note that throughout these verses we're given today Jesus does not say a word.  He is silent, in the hands of the crowd and the Roman state and against the machinations of the religious leaders who seek to put Him to death, even through lies and false accusations.  Pilate can see what is happening.  Matthew's Gospel tells us that he knew they had handed Him over because of envy (Matthew 27:18).  Pilate no doubt would have been a rather shrewd political man, a part of the elite bureaucracy of the Roman Empire.  His time in this position lasted rather longer than most of his counterparts.  According to the Gospels, he was married to a woman of enough insight also to have a sense of Christ's innocence.  Matthew's Gospel tells us that "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'" (Matthew 27:19).  Even among the pagan Romans, there is a sense of innocence wronged, and what kind of moral implications -- and perhaps spiritual results -- would be involved in harming a "just Man."  In some Orthodox traditions, it is held that Pilate's wife, Claudia, later became a Christian, and possibly even Pilate himself.  What we do know of Pilate through direct historical sources is that he was eager to quell rebellions, and acted harshly upon the Samaritans in connection with an event at Mt. Gerizim, for which he was reported to Rome and summoned to answer charges.  But the emperor who appointed him died before he reached Rome.  He seems also to have on various occasions offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews, such as by hanging banners to the emperor which caused yet a different uprising.  At another time he was ordered by the emperor to take down gilt shields he had publicly displayed in Jerusalem, for he had done so despite the fact that they were considered extremely offensive among the Jews.   So when we look at this history, we see violence of all kinds surrounding the Person of Jesus.  There is the empire of Rome seeking to quell those whom it rules, we see the religious leaders seeking to protect their own positions and manipulate the emperor, rebellious and outraged Jewish subjects seeking a political deliverer, and a governor whose job it is to secure what is called peace by any means necessary.  Perhaps "expedience" is the word that defines Pilate's position, for despite his efforts to save Jesus, he gives in to the unruly crowd, possibly to avoid yet another upheaval and thus another stain on his record.  Pilate is also surrounded by forces of violence and power, while his own power seems at times ineffective.  Ironically he lived at Caesarea, but had also come to Jerusalem at the time of the feast, along with thousands of  Roman troops due to the increased danger of disturbances as so many strangers filled the city.  But Christ's silence speaks more loudly than all of these.  Pilate apparently wielded more power than most in his position, as he also had supreme judicial power in addition to the ordinary duty of financial administration.  Perhaps Pilate is a type of worldly man even for us today, as we live in a world in which the expediency of the state and its bureaucracies is sometimes posited over and against religion.  In a modern perspective, religion and its demands may be viewed by administrators as one more competing interest among those of others.  Pilate's highest duty in his appointed position was unquestionably to the emperor, and the emperor was also the object of worship.  We might even say that today for many in positions of power, the highest duty is to position, to institution and party or employer, and to one's own status.  In a modern world, we may easily view Pilate as image of authority or rank in a secular world, but with all kinds of technology and material power to use, and faced with the challenge of Christ midst a sea of competing interests, ideologies, and values.  In an environment of competing demands, noisy competition, great bureaucracies, and ever-growing networks within which we must engage with the world, where does our loyalty come down?  Our small sense of family or friends?  Our group of colleagues?  Our employer or state?  Our fear of frightening and disturbing violence?  Or maybe some new ideology clamoring for our allegiance?  All the loud voices around us seem to be filled with demands for our time, energy, and attention.  Which will prevail?  We might consider the idea that the great call of Christ requires us to stand up to crowds, expediency, and everything else.  After all, it is Jesus who asked, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).  It's all too easy for Christ's voice to be drowned and silent, or possibly even not to enter into consideration at all.  This remains most poignantly true where there is none who will listen.  And yet He is there, a part of design by God, for even His silence tells us something about ourselves and our world we should know.