Matthew 27:15-19 15Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted. 16And they had then a well known prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. 17Therefore, when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want that I will release for you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For he knew that it was on account of envy that they had delivered him up. 19And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today because a dream about him.”
Pilate seems to have concluded that Jesus was innocent but was pressured by the Jewish leaders to have him crucified. Pilate was in a difficult spot because he had to uphold justice, appease the Jewish leaders, keep the peace and avoid a riot, and also be accountable to the emperor, Tiberius Caesar. He thought of a solution, which was to appeal to a tradition that at the Passover feast time, one prisoner would be released. This may have been a representation of how God released the Jews from slavery.
Barabbas was brought before the crowd. His name is curious. His given name appears to be Jesus. His family name can be interpreted more as a description meaning “son of a rabbi” or “son of a teacher/preacher.” This man had probably grown up in a believing Jewish home. He was basically the preacher’s kid. Something when wrong in his life at some point, and he walked away from his Torah teaching and descended into sin and lawlessness. He was well known and had developed a reputation that eventually landed him in prison bound to be executed.
Pilate presents the crowd a choice between two “Jesus’s.” Matthew adds Pilate’s thoughts into the narrative. He knew what was going on but felt he needed to walk a fine line lest the situation blow up. He did not become governor of one of the more difficult places of the Roman Empire by being naive. He saw through the situation and knew that the Jews were envious of Jesus. They felt their position and authority being challenged. This envy could also have come by ignoring the conviction Jesus caused them to have. He had preached the truth about their hypocrisy. Those with hard hearts and calloused consciences do not like to be confronted about their sin.
The situation grows even more tense when Pilate’s wife sends word to him about her dream, interrupting the trial right at a critical point. The timing was perfect for Pilate to make a decision to release Jesus. The word from his wife put the choice in Pilate’s hand. Anything from this point on would be his blame. He could no longer claim innocence. He could have and should have heeded the word from his wife. Dreams were considered important in that time, and to have such a dream with probably knowing very little about Jesus indicates that her dream was even more significant. She knew Jesus to be innocent and righteous. Her warning came from her personal struggles caused by this dream. We do not know the contents of the dream, but it was a strong warning to her and to Pilate that Jesus was innocent and should be released. The stakes were even higher for Pilate now.
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