John 18:38b-40 38And after saying this, he again went back outside to the Jews and said to them, “I find no basis for accusation against him. 39But there is a custom to you that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40Then they cried out again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.
The Holy Spirit works with every person’s conscience, drawing him or her to the grace of God. Pilate missed his moment of grace as he interrogated the only Way, Truth, and Life to the Father and eternal life. He found nothing wrong with Jesus. He probably thought that Jesus was just another itinerant, crazy Jew that he had to put up with as governor of Judea. If Jesus claimed to be a king of some invisible kingdom, let him have his fantasies. He did not deserve death for that. At least Pilate had enough common sense and awareness of human nature to see that Jesus was no threat to the Romans.
So Pilate went outside to the colonnade area where the Jews were gathered and gave them his verdict of innocence. He could have ended the whole situation, let Jesus go, and sent the Jews home. However, he still had an angry crowd that appeared to be growing bigger and more boisterous. Instead of clear justice, he gave into the Sanhedrin. He thought he could solve the situation on his own, but he ended up mocking both Jesus and the Jews.
Pilated then appealed to a tradition at Passover time of releasing one prisoner. This may have been symbolic of the release of Israel from slavery in Egypt. It was a nice gesture of the Romans to placate the Jews. By calling Jesus the King of the Jews, he was taking the Jews’ own accusation against Jesus and turning it back on them and claiming mockingly that Jesus was their king. The choice was theirs. They rejected their king and wanted Barabbas. Barabbas was a robber (lēstēs), a word that can be much stronger for a terrorist or guerrilla fighter. He may have been captured by the Romans and accused of plundering, fighting for Jewish rights, and insurrection. Mark 15:7 says he was part of a group of murderers. To the Jews, he could even have been a hero. His name means “son of a rabbi.” Significant in John’s account is that the Jews came up with the name of Barabbas. The Sanhedrin and the crowd that had gathered with them chose a robber over the Savior; anyone but Jesus! They had their own “savior,” who had attempted to throw off the yoke of the Romans. The Jews were so blind and hearts so hardened that they no longer could discern the truth and the grace God offered them.
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