Pilate
called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and see, I have examined him before you, and found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.” Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast. But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”— one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.
Luke 23:13-19
Luke 23 [8.] Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him. He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers. The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him. Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.
Luke 23 [13.] Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and see, I have examined him before you, and found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.”
Luke 23 [17.] Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast. But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”— one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.
Luke 23 [20.] Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus, but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
Meaning:
After Herod sent Jesus back, Pilate gathered the chief priests, the rulers and the people and announced his decision. Neither he nor Herod had found any guilt in Jesus, so he proposed a compromise: he would have Jesus beaten and then set him free. But the crowd demanded the release of a different prisoner, a man guilty of the very crimes Jesus was falsely charged with. Mark tells the same story in Mark 15:6-10 and Mark 15:11-12, and Matthew in Matthew 27:17-19.
- “I have examined him before you”
Pilate speaks as a judge giving a formal verdict. He had examined the accused in public, and the charge that Jesus “perverts the people” had not been proved. He then adds a second witness: “Neither has Herod.” The law of Moses required more than one witness before anyone could be condemned: “At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15). Here two rulers, a Roman and a Jewish king, testify not to Jesus’ guilt but to his innocence. Luke records the verdict carefully so that his readers can be certain that Jesus was condemned unjustly.
- “I will therefore chastise him and release him”
Pilate’s proposal shows his weakness. If Jesus was innocent, he should have been released at once. Instead Pilate offered to have him flogged, hoping that the sight of a beaten prisoner would satisfy the accusers. Roman flogging was brutal and could itself kill. Pilate was trying to keep the peace and protect his own position rather than do justice. He will repeat the offer a second time (Luke 23:22), and the crowd will reject it again.
- “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”
It was the custom at the Passover feast for the governor to release one prisoner chosen by the people. Pilate may have hoped the crowd would choose Jesus, but the chief priests stirred them up to ask for Barabbas (Mark 15:11). Luke describes him as one who had been thrown into prison “for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.” Barabbas was the kind of man the leaders claimed Jesus was: a rebel who stirred up the people against Rome. The irony is sharp. The innocent man is condemned for rebellion, and the real rebel goes free.
- A guilty man released
The release of Barabbas is a picture of the gospel. A man who deserved death walked free because Jesus took his place. Peter later preached to the people of Jerusalem: “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 3:14-15). What men did in wickedness, God used for salvation. Every believer can see something of himself in Barabbas.
The Significance of Luke 23:13-19
- Christ the substitute
The apostle Peter wrote, “Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Paul put it this way: “For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The exchange of Jesus for Barabbas makes this truth visible: the innocent one dies, and the guilty one goes free.
- Doing right when it costs something
Pilate knew what was right and said it publicly, yet he tried to find a middle way that would please everyone. Justice that bends to the loudest voices is not justice. The passage challenges anyone in authority, and every believer, to act on the truth they know even when it is unpopular.
Cross-References:
Mark 15:6-10: Mark’s account of the custom of releasing a prisoner and of Barabbas.
Deuteronomy 19:15: “At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” Pilate and Herod both found Jesus innocent.
Acts 3:14: “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.” Peter recalls the choice of Barabbas.
1 Peter 3:18: “the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.” Christ died in the place of sinners.
Conclusion: In Luke 23:13-19 Pilate formally declares Jesus innocent, supported by Herod’s judgment, yet offers to flog him to satisfy the crowd. The people reject the offer and demand the release of Barabbas, a rebel and murderer. The scene shows the injustice of the trial and points to the heart of the gospel: the Righteous One condemned so that the guilty might go free.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible