It was the custom at Passover for Pilate to release a prisoner, anyone for whom they asked. Pilate offered to release either Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious murderer. But the crowds, stirred up by the chief priests, insisted that Barabbas be released and Jesus crucified. Pilate, perhaps influenced by his wife who suffered terrible dreams about this case against Jesus, asked the crowd several times what he should do with Jesus, their king. Each time the crowd shouted "Crucify him!" So Pilate washed his hands of Jesus before the crowd and handed him over to be crucified.
Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. (Acts 13.27-28)
It is the Passover. The crowd makes use of a human custom to welcome a
murderer into their midst. The Father makes use of a divine law to allow
his own son to be murdered as the Passover lamb. "The lamb shall be
without blemish, a year-old male. The Passover lamb shall be slaughtered and its
blood put on your doorposts. When the Lord passes through to strike down
the Egyptians, when he sees the blood on the doorposts, the Lord will pass over
that door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your house to strike you
down." (Exodus 12.5,21-23) The crowd shows mercy to a guilty man.
The Father selects his innocent son so the wrath of his justice may pass over
us.
We know why the chief priests wanted Jesus crucified: it was out of jealousy.
(Matthew 27.18) But what is to explain the hatred of the crowds who in
their madness seek the release of a murderer and chant in their bloodlust for
the crucifixion of an innocent man? Surely even those who did not know
Jesus could see he was innocent. They were the ones stirred up by the
chief priests into the emotional fury of a mob mentality, where weak human
nature would rather go along with the crowd than stand apart in a self-contained
integrity.
But surely there were more than a few in the crowd who turned on Jesus. These
were the ones who heard him preach, saw the things he did, perhaps even throw
palm branches down in front of him when he came to Jerusalem. This crowd
represents you and I. Or will you turn away from meditating on how your
own sins were there convicting Christ? If you would experience Easter joy
you cannot forget how your own sins cry out for Christ's crucifixion.
"Know then that yes, you have seen my wonders in the world and in your own life.
Yet here I stand at my own trial, silent, and you are scandalized. You had
put all your hopes in me to be your Messiah and now you are completely
scandalized that I appear to be just another man. 'Why not perform some
wonder to save yourself?' you think. Your hope fades away. It is
replaced by disbelief. Disbelief turns to anger when you see that I do not
act how you think I should act. The anger of your destroyed hopes lashes
out at me and you open your mouth - "Crucify him! Yes, crucify him!" Do
not run away in your shame of thinking this. It is the pain and sin of all
humanity I will carry to Calvary. Only stay with me. You do not have
to be innocent to do so.
You are now far removed from my trial two thousand years ago. Yet still
today you put me on trial when I do not show you wonders on demand. You
are scandalized that I became a part of your humanity. You would like me
kept apart, mysterious, up in heaven. Yet I am in your midst in your own
brothers and sisters. When I remain silent in your life of faith, when you
see the world choose evil instead of me, how shall you respond?"