SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/28/2024 7:45 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “The
Animosity of the Crowd”
Message of the verses: “15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him." 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21 But the governor said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Crucify Him!" 23 And he said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they kept shouting all the more, saying, "Crucify Him!"
I promised to quote some things about Barabbas from
MacArthur’s commentary so that we can get to know a little bit about him, as
there is not many things known about him without I suppose speculation.
“Little is known about Barabbas except that he was a
robber, murderer, and insurrectionist (Luke 23:25; John 18:40). He was probably not a Zealot but an
independent rogue who fought Rome more for personal gain that patriotism. This arch-criminal was as great a threat to
his fellow countrymen as to their oppressors.
Because of the severity of his crimes, he was doubtlessly scheduled for
execution, and Jesus probably was crucified on the cross originally constructed
for Barabbas.
“It was now ‘about the sixth hour’ (John 19:14), which by
Roman reckoning would be 6:00 A. M. By
this time a throng of Jews had assembled in front of the Praetorium, attracted
by the large gathering of religious leaders as well as by the specific summons
of Pilate (Luke 23:13). When therefore
they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to
release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who
is called Christ?’ Although he despised
the Jews, the governor had learned enough about their practices and beliefs to
know that they looked forward to a promise deliverer, whom they called Christ, or
Messiah. He also knew that many Jews had
ascribed that title to Jesus. And he
could hardly have failed to know of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem a few
days earlier and His boisterous acclamation by the multitudes.”
Pilate also knew that of their envy of Jesus, the
religious leaders had delivered Him up, and by pitting the people against those
leaders, he hoped to safely release Him.
It was while he was sitting on the judgment seat, Pilate’s
deliberation was interrupted when his wife sent to him saying, “Have nothing to
do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream
because of Him.” I don’t think that it
was her practice to interrupt her husband when he was in the midst of a trial,
especially one so sensitive as this one was.
When Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat he was to be acting in the
official capacity of judge, and not even a governor’s wife would have dared
intrude on such proceedings except in a serious crisis. I have to believe that she surely thought
that this was a serious crisis. She knew
what Pilate’s original verdict had been but was now afraid that the Jewish
leaders would coerce him into changing his mind.
I will write more about this subject as I begin my next
SD, Lord willing.
7/28/2024 8:23 AM
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