Matthew 27:15-26 The Crowd
4/8/04MT D. Marion Clark
Introduction
We have been considering characters in the passion story asking the question, Who is responsible? Who is responsible for Jesus’ death? We’ve examined the roles that the disciples, the religious leaders, Herod, and Pilate each played. All of them bear some responsibility. But there was one group who actually accepted it, and that was the crowd present in Pilate’s courtyard.
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15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, 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 it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”
For whatever reasons, Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus. He knew Jesus to be innocent of any crime deserving crucifixion. His wife had warned him against getting involved because of a dream, which would have been taken seriously by a Roman. He did not like being used by the Jewish leaders to take care of their personal offenses, which he recognized was the real reason for the charges being made. As verse 18 notes, he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. I think the primary reason for Pilate’s reluctance was his encounter with Jesus. He learned what others had attested, “No one ever spoke like this man” (John 7:46).
Pilate then makes one of those moves that seemed good at the time, but proves to be short-sighted. There is a custom by which the governor would release for the crowd a prisoner during Passover. It is not a bad idea, particularly during that feast which stirs in the people a restlessness against their occupation. The Roman authority gives the appearance of being magnanimous, which helps to dilute the anti-Roman feelings.
He could offer Jesus. It makes sense. He knows the leaders’ real grievance against Jesus is his popularity with the people. We are told by “scholars” that Pilate would have been just as desirous as the religious leaders to get rid of Jesus because of the people’s hopes in him as the Messiah. But Jesus has not taken advantage of his popularity to raise discontent with the Romans. His preaching is void of political content. He teaches to love one’s enemies and even counsels to pay taxes. Certainly his celebrated entry into Jerusalem the week before raised Roman eyebrows, but then he has done nothing since then to arouse anti-Roman feelings. He has spoken against authority, but it is the Jewish authorities he has rebuked. We are told by Matthew that the leaders wanted to get their hands on Jesus, but delayed because they feared the crowds.
They finally are able to seize Jesus at night away from the crowds. They carry out their trial the same evening in the High Priest’s private home, and they bring Jesus to Pilate early in the morning. Clearly, they are trying to avoid public attention and get a verdict before the crowds can come to his rescue.
Here is Pilate’s opportunity to expose their intentions and to make himself appear, not only magnanimous but as the friend of the people. He needed some good PR. He was already in trouble with Caesar for his harsh rule. He puts before the crowd Barabbas and Jesus. All the more good vibes he should be generating by letting them make the choice. But he is shrewd enough to choose a “notorious prisoner,” a man, Luke tells, “who had been thrown into prison for insurrection started in the city and for murder” (Luke 23:19). He is not the man that should win a popularity contest. But it all backfires.
20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again 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, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
What happened? It seems a stretch that the religious leaders in a short period of time could persuade the crowd to turn against a man that many believed to be a prophet of God. How could these leaders who had tried to keep the crowd from knowing what they were doing, suddenly turn into persuasive salesmen? To ask the question yet another way, how could the crowd go from shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” a few days earlier, to shouting, “et him be crucified!”?
It is not the same crowd. During Passover, Jerusalem’s population grows from a few thousand to two or three hundred thousand. As Jesus entered into Jerusalem, he would have been part of a stream of thousands entering into the city. And though he did receive attention by many people, nevertheless, it would be a small number in comparison to the mass of humanity crowded in and about Jerusalem.
This crowd before Pilate is not likely to be large. It would be made up most of the following. There would be those who have business with Pilate. They have favors to ask, complaints to make, business to transact. It is likely that a number of them are seeking release of family members and friends who are prisoners. Perhaps they hope to take advantage of the governor’s custom of releasing a prisoner. Maybe even Barabbas has his advocates. He most likely was part of a rebel movement. And then there were those whom the religious leaders had gathered. Remember, during their trial, they had gathered false witnesses. These same people very well could have joined the procession, especially if the leaders needed to call on them for testimony before Pilate.
The result is that the majority of the crowd present are as likely to be against or indifferent to Jesus as being for him. At least his strongest advocates would not be there. Where would they be? Most would be at the temple. That is the focal point of the pilgrims. Others would be at market or in their residences. Few respected Jews would be hanging out in the Roman governor’s courtyard. The point of all this is to say that the leaders did not have much persuading to do. What they really needed to do was to coach the crowd, which they do well.
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Coaching is obviously happening. We know the leaders were standing with the crowd and no doubt serving as their spokesmen. And we know how crowd, or rather, mob behavior works. It only takes one or a handful of leaders to whip up a crowd’s emotions; and once those emotions get going, then reason falls away and emotions take over. People will do and say anything in a crowd, even such as, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
His blood be on us
What are we to make of this statement? First, we are to understand that the Messiah was rejected by his people, not merely by the powers to be. He had been rejected long before this day. They also were blind to who he was. He was hailed as a prophet, a man of God, a miracle worker and great teacher. He showed potential to be the Messiah, but he never did become “the star” expected. He did not produce. He did not overthrow the occupiers, nor even show an interest in doing so. As John says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11).
But then, the Messiah was rejected by the Gentiles as well. John 1:10 says, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” But Jew and Gentile failed to recognize the Messiah. The Messiah’s rejection was complete.
Secondly, take the statement for the truth. Christ’s blood – the responsibility for his death – rests upon us all, for we are all sinners needing his death to free us from our own guilt. We, and our children, stand guilty before God for our own sins. The necessity for Jesus shedding his blood lies within each of us.
Thirdly, think of who the crowd represents. They are neither the powers nor the elite circle of Jesus. They are the common people, the “regular folk.” They have no special interests to protect, no axe to grind. They are you and me; actually more you. I am a religious leader. Those are my brothers leading the crowd to turn against Jesus. And those are your brothers and sisters turning on him.
How many of us have read the passion story and thought to ourselves, “If only I had been there; I would have spoken up for Jesus. I would not have abandoned him or turned against him”? Don’t be so sure. I dare say Peter was more devoted to Jesus than any of us, and he denied him when the pressure came. How many times have we followed with the crowd against our Lord?
There are times in the classroom or the workplace, we’ve gone along with the profane jokes and snide remarks so as to fit in with the crowd. There have been times when we have been afraid to let our faith be known. Like most people, we don’t want to be considered outcasts. We’ve been afraid to identify ourselves with others who appear foolish for their faith.
There have also been times when we’ve followed the “Christian” crowd and blindly followed leaders who claim to speak for God’s views about politics and social positions. Because we have followed the crowd, we have failed to see how worldly we and our churches can become. The irony is that the world can see our worldliness and recognize it for what it is.
But speaking of irony, consider the blessed irony of that statement, His blood be on us and on our children. Brothers and sisters, how blessed we are that the blood of Jesus Christ has been sprinkled upon us that our guilt may be removed. By the hands of our fathers, the blood of our Lord was spilt; and by that blood spilt, the sins of our fathers, of ourselves, and of our children are covered over.
Yes, indeed, may the blood of Christ Jesus be on us and on our children. May that blood purify us; may it justify us; may that blood inaugurate the saving covenant by which we are reconciled to God and he to us; may that blood lead us who were far away near to God; may that blood redeem us.
