B22a-devotions

Matthew 27:11-19

Alternative devotions for Sunday 28th December

This text sets the tragic scene for the climactic events of Jesus’ trial and sentence to death. Jesus had no more of a trial in front of Pilate than He had in front of Caiaphas, and it was an interrogation rather than a trial, conducted by those who wielded absolute personal power over life and death.

Jesus before Pilate for the accusation (v11) At last, Jesus stood before Pilate, probably outside the official governor’s residence, with Pilate seated on a judicial bench (see 27:19). He began by asking about the charge, that Jesus claiming to be ‘King of Israel’, but he changed this to the more vulgar Roman expression ‘King of the Jews’.

The chief priests had attempted to politicise the charge by describing the Messiah as a ‘King’, simply in order to get Pilate to consider the death penalty, and Pilate’s first concern was to decide whether Jesus’ claim was a serious challenge to the authority of the Empire and the Emperor. However, Pilate did not trust the chief priests and probably wanted to know simply whether Jesus was indeed a dangerous insurrectionist, in which case he would have him killed, or whether the charge was religious and needed to be dismissed. He put the charge to Jesus, saying very directly ‘are you the King of the Jews?’ He received a vague and indirect reply from Jesus; ‘so you say’ (27:11), and then said no more to Pilate, who clearly wanted to know more.

Further accusations (vv12-14) At this point, one can imagine the chief priests and elders gathered nearby, attempting to make more of their own case, which did not appear to be going their way. Matthew does not tell us what they said, but they probably repeated the allegations mentioned previously (26:61). Yet it seems that the more they said, the more Pilate was intrigued by Jesus’ silence in the face of such charges. Pilate needed to hear more from Jesus (27:13), because it was against the principles of Roman justice for him to condemn someone to death without giving them a chance to defend themselves.

All this seems to have unsettled Pilate. He would have been either annoyed at Jesus’ affront, or puzzled by this man before him who could handle such circumstances with dignity and moral courage. Now, we can see in Jesus’ silence a fulfilment of Isaiah 53:7 ‘He did not open His mouth’, a key passage to Matthew’s presentation of Jesus’ Passion (see also 52:15); but Pilate was the man who had to decide what happened to Jesus according to his duties under Roman law.

Jesus (Barabbas) and Jesus (Son of God) (vv15,16) There is some debate as to whether there was indeed a custom for the Roman governor of Jerusalem and Judea to offer a selective amnesty at Passover, as is indicated by verse 15. Historically, it remains uncertain, but it is a fascinating part of the story. It was true however, that Pilate could not offer an amnesty for someone who had already been tried and condemned; only the Roman Emperor could do this; Pilate could only offer for amnesty those who were un-convicted and awaiting trial, such as Jesus and Barabbas.

The mention of Barabbas in Matthew’s Gospel is not straightforward. Amongst the earliest copies of Matthew’s Gospel, some have the name ‘Barabbas’, and others have ‘Jesus Barabbas’. We know that some influential early Christians ran a campaign to remove the name ‘Jesus’ from before ‘Barabbas’ in scripture (notably, Origen, 185-254 AD), so it is more likely that the name ‘Jesus Barabbas’ was indeed original. This would not be surprising as the name ‘Jesus’ was a popular name of the times, and it created a great deal of confusion!

The name Barabbas breaks down in Aramaic to form the word ‘Bar-Abbas’ meaning ‘son of the Father’. The story in Matthew’s Gospel now becomes an intrigue between ‘Jesus, the son of the father’ (Barabbas), and ‘Jesus, the Son of God’ (called the ‘Messiah’)! Nothing more is said by Matthew about Barabbas, except that he was ‘notorious’, which probably meant that he was hated by the authorities and yet enjoyed considerable popular support! Luke describes him as a murderer (23:19) and Mark as an insurrectionist (15:7).

Presenting a deadly choice (vv17,18) It seems that crowds had gathered outside Pilate’s residence for the annual pardon offered by their unloved ruler, and Pilate gave them their choice; Jesus Barabbas and Jesus ‘called the Messiah’ (1717). It is interesting to try and work out what was really going on in Pilate’s mind. Many people believe Pilate was trying to let Jesus off the hook because the chief priests were jealous of Him (27:18). If that was the case, it was pure ineptitude, as no Jewish crowd would accept a candidate for freedom put to them by the Roman governor! Alternatively, it is possible that verse 18 describes the chief priests’ jealousy of Pilate’s power to condemn to death; a power they did not have. So by putting the matter back in the hands of the crowds, Pilate was playing games with the Jewish authorities, something to which they would have taken exception.

The other possibility, which I prefer, is that Pilate wanted the crowd to make the decision about Jesus because he did not feel he could pronounce on the matter. Jesus had refused to defend himself and speak.

The intervention of Pilate’s wife In the midst of all this crisis, Pilate’s wife, traditionally named ‘Procla’, sent a message of caution to her husband. She had been upset about what was happening because of a dream. This is very interesting, because Matthew had presented God as speaking through dreams at the beginning of his Gospel (1:20; 2:12 etc.)! Are we to see in this the same theme of God sending messages by supernatural means? It is known that many wives of Roman officials stationed in Israel became sympathetic to the Jews, and although there is no direct evidence Christian tradition of later years certainly lists Procla as a God-fearer whose actions attempted to thwart the plans of Jesus’ accusers. Procla told Pilate of her dream to warn him away from condemning Jesus. Romans were very taken with the meaning of dreams, and Pilate would not receive a warning such as this lightly, as we shall find out in the next study.

There is something deeply impressive about Jesus’ ability in the midst of the most enormous pressure to be focussed upon God’s purposes. Everything He had done lay in the past, and all that mattered was ‘who’ he was; which is why He answered Pilate’s and Caiaphas’ question about his identity; ‘are you the King of the Jews?’, and ‘are you the Messiah?’ He responded to no other questions. God’s plan was for Him to complete His supremely difficult task of facing all sin and death, and bring about the salvation of all people as both ‘King’ and ‘Messiah’.

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and he asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said, ‘So you say.’ 12 However, when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many charges they have made against you?’ 14 But Jesus gave no answer, not even to one thing, to the amazement of the governor.

15 Now it was the governor’s custom to release a prisoner for the crowd at the Festival; anyone they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called (Jesus) Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Which one do you want me to release for you, (Jesus) Barabbas or Jesus who is called “Messiah”?’ 18 For he realized that they had handed him over to him out of jealousy.

19 While he was sitting on the judge’s bench, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that honest man, for I have been greatly troubled because of a dream about him.’

Dear Lord God, Your gifts to us are beyond compare. How can we measure the immense value of all You have done for us in sending Jesus to be our Saviour? We thank You and we praise You, and we offer You our lives to You in response to Your gift of Jesus Christ. Mat we live according to His example and His guidance, and so inherit with Him the gift of eternal life: All praise and thanks be to You, Lord God, ALLELUIA!

Give thanks for days of happiness;

when the Lord gives us blessings despite all our problems:

Give thanks for the joy of love;

when those who are close give us happiness by what they do:

Give thanks for the peace of security;

when our bodies, souls and spirits have rest, and fear nothing:

Give thanks for moments of satisfaction;

when the work we have done is successful and bears fruit:

Give thanks for the stability of true faith;

when by trusting the Lord we stand firm, whilst all else fails:

Give thanks for the salvation we have in Christ;

for without this we have nothing; but in Him we have all!

Weekly Theme: The Coming Year

It is common for people to celebrate the New Year, often by making promises to do better. Pray that the Lord will guide you as you reflect on last year and plan for the next.

On-going prayers

PGive thanks for God’s blessings for you and your family in 2008
Pray for people who work hard in shops over Christmas time
Pray for all those whose work is to maintain essential services

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