Jesus: The Rejected One (18:28-19:16)

Bible Passage: John 18:28-19:16

In this passage we see the second trial of Jesus, this time before Pilate. The Jewish leaders wanted to have Jesus killed, but did not have the authority to do so without Roman approval. It quickly became clear to Pilate that Jesus has done nothing wrong, but he was swayed by the demands of the crowd and pressure from the Jewish leaders. His efforts to find a compromise solution that will placate the crowd failed, as they demanded that a criminal named Barabbas go free instead of Jesus

Pilate’s Cowardice – The conversation that Pilate had with Jesus was quite philosophical in nature. They talk about Jesus’ kingship as something not of this world, confirming that Jesus was not planning an armed revolution against Rome. They also talk about Jesus coming as one to testify to truth, to which Pilate gives the cynical reply ‘what is truth’. They talk about power, and Jesus claims that any power that Pilate had was given to him by God. Nothing in what Jesus said made Pilate see him as dangerous or deserving of death, but he did not have the strength to stand up for his convictions under the pressure of the crowd. When his compromise suggestions were rejected, he buckled and abandoned his convictions, handing Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate is a warning for us about being too influenced by the fear of man and the pressure of the crowd. Are we willing to stand up for Jesus even when it is not popular to do so?

The Crowd’s Rejection – The crowd had been stirred up by the religious leaders to want Jesus executed. Whilst this was not necessarily the same crowd that welcomed him into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, it is clear that public sentiment has turned against him. Pilate’s insistence that he has done nothing wrong does not satisfy them, nor even does flogging and mocking. When offered the chance for Jesus to be released, they insisted that a known criminal be released instead. In the end, they even end up aligning themselves with the Roman emperor as their king, rather than the promised Messiah who they claimed to be looking for.

Barabbas’s Substitute – Barabbas is mentioned in all four gospels, and was a criminal held by Pilate. There was a custom that the authorities released one prisoner at the time of Pentecost, and Pilate wanted to use this custom as a way of letting Jesus go, but the crowd insisted that Barabbas was released instead. Barabbas was a guilty man, but ended up going free. Jesus was an innocent man but ended up being punished. This exchange is a picture of the gospel, as we too are forgiven our sin and declared righteous because the one who sinless took the punishment that we deserve.

Potential Applications:

• The response of the crowd to Jesus makes us ask how we respond to him. This is a great moment to pose that question, and there may be some who choose to follow Jesus for the first time.
• You could challenge people to think about their courage to stand up for what they know is right even when it is unpopular.
• Thinking about Barabbas as illustration of what Jesus has done should lead us to gratitude and praise.