Mark 15:7-15 Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. “Crucify him!” they shouted. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
In the release of Barabbas over Jesus, we see the culmination of evil not only in the Jewish religious and political elite but in the people too. In one accord they chose to release Barabbas, a murderer--one who destroys life rather than one who saves life. They chose death for Jesus rather than life. Loudly, with passion, they proclaimed: “Crucify him!” This shout to destroy clearly illustrates God's thoughts about man in the time of Noah: The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5) There are of course many reasons the chief priests stirred up the crowd to destroy Jesus. Pilot understood that their hatred of Jesus spawned out of jealousy; they were losing their position of authority with the people if Jesus' teachings were believed and followed, for He was telling the people that only through believing in him could people have peace with God. Of course the chief priests taught that only through their intercessions for the people and following the law could people find a right relationship with God. They stirred the people up because they hated Jesus for his teaching about himself: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) But in reality, the people would have never followed the priests if their hearts would have been good, for they would have recognized Christ's message of life and light. "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:19-21)
Jesus was oftentimes very harsh with the religious elite. He even challenged them about their basic belief: their claim that because Abraham was their genetic father, they held a special position as God's children. But Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:42-47) Jesus was telling these religious elite that they were not following the true Father of heaven but their own evil desires. We see who their true father is when they stir up the crowd to murder Jesus. They fulfill Jesus' words, You belong to your father, the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning. They were so angry with Jesus' words that they go on to say He is demon-possessed or completely controlled by the devil. "I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me." (John 8:49) They would say anything to discredit Jesus. They carried out their father the devil's wishes when they had Jesus crucified and agreed to this terrible act.
Why were the people so easily persuaded to kill Jesus and to release a murderer? Why did they not reject the chief priests' claims? We know that earlier as Jesus entered Jerusalem the population greeted him as a hero, as a king. How could their adoration so easily turn to hate, their shouts of "Hosanna" to "Crucify him"! Maybe they were disillusioned by the fact that their hero, their supposed Messiah, was now in the hands of the hated Romans. Jesus probably seemed powerless to them now. How could a savior sent from God be unable to free himself from the grip of the Romans? Maybe this stark reality of Roman power juxtaposed with Jewish weakness brought on these raw emotions to kill this helpless Jewish man who claimed to do the Father's will. They had forgotten the one who said, "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40) They wanted power now: at least, Barrabas was strong enough to lead an insurrection, to kill his hated oppressors. Maybe that was why they wanted him released, not Jesus. Regardless of the reasons, they wanted Jesus killed that day. In the past we held public executions. For many reasons we discontinued them, but we know people used these ghastly events as a chance to celebrate. The people would gather to view the executions, not with sorrow, but with a certain amount of ambivalence to the cruelty of the event. Maybe in some ways, these events of the past correlate with how we watch events of death on our televisions and video games. Not really appreciating the sanctity of life but looking for a thrill, we watch one person after another killed, meeting a tragic or gruesome end. Yes, Jesus was murdered on that day. People shouted, "Crucify him!" Yet we must wonder, how easy it is for people of our day to change our minds from desiring light and peace to watching scenes of murder and mayhem, all for our enjoyment. We must pray that when the Lord looks at us, He does not conclude: The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. Draw our hearts toward home, Lord. Teach us your ways; lead us we pray.
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