Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
Pilate stood convinced that no evil had been proved against Jesus and asked what wrong justified His death, and the mob answered only by shouting still more fiercely for His crucifixion while demanding Barabbas in His place. He repeatedly declared that he found no fault in Him. Though certain of His innocence, he weakly yielded the life of an innocent man to a lawless crowd inflamed by the priests instead of upholding justice by his own authority. That cry was driven by the fanatical hatred of priests and rulers whose sin was exposed and condemned by His pure life and holy teaching. Behind their fury Satan was stirring priests and people to destroy Him, so their demand exposed his malice before the universe, and in choosing Barabbas, who stands for Satan, instead of the Maker of the world, they made a choice every person still repeats.
Trial Before Pilate
Mark 15:14 belongs to the trial in the judgment-hall of Pilate the Roman governor, where Christ stands bound as a prisoner with a guard of soldiers around Him and the hall fast filling with spectators, while just outside are the judges of the Sanhedrim, priests, rulers, elders, and the mob, after the council condemned Him and came to have the sentence confirmed and executed. The Jewish officials would not enter lest ceremonial defilement keep them from the Passover, though murderous hatred had defiled their hearts, and Christ was the real Passover lamb whom they had rejected so the feast had lost its significance for them. Pilate had been called hastily from his bedchamber at an early hour, and looking searchingly on Jesus found no sign of guilt, fear, boldness or defiance but goodness and nobility, calm dignity and the signature of heaven. He had heard of Jesus and His works, and his wife had told him of the Galilean prophet who cured the sick and raised the dead, and he resolved to demand the charges against the prisoner.
Pilate recognized that Jesus was innocent and that no charge of evil against Him had been proved, repeatedly declaring he found no fault in Him. To save Jesus he used the festival custom of releasing one condemned prisoner and set Jesus beside the notorious Barabbas, a hardened ruffian, hoping the contrast between the gentle, dignified sufferer and Barabbas would win sympathy and lead the people to choose Jesus and accept His release. He also had Jesus scourged and mocked to excite pity, hoping that suffering would satisfy the priests and move the multitude to accept it as sufficient punishment, so that even priests, rulers, soldiers and weeping spectators were convicted and pitied Him, and he kept offering to have Jesus chastised and released to appease the crowd.
In the verse Pilate asks what evil Jesus has done and what charge justifies His death, and the crowd answers his appeal by crying out still more exceedingly and insistently, Crucify Him, rejecting Jesus and demanding Barabbas. The choice of Barabbas in place of Christ shows the appeal had failed and fury had overrode the evidence that the charges were unsubstantiated. Pilate's question and yielding expose his weakness and reluctance: though convinced of Jesus' innocence he feared the people, submitted the decision about an innocent man's life to a lawless, furious mob inflamed by the priests and rulers instead of exercising his authority to uphold justice, and after compromising his conscience to appease the crowd was left nearly helpless while justice was overturned. Losing patience with their unreasoning cruelty, he despairingly told them to take Jesus and crucify Him themselves.
Why They Cried Crucify
The cry for crucifixion was driven by the fury of the priests and rulers, a fanatical hatred kindled because His light exposed their darkness and error. His pure life and holy teaching convicted them of sin and condemned them, and for that reason they moved the mob to mad fury until priests, rulers and people together demanded His death. Behind that hatred Satan was at work, stirring priests and people to resist Jesus' love and to cry for His crucifixion even when Pilate asked what evil He had done. That demand revealed Satan's malice and exposed his character before the loyal universe, arousing its amazement and indignation.
In choosing Barabbas and demanding that Jesus be crucified, the crowd chose Barabbas in place of Christ the maker of the world. Barabbas represents Satan, and the choice between Barabbas and Christ is repeated in the world, where each person shows by his course whom he chooses. The same crowd that had hailed Jesus as king now hissed at Him and reviled Him, and its sudden change revealed how fickle the world's favor is. The disciples had seen this inconstancy before, so the demand did not take them by surprise nor lead them to base their faith on other people's opinions. The frenzied cry for Jesus to be crucified was raised only a few years before Herod's death by the same voices that later glorified Herod as a god, contrasting their rejection of Jesus with their worship of a vile sinner.
The verse marks Christ descending into the depths of humiliation as He approached the cross, placed in the hands of wicked men while His own nation clamored for His blood. It marks the taking away of the Bridegroom from the disciples, giving them cause to mourn and fast. Seeing Him in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered rejected, seeing the murderous Barabbas chosen in place of their Teacher, seeing Him scourged as the worst of criminals, crowned with thorns, clothed in the purple robe, mocked by bowing and struck with the reed, and lifted on the cross to die as a malefactor, tried their faith and caused their hope and courage to fail. The cry reveals what people do when they are not governed by the Spirit of God, and it represents the spirit of those who will oppose Christ's followers in the coming great crisis. It shows why those who love sin hate God's word, because its truth exposes wrongdoing and pricks the conscience. Those who reject Christ would still demand His crucifixion even when asked what evil He has done, which applies to disloyal professors who would oppose Christ if He were present on earth, and their guilt and future punishment are greater in proportion to the light and position they have received.
Pilate stood convinced that no evil had been proved against Jesus and asked what wrong justified His death, and the mob answered only by shouting still more fiercely for His crucifixion while demanding Barabbas in His place. He repeatedly declared that he found no fault in Him. Though certain of His innocence, he weakly yielded the life of an innocent man to a lawless crowd inflamed by the priests instead of upholding justice by his own authority. That cry was driven by the fanatical hatred of priests and rulers whose sin was exposed and condemned by His pure life and holy teaching. Behind their fury Satan was stirring priests and people to destroy Him, so their demand exposed his malice before the universe, and in choosing Barabbas, who stands for Satan, instead of the Maker of the world, they made a choice every person still repeats.
Trial Before Pilate
Mark 15:14 belongs to the trial in the judgment-hall of Pilate the Roman governor, where Christ stands bound as a prisoner with a guard of soldiers around Him and the hall fast filling with spectators, while just outside are the judges of the Sanhedrim, priests, rulers, elders, and the mob, after the council condemned Him and came to have the sentence confirmed and executed. The Jewish officials would not enter lest ceremonial defilement keep them from the Passover, though murderous hatred had defiled their hearts, and Christ was the real Passover lamb whom they had rejected so the feast had lost its significance for them. Pilate had been called hastily from his bedchamber at an early hour, and looking searchingly on Jesus found no sign of guilt, fear, boldness or defiance but goodness and nobility, calm dignity and the signature of heaven. He had heard of Jesus and His works, and his wife had told him of the Galilean prophet who cured the sick and raised the dead, and he resolved to demand the charges against the prisoner.
Pilate recognized that Jesus was innocent and that no charge of evil against Him had been proved, repeatedly declaring he found no fault in Him. To save Jesus he used the festival custom of releasing one condemned prisoner and set Jesus beside the notorious Barabbas, a hardened ruffian, hoping the contrast between the gentle, dignified sufferer and Barabbas would win sympathy and lead the people to choose Jesus and accept His release. He also had Jesus scourged and mocked to excite pity, hoping that suffering would satisfy the priests and move the multitude to accept it as sufficient punishment, so that even priests, rulers, soldiers and weeping spectators were convicted and pitied Him, and he kept offering to have Jesus chastised and released to appease the crowd.
In the verse Pilate asks what evil Jesus has done and what charge justifies His death, and the crowd answers his appeal by crying out still more exceedingly and insistently, Crucify Him, rejecting Jesus and demanding Barabbas. The choice of Barabbas in place of Christ shows the appeal had failed and fury had overrode the evidence that the charges were unsubstantiated. Pilate's question and yielding expose his weakness and reluctance: though convinced of Jesus' innocence he feared the people, submitted the decision about an innocent man's life to a lawless, furious mob inflamed by the priests and rulers instead of exercising his authority to uphold justice, and after compromising his conscience to appease the crowd was left nearly helpless while justice was overturned. Losing patience with their unreasoning cruelty, he despairingly told them to take Jesus and crucify Him themselves.
Why They Cried Crucify
The cry for crucifixion was driven by the fury of the priests and rulers, a fanatical hatred kindled because His light exposed their darkness and error. His pure life and holy teaching convicted them of sin and condemned them, and for that reason they moved the mob to mad fury until priests, rulers and people together demanded His death. Behind that hatred Satan was at work, stirring priests and people to resist Jesus' love and to cry for His crucifixion even when Pilate asked what evil He had done. That demand revealed Satan's malice and exposed his character before the loyal universe, arousing its amazement and indignation.
In choosing Barabbas and demanding that Jesus be crucified, the crowd chose Barabbas in place of Christ the maker of the world. Barabbas represents Satan, and the choice between Barabbas and Christ is repeated in the world, where each person shows by his course whom he chooses. The same crowd that had hailed Jesus as king now hissed at Him and reviled Him, and its sudden change revealed how fickle the world's favor is. The disciples had seen this inconstancy before, so the demand did not take them by surprise nor lead them to base their faith on other people's opinions. The frenzied cry for Jesus to be crucified was raised only a few years before Herod's death by the same voices that later glorified Herod as a god, contrasting their rejection of Jesus with their worship of a vile sinner.
The verse marks Christ descending into the depths of humiliation as He approached the cross, placed in the hands of wicked men while His own nation clamored for His blood. It marks the taking away of the Bridegroom from the disciples, giving them cause to mourn and fast. Seeing Him in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered rejected, seeing the murderous Barabbas chosen in place of their Teacher, seeing Him scourged as the worst of criminals, crowned with thorns, clothed in the purple robe, mocked by bowing and struck with the reed, and lifted on the cross to die as a malefactor, tried their faith and caused their hope and courage to fail. The cry reveals what people do when they are not governed by the Spirit of God, and it represents the spirit of those who will oppose Christ's followers in the coming great crisis. It shows why those who love sin hate God's word, because its truth exposes wrongdoing and pricks the conscience. Those who reject Christ would still demand His crucifixion even when asked what evil He has done, which applies to disloyal professors who would oppose Christ if He were present on earth, and their guilt and future punishment are greater in proportion to the light and position they have received.