The question begged an answer. Roman authorities could be quite cold and uncaring most of the time. But this case has Pilate concerned. Was it because he wasn’t completely bereft of a moral compass? Or was it because Rome, despite its ruthlessness in conquering nations, did have a sense of legal justice. We see this throughout the NT, particularly when Paul used his Roman citizenship to his advantage.

Pilate’s investigation had uncovered nothing that would justify a death penalty for Jesus. Apparently he had hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with this messy Jewish internal conflict by offering the people a choice between a known criminal, Barabbas, and the preacher of peace and love and religious reform. To his chagrin and surprise, the people choose to release Barabbas. The worst Jesus had done, in legal terms, was to accept the title “King of the Jews,” which was no crime. Now, what was he to do?

So, indecisive as he was, highly influenced by his wife and fearful of a riot, he abdicated his governing responsibility by putting the decision to the people. Let someone else make the decision. “If you take Barabbas, what am I to do with Jesus?” And almost rubbing it in, he calls Jesus, “The Christ.” He was fully aware of Jewish customs and teachings and knew this would aggravate them. Where cries of Hosanna previously hailed Him, now shouts of denunciation echoed, “Let Him be crucified.” Whether these were the same people as at the triumphal entry, we do not know now. The voices that sounded the loudest were now different.

Pilate, with a certain amount of incredulity, though it should not have been unexpected given their attitude, asked, “Why, what evil has He done?” There was no answer to that, legally, morally or religiously—the pagan governor could see that. The religious authorities recognized that, for their efforts to find legitimate charges against Him in their earlier religious tribunal failed. As Scripture says, “[He] was without sin” (Heb 4:15). Concerning the Jews, Peter gave this blistering assessment of their performance here, “The God of Abraham…glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go” (Acts 3:13).