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The vacillation of Pilate culminated in his scheme to induce the Jews to choose Jesus to release instead of Barabbas. How far back that custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover Festival went scholars are unsure. But the Romans had continued the tradition, and the Jews expected it. Barabbas was a Jew and a notorious prisoner. He was truly an evil character; a robber, insurrectionist and murderer. He was a perfect picture of you, in thought, word and deed.

Pilate had just made the offer to the Sanhedrin to chastise Jesus and to let Him go. Then came the request from the people to let go a "prisoner." Pilate embraced this new opportunity to release the Nazarene. Pilate took the worst criminal he had in prison at that time, and as the only alternative, he offered Jesus, the one he said Who was called the "Christ;" a perfect time for such a perfect title. "Christ" means the "anointed one," or the "chosen one." Here Jesus will again be chosen to do what He came to do; to be the propitiation and blood sacrifice for all the Barabbas' in that crowd and in this gathering as well. The governor was certain in his mind that the Jews would not possibly select such a reprobate as Barabbas. The two of them were placed together on the dais. This scene was a cosmic, ontological, eternal picture of the Grace of God. On Pilate's right hand a man who's blood guilt was beyond doubt; on his left hand a meek and pure One Whom Pilate has already decreed to be innocent. He let the people make the choice. Thus Pilate's evil is enshrined in the halls of history for all time; Pilate's name is even remembered weekly in the recitation of the Church's Creed. Pilate who wouldn't make the just choice expected the rabble to be true to higher ideals. This sin is still prevalent in our own midst. We who are fearful of doing the faithful and right thing, hang back hoping the crowd will come to its senses. It didn't happen then and it won't happen now.

Mistaken as to Who Jesus really was, the Governor tragically mistakes the "will" of the voter's assembly.

Matthew is alone in reporting the message of Pilate's wife concerning her dream; a strange interruption. She warns her husband by correctly calling Jesus the "Just One." She suffered in "seeing" her husband condemn an innocent man. Like Judas, like Peter, then too Pilate had been warned.

New Testament scholar Dr. Gregory Lockwood correctly informs us that the number of people that could have crowded into this area in the Praetorium was relatively small. This mob was mostly made up of stooges, lackeys, and "professional troublemakers" in the employ of the Sanhedrin. They were thus easily incited to shout out the will of Caiphas and company. "Packing" a meeting still seems to be the way the enemies of Jesus operate.

The self-possessed Pilate got quite a surprise when he heard the unanimous shout: "Barabbas!" That's what happens when you let your accusers render the verdict. That's what happens when one schemes and plays politics. The complete helplessness of the Governor was revealed by his question to the Jews "What then shall I do with Jesus Who is called the Christ?" By calling Jesus "Christ" Pilate was attempting to arouse some favorable sentiment towards Jesus, but it did the very opposite. He certainly got his answer: "Let Him be crucified" called all of them! Pilate didn't know what to do; the Jews told him. As Pilate whined like a little girl the mob spirit began to rise, and it is a terrible thing in the East....or the West...or in Kansas. Even then one word, one sharp clap, on "nod" and the Governor's 600 Legionaries could have cleared the place in short order. But when one relies on the ways of this world, one comes under thralldom to the "Prince of this world," the old dragon.

Seeing the tumult, and panicking, Pilate then attempted to shift the guilt for this travesty to the Jews, and only the Jews. His symbolical act of washing his hands in water was to make the impression that he was clean of blood. He even gets the typology wrong. We are all guilty of the blood of Jesus. It is not we who wash ourselves but the Lord cleanses us precisely by shedding His holy precious blood all over us. Only Jesus' Blood makes innocent. Pilate correctly calls Jesus a "just person" but he has given up the right to judge. Pilate will one day be judged himself by the same Nazarene.

Ironic that Pilate then spoke to the Sanhedrin with the same words that they had used in disposing Judas. Pilate said to them "You yourselves see to it." Pilate spoke the truth. Since that day the Jews have "seen to it" as their present condition very plainly shows. Demonically, the Jews made light of the blood which so troubled the Roman Governor. The curse they so horribly called down upon themselves has been confirmed as a prophetic word. God is not mocked. Christ's Blood brings true pardon indeed, but this pardon is intended only for the penitent and not for those who trample on that blood.

Pilate released Barabbas and had Jesus scourged. The Romans did not use rods as the Jews did, each making only one stripe and cutting only the back; they used short-handled whips, each provided with several leather lashes and ugly, acorn-shaped pieces of lead or lumps of bone that were fastened to the end of each short lash. The effect was horrible. The skin and the flesh were gashed to the very bone. Both historians Josephus and Eusebius mention how such scourging tore deep bloody holes in a man. Part and parcel of this beating, the Roman guards mocked Jesus. Stripped for the beating; clothed with an old worn rough purple/scarlet soldiers' cloak, head punctured with thorns, a reed thrust into His hand; Jesus was made to look ridiculous. But even in their mockery, the Holy Spirit had them speaking true words: "the King of the Jews."

The spitting upon Jesus was one of the most disgusting insults human beings can offer. These pagans showed what they thought of Jesus' kingship. When the soldiers were through they led Jesus away to crucify Him.

Executions always took place outside of the city. The prisoners were generally led through the most populous streets; and the place of execution would be near a highway where many people would congregate.

Saint Matthew implies that Jesus bore His cross and that for some reason another man had to be provided to relieve Him of this burden. You're right in thinking that Jesus broke down under the load. The cross was not a light load. All the evidence points to the form of the cross being the traditional crossbeam form to which we are familiar. By literally bearing His cross Jesus lent a powerful effect to His figurative words about our taking up our cross and bearing it after Him. The executioners seized a Cyrenian Jew named Simon and forced him to carry the cross. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time when he was pounced on. No Jew would have voluntarily touched the cross, as it was regarded as accursed, and no Roman soldier would have disgraced himself by carrying a prisoners cross.

Matthew gives us the Aramaic name for the hill: Golgotha which he then translates into Greek as "Skull's place," or "Kpaviov" (i.e. cranium). It was so called because the hill had the shape of a cranium, the round top of a human skull.

Jesus was offered doped wine which He refused. The wine was mixed with myrrh, a bitter tasting agent (thus referred to as gall) which gave it a stupefying effect. This was no mercy but merely an attempt to make the labor of crucifying a man easier. Jesus refused the dope as He intended to endure all without avoiding a single agony. To drink at that point would have affected His ability to speak clearly as well.

Matthew says simply that He was crucified without any graphic descriptions of the actual physical mechanics. The fact, not the details, is to occupy the hearer's mind. The cross upon which Jesus was nailed raised His feet no more than a yard off the ground.

The bloody work completed, the Romans had but to guard the crosses against interference. In addition to the four executioners, the guard included a detachment of Roman soldiers under a Centurion that was strong enough to cope with any situation that might have arisen.

A superscription had been attached to the top of the cross; an indictment drawn up by Pilate that listed Jesus' death crime: that He was the "king of the Jews." Pilate had his "revenge" (of a sort) on the Jews. They had Jesus on the cross, but only as the King, their king. By adding nothing farther Pilate really was proclaiming Christ's innocence. It was tragic for Pilate that his estimation of Jesus' kingship warranted that He be crucified between two robbers. Isaiah's prophecy came true, He was numbered with transgressors. Yes, all of us "transgressors" should have been hanging there with those two.

Many Jews from the city passed by and mocked and insulted the dying Jesus. They simply repeated the slanders of the Sanhedrin and the false witnesses. And they spoke blasphemy. They spoke against God in anger and derision, for to speak against Jesus is to speak against God. Wagging and shaking their heads "no" to all that Jesus had said and done they mocked God in the Person of His Son. Not just ordinary citizens, but the bulk of the Sanhedrin likewise further sullied their dignified positions and acted like the common herd. Since they could no longer spit upon Him or strike Him, they attempted to further wound Him with cowardly words and insulting tongues. By saying that Jesus "saved others but now could not save Himself" they were in essence denying that He had actually healed or saved any others. They were calling Jesus a fraud; a dying fraud.

"Let Him come down from the cross and we will believe Him" is also false. To believe in that which one sees, verifies, quantifies and has "proven" is no longer faith. This same kind of "testing" of Jesus goes on in our day, in our midst. All of their derisions turned on the apparent lack of power on Jesus' part. These mockers thought only of power used in self-interest. Of grace and mercy that cared only for others at the complete expense of self they knew nothing.

For a while the two robbers also joined in the mocking, along with the Romans. The sad choir was rather unanimous. No, Jesus would not save Himself. He would save all of the sinners instead. He would save all of you.

Now His death was imminent.