- Chapters: [[Mark 15]]:1-15 # Releasing the prisoner - we all hate miscarriage of injustice - In the past few weeks in this series (just a few days in-context-time), [[Jesus]] has experienced a lot of injustice, with this incident being the latest - [[Pontius Pilate]] is the appeals judge overseeing this case -- [[Jesus]] was **handed over** to him from the [[Sanhedrin]] - At the end of the passage, [[Pontius Pilate]] hands him over to the executioner, releasing [[Barabbas]] instead of [[Jesus]] - We'll look at this story from three perspectives # [[Pontius Pilate]]'s perspective - [[Pontius Pilate]] "Mr. Justice" hands over the innocent. Has no stake in the [[Jerusalem]] power games - [[Jesus]] knows there's no real evidence to convict him, and [[Pontius Pilate]] sees that -- he is amazed when [[Jesus]] didn't reply - In the custom of releasing a prisoner that the crowd requests, [[Pontius Pilate]] petitioned for [[Jesus]]' release to the crowd but the chief priests stirred up the crowd for [[Barabbas]] instead, a rebel and murderer - [[Pontius Pilate]] wants the crowd to be happy and so relents - One last chance to do justice is passed by; [[Pontius Pilate]] sees [[Jesus]]'s innocence, but in balancing other factors he lets that go by - But it is as said in [[Psalm 2]] - See also [[Mark 10]], the handover of [[Jesus]] to the chief priests # [[Jesus]]' perspective - The innocent one, crucified - Every detail of these events is exactly as he foretold - See [[Isaiah 53]]: "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth... led like a lamb to the slaughter... handed over to the transgressors... for he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the trnasgressors" - The innocent is given a punishment as if guilty, and [[Pontius Pilate]] is the one who most directly does that - See [[Mark 10]] "Even the [[Son of Man]] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" # [[Barabbas]]'s perspective - The guilty one goes free - In this story, he doesn't really do much (even if he's done plenty before we get to this point) - He is a prisoner and a rebel and a murderer and an upriser - Big contrast against innocent [[Jesus]]! - Hence, he's pretty low on the priority list of people to release - Despite his lack of actions, the crowd is shouting his name - The only reason he would be chosen is if somebody wanted to swap his name for the person at the top of the priority list - [[Jesus]] has come to be the silent innocent lamb to swap places with the guilty - [[Barabbas]] teaches us the basis of forgiveness, and we should recognize ourselves in him