Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 27:17
Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
17. Therefore when they were gathered together ] In accordance, probably, with the custom named, Mat 27:15, an appeal was made to the people, not to the Sanhedrin. Pilate was sitting on the tribunal to ascertain the popular decision; at this point he was interrupted by his wife’s messengers, and while he was engaged with them, the chief priests employed themselves in persuading the people to demand Barabbas rather than Christ.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Therefore when they were gathered together,…. Meaning not the chief priests and elders; for these were together before, but the common people; and so the Persic version renders the words, when the people increased into a multitude: for it was to them the release of a prisoner was to be made, and so the proposal of one; and it was at their option, who should be the person; for it was “whom they would”, as in Mt 27:15, and where the Ethiopic version adds, “and should choose”.
Pilate said unto them, whom will ye that I should release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus, which is called Christ? He puts it to them, whom they would choose to have released, Barabbas, the thief and robber, the seditious person and murderer, or Jesus, whom some called the Christ, the Messiah, the king of the Jews. Pilate on purpose proposed such an infamous person along with him, not doubting but they would have preferred him, whatever were their prejudices against him, before such a scandalous person as Barabbas; and whatever good will they might secretly have to put Jesus to death, and release Barabbas, yet he thought they could not, for shame, speak out their sense, and desire him, and not Jesus. His view was not to reproach Christ, by joining him with so wicked a man, but in order to save him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Barabbas or Jesus which is called Christ? ( ;). Pilate was catching at straws or seeking any loophole to escape condemning a harmless lunatic or exponent of a superstitious cult such as he deemed Jesus to be, certainly in no political sense a rival of Caesar. The Jews interpreted “Christ” for Pilate to be a claim to be King of the Jews in opposition to Caesar, “a most unprincipled proceeding” (Bruce). So he bethought him of the time-honoured custom at the passover of releasing to the people “a prisoner whom they wished” ( ). No parallel case has been found, but Josephus mentions the custom (Ant. xx. 9,3). Barabbas was for some reason a popular hero, a notable (), if not notorious, prisoner, leader of an insurrection or revolution (Mr 15:7) probably against Rome, and so guilty of the very crime that they tried to fasten on Jesus who only claimed to be king in the spiritual sense of the spiritual kingdom. So Pilate unwittingly pitted against each other two prisoners who represented the antagonistic forces of all time. It is an elliptical structure in the question, “whom do you wish that I release?” ( ;), either two questions in one (asyndeton) or the ellipse of before . See the same idiom in verse 21. But Pilate’s question tested the Jews as well as himself. It tests all men today. Some manuscripts add the name Jesus to Barabbas and that makes it all the sharper. Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ?
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
(17) Whom will ye that I release unto you?This, we must remember, was all but the last attempt of Pilate to shift off from himself the dreaded burden of responsibility.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom will you that I release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ’
So Pilate, having recognised that for the sake of peace, and in order to prevent a further complaint to Caesar, he would possibly have to yield to the demands of the rulers in Jerusalem, sought a way out of his dilemma by appealing to the crowds. Surely given the opportunity, once given a choice between Jesus and the notorious Barabbas, they would choose Jesus, the prophet with Messianic connections Who, as he knew from his spies, was so popular? So, aware of the general popularity of Jesus, and not yet aware of the exact composition of the crowd, (he did not understand the vagaries of the Jewish mind), he probably thought that the way the decision would go would be obvious. He therefore put to them the choice, ‘Barabbas, or Jesus Who is called Messiah’. If they made the expected response then he would have sufficient answer to Caesar for any charge that he had set free a man guilty of treason. But, of course, the problem with this approach was that once the crowd sided with the Chief Priests, and with Barabbas whose freedom many of them were actually there to obtain, it made his position untenable. Any charge to Caesar would now look as black as could be.
‘Jesus Who is called Messiah.’ He had a vague idea about Messianic claimants being popular among the Jews, and knew that such claims had been attached by some to Jesus. On the other hand Jesus had been carefully watched, and he knew that He presented no danger to Rome. Thus he was quite ready to use the idea in order to gain what he was looking for.
‘Gathered together.’ In view of the use of the verb in Mat 26:3; Mat 26:57; Mat 27:27 this is ominous. These too are ‘gathered together’ to condemn Jesus, even though Pilate was not yet aware of it. The same choice still faces the world. Sinful Barabbas and his like or the sinless Messiah? And the world regularly ‘gathers together’ and opts for Barabbas. These people were not unique. The majority of the world still agree to opt for Barabbas under various guises, for Jesus’ demands are too great.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 27:17 ] In accordance with the custom referred to, and as it so happened that at that moment there lay under sentence of death (Mat 27:15-16 ) a noted criminal called Jesus Barabbas, Pilate got the multitude that was collected outside gathered together, and then asked them to choose between Jesus Barabbas and Jesus who was called the Messiah .
] refers not to the members of the Sanhedrim, but to the , Mat 27:15 . See Mat 27:20 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
Ver. 17. Whom will ye that I release? ] Pilate hoped they would never be so grossly wicked as to prefer such a stigmatical varlet. a But why did he give them the liberty of such a choice? Why did he not rather (as Job) “break the jaws of the wicked, and pluck the spoil out of their teeth?” Job 29:17 . Should not the standard be made of hardest metals? the chief post of the house be heart of oak? Was it not pusillanimity and popularity that misled Pilate, and so muzzled him, that he could not contradict the manyheaded multitude?
a A man or lad acting as an attendant or servant; a menial, a groom. D
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
17. ] In John’s narrative, the suggestion of liberating Barabbas seems to come from the Jews themselves; but not necessarily so: he may only be giving, as before, a general report of what passed. The . . seems to imply that a great crowd had collected outside the Prtorium while the trial was going on. It is possible that the addition , which Pilate could hardly have heard from the Jews, may have been familiar to him by his wife’s mention of Jesus. See below.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 27:17 . . Here Pilate seems to take the initiative; in Mk. he is first reminded of the custom (Mat 15:8 ). Mk.’s whole account is fuller and clearer. . . The two names put before the people, as presumably both popular more or less, Barabbas for some unknown reason, Jesus by inference from being called “Christ”. No favouritism implied. Pilate is feeling his way, wants to do the popular thing as safest for himself.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
will = choose. App-102.
Christ = Messiah. App-98.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
17.] In Johns narrative, the suggestion of liberating Barabbas seems to come from the Jews themselves; but not necessarily so: he may only be giving, as before, a general report of what passed. The . . seems to imply that a great crowd had collected outside the Prtorium while the trial was going on. It is possible that the addition , which Pilate could hardly have heard from the Jews, may have been familiar to him by his wifes mention of Jesus. See below.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 27:17. , called Christ) Therefore Jesus had been already very frequently called Christ.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Whom: Mat 27:21, Jos 24:15, 1Ki 18:21
or: Mat 27:22, Mar 15:9-12, Joh 19:15
Reciprocal: Dan 6:14 – was sore Mat 1:16 – who Mat 14:9 – sorry Act 3:13 – whom
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7:17
All of the pronouns in this verse refer to the people, described in verse 15. Since they were the ones who must name the prisoner to be released, it was necessary for Pilate to ask them this question. Barabbas or Jesus. Pilate believed that Jesus was innocent of the accusations being made against him, but he was powerless to make any decision in the matter. However, as a suggestion which he thought would influence the crowd in their decision, he named Barabbas and Jesus. This prisoner was such a wicked character that surely they would not want him turned loose upon society. He thought they would reason that “of two evils it is better to choose the lesser.” If they would do this it would result in the discharge of Jesus without any responsibility on his (Pilate’s) part. It is possible they would have done as Pilate expected had it not been for the fact that will be explained at verse 20.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 27:17. When therefore they were gathered together. The Sanhedrin was gathered by Pilate himself, after Jesus had been sent back by Herod (Luk 23:7). As the morning wore on, there would be a greater crowd of others.
Jesus who is called Christ. Pilate seems to have known of the Messianic claim. His policy was crooked. He ought to have released Jesus, but he would avoid opposing the council. He chose this expedient, probably with the idea, that the popularity of Jesus would lead the multitude to call for His release. But he was outwitted, or at least mistaken. To put Jesus, as yet uncondemned, on a level with Barabbas, was a crime; a cowardly shirking of responsibility, and a blunder; for this proposal placed Pilate in the power of the Sanhedrin. Pilate was not weak and irresolute; but baffled in his purpose by superior cunning. Yet his purpose, like his character, was lacking in moral earnestness; the grand defect of the heathen world at that time. Comp, his question: What is truth (Joh 18:38), and his mocking tone throughout.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The "them" (NASB) or "crowd" (NIV) is the multitude of common people (Mat 27:15; cf. Mar 15:8). Pilate saw that the Sanhedrin was trying to get him to eliminate someone they saw as a threat to their own authority, namely, Jesus. He knew the Sanhedrin had no special desire to advance the welfare of Rome. Pilate undoubtedly knew that Jesus enjoyed great popularity among many of the Jewish people (cf. Mat 21:1-16). Therefore he appealed to the people to let him know which prisoner they wanted him to release. He undoubtedly thought the crowd would request Jesus thus giving him a reason to humiliate the Sanhedrin by releasing Jesus. He may have mistakenly concluded that the residents of Jerusalem supported Jesus because of His notoriety in Jerusalem at this time. However it was really the Galileans who were Jesus’ main supporters. The people of Jerusalem seem to have followed the lead of the Sanhedrin in rejecting Jesus willingly.