18.<\/strong> all at once<\/em> ] If we read plethei<\/em> for pamplethei<\/em>, the meaning will be that ‘they (the priests) called aloud to the<\/em> multitude,’ as in Mat 27:20<\/span>. The choice of Barabbas by the mob was not spontaneous; it was instigated by these priestly murderers. The guilt of the Crucifixion rests mainly<\/em> with the Priests, because it was mainly due to their personal influence (Mar 15:2<\/span>).<\/p>\n release tinto us Barabbas<\/em> ] This was the last drop in the cup of Jewish iniquity. Rom 11:30-33<\/span>.<\/p>\n Barabbas<\/em> ] Rather, Bar-Abbas, ‘Son of a (distinguished) father,’ or Bar-Rabbas, ‘Son of a great Rabbi.’ Origen had the reading, ‘Jesus Bar-Abbas,’ in Mat 27:17<\/span>, and as Jesus was a common name, and Bar-Abbas is only a patronymic, the reading is not impossible. At this stage of the trial, Barabbas may have been led out, and the choice offered them between ‘Jesus Bar-Abbas and Jesus which is called Christ’ as they stood on the pavement side by side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n See the notes at Mat 27:20-23<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n Luk 23:18<\/span><\/p>\n Release unto us Barabbas<\/em><\/p>\n Barabbas or Christ?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n We speak of the choice in the Lords passion, which is–<\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> It was six oclock in the morning. Conscience-smitten, as never before, Pilate perceives the mob–the Lord in their midst, with a white garment, and the crown of thorns on His head–returning from Herod, and approaching his palace. Suffered under Pontius Pilate–thus it runs in our imperishable creed, surely not to erect a monument to a weak man, but to warn us every Sunday. Christ suffered under indecision and doubt, under fear of man and flattery of man. We speak, however, of the peoples choice. It was the custom to release unto them a prisoner at the feast. Pilate tries to avail himself of that custom. They shall decide with perfect clearness and consciousness. The decision shall be made as easy as possible for them. They shall examine and compare. Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?–thus asks Pilate. We have to make the same decision. Here, <\/em>Christ, with the word of truth and life, which answers the deepest cravings of our heart; a light in our path which has never deceived any one. There, <\/em>the wisdom of the world, with its devious ways and vain speech; with its final bankruptcy of all knowledge, asking, What is truth? Here, <\/em>a love that seeks our salvation, that remains always true, even when human love is wavering; a love that never suffers the redeemed to be torn from its hand. There, <\/em>selfishness, falsehood, and cunning; and finally, the comfortless advice, See thou to that! Here, <\/em>forgiveness and peace; there, <\/em>in spite of outward prosperity and splendour, a sting in the conscience that cannot be removed. Here, <\/em>even in times of tribulation, the conviction: The Lord is with me; His rod and His staff, they comfort me. There, <\/em>in times of want and distress, murmuring obstinacy and despair. Here, <\/em>hope that lasts beyond death, and that anchors itself in the mercy and promises of God, therefore, even in dying, able to triumph: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? There, <\/em>illusion upon illusion, for we never know what may happen, until death at last dispels every illusion I Who could still be doubtful about the choice? It is true many for a time allow others to decide for them. They move along as they are directed; they believe because others have told them so. Many avoid the decision even when commanded by the Word of God. But this is sure: There will come serious hours for each one, according to Gods design and will, when he must decide of his own free will, when the refusal to decide will be practically a decision. There is only the question: Are we capable of choosing? Are we really free? Does the decision lie in our hand? Indeed, there arise unbidden so many voices in the heart against it; so many evil influences act upon us from childhood. The heart is by nature deceitful above all things–now most exultant, now afflicted unto death. Luther, as you know, wrote a little book on the bondage of the will, or that free will is nothing. He compared it to a staff without life, a hard, cold stone. In this Luther is right, and is on the side of Paul, who says, So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy (Rom 9:16<\/span>). It is true that deep in our hearts there is a tendency to resist the truth, a proneness to sin and sensuality, a spirit that says No to the word and will of God. But, on the other hand, God embraces us with His unseen arms, and in spirit speaks to us. Conscience can be silenced, but not killed; the hunger for the life and peace of God will be felt again and again. As the flower is attracted toward the sun, the bird of passage to the south, the iron to the magnet, so the human heart is drawn to God and His Word. Both are destined for each other. We can and ought to choose; that is our privilege and responsibility: our salvation is left in our own hands. <\/p>\n Barabbas or Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n All time is one history of this one manifold choice. Every evil deed since Adams fall has been belief in Satan and disbelief in God, a choice of Satan, his service, his wages, his kingdom, his sins, and his everlasting doom, instead of the glad obedience, the beauty of holiness, the sweet harmony, the everlasting glory of the ever-blessed God. Even heathens, from the relics of paradise, knew of this choice. They pictured to themselves man, at the outset of life, standing where two ways parted, pleasure alluring him to a way full of all ease and sweetness; virtue, with a holy majesty, calling him to present toil, and an inheritance with God. And they unknowing! They knew that they made an evil choice, they owned of themselves sorrowfully, I know and approve what is best, I follow what is worst. I knew what I ought to be; unhappily, I could not do it. They knew what they chose, but not whom they chose, or whom they denied. More fearful is the contest in Israel, because they knew more. They chose, Scripture says, new gods. If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, says Joshua, when his own warfare was accomplished, choose you this day whom you will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. How long halt ye between two opinions? says Elijah; if the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him. Darker still and more evil was the choice, when Holiness Itself, God, was manifest in the flesh. This is the condemnation, that light was come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. But His Godhead was still veiled in the flesh. His glory was not yet revealed, the Spirit was not yet given. More deadly the choice became, when the weakness of His human nature was taken up in the glory of His Divine, and He was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Hence the evil of some subtle sin, which the soul perhaps knows not to be sin, only it knows that, were its parents by, it would not do it. It has made an evil choice; and that choice cleaves to it, perhaps, through years of helpless strife and misery. The first evil choice is the parent of all which follows. It has chosen Satan instead of God; and now, before it can again choose aright, it must undo that first choice, and will that all had been unchosen which it ever chose out ff God. But there is no safety against making the very worst choice, except in the fixed, conscious purpose in all things to make the best. The last acts are mostly not in a persons own power. They who compass themselves about with sparks cannot themselves quench the burning. They who make the first bad choice are often hurried on, whether they will or no. Each choice, so far, involves the whole character. The one choice is manifoldly repeated. The roads part asunder slightly; yet, unmarked, the distance between them is ever widening, until they end in heaven or in hell. Each act of choice is a step toward either. It is a bitter memory to think that we have so often chosen out of God. But we can never amend our choice, unless, in bitterness of soul, we own that it has been amiss. We can never come to true penitence unless we learn the intense evil of the manifold wrongness of our choice. Hard is it to own this, that all has to be undone and begun anew, that the whole choice is to be reformed; and therefore it is hard truly to turn to God and be saved. (E. B. Pusey, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Renouncing Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n Albert, Bishop of Mayence, had a physician attached to his person, who, being a Protestant, did not enjoy the prelates favour. The man seeing this, and being an avaricious, ambitious world.seeker, denied his God, and turned back to Popery, saying to his associates, Ill put Jesus Christ by for a while till Ive made my fortune, and then bring Him out again. This horrible blasphemy met with its just reward; for next day the miserable hypocrite was found dead in his bed, his tongue hanging from his mouth, his face as black as a coal, and his neck twisted half round. I was myself an ocular witness of this merited chastisement of impiety. (M. Luther.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Verse 18<\/span>. Away with this man<\/B><\/I>] That is, Put him to death <\/I>– , literally, Take this one away<\/I>, i.e. to punishment – to death.<\/P><\/p>\n And they cried out all at once<\/strong>,…. The chief priests, rulers, and people, not bearing to hear of a release of him, now they had got him in their hands; and enraged at the proposal, in a most clamorous way, cried out, as one man, immediately:<\/p>\n Saying, away with this man<\/strong>; to the cross; to Calvary, the place of execution; away with him out of the world; he is not fit to live:<\/p>\n and release unto us Barabbas<\/strong>; whose character is given in the next verse; [See comments on Mt 27:16]<\/span>.<\/p>\n All together <\/B> (<\/SPAN><\/span>). An adverb from the adjective <\/SPAN><\/span>, all together. Used by Dio Cassius. Only here in the N.T.<\/P> Away <\/B> (<\/SPAN><\/span>). Present active imperative, Take him on away and keep him away as in Acts 21:36<\/span>; Acts 22:22<\/span>, of Paul. But<\/P> release <\/B> (<\/SPAN><\/span>) is first aorist active imperative, do it now and at once. <\/P> <\/p>\n All together [] <\/SPAN><\/span>. The whole multitude [<\/SPAN><\/span>] of them. Only here in New Testament. <\/P> Away [] <\/SPAN><\/span>. Lit., take away. Compare Act 21:36<\/span>; Act 22:22<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 1) “And they cried out all at once, saying,” <\/strong>(anekrazon de pamplethei legontes) “Then they shouted with the whole crowd,” mass mob, Act 3:14<\/span>; Act 3:11<\/span> repeatedly saying,” with the administrative priests leading the hellacious demand, Mat 27:20<\/span>; while Mar 15:11<\/span> reads “but the chief priests (administrative priests) moved (stirred up) the people that he (Pilate) should rather release Barabbas unto them,”<\/p>\n 2) “Away with this man,” <\/strong>(aire touton) “Take this man away,” get rid of him, kill him, wipe him out, liquidate him, or “let him be crucified,” Mat 27:22<\/span>; Mar 15:13-14<\/span>.<\/p>\n 3) “And release unto us Barabbas:” <\/strong>(apoluson de hemin ton Barabban) “Then release to us the man Barabbas,” the indicted criminal, instead of Jesus. This release cry for Barabbas was led by a murder-mob of administrative priests, Mat 27:20<\/span>; Mar 15:11<\/span>; Mar 15:15<\/span>; Joh 19:40<\/span>. The name Barabbas means “son of a distinguished father,” or “son of a teacher.”<\/p>\n BARABBAS, THE MAN FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED<\/strong><\/p>\n Luk 23:18<\/strong><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n MARIE CORELLI in her volume entitled, Barabbas, describes the man, the dark dungeon in which he was incarcerated, and the day preceding his liberation. She says, It was a long, sultry, Syrian day. The heavy heat was almost insupportable and the poisonous stench oozed up from the damp earth-floors of the Jewish prison, which, according to her description, was a deep, dark dungeon, lighted at only a single point by a ray that in day-time pushed itself through the single aperture which acted as an air passage to the foul den where he was caged. On a pallet of straw; in one corner, for the greater part of the time, the wretched man lay, who is pictured by this authoress, as tall, once massive in frame, but now emaciated, pale, poisoned and starving and made more repulsive still by the scowl that had come into his brow, and a spirit of resentment displayed in his deep black eyes. She represents him as being imprisoned in consequence of the killing of a Pharisee, to which deed he was incited by his love for Judith Iscariot, the sister of our Lords betrayer. But, of course, as to this motive, the Bible is silent, and it is not to be supposed that Marie Corelli has any other occasion of her claim than that of adding zest to her volume, and employing the poets license of stating fiction as if it were fact. What we know about Barabbas, and practically all that we know about him, is recorded in the four Gospels; and strange to say, everyone of them has given place to the report of his part in the delivery and death of Jesus Christ. And as, between these reports, there is such agreement, one can only explain the coincidence by accepting the skeptics view that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, first conferred and agreed together as to what their Gospels should contain; or else that each was so inspired by the Spirit as to write in perfect conformity with his fellow chroniclers. To me the latter explanation is sufficient, and altogether satisfactory; and I propose to conform what I have to say about Barabbas to the plain statements of these four Gospels.<\/p>\n BARABBAS WAS GUILTY.<\/strong><\/p>\n On this point the Gospels are agreed. Matthew speaks of him as a notable or notorious prisoner. Mark says, One named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. Luke practically affirms the same. He speaks of him as a man who for a certain sedition made in the city and for murder was cast into prison, while John says, Now Barabbas was a robber.<\/p>\n He had been in rebellion.<\/strong> Cunningham Geikie speaks of him as the son of a rabbi who had apparently been compromised through religious fanaticism, in one of the countless petty revolts which incessantly harassed the Romans. He was no common robber but a zealot, who in mistaken ardor for the honor of the law, had taken part in a tumult, during which some Roman sympathizers or soldiers had been killed. Edersheim intimates that he might have been a political antichrist, since the name Bar-Abbas signifies son of the father. But whoever he was, and whatever might have been his purpose in this revolt against government, he was a rebel, a leader of a rebellion against Caesars government. Of that he had been convicted, his guilt being established by due process of law. He stands, therefore, as a type of those who rebel against God and against moral government; and who say of Christ, as he said of Caesar, We will not have this Man reign over us.<\/p>\n Do you remember how the Prophet Isaiah speaks of the Israel of old, as being a subject of the loving kindnesses of the Lord,<\/em> upon whom he had bestowed the greatest goodness, according to His mercies,<\/em> for He said,<\/p>\n Surely they are My people, children that will not lie: so He was their Saviour.<\/em><\/p>\n In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them and carried them all the days of old.<\/p>\n But they rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit (Isa 63:8-10<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n A little later He speaks through the mouth of the same Prophet,<\/p>\n I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;<\/em><\/p>\n A people that provoketh Me to anger continually to My face (Isa 65:2-3<\/em><\/span> f.).<\/em><\/p>\n And if the Israel of old, departing from God, were regarded such rebels, is he not in greater rebellion who says to the Saviour of men, I will not have Thee reign over me.<\/em><\/p>\n To rebellion Barabbas had added murder<\/strong>. Mark says he had committed murder in the insurrection, while Luke claims he was cast into prison for sedition and murder. One sin always paves the way for another. When Cain disobeyed God and refused to bring a bloody offering, it seemed an act which would have no consequences beyond itself. But alas! It led him who refused to shed the blood of a lamb at the command of the Lord, to spill his brothers blood in violation of the same Divine will. It is a severe thing to say, and yet a very truthful thing, that in this act Barabbas was even a better type of the sinner. When Peter preached his Pentecostal sermon, he charged his auditors with having taken the Christ and by wicked hands crucified and slain Him. Not that every man of the thousands that made up his audience had actually participated in driving the nails, for that was Romes part, and these Jews never laid the weight of a finger to it, but they rejected Him, and they cried for His crucifixion, and God through Peter called them to account for it. We are apt to think that whole episode two thousand years old, and forget that it is being enacted daily by those who reject Jesus, and thereby Crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame.<\/em><\/p>\n Dr. Lorimer called attention to a picture in the Art Gallery of the Columbian Exposition, wherein a European artist illustrated the thought we have just presented, by a production entitled, The Descent from the Cross, which was original and daring; and yet containing a definite charge of murder against the present-day rejecters of Jesus Christ. The picture of Jesus is much like that of the old Masters, but in all the circumstances of locality, costume, and conduct, he has changed the scenes and made them modern. The city of the crucifixion is not Jerusalem but Paris; the Calvary is not the Hill of Golgotha, but of Montmartre. The people also are not Jews and Romans, but French. Instead of being dressed as were the ancients, they are in the garb of the hour. No man can study the picture without seeing the artists purpose. He wanted the Christless sinners of France to see that they were crucifying unto themselves Jesus of Nazareth, and possibly to raise in their minds the question Paul addressed to the Hebrews,<\/p>\n If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins;<\/em><\/p>\n But a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.<\/p>\n He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:<\/p>\n Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace? (Heb 10:26-29<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n This rebellion and murder had resulted in Barabbas arrest.<\/strong> Sin will out; the guilty man is always near his judgment day, if not already enduring it. Strive to cover up our conduct as we may, it will come abroad. Justice has so many and such competent detectives, that the rebel and the murderer cannot long escape arrest. Some years ago three men were confined in jail at Albany, Ore. They had wrecked the Southern Express at a point between San Francisco and Portland. Shortly after this event, a man called at the office of a physician to have a dislocated arm put into place. While under the influence of chloroform, he told the whole story, not only making known the part he had taken in it, but naming also his accomplices.<\/p>\n So long as God lives, sin will be compelled to come to judgment. And when one is tempted to commit it, thinking to cover it up, he ought to remember the words of Jesus, That which is spoken in the ear in the closets shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops<\/em>. And when one is tempted to commit it, thinking that in some way he may escape its consequences, Pauls injunction to the Galatians ought to flash with restraining influence upon his memory, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.<\/em><\/p>\n BARABBAS WAS CONDEMNED.<\/strong><\/p>\n The condemnation had already taken place. He had come into the court; the evidence had been heard; the sentence passed. Here again he stands as a type of the unsaved man. Who can affirm his innocence? It is written, All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,<\/em> and again, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us;<\/em> then against this admission stands the sentence, The soul that sinneth it shall die.<\/em> The fact that one may be going on with his life in the old routine way ought not to deceive him into supposing that sentence is not already passed upon his sin. Many of you doubtless have read Vathek by Wm. Beckford, and you may remember how that Caliph is pictured on one of the pages speaking of all the magnificence of his palace; of all the beauties, within and without; of his luxurious, even voluptuous, living; and the idolatry to which he eventually came; and the pride that filled his heart, bringing him to believe that even supernatural existences were subject to his will. He says, I began to think, as these unhappy monarchs around had already thought, that the vengeance of Heaven was asleep; when at once the thunder burst my structures asunder and precipitated me hither, * * where I am in torments, ineffable torments! An unrelenting fire preys on my heart.<\/p>\n The day is already on when every unforgiven soul is sentenced for sin. If we do not hear the chain rattling, nor feel the hot fires of judgment, let us not therefore conclude that no such sentence exists, for as Peter said, touching the Lords tardiness in executing sentence, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance<\/em>.<\/p>\n With Barabbas punishment had already begun.<\/strong> Marie Corellis picture of the loathsome prison from which the Roman soldiers dragged him is justified by the facts of history. At the time of this text he was in some dungeon, while the people without were crying of Christ, crucify Him, release unto us Barabbas. If that rebel but moved in his cell, he rattled the chains that were eating their way into his ankles. And say what you will, every sinner is already in judgment. We speak at times of a final judgment, but while we may distinguish the tragedies of that great day from the trials of the present hour, many of them are of a piece with it and a part of it.<\/p>\n Joseph Cook once quoted from the traveler Rancke a theory prevalent among the tribes of Greenland. He affirmed that the men of that northland say, If a sorcerer will make a stirrup out of a strip of seal-skin and wind it around his limbs, three times about his heart, twice about his neck, seven times about his forehead, and then knot it between his eyes, when the lamps are put out at night, he may rise into space and fly whithersoever his leading passion dictates. And the man or woman who wraps self about with sin until the limbs are fettered thereby and the heart is encased, and the head is bound and the eyes are blinded, will find that the lamps are going out, and that when he rises it is only to follow the leading of some evil passion which, when it is satisfied, will impose immediately its penalty of suffering, and send its subject into the dungeon and fetter him with the chains of judgment. Years ago, Parnell was the brilliant, trusted leader of the Irish cause in the English parliament. But like Sampson of old, he dallied with sin and speedily his locks were shorn, and he went out of that honored body disgraced, condemned, changed and chained. Justin McCarthy, who had known him in the days of his innocence and power as a man of superb self-restraint, a born commander-in-chief, speaks of his after-condition as that of an incapacity of self-control which brought him to indulge even in the most ignoble and humiliating brawls. Sometimes people threaten their conduct with judgments, saying of the lusts of the flesh that they will all eventually bring their condemnation, but he is shortsighted indeed who does not see that it is not a question of the future; they are all attended by justice herself. Immediately upon their commission she begins her execution.<\/p>\n But the end was not yet.<\/strong> Barabbas looked for the cross to come. He never imagined that that wretched cell with its fetid air, its deadening damp, its haunting darkness, was all. Every time he climbed to the top of that cell and peered out through the crack that admitted a little air and a shaft of light, he looked away, wondering how far it was to Golgotha; just how he would be enabled to endure the unthinkable agonies of the cross. I am not of those who attempt to define what Jesus meant when, speaking of the great judgment, He said of unbelievers, These shall go away into everlasting punishment.<\/em> But, when from day to day, I study the consequences of sin in this life, and see the sufferings of body, the agonies of mind, the anguish of soul, coming now upon those who violate Gods commands, and, rejecting His Son Jesus Christ, commend themselves to sin, I can but wonder what may be the judgments that shall at last awake impenitent men.<\/p>\n It is related that Chosroes, king of Persia, in conversation with two philosophers and the Vizier, asked what situation of man is most to be deplored. One of the philosophers maintained that it was old age accompanied with extreme poverty; the other thought it was to have the body oppressed by disease, the mind worn out and the heart broken by a series of misfortunes. I know a condition more to be pitied, said the Vizier, it is that of him who has passed through life without doing good, and who, unexpectedly surprised by death, is soon to appear before the tribunal of the Sovereign Judge.<\/p>\n But we are glad to be able to finish this discourse by calling your attention to yet another truthBarabbas was guilty; Barabbas was condemned, but,<\/p>\n JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED IN HIS STEAD.<\/strong><\/p>\n This substitution must have surprised him. Marie Corellis description of this bad mans amazement, when he learned that the man who had seemed to him to represent all the stateliness, all the whiteness, all the majesty of the lofty and spacious Tribunal, together with the light that fell glimmeringly through the shining windows, so that such radiance, such power, such glorious union of perfect beauty and strength in one human form as Barabbas had never seen or imaginedwhen he learned that that man stood in his stead he was overwhelmed.<\/p>\n Among the most graphic things that Mr. Moody ever said is a picture of Barabbas at the time of this text: I have often thought what a night Barabbas must have spent just before the day when Christ was crucified. As the sun goes down, he says to himself: (To-morrow!only to-morrow) and I must die on the cross. They will hang me up before a crowd of people; they will drive nails through my hands and feet; they will break my legs with bars of iron; and in that awful torture I shall die before this time to-morrow, and go up to the judgment with all my crimes upon me. Maybe they let his mother come to see him once more before dark. Perhaps he had a wife and children and they came to see him for the last time. He couldnt sleep at all that night. He could hear somebody hammering in the prison-yard, and knew they must be making the cross. He would start up every now and then thinking he heard the footsteps of the officers coming for him. At last the light of morning looks in through the bars of his prison. To-daythis very daythey will open that door and lead me away to be crucified!<\/p>\n Pretty soon he hears them coming. No mistake this time. They are unbarring the iron door. He hears them turning the key in the rusty lock. The door swings open; there are the soldiers. Good-by to life and hope! Death, horrible death, now! and, after death, what will there be then? The officer of the guard speaks to him, Barabbas, you are free! He hears the strange words, but they make very little impression on him. He is so near dead with fear and horror, that the good news doesnt reach him. He hears it, but thinks it is a foolish fancy. He is asleep and dreaming. He stands gazing a moment at the soldiers, and then he comes to himself. Dont laugh at me! Dont make sport of me! Take me away and crucify me; but dont tear my soul to pieces! Again the officer speaks: You are free! Here, the door is open; go out; go home. Now he begins to take in the truth; but it is so wonderful a thing to get out of the clutches of the Roman law, that he is afraid to believe the good news. And so he begins to doubt and to ask how it can be. They tell him that Pilate has promised the Jews the release of one prisoner that day; and the Jews have chosen him instead of one Jesus of Nazareth who was condemned to be crucified.<\/p>\n Now the poor man begins to weep. This breaks his heart. He knows this Jesus. He has seen Him do some of His miracles. He was in the crowd picking pockets when Jesus fed the five thousand hungry people. What! that just Man to dieand I, a thief, a highwayman, a murderer, to go free! And in the midst of his joy at his own release, his heart breaks at the thought that his life is saved at such a cost. Sinner, that is the Gospel! Christ died for you, the Just for the unjust. He was bruised for our iniquities, and by His stripes we are healed. Come out of your prison; throw off the chains of sin. You were justly condemned, but Jesus died for you. Let your heart break in penitence; weep tears of love and joy.<\/p>\n This substitution must have shamed him also.<\/strong> Here again Marie Corelli expresses the thought of Scripture. She pictures him as groping through the darkness that lay over all the land just before Jesus died. Making his way up to where he supposed the Cross stood, he stretched out his hands and murmured, Where art Thou? O Thou who diest in my wretched stead, where art Thou? And she says, as he knelt in this supernatural darkness before the unseen dying Man of Nazareth, an age seemed to have passeda cycle of time burdened with historieshistories of the soul and secret conscience, which are of more weight in Gods countings than the histories of empires. The people had released him; they had hailed him the liberated thief and murderer, with acclamations. True! but what was all this popular clamor worth when in his own heart he knew himself to be guilty of the utmost that could be done to him? Oh, the horrible, horrible burden of recognized sin! The dragging, leaden weight that ties the immortal spirit down to grossness and materialism when it would fain wing its way to the highest attainment! The crushing consciousness of being driven back into darkness out of light supernal! of being thrust away, as it were, with loathing, out of the sight and knowledge of the Divine! This was a part of the anguish of Barabbasa mental anguish he had never felt till now, and this was why he almost envied his former comrade Hanan for having been elected to die in the companionship of the Nazarene. All these thoughts of his were purely instinctive; he could not reason out his emotions, because they were unlike himself and new to him. Nevertheless, if he uttered a prayer at all while kneeling in that solemn gloom, it was for death, not life.<\/p>\n Such is the shame of sin! and yet, such was our Saviours substitutionary sacrifice that He bore our sins in His own body on the tree! In that blessed fact faith rests, and as Christ hung on Calvary in Barabbas stead, so He suffered there for you and me, and for every man who will accept Him,<\/p>\n For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.<\/em><\/p>\n Moreover the Law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:<\/p>\n That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 5:20-21<\/em><\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n ‘But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas (one who for a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison).’<\/p>\n The chief priests’ men had been at work among the crowds who, knowing that a prisoner was due to be released according to Jewish custom (Joh 18:39<\/span>), now called out as one that Barabbas be released to them and that Jesus should be sent to His fate. Barabbas was an insurrectionist awaiting execution for murder.<\/p>\n A first century Egyptian papyrus mentions a similar releasing of a prisoner by a Roman prefect as a result of popular demand. It is ironic that the name Barabbas can mean ‘son of the father’ (and that his name may also have been Jesus – Mat 27:16-17<\/span> in B Theta f1 Origen). They had had to choose between the false and the true.<\/p>\n Luk 23:18<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>Away with this man,<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> Put this man to death! <\/em>Heylin. The word properly signifies, to take away; <\/em>and so to deprive of life, <\/em>to lift up, <\/em>or crucify.<\/em> <\/p>\n Luk 23:18-23<\/span> . A condensed account down to the final condemnation, Luk 23:24<\/span> f.<\/p>\n ] e medio tolle<\/em> , a demand for His death. Comp. Act 21:36<\/span> ; Act 22:22<\/span> ; Dion. Hal Luk 4:4<\/span> , and elsewhere.<\/p>\n ] quippe qui<\/em> , not equivalent to the simple qui<\/em> , but: a man of such a kind that he, etc.<\/p>\n .] not a paraphrase of the pluperfect, but denoting the condition<\/em> .<\/p>\n Luk 23:20<\/span> . ] made an address. Comp. Act 21:40<\/span> .<\/p>\n Luk 23:21<\/span> . ] Imperative active<\/em> , not middle; paroxytone<\/em> , not perispomenon<\/em> .<\/p>\n Luk 23:22<\/span> . ] as Mat 27:23<\/span> .<\/p>\n Luk 23:23<\/span> . ] they pressed, they urged<\/em> , instabant, Vulg. Comp. Luk 5:1<\/span> ; 3Ma 1:22 , often thus in the classical writers.<\/p>\n ] they became predominant, they prevailed<\/em> . Comp. Polyb. vi. 51. 6, xx. 5. 6; Mat 16:18<\/span> .<\/p>\n 18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man<\/em> , and release unto us Barabbas: <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Ver. 18. Release unto us<\/strong> ] What marvel though murderers desire a murderer? Similis similem sibi quaerit.<\/em> <\/p>\n Luk 23:18<\/span> . : adverb, from (here only in N.T.) = in the whole-mob style, giving a vivid idea of the overpowering shout raised. , take away this one, i.e.<\/em> , to the cross. , release; if ye will release some one (Luk 23:16<\/span> , ) let it be Barabbas. Lk. makes this demand the voluntary act of the people. In the parallels ( vide<\/em> there) it is suggested to them by Pilate (Mt.), and urged on them by the priests. In Lk. s narrative the behaviour of the people is set in a dark light, while both Pilate and the priests are treated with comparative mildness. In view of Israel’s awful doom, Lk. says in effect: the people have suffered for their own sin<\/em> .<\/p>\n NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Luk 23:18-25<\/p>\n 18But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” 19(He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) 20Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, 21but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 23But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. 24And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 25And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.<\/p>\n Luk 23:18 “they cried out all together” This “they” includes the Sanhedrin and a mob (cf. Luk 23:13). The makeup of this mob is not specified, but it surely did not include the many pilgrims from Galilee and Perea, Jesus’ supporters from Jerusalem, or some members of the leadership (like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea). It is quite possible that the supporters of Barabbas (zealots) had been informed and recruited for this very purpose or that the family and friends of the Sadducean leadership had gathered their supporters.<\/p>\n “Away with this man” This imperative form is found only in Luke’s Gospel. It is a present active imperative of the term air, which basically means to lift up. Here it is used in its metaphorical sense of “take away and kill” (cf. Joh 19:15). It has this sense in the Septuagint (cf. 1Ma 16:19; Est 4:1). This metaphorical usage may have come from the Hebrew idiom “to lift the hand against” (cf. Job 15:25).<\/p>\n “and release for us Barabbas” This is an aorist active imperative. Apparently it was a common Roman practice to release (but unknown in historical documents) one prisoner at the Passover to gain Jewish favor (cf. Mat 27:15; Mar 15:6; Joh 18:39). It is ironic that the man released was guilty of the very same crime for which Jesus is being accused (cf. Luk 23:19, which may be a comment from Luke’s source, cf. TEV).<\/p>\n Luk 23:20 This is an amazing verse. Why did Pilate want to release Jesus?<\/p>\n 1. his sense of Roman justice<\/p>\n 2. his animosity for the Jewish leadership<\/p>\n 3. his personal superstition or his wife’s warning<\/p>\n 4. his desire not to cause a riot at Passover<\/p>\n Luk 23:21 “Crucify, crucify Him” These are both present active imperatives. This shout of condemnation by the mob is recorded in all four Gospels.<\/p>\n 1. Mat 27:22-23, aorist passive imperative<\/p>\n 2. Mar 15:13-14, aorist active imperative<\/p>\n 3. Luk 23:21 (twice), present active imperative<\/p>\n 4. Luk 23:24, aorist passive infinitive<\/p>\n 5. Joh 19:6 (twice), aorist active imperative<\/p>\n The Gospels do not dwell on the physical aspect of Jesus’ death (cf. Psa 22:16). This form of death was developed in Mesopotamia and was taken over by the Greeks and Romans. It was meant to be an extended, excruciating death taking several days. Its purpose was to humiliate and cause fear as a deterrent to rebellion against Rome. A thorough article is in the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 1040-42.<\/p>\n Luk 23:22 “a third time” Luke repeats Pilate’s statements of Jesus’ innocense three times for emphasis! Jesus was not seditious!<\/p>\n Luk 23:23 “But they were insistent” This is an imperfect middle (deponent) indicative, which denotes repeated action. The Jewish authorities in essence blackmailed Pilate (cf. Joh 19:12).<\/p>\n Luk 23:25 “but he delivered Jesus to their will” This same term is used in the Septuagint in Isa 53:12, “was delivered up.”<\/p>\n all at once = all together, or in a mass. Greek. pamplethei. Occurs only here. <\/p>\n Barabbas. Aramaic (App-94.) = son of a (distinguished) father. ORIGEN (A.D. 186-253) read “Jesus, Barabbas” in Mat 27:17, the choice lying between two of the same name. <\/p>\n Our Lords last days gave tragic proof of the hate and cruel mockery of his foes; yet how marvelously he endured!<\/p>\n Luk 23:18-19. And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)<\/p>\n Do you not see how they refuted their own accusation? If Christ was really the leader of sedition, would they have asked that he should be put to death? Would they have preferred a murderer to him? There can be no danger of a man leading people astray when those very people were crying, Let him be put to death. It must have been a transparent fraud. Pilate must have loathed them. Mean as he was, he must have seen through their meanness.<\/p>\n Luk 23:20-22. Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.<\/p>\n He thinks a great deal of his own inconsistent conclusion, and so many men do. When they came to a conclusion, bad as it is, contradictory, they will stick to it. Adhesive to nothing but to wrong, like a pendulum swinging between right and wrong, was this Pilate. Yet he will keep on the swing. He is only steady in that, I will, therefore, chastise him and release him. Oh! dear friends, it would be better for you to come to thorough decision one way or the other Christ, or no Christ; true religion, or no religion; but to halt between the two is a lame business that will be ruinous to you.<\/p>\n Luk 23:23. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.<\/p>\n These men were bribed. The popular feeling was with our Lord to a very large extent, but, under the influence of threats and bribes, they found a mob to cry, Crucify him. You know the old saying, Vox populi vox Dei, There is no truth in it. The voice of the people is not the voice of God, for they said, Crucify him, crucify him.<\/p>\n Luk 23:24. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.<\/p>\n Again attempting to evade the responsibility by saying that they should be both accusers and judges.<\/p>\n Luk 23:25. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.<\/p>\n Sad scene. May our hearts be broken, and made tender, end sanctified by meditation upon it.<\/p>\n Let us turn now to the later events.<\/p>\n Luk 23:32-33. And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, <\/p>\n The margin reads, or the place of a skull, when they were come to the place which is called a skull.<\/p>\n Luk 23:33. There they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.<\/p>\n Come hither, soul. Thou who readest this chapter, come to this place of a skull. It is the first resting-place of every weary soul. There is no rest for the sole of your foot till first you come to Calvary, and see your Saviour die.<\/p>\n Luk 23:34. Then said Jesus,<\/p>\n As they crucify him.<\/p>\n Luk 23:34. Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.<\/p>\n they: Mat 27:16-23, Mar 15:7-14, Joh 18:40, Act 3:14 <\/p>\n Away: Joh 19:15, Act 21:36, Act 22:22 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Exo 12:6 – the whole Job 30:1 – whose Psa 64:2 – insurrection Pro 17:15 – that justifieth Isa 49:7 – to him whom man despiseth Isa 53:3 – despised Mat 27:20 – should<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n They cried out means the people, for they alone had the legal right to speak on that subject. However, their choice was influenced by the priests and elders and scribes (Mat 27:20).<\/p>\n Luk 23:18-25. They cried out all at once Thus, by giving ground a little, and proposing to chastise Jesus, to satisfy these wretches, Pilate only encouraged them to press on the more, and become more violent in their clamours for his crucifixion; saying, Away with this man , tolle istum in crucem, crucify this fellow; and release unto us Barabbas, who for a certain sedition, and for murder, was cast into prison Thus the Jewish rulers demanded the release of a notorious villain, who had really been guilty of the crime whereof they had falsely accused Jesus; had made an insurrection with some accomplices; and had also committed murder in the insurrection, a crime which, though their impudence exceeded all bounds, they durst not lay to Christs charge. For this infamous creature the people likewise begged life, preferring him to the Son of God, who had always made it his whole study to do them good! Pilate, therefore, willing Or rather, desirous; to release Jesus, spake again to them Luke does not tell us what the governor said to the people, but the other evangelists have supplied that defect. See on Mat 27:15-25, and Mar 15:6-15. But they Without so much as offering any further reason, persisted in their importunity; and cried out as before, Crucify him, crucify him They not only would have him to die, but to die in the most ignominious and painful manner: nothing less will satisfy them than that he should be crucified. And he Pilate; said unto them the third time, Why? What evil hath he done Name his crime. What can you prove against him? I have found no cause of death No cause why he should be put to death. We may observe here, as Peter, a disciple of Christ, dishonoured him by denying him thrice; so Pilate, a heathen, honoured Christ by thrice owning him to be innocent. I will therefore As I said, (Luk 23:16,) chastise him By scourging, and then I hope your rage will be moderated, and you will be prevailed upon to agree that I should let him go, without any further punishment. But popular fury, the more it is complimented, the more furious it grows. Hence they were instant with loud voices With great noises or outcries; not requesting, but requiring that he might be crucified As if they had as much right at the feast to demand the crucifying of one that was innocent as the release of one that was guilty! And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed Pilate at length yielded to their importunity, and consented to do what was contrary both to the conviction and inclination of his own mind, not having courage to withstand so strong a stream. He gave sentence that it should be as they required Here we see judgment turned away backward, and justice standing afar off, for fear of popular fury! truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. He released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, &c. Who hereby would be hardened in his wickedness, and do the more mischief; whom they desired Being altogether such a one as themselves; but he delivered Jesus to their will And he could not have dealt more barbarously with him than to deliver him to the will of them who hated him with a perfect hatred, and whose tender mercies were cruelties.<\/p>\n Luk 23:18-25. Pilate, Barabbas, and Jesus (Mar 15:6-15*, Mat 27:15-26*).Lk. here depends mainly on Mk. 17 (omitted from RV) is an explanatory gloss from Mt.; in some MSS. it is found after Luk 23:19. The people are now associated with the chief priests and the rulers. Pilate makes two more vain attempts (Luk 23:20; Luk 23:22) to save the victim, but the vehement shouts of the accusers carry the day, and Pilate pronounces the sentence they demand. Barabbas is set free and Jesus handed over to death. Lk. omits the triple part played by the Roman soldiers, the mocking (this is transferred to Herods men, Luk 23:11), the scourging, and the leading to execution. But see Luk 23:36.<\/p>\n Luke’s version of the trial has the Jewish leaders and people (Luk 23:13) rejecting what was just and demanding the release of a man who was the antithesis of Jesus. Pilate had justified Jesus of the charge of leading an insurrection, but Barabbas was guilty of that crime. Jesus had gone about healing and restoring people to life, but Barabbas had murdered them. This description shows the great guilt of the Jews in demanding Jesus’ death (cf. Act 2:22-23; Act 21:36). The people allowed their leaders to influence them to demand a perversion of justice.<\/p>\n "They would rather be with a well-known sinner than with the One who could forgive their sins." [Note: Martin, p. 262.] <\/span><\/p>\n And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this [man,] and release unto us Barabbas: 18. all at once ] If we read plethei for pamplethei, the meaning will be that ‘they (the priests) called aloud to the multitude,’ as in Mat 27:20. The choice of Barabbas by the mob was not spontaneous; … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 23:18”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25935\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>A SIGN OF THE LORDS GRACE AND PATIENCE. <\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>A SIGN OF THE PEOPLES DEEP SHAME AND GUILT. <\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>A SIGN OF THE PEOPLES DEEP SHAME AND GUILT. Israel also had a choice. But in choosing it incurred the deepest shame and guilt. And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this Man, and release unto us Barabbas! There is no wavering nor delay, no answer to the question, What evil hath He done? There is no inward struggle, and no examination, but the most frivolous levity, which is swift to condemn, even in the holiest and most important cause. Indeed, Pilate warns them several times, and Gods voice warns them through him, to think and to deliberate once more. But their levity turns into stubbornness and hardening of the heart. How many still decide for unbelief without hesitation, without having carefully examined! They merely repeat what others maintain; they merely follow their own natural inclination. They are opponents of faith, not because they reflect too much, but because they reflect too little. It is a simple condition of equity that one should examine before rejecting, and that one should compare what Jesus gives with what the world offers. Levity, however, does not examine, it postpones. It finds pleasure in the moment, and avoids all that is disagreeable. When hours of distress and helplessness again come upon us, our only resources are falsehood and deceit–human help and human counsel, which soon shall be changed into shame. Alas! how many there are whose thoughtlessness turns into stubbornness, and from that into entire surrender to the power of darkness. (W. Hahnelt.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"