Matthew 27:15-19
And according to the Feast, the governor had been accustomed
to set free to the crowd one prisoner – whoever they were desiring. And they were having at that time a
well-known prisoner while being named Barabbas.
Having them be gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you
desire that I should release to you all: Barabbas or Jesus the one who is
called the Christ?” For he had known
that they handed Him over out of envy. And
while he sat upon the judgment seat his wife sent for him while saying, “Nothing
by you and for that righteous one. For I
suffered much today according to a dream because of Him.”
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
I have always been amused by the name of the prisoner. Barabbas is a compound name, which means that
it is a name made up of two or more words.
In this case, it is made of the word “bar,” which means “son of.” The other word is a word with which you are
likely familiar: “abba.” “Abba” means “Father.” So literally, Barabbas is a name that means “Son
of the Father.” We’ll talk about the
implications of this name tomorrow – assuming I remember. For today, though, know that this is another
one of those moments where I find the absolute presence of God. Who else but God could orchestrate a world
that has a man whose name means “Son of the Father” be caught and in prison at
the exact same time as His own Son is being unjustly killed. This is not the stuff of coincidence. This is evidence of the hand of God as He
makes it plain to us just how blind human beings are. But I believe it is also a sign of God’s
sense of humor. Even in the darkest of
times, God shows us through an ironic twist of a name that He is still here and
in control.
Have you ever seen the mention of Barabbas as evidence of
the hand of God? How does this truly
speak to God’s timing and His ability to be genuinely in control of this world –
even when it looks like humanity has wrested control out of His hand.
Second Thought:
If we look at Pilate’s action and words in Matthew, we do
not see the malicious governor that he is often painted out to be by people who
read this story. Pilate clearly has no
love lost between himself and the Jews.
In fact, Pilate purposefully messes with them in this passage! He intentionally calls Jesus “the one who is
called the Christ” just to get under their skin! Pilate is no puppet of the Jewish leaders –
he is being an antagonist to them!
Granted, he is also not exactly helping the case of Jesus, here. He’s not being an advocate for Jesus, but he
is certainly not being an advocate for the Jews, either! Pilate sees what the Jewish leaders are doing
and he mocks them. He does not respect
them and their practices. He instigates against
them because He knows of their jealousy of Jesus!
Do you see Pilate as an enemy of Jesus? Do you hold Pilate in guilt for shedding the
blood of Jesus? Why do you feel the way
that you do about Pilate? What can this
passage teach us about the character of Pilate?
Third Thought:
I also find it interesting to hear the
mention of Pilate’s wife in this passage.
Church tradition holds that many years after this event Pilate converted
to Christianity because of his wife, who had converted to Christianity before
him. If this is true, then I also have
to believe that this event was as prominent in her life as this trial was in
the life of Pilate. Here is a woman who
suffers on account of Jesus before she even knows God! And this leads us to an understanding that
suffering can bring about a great result later in life. This woman suffers for a man of whom she had likely
never heard. That suffering seems to
have brought her great distress on that particular day. But if church tradition is correct, it is
highly likely that out of this initial day of suffering God began to work upon
her heart and speak into her life.
When has God turned your suffering into
something that has drawn you closer to Him?
Are you surprised when God is able to do this in your life or in the
lives of others?
Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 27:20-23
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