please tlie Jews, by declaring an innocent person guilty, and yet at the same time to please himself by getting His life spared. Such are the ways of worldly and unprincipled rulers. Between the base fear of men, the desire to please the mob, and the secret dictates of their own conscience, they are contin- ually^ doing wicked things, and pleasing nobody at all, and least of all themselves.
About this " custom," and when it began, we know nothing, St. Mark's account would lead us to suppose that as soon as Pi- late came out of his palace, the multitude cried out for the usual passover favor to be granted to them. (See Mark xv. 8.) Pilate would seem to have caught at the idea at once, and to have suggested that Jesus should be the person released.
There seems a latent meaning in Pilate's use of the expres- sion " the King of the Jews." Some think that it is a sneer. — *' This miserable, poor, lowly King ; will you not have Him let go ? " — Others think that Pilate had in view our Lord's claim to be the Messiah. " Would it not be better to release this man who asserts that He is your own Messiah ? Would it not be a scandal to your nation to kill Him ? " — A desire to re- lease our Lord, side by side with a cowardly fear of offending the Jews by doing what was just and right, runs through all Pilate's dealings. He evidently knows what he ought to do, but does not do it.
Henry thinks Pilate must have heard how popular Jesus was with some of the Jews, and must have known of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem a few days before. " He looked on Him as the darling of the multitude, and the envy of the rulers. Therefore he made no doubt they would demand the release of Jesus ; and this would stop the prosecution, and all would be well." But he had not reckoned on the influence of the priests over the fickle multitude.
40. — [Then cried they all, etc.] This verse describes the complete failure of Pilate's notable plan, by which he hoped to satisfy the Jews and yet release Jesus. The fierce and bigoted party of Caiaphas would not listen to his proposal for a moment. They declared they would rather have Barabbas, a notorious prisoner in the hands of the Romans, released than Jesus. Nothing would Content them but our Lord's death. Barabbas, we know from St. Luke (xxiii. 19), was a murderer as well as a roljber. The Jews were asked to decide whether the holy Jesus or the vile criminal should be let go free and released from prison. — Such was their utter hardness, bitterness, cruel- ty, and hatred of our liord, that they actually declare they would rather have Barabbas set free than Jesus ! Nothing in short would satisfy them but Christ's blood. Thus they com- mitted the great sin which Peter charges home on them not long after : " Ye denied Jesus in the presence of Pilate, when lie was determined to let Him go. — Ye denied the Holy One