What is the meaning of Matthew 27:20? But • This little word signals a turning point. Pilate has just offered the crowd a choice between releasing Jesus or Barabbas (Matthew 27:17-19). • The conjunction shows human will moving in the opposite direction of justice and truth, illustrating Proverbs 14:12—“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” • Luke 23:16-19 records Pilate’s repeated attempts to release Jesus; “but” marks the sad moment when those attempts collide with hardened hearts. The chief priests and elders • The religious leaders—those entrusted with teaching God’s Law—step into direct opposition to the very Messiah promised in that Law (Isaiah 53:3-7; John 5:39-40). • Their involvement fulfills Jesus’ earlier prediction: “The chief priests and elders will condemn Him to death” (Matthew 20:18). • Acts 3:13 later contrasts their actions with God’s plan: “You handed Him over and rejected Him…though Pilate had decided to let Him go.” Persuaded the crowds • Notice the power of influence. The leaders stir the crowd much like Jezebel swayed Israel in 1 Kings 21:8-13. • Mark 15:11 parallels this: “The chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas instead.” • This is mob mentality over personal conviction—an echo of Exodus 23:2, “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.” To ask for Barabbas • Barabbas was “a notorious prisoner” (Matthew 27:16) involved in insurrection and murder (Luke 23:19; John 18:40). • The crowd chooses a violent rebel over the Prince of Peace, showing how sin blinds judgment (Romans 1:21-25). • The irony is striking: the guilty man is released while the innocent One is condemned, foreshadowing the substitutionary nature of the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). And to have Jesus put to death • Their demand fulfills prophecy: “He was despised…led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:3-7). • John 19:6 records the priests shouting, “Crucify Him!”—a chilling confirmation of their intent. • Yet even in this injustice, God’s sovereign plan of redemption moves forward (Acts 2:23; Romans 8:28-32). Jesus willingly submits, affirming, “No one takes My life from Me; I lay it down of My own accord” (John 10:18). Summary Matthew 27:20 reveals a tragic yet ordained exchange: religious leaders manipulate a crowd to demand the release of a guilty man and the death of the sinless Son of God. It exposes the depth of human sin, the potency of misguided influence, and the stunning grace of God who transforms this injustice into the very means of salvation. |
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