John 18:40
"Not this man," they shouted, "but Barabbas!" (Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.)
Not this man
This phrase reflects the crowd's rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. In the original Greek, "οὐ τοῦτον" (ou touton) emphasizes a strong negation, indicating a deliberate choice against Jesus. Historically, this moment is pivotal as it showcases the fulfillment of prophetic rejection, as seen in Isaiah 53:3, where the Messiah is described as "despised and rejected by men." Theologically, this rejection is a profound moment of human free will in opposition to divine grace.

they shouted
The Greek word used here is "ἔκραξαν" (ekraxan), which means to cry out or shout loudly. This verb conveys the intensity and fervor of the crowd's demand. The shouting signifies a collective, almost frenzied decision, highlighting the mob mentality that can arise in the absence of truth and justice. It serves as a reminder of the dangers of following the crowd rather than standing firm in righteousness.

but Barabbas!
Barabbas, whose name means "son of the father" in Aramaic, is a figure of stark contrast to Jesus, the true Son of the Father. The choice of Barabbas over Jesus is symbolic of humanity's preference for a worldly savior who promises immediate, albeit temporary, relief over the eternal salvation offered by Christ. Historically, Barabbas was a known insurrectionist, which further underscores the irony and tragedy of the crowd's choice.

Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist
The term "insurrectionist" in Greek is "ληστής" (lēstēs), which can also mean a robber or bandit. This word choice highlights Barabbas's role as a political rebel, someone who sought to overthrow Roman rule through violence. Theologically, this presents a stark contrast to Jesus, who came to establish a spiritual kingdom through peace and sacrifice. The crowd's preference for Barabbas over Jesus serves as a poignant illustration of the human tendency to choose temporal power and rebellion over spiritual truth and redemption.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Barabbas
A prisoner who was involved in an insurrection and was released instead of Jesus. His name means "son of the father" in Aramaic, which is ironic given the choice between him and Jesus, the true Son of the Father.

2. The Crowd
The group of people present at Jesus' trial before Pilate, who chose to release Barabbas over Jesus. Their decision reflects the influence of the chief priests and the volatile nature of public opinion.

3. Pontius Pilate
The Roman governor who presided over the trial of Jesus. He found no fault in Jesus but succumbed to the crowd's demands to release Barabbas.

4. The Insurrection
The rebellion or uprising in which Barabbas was involved. This event highlights the political tension in Judea under Roman rule.

5. The Trial of Jesus
The legal proceedings where Jesus was judged by Pilate. This event is pivotal in the Passion account, leading to Jesus' crucifixion.
Teaching Points
The Irony of Choice
The crowd chose Barabbas, a known criminal, over Jesus, the sinless Savior. This reflects the human tendency to choose immediate gratification or perceived safety over truth and righteousness.

The Influence of the Crowd
The decision to release Barabbas was heavily influenced by the chief priests and the crowd's pressure. This serves as a warning about the dangers of following the majority without discernment.

The Role of Authority
Pilate's decision to release Barabbas despite knowing Jesus' innocence highlights the failure of leadership when it succumbs to public pressure rather than upholding justice.

The Substitutionary Nature of Jesus' Sacrifice
Barabbas' release is a powerful illustration of substitution, where Jesus takes the place of the guilty, pointing to the greater spiritual truth of Jesus' atoning sacrifice for humanity.

The Call to Choose Wisely
Believers are continually faced with choices that reflect their values and priorities. This passage challenges us to choose Christ and His ways over the fleeting and often deceptive allure of the world.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does the choice of Barabbas over Jesus reveal about human nature and the influence of societal pressures?

2. How does the release of Barabbas illustrate the concept of substitutionary atonement in the Christian faith?

3. In what ways can we see the influence of the crowd in today's society, and how can we stand firm in our convictions?

4. How does Pilate's role in this event challenge us to consider the responsibilities and pressures of leadership?

5. Reflect on a time when you had to make a difficult choice between following Christ and succumbing to external pressures. What did you learn from that experience?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 27:15-26
This passage provides a parallel account of the choice between Jesus and Barabbas, emphasizing the crowd's role and Pilate's reluctance.

Mark 15:6-15
Another parallel account that highlights the custom of releasing a prisoner during the Passover festival.

Luke 23:18-25
This passage also recounts the choice of Barabbas over Jesus, underscoring the injustice of the decision.

Acts 3:14
Peter refers to this event, accusing the people of choosing a murderer over the Holy and Righteous One.
BarabbasC. Stanford, D. D.John 18:40
Barabbas Preferred to JesusC. H. Spurgeon.John 18:40
Barabbas Versus ChristJ. Halsey.John 18:40
Not Barabbas But JesusWhitecross.John 18:40
The Choice and its ConsequencesA. Mackennal, D. D.John 18:40
The Choice of BarabbasT. Whitelaw D. D.John 18:40
The Scene as Depicted in ArtA. Mackennal, D. D.John 18:40
People
Annas, Barabbas, Caiaphas, Jesus, Judas, Malchus, Peter, Pilate, Simon
Places
Jerusalem, Kidron, Nazareth
Topics
Barabbas, Barab'bas, Cried, Cry, Loud, Outlaw, Rebellion, Roar, Robber, Saying, Shouted, Voices
Dictionary of Bible Themes
John 18:40

     5564   suffering, of Christ

John 18:36-40

     2585   Christ, trial

John 18:38-40

     5349   injustice, examples
     7505   Jews, the

John 18:39-40

     5040   murder

Library
March 24 Evening
God hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.--I THES. 2:12. My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, . . . but now is my kingdom not from hence.--Expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.--Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.--I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

November 23 Evening
My kingdom is not of this world.--JOHN 18:36. This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies may be made his footstool.--Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.--He raised him from the dead, and set
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

Jesus Before Caiaphas
'And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this Man's disciples? He saith, I am not. And the servants and officers stood there,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Art Thou a King?
'Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this Man? They answered and said unto him, If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Christ and his Captors
'As soon then as He had said unto them, I am He, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He: if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way: That the saying might he fulfilled, which He spake, Of them which Thou gayest Me have I lost none.'--JOHN xviii. 6-9. This remarkable incident is narrated by John only. It fits in with the purpose which he himself tells us governed his selection
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Calvary: victory. Matthew 26:47-27:61. Mark 14: 43-15:47. Luke 22:47-23:56. John 18:1-19:42.
Yielding to Arrest: the betrayal--protecting the disciples--checking Peter's violence--the arrest--the disciples forsake Him--except two, John 18:15, 16. The Real Jewish Ruler: Annas the intriguer--an unrebuked insult--the case settled at once--before Caiaphas--difficulty in fixing a charge--the dramatic question and solemn answer--second condemnation--gross insults. Held Steady by Great Love: Peter gains entrance through John, John 18:16.--the stammering denial--the bolder--with oaths and
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

Kingship.
Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king! To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth: every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.--John xviii. 37. Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king. The question is called forth by what the Lord had just said concerning his kingdom, closing with the statement that it was not of this world. He now answers Pilate that he is a king indeed, but shows him that his kingdom
George MacDonald—Unspoken Sermons

First Stage of Jewish Trial. Examination by Annas.
(Friday Before Dawn.) ^D John XVIII. 12-14, 19-23. ^d 12 So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound him, 13 and led him to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. [For confusion in the priesthood, etc., see pp. 64 and 528.] 14 Now Caiaphas was he that gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. [See p. 528. John restates this fact to remind the reader that Jesus was about
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Thursday Night - Before Annas and Caiaphas - Peter and Jesus.
IT was not a long way that they led the bound Christ. Probably through the same gate by which He had gone forth with His disciples after the Paschal Supper, up to where, on the slope between the Upper City and the Tyropoeon, stood the well-known Palace of Annas. There were no idle saunterers in the streets of Jerusalem at that late hour, and the tramp of the Roman guard must have been too often heard to startle sleepers, or to lead to the inquiry why that glare of lamps and torches, and Who was the
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Shadow of Death
196. Of the garden of Gethsemane it is only known that it was across the Kidron, on the slope of the Mount of Olives. Tradition has long pointed to an enclosure some fifty yards beyond the bridge that crosses the ravine on the road leading eastward from St. Stephen's gate. Most students feel that this is too near the city and the highway for the place of retreat chosen by Jesus. Archaeologically and sentimentally the identification of places connected with the life of Jesus is of great interest.
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

A Review and a Challenge
The Social Principles of Jesus Demand Personal Allegiance and Social Action DAILY READINGS First Day: The Social Mission of Christians Ye are the salt of the earth.... Ye are the light of the world.--Matt. 5:13, 14. "Jesus speaks here with the consciousness of an historic mission to the whole of humanity. Yet it was a Nazarene carpenter speaking to a group of Galilean peasants and fishermen. Under the circumstances, and at the time, it was an utterance of the most daring faith--faith in himself,
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

The Arrest.
"When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Kidron, where was a garden, into the which He entered, Himself and His disciples. Now Judas also, which betrayed Him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with His disciples. Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went
Marcus Dods—The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St John, Vol. II

Peter's Denial and Repentance.
"So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known unto the high priest, and entered in with Jesus into the court of the high priest; but Peter was standing
Marcus Dods—The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St John, Vol. II

Jesus Before Pilate.
"They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the palace: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the palace, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Pilate therefore went out unto them, and saith, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered Him up unto thee. Pilate therefore said unto them, Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews said unto him,
Marcus Dods—The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St John, Vol. II

Comparison Between the False Church and the True.
1. Recapitulation of the matters treated in the previous chapter. Substance of the present chapter--viz. Where lying and falsehood prevail, no Church exists. There is falsehood wherever the pure doctrine of Christ is not in vigour. 2. This falsehood prevails under the Papacy. Hence the Papacy is not a Church. Still the Papists extol their own Church, and charge those who dissent from it with heresy and schism. They attempt to defend their vaunting by the name of personal succession. A succession
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Arrest of Jesus
Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.--Now he that betrayed him
Richard Newton—The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young

The Betrayal.
Leaving the Upper Room, Jesus and his disciples went out into the moonlit night, for there was full moon at the passover, and took their way through the streets out of the eastern gate, across the Kedron, to the garden of Gethsemane, about a half mile from the city walls, near the western base of Mt. Olivet. The Garden, or orchard, takes its name from a word meaning oil press, and doubtless was shaded by the olive trees, from which the hill takes its designation. Still the traveler meets on this
B.W. Johnson—The New Testament Commentary Vol. III: John

The Trial Before the High Priest.
"Reading the Gospels side by side, we will, with care and study, see how all they tell us falls accurately into its proper position in the general narrative, and shows us a six-fold trial, a quadruple decision, a triple acquittal, a twice repeated condemnation of Christ our Lord. We soon perceive that of the three successive trials which our Lord underwent at the hands of the Jews, the first only--that before Annas--is related to us by John; the second--that before Caiaphas--by Matthew and Mark;
B.W. Johnson—The New Testament Commentary Vol. III: John

Christ Before Pilate.
John only gives the detailed account of the private examinations of Jesus by Pilate during the civil trial recorded in 18:33-37. He probably went within Pilate's palace as he would not be deterred by the scruples of the Jews, having eaten his passover, and he was therefore a personal witness. His account aids much in explaining Pilate's language to the Jews and to Christ, which is recorded in the other Gospels. The trial before Pilate divides itself into the following acts: 1. Without the Prætorium.
B.W. Johnson—The New Testament Commentary Vol. III: John

Messiah Despised, and Rejected of Men
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief. T he heathen moralists, ignorant of the character and perfections of God, the true dignity and immorality of the soul, and the root and extent of human depravity, had no better foundation, for what they call virtue, than pride; no higher aim in their regulations, than the interests of society, and the conduct of civil life. They expressed, indeed, occasionally, some sentiments of a superior kind; but these, however just
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Messiah Rising from the Dead
For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. T hat the Gospel is a divine revelation may be summarily proved from the character of its Author. If an infidel was so far divested of prejudice and prepossession, as to read the history of Jesus Christ, recorded by the Evangelists, with attention, and in order to form his judgment of it, simply and candidly, as evidence should appear; I think he must observe many particulars in his spirit and conduct,
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Greatest Trial on Record
Brethren, as the Lord gave commandment concerning even the ashes and offal of the sacrifices, we ought to think no matter trivial which stands in connection with our great burnt offering. My admonition is, "Gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost." As goldsmiths sweep their shops, to save even the filings of the gold, so every word of Jesus should be treasured up as very precious. But, indeed, the narrative to which I invite you is not unimportant. Things which were purposed of
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9: 1863

Of the Matters to be Considered in the Councils.
Let us now consider the matters which should be treated in the councils, and with which popes, cardinals, bishops, and all learned men should occupy themselves day and night, if they loved Christ and His Church. But if they do not do so, the people at large and the temporal powers must do so, without considering the thunders of their excommunications. For an unjust excommunication is better than ten just absolutions, and an unjust absolution is worse than ten just excommunications. Therefore let
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

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