The verse emphasizes this was a custom, a regular practice at festival times, not a one-off concession. This highlights the routine nature of Pilate's appeasement of the crowds, setting the stage for their extraordinary demand to release a murderer over Jesus.
Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As Jesus stands before Pilate, accused by the Jewish leaders, Pilate tries to find a way to release him, remembering a custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover feast to appease the crowd. He presents the people with a choice: release Jesus, whom they call the King of the Jews, or Barabbas, a known insurrectionist and murderer. The crowd, stirred up by the chief priests, demands Barabbas and cries for Jesus to be crucified instead.
Pilate, a Roman governor, found himself in a bind. The Jewish leaders had handed Jesus over, but Pilate saw Jesus' innocence. What custom could he use to try and save Jesus' life?
The Roman governors in Judea had a custom tied to the Jewish Passover feast. They would release one prisoner chosen by the crowd. This wasn't necessarily a Roman tradition, but one adopted to appease the Jewish population and maintain political stability.
Pilate, seeing Jesus was innocent and likely fearing the chief priests' envy more than anything, saw this custom as a way out. He probably hoped the crowd would choose Jesus, the innocent Galilean, over a criminal. This custom was a way for Roman authorities to show a form of clemency, but it also gave immense power to the crowd's desires, a power Pilate was about to regret.
The custom of releasing a prisoner was meant to be a gesture of goodwill. But what happens when the 'goodwill' is twisted into a tool for injustice?
The Greek word used for 'released' (ἀπέλυεν) is in the imperfect tense. This grammatical choice isn't just a detail; it powerfully communicates that this was a habitual or customary action. Pilate wasn't deciding on a whim; he was engaging in a regular practice.
However, the custom's intent was overshadowed by the crowd's manipulated desires. Instead of being a mechanism for mercy, it became a stage for a terrible choice. The chief priests, driven by envy (as noted in the commentaries), stirred up the crowd to demand Barabbas, a notorious criminal, instead of Jesus. This highlights how even established customs can be corrupted when human hearts turn away from truth and justice.
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Understand the original words
heortē · Greek Noun
A designated time of religious celebration and remembrance of God's redemptive works among His people. In the Gospels, it typically refers to the Feast of Passover.
desmios · Greek Noun
One who is held in confinement, often against their will. Biblically, it also serves as a metaphor for humanity's state under the bondage of sin and death.
stasiastēs · Greek Noun
Individuals who rise up in opposition to authority or law. In this context, it specifically refers to those engaging in sedition or violent resistance against the Roman occupation.
phonos · Greek Noun
The unlawful, intentional killing of another human being, which is a violation of the sanctity of life established by God in the sixth commandment.
stasis · Greek Noun
An organized uprising or armed rebellion against established governing authority. It often connotes social or political disorder and defiance of legal power.
ochlos · Greek Noun
The common people or a large gathering of individuals. In the Gospels, the crowd often functions as a volatile collective entity whose opinions can shift rapidly under influence.
The custom of releasing a prisoner at festival time was a political maneuver by Roman governors to maintain order and favor among the Jewish population. This established practice created the context for the fateful choice between Jesus and the notorious rebel, Barabbas.
Early 1st century AD
Roman rule in Judea
Pontius Pilate served as the Roman governor of Judea, holding significant authority over the region and its inhabitants, including the power to sentence prisoners.
Early 1st century AD
Jewish religious festivals
The Passover feast was a major annual celebration for the Jews, commemorating their liberation from slavery in Egypt. During this time, Roman governors often engaged in customs to appease the populace.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Custom of releasing a prisoner
It was a custom, possibly originating from Jewish tradition or adopted by Roman governors for political reasons, to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd during major festivals like Passover.
Early 1st century AD
Trial of Jesus before Pilate
Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate by the Jewish religious leaders, who accused him of sedition. Pilate, however, found no guilt in Jesus.
Early 1st century AD
Pilate sends Jesus to Herod
Pilate, seeking to avoid responsibility and perhaps hoping to appease local leaders, sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, who was also in Jerusalem for the feast. Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.
Early 1st century AD
Crowd demands Barabbas' release
The crowd, incited by the chief priests, demanded the release of a prisoner named Barabbas, who was imprisoned for insurrection and murder, instead of Jesus.
This passage directly parallels Mark's account, confirming the custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover feast and highlighting Pilate's awareness of it.
Luke 23:17Luke's Gospel also mentions the custom of releasing a prisoner, providing a third Gospel perspective on this particular detail of Jesus' trial.
John 18:39John's Gospel explicitly links this custom to the Passover feast and records Pilate's direct question to the crowd, 'Shall I release to you the King of the Jews?', framing the choice starkly.
Exodus 12:1-14The Passover feast itself commemorates Israel's liberation from slavery in Egypt, making the crowd's choice to release a prisoner (Barabbas, an insurrectionist) and condemn Jesus a profound ironic contrast to the liberation the feast celebrated.
1 Samuel 12:13This passage speaks of choosing leaders and the consequences, mirroring the crowd's momentous decision to reject Jesus, the true King, and demand the release of a rebel, highlighting the gravity of popular choice when it rejects God's Anointed.
pulpitMark 15:6: "Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired."
Verse 6. - St. Mark omits here what took place next in the order of events, namely, the sending of our Lord by Pilate to Herod (Luke 23:5). This was Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee; and Pilate, apparently convinced of our Lord's innocence, hoped to escape the responsibility of condemning an innocent man, by handing him over to Herod; for Pilate had heard that our Lord was a Galilean. Moreover, he hoped t…
cambridgeMark 15:6: "Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired."
6 . Now at that feast ] Rather, at festival time. There is no article in the Greek (or in Luke 23:17 ; Matthew 27:15 ), and the apparent limitation of the custom to the Feast of the Passover is not required by the original words, or by the parallel in John 18:39 . It seems to have been a custom, the origin of which is unknown, to release to the people on the occasion of the Passover and other great Feast…
The verse emphasizes this was a custom, a regular practice at festival times, not a one-off concession. This highlights the routine nature of Pilate's appeasement of the crowds, setting the stage for their extraordinary demand to release a murderer over Jesus.
As Jesus stands before Pilate, accused by the Jewish leaders, Pilate tries to find a way to release him, remembering a custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover feast to appease the crowd. He presents the people with a choice: release Jesus, whom they call the King of the Jews, or Barabbas, a known insurrectionist and murderer. The crowd, stirred up by the chief priests, demands Barabbas and cries for Jesus to be crucified instead.
As Jesus stands before Pilate, accused by the Jewish leaders, Pilate tries to find a way to release him, remembering a custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover feast to appease the crowd. He presents the people with a choice: release Jesus, whom they call the King of the Jews, or Barabbas, a known insurrectionist and murderer. The crowd, stirred up by the chief priests, demands Barabbas and cries for Jesus to be crucified instead.
"Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to…" — The verse emphasizes this was a custom, a regular practice at festival times, not a one-off concession. This highlights the routine nature of Pilate's appeasement of the crowds, setting the stage for…
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Last reviewed October 2026
