Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights how the religious leaders didn't just disagree with Jesus; they actively manipulated the crowd, using their influence to twist a public custom for their own malicious ends. This wasn't a spontaneous outburst of popular opinion, but a deliberate orchestration to demand a known criminal's release while orchestrating the destruction of the innocent Son of God.
Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus stands before Pilate, who is trying to release him, even consulting his wife's dream about Jesus' innocence. However, the chief priests and elders manipulate the crowd, using the custom of releasing a prisoner to sway them into demanding the notorious criminal Barabbas be freed and Jesus be crucified instead. This climactic moment shows the corrupt religious leaders actively inciting the populace to condemn Jesus to death.
Have you ever felt pressured by a group to go along with something you weren't sure about? The crowd in Jerusalem faced a similar, but far more serious, situation.
The chief priests and elders didn't just hope the crowd would choose Barabbas; they actively persuaded them. They understood the power of public opinion and used their influence to sway the crowd's decision. It wasn't a spontaneous choice by the people, but a carefully orchestrated move by the religious leaders who envied and feared Jesus. They knew the custom of releasing a prisoner during the Passover festival and used it to their advantage, turning a moment of potential mercy into a tool for Jesus' destruction.
Imagine standing in that crowd. You have a choice: a known criminal and rebel, or the one claiming to be the Son of God. What would you pick, and why?
The choice presented to the crowd was stark and deeply symbolic. On one side stood Barabbas, a prisoner known for insurrection and murder – a man who represented rebellion against Roman authority and criminal violence. On the other side was Jesus, the 'Holy One and the Just,' the Prince of Life. By choosing Barabbas, the crowd was, in essence, choosing a murderer over the Messiah, a rebel over the King of Kings, a life of sin over the source of eternal life.
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Understand the original words
archiereus · Greek Noun
The leaders of the Jewish religious establishment, responsible for temple worship and interpreting the Law. They held significant political and social influence and were the primary instigators in the legal pursuit of Jesus.
presbyteros · Greek Noun
The leaders of the people who held authority in matters of community governance and religious tradition. They were integral to the judicial councils that opposed Jesus' ministry.
apollymi · Greek Verb
To ruin, kill, or bring to an end. Biblically, it often refers to physical death or the spiritual ruin of one's purpose or soul, specifically used here to describe the desire of Jesus' enemies to end His earthly ministry.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry and Growing Opposition
During Jesus' public ministry in Judea and Galilee, his teachings and miracles attracted large crowds but also stirred up significant opposition from the religious establishment, including the chief priests and elders.
Passover Week, AD 30-33
Jesus' Triumphal Entry and Temple Cleansing
Jesus entered Jerusalem with popular acclaim, hailed as a king, and subsequently cleansed the Temple. These events further inflamed the animosity of the religious leaders, who saw Jesus as a threat to their authority and the established order.
Passover Week, AD 30-33
Conspiracy Against Jesus
Following Jesus' actions in the Temple, the chief priests and elders, fearing his influence and seeing him as a political threat, met to plot his arrest and execution, even contemplating doing so after the Passover feast to avoid a riot.
Passover Week, AD 30-33
Pilate's Wife's Warning
As Jesus stood trial before Pontius Pilate, Pilate's wife sent him a message, warning him to 'have nothing to do with that innocent man,' having suffered in a dream because of him, highlighting Jesus' innocence.
Passover Week, AD 30-33
The Custom of Releasing a Prisoner
It was a custom during the Passover festival for the Roman governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd, a practice that provided a critical opportunity for the manipulation of public opinion.
Passover Week, AD 30-33— this verse
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas Over Jesus
Prompted by the chief priests and elders, the crowd, swayed by their influence, demanded the release of Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, and the crucifixion of Jesus, thereby condemning the innocent Son of God.
Peter directly accuses the crowd, stating they 'denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.'
1 Peter 2:4Peter speaks of Jesus as 'a stone chosen and precious' in God's sight, contrasting sharply with the choice made by the crowd in Matthew 27:20.
John 18:39-40This passage shows Pilate offering to release Jesus or Barabbas, highlighting the crowd's choice and the religious leaders' influence, mirroring the events in Matthew 27:20.
Isaiah 53:6This prophecy describes how 'all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way,' which parallels the crowd being led astray by the leaders to reject the Shepherd.
henryMatthew 27:11-25: "And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest."
27:11-25 Having no malice against Jesus, Pilate urged him to clear himself, and laboured to get him discharged. The message from his wife was a warning. God has many ways of giving checks to sinners, in their sinful pursuits, and it is a great mercy to have such checks from Providence, from faithful friends, and from our own conscience…
barnesMatthew 27:20: "But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus."
Persuaded the multitude - The release of a prisoner was to be to the people, not to the rulers. The rulers, therefore, in order to secure the condemnation of Jesus, urged on the people to demand Barabbas. The people were greatly under the influence of the priests. Galileans among the citizens of Jerusalem were held in contempt. The priests turned the pretensions of Jesus i…
The verse highlights how the religious leaders didn't just disagree with Jesus; they actively manipulated the crowd, using their influence to twist a public custom for their own malicious ends. This wasn't a spontaneous outburst of popular opinion, but a deliberate orchestration to demand a known criminal's release while orchestrating the destruction of the innocent Son of God.
Jesus stands before Pilate, who is trying to release him, even consulting his wife's dream about Jesus' innocence. However, the chief priests and elders manipulate the crowd, using the custom of releasing a prisoner to sway them into demanding the notorious criminal Barabbas be freed and Jesus be crucified instead. This climactic moment shows the corrupt religious leaders actively inciting the populace to condemn Jesus to death.
Jesus stands before Pilate, who is trying to release him, even consulting his wife's dream about Jesus' innocence. However, the chief priests and elders manipulate the crowd, using the custom of releasing a prisoner to sway them into demanding the notorious criminal Barabbas be freed and Jesus be crucified instead. This climactic moment shows the corrupt religious leaders actively inciting the populace to condemn Jesus to death.
"Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus." — The verse highlights how the religious leaders didn't just disagree with Jesus; they actively manipulated the crowd, using their influence to twist a public custom for their own malicious ends. This…
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Last reviewed October 2026