Matthew 27:23-24
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Pilate's question, "What evil has he done?" highlights Jesus' innocence, but the crowd's escalating shouts reveal their motive wasn't justice, but a determined, unreasoning hatred that drowned out any plea for truth. Their clamor, louder the more Pilate sought an answer, shows how quickly mob mentality can override any sense of fairness, demanding a conclusion regardless of evidence.
And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Pilate, faced with Jesus, tries to understand the accusations and even attempts to release him by offering the crowd a choice between Jesus and the notorious prisoner Barabbas. Despite Pilate's attempts to find no fault in Jesus and even offering to punish him instead of executing him, the religious leaders and the crowd's clamor for crucifixion intensifies.
In the face of overwhelming pressure, Pilate asks a simple, yet profound question. What does this reveal about Jesus and the nature of true justice?
Pilate, the Roman governor, finds himself at the center of a religious and political storm. Faced with a crowd demanding Jesus' death, he asks, "Why? What evil has he done?" This question is crucial for several reasons:
The Innocence of Jesus
Pilate’s query highlights Jesus’ blamelessness. Despite the accusations, no concrete evil deed that warranted capital punishment could be produced. The scholars agree: Pilate found "no fault" in Jesus, and even Herod, to whom Pilate sent Jesus, found nothing worthy of death. This wasn't just Pilate's opinion; it was a testament to Jesus' perfect life.
A Judge's Dilemma
Pilate’s question also exposes his own struggle. He knows Jesus is innocent, yet he’s bound by the crowd's demands and political expediency. His question is a desperate plea for a reason, a justification he cannot find. It reveals the tension between his duty to justice and his fear of the mob and Caesar. He is wrestling with a decision he knows is wrong.
The Failure of the Accusers
The inability of the crowd to answer Pilate's question with any specific wrongdoing underscores the baselessness of their accusations. Their silence speaks volumes, revealing their motives were not rooted in justice, but in envy and a desire to condemn Jesus regardless of truth.
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Despite clear evidence of innocence, the crowd's response is not reasoned argument, but escalating violence. What drives such irrational hatred?
The reaction of the crowd to Pilate's question – shouting all the louder for Jesus to be crucified – reveals a chilling rejection of truth in favor of malice.
Unyielding Malice
When Pilate pleads for Jesus' innocence, the crowd doesn't soften; they intensify their demands. This isn't a search for justice; it's a mob driven by a fierce, irrational hatred. They are so set on Jesus' death that they will not be swayed by reason or evidence. Their clamor drowns out any possibility of a fair trial.
Preferring Darkness to Light
This scene powerfully illustrates a choice: the choice between light and darkness, innocence and guilt, truth and lies. The crowd, incited by their leaders, actively chooses the path of destruction. They reject Jesus, the source of light and truth, and instead clamor for the release of Barabbas, a known criminal and insurrectionist. This is a stark picture of humanity’s tendency to prefer familiar sin over challenging righteousness.
The Power of Inflamed Passions
Their response shows how easily people can be manipulated by fear, envy, and religious fervor when it’s twisted. The chief priests and elders fanned the flames of the crowd's emotions, turning a religious festival into a scene of mob justice. Their loud voices and insistent demands demonstrate the destructive power of unbridled human passion when it overrides conscience and reason.
Understand the original words
kakos · Greek Adjective/Noun
General term for moral wickedness, malice, or depravity, often used in legal settings to denote a crime worthy of punishment.
athōos · Greek Adjective
A state of being free from guilt or moral responsibility; a status before God achieved not by works but by grace, or in this context, a failed legal attempt to evade moral accountability.
haima · Greek Noun
Representing life, sacrifice, and the weight of moral responsibility; in the Old Testament, it is the 'life' of the flesh, and here it signifies the guilt of shedding the life of an innocent person.
This passage highlights the intense political and religious pressure Pilate was under during the Passover festival, a time when crowds were volatile. The demand for Jesus' crucifixion, despite Pilate's own admission of his innocence, reveals the powerful force of mob mentality fueled by religious and political opposition.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Public Ministry
Jesus traveled throughout Galilee and Judea, teaching, healing, and gathering disciples. His growing popularity and claims of divine authority caused increasing alarm among the religious establishment.
c. AD 30, Passover Season
Jesus' Triumphal Entry and Arrest
Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly, hailed by crowds. Shortly after, he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane following a Passover meal with his disciples.
c. AD 30, Passover Week
Jesus' Trial Before Jewish Authorities
Jesus was interrogated by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high council, and accused of blasphemy. They found him guilty and condemned him to death, but lacked the authority to execute him under Roman rule.
c. AD 30, Passover Week— this verse
Jesus' Trial Before Pontius Pilate
The Jewish leaders brought Jesus to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, accusing him of sedition against Caesar. Pilate questioned Jesus, finding no guilt, and attempted to release him, particularly by offering to free a prisoner during the Passover festival.
c. AD 30, Passover Week
Crowd Demands Barabbas' Release
Pilate offered the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, a notorious prisoner. Incited by the chief priests, the crowd demanded the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus.
c. AD 30, Passover Week
Pilate Condemns Jesus to Crucifixion
Despite finding no guilt and facing pressure from the crowd and accusations of disloyalty to Caesar, Pilate ultimately yielded. He handed Jesus over to be scourged and crucified.
This passage in Isaiah foreshadows Jesus' suffering, describing him as 'oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.' This echoes the scene where Jesus, though innocent, remains largely silent under accusation.
Acts 3:14Peter confronts the crowd, stating, 'But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted you, and you killed the Author of life.' This directly parallels the choice made in Matthew 27:20-21, where the crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus, highlighting their rejection of the righteous one.
1 Peter 2:22Peter writes, 'He committed no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.' This confirms Pilate's assessment in Matthew 27:23 and underlines Jesus' perfect innocence, which the crowd was determined to ignore.
John 19:15In John's account, the crowd's clamor against Jesus leads to Pilate’s exasperated question, 'Shall I crucify your King?' The response, 'We have no king but Caesar,' demonstrates their ultimate betrayal of their own identity and heritage by rejecting God's chosen King.
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…
gillMatthew 27:23: "And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified."
And the governor said, why, what evil hath he done?.... What reason can be given, why he should be crucified? what sin has he committed, that deserves such a death? From whence it is clear, that of all the things they had accused him, they had not, in Pilate's account, given proof of one single action, that was criminal, nor had he done any: he came into the world with…
Pilate's question, "What evil has he done?" highlights Jesus' innocence, but the crowd's escalating shouts reveal their motive wasn't justice, but a determined, unreasoning hatred that drowned out any plea for truth. Their clamor, louder the more Pilate sought an answer, shows how quickly mob mentality can override any sense of fairness, demanding a conclusion regardless of evidence.
Pilate, faced with Jesus, tries to understand the accusations and even attempts to release him by offering the crowd a choice between Jesus and the notorious prisoner Barabbas. Despite Pilate's attempts to find no fault in Jesus and even offering to punish him instead of executing him, the religious leaders and the crowd's clamor for crucifixion intensifies.
Pilate, faced with Jesus, tries to understand the accusations and even attempts to release him by offering the crowd a choice between Jesus and the notorious prisoner Barabbas. Despite Pilate's attempts to find no fault in Jesus and even offering to punish him instead of executing him, the religious leaders and the crowd's clamor for crucifixion intensifies.
"And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, sa…" — Pilate's question, "What evil has he done?" highlights Jesus' innocence, but the crowd's escalating shouts reveal their motive wasn't justice, but a determined, unreasoning hatred that drowned out an…
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Last reviewed October 2026
