John 18:40 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.

NIV: They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

NASB: So they shouted again, saying, 'Not this Man, but Barabbas.' Now Barabbas was a rebel.

CSB: They shouted back, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

NLT: But they shouted back, 'No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!' (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

KJV: Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

NKJV: Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

The Roman governor, Pilate, has interrogated Jesus after accusations of rebellion (John 18:30–32). During that interview, it became clear that Jesus was not a political threat (John 18:33–38). The person in question, Barabbas, is identified as a murderer and rebel (Luke 23:18–19). In one sense, Pilate seems to be pushing back against the claims of Jesus' enemies. He knows, with certainty, that Jesus is innocent and that this is a personal vendetta (Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10). By offering someone who is clearly guilty of crimes against Rome, he may be trying to outmaneuver the scribes and Pharisees.

However, Christ's enemies have assembled a mob, who will eventually threaten to riot (Matthew 27:24). They will continue to insist that Jesus should be executed for defying Roman rule (John 19:12–15). While it's clear that Pilate has little respect for the Jewish people (John 18:35), he's also in a bad political situation. History suggests his brutal, violent approach put him at risk of losing his position as governor. If civil unrest breaks out during a major religious holiday (John 18:28), and includes accusations of both blasphemy (John 19:7) and sedition (Luke 23:1–5), it will not end well for the Roman governor.

Pilate's next step will be to see if merely humiliating and abusing Jesus will be enough to satisfy the mob (John 19:1–5). It will not (John 19:6).

John 18:28–40 describes Jerusalem's religious leaders taking Jesus to the local Roman governor. While Jewish authorities are allowed punish blasphemers, Roman law will not let them administer the death penalty. Jesus is too well-liked to be assassinated, so His enemies will attempt to paint Him as a rebel against Rome. In a private interview with Pilate, Jesus claims His role as King, but also notes that His purpose is not yet to rule an earthly kingdom. Pilate attempts to appease the crowd, trying to spare a clearly innocent man, but a mob has formed to demand Jesus' death. John continues his habit of skipping details offered in other Gospels. He does not repeat the account of Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:55–65), nor the part of Pilate's investigation where Jesus is sent briefly to Herod (Luke 23:6–12).

Jesus is secretly, quietly arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and taken to a series of sham trials before Jewish leadership. This leads to His encounter with the local Roman governor. Jesus accepts being described as "King" but denies that His current purpose is earthly rule. A mob assembled by Jesus' enemies reject Pilate's attempt to free Jesus. In the meantime, Peter fulfills Christ's prophecy about a three-fold denial.

John's Gospel was written well after the other three, so he frequently chooses to present different details. Chapter 17 detailed Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, just before He entered the garden of Gethsemane. This chapter describes Jesus' arrest, sham trials before Jewish leadership, and the beginning of His trial before the Roman governor. In the following chapter, Jesus will be unfairly condemned, executed, and buried.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.