
Mark 15.6-11, Matthew 27.15-21, Luke 23.17-25, John 18.39-40.
We actually have nothing in the Roman records about this custom the Roman governors had of releasing a prisoner every Passover. Doesn’t mean they didn’t do it; just means they kept it off the books. Which is understandable.
Anyway we have four historical records which indicate the Romans totally did free a prisoner every
Pontius wanted to free Jesus. But, probably ’cause
Well because they didn’t want Jesus; or at least that was the sentiment of
Mark 15.6-11 KWL - 6 During the feast Pilatus would release one prisoner to them; whomever they asked.
- 7 There was one called bar-Avvá among the insurrectionists, imprisoned during the riot for committing murder.
- 8 Rising up, the crowd began to ask, as usual, for Pilatus to do for them.
- 9 In reply Pilatus told them, “You want me to free for you ‘the Judean king’?”
- 10 —knowing the head priests turned Jesus in out of envy.
- 11 The head priests incited the crowd to instead ask that bar-Avvá might be released to them.
Matthew 27.15-21 KWL - 15 During the feast the prefect was accustomed to release one prisoner to them; whomever they wanted.
- 16 He then had a famous prisoner, called Jesus bar Avvá.
- 17 So Pilatus told the people who’d gathered for him, “Whom do you want me to release to you?—Jesus bar Avvá, or Jesus called Messiah?”
- 18 —knowing the head priests turned Jesus in out of envy.
- 19 (As he was sitting on the dais, his wife sent him a message:
- “Keep away from that righteous man, for I saw many things in a dream about him.”)
- 20 The head priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for bar-Avvá, and for Jesus’s destruction.
- 21 In reply the prefect told them, “Whom of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Bar-Avvá.”
Luke 23.17-25 KWL - 17 [He had to release one prisoner to them during the feast.]
- 18 The Judeans shouted out together, “Take this man away and release bar-Avvá to us!”
- 19 Bar-Avvá was thrown into prison because of a certain riot in the city, and murder.
- 20 Pilatus addressed them again, wanting to release Jesus,
- 21 and the crowd shouted back, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
- 22 Pilatus told them thrice, “Why? Did this man do evil?
- Nothing worth death was done by him. So I will punish and release him.”
- 23 The crowd insisted with loud voices, calling for Jesus to be crucified, and their voices prevailed.
- 24 Pilatus sentenced Jesus to have done as the crowd requested.
- 25 He released the one they requested, who was thrown into prison for riot and murder,
- and Jesus was surrendered to the people’s will.
John 18.39-40 KWL - 39 It’s your custom that one prisoner might be released to you on Passover,
- so do you want me to release to you ‘the Judean king’?”
- 40 So they shouted again, saying, “Not him, but bar-Avvá!” (Bar-Avvá was a looter.)
Who’s bar-Avvá?
The gospels don’t give us much on who bar-Avvá is, mainly because they don’t really care.
The word in our bibles is
In some copies of Matthew, bar-Avvá’s given name is Jesus.
Bar-Avvá was arrested during a recent riot, for murder
But likely not. Pontius wouldn’t have suggested his name, or even considered him a possibility, if bar-Avvá murdered a Roman. He’d have been crucified the same day. More likely bar-Avvá took advantage of a riot and confusion to murder someone, and probably someone prominent, which is why he was now famous. Or maybe he was already prominent—a celebrity’s kid, or otherwise had prominent connections, which might explain why the Romans hadn’t yet crucified him.
Of course
Jesus’s suffering.
Now of course Jesus didn’t wanna get crucified either. But he had accepted his coming death as an inevitability. The chance he might be pardoned, only existed in Pontius’s mind—and in the worries of the senators who wanted Jesus dead. Didn’t exist in Jesus’s. So really all this free-a-convict-for-Passover thingy did was delay the inevitable.
But you know Satan would’ve used it as a temptation: “Look, there’s a chance you might get freed! You won’t have to go through crucifixion! You’ll only get off with a flogging; shouldn’t that be enough?” Assuming the devil understood Jesus was trying
And no, it’s not fun to hear a crowd reject you in favor of a really undeserving, truly bad guy. No matter the situation.

