Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” ~ Matthew 27:22-23
It is this person of whom Pilate asks: What then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ? And the answer to that question is the determiner of every person’s destiny. For Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem the world from sin, to bring salvation, to remove transgressions, to destroy Satan, to set up an eternal kingdom of peace and glory for those who love and believe in Him. And it was essential in doing this that He die for sin. And as we come to Matthew 27, we know that we are close to the cross and therefore close to the climax for which Christ came into the world. He came to die for our sins, to pay the penalty as our substitute, and to rise again that we might live forever. And so no other person has ever come even remotely close to Jesus Christ. And the destiny, as I said, of every human being hinges on what that person does with Jesus Christ. Therefore I say Pilate asks the most important question that could ever be asked.
The punishment Barabbas deserved probably made them think of crucifying him – . Sadly, they forgot how dangerous a precedent they set for the Roman governor. After a few years, things turned dreadfully bad for them.
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