Sometimes justice isn’t served by courts. This is especially true when someone has died. Even the death of the killer does not serve justice. Then there are two families who have lost out. Where is justice in that? Where is the justice to the tax payers who paid for the trial? I am sure better things could have been done with that money. In a sinful world, where sin has affected every aspect of our lives, complete justice won’t happen until heaven.
This does not mean we don’t work for justice today. We might not be able to get 100% justice, but we shouldn’t settle for 50%. We work for the greatest justice possible, and then we must learn to let the rest in God’s hands. At some point we must let go. Rioting and destruction of property doesn’t serve justice. It creates even more injustice. What justice is there for the burned out shop owners?
Jesus has finished His religious trial, if you could call it a trial. None of the testimony was consistent, and none of the charges deserved death, at least death under Roman law. Blasphemy was punishable by death under Jewish law, but Rome had reserved that right to itself. So the Jewish leaders had to ask Rome’s permission to kill Jesus. That is what the trial before Pilate is all about. They had found Him guilty of a crime worthy of death, claiming to be God, and now wanted permission to carry out the sentence. But remember, there was no evidence presented.
This was really a whodunit without any dunit. But that doesn’t deter the religious leaders. They just stir up a crowd. They threaten the stability. They go after publicity. Pilate doesn’t want his reputation to be tarnished by the “Riot of 33”, so he gives in to their demand.
Pilate knows their motives. They aren’t about justice, but about their own self-interest. Their power was at stake. Their position in society. They served because Rome allowed them to serve, so Rome had the final say. They wanted to stay in power, and they felt Jesus threatened their positions.
So they get a murderer released back into society. What a great deal! You give up Jesus who hadn’t hurt anyone, other than some people’s pride, and you get a convicted murderer instead. No evidence against Jesus, but enough evidence to convict the murderer. You also get someone who had led a rebellion against the authorities. Talk about an accident waiting to happen. He had done it once. He will probably lead another rebellion again, putting the leaders in conflict with Rome again. They trade current discomfort for possible future rebellion.
And Pilate gives in to the crowd. Listening to crowds as a leader can be a dangerous leadership technique. The crowd does not even represent what the majority of people want, but the volume from the crowd and the immediacy of the pressure often leads to bad decisions. Crowds certainly don’t serve justice. Crowds can be whipped up to support a decision that is clearly not in their best interest.
So that is exactly what the leaders did. They whipped up the crowd. They served their own short-term goal of getting rid of Jesus. They would deal with the future consequences of having Barabbas released at a future date. The here and now is what mattered. They were getting what they wanted. And that was all that mattered to them.
The Arnold Journey 