Matthew 27:20

My Notes

What Does Matthew 27:20 Mean?

The chief priests and elders actively persuade the crowd to choose Barabbas over Jesus. The people's choice isn't spontaneous — it's manufactured. The religious establishment shapes public opinion to produce the outcome they want: a criminal freed, the Messiah destroyed.

The word "persuaded" (peitho) means to convince, to win over, to bring to a particular point of view. The crowd didn't arrive at Pilate's courtyard already committed to Barabbas. They were worked over by the priests. The manipulation is deliberate, organized, and effective.

The choice between Barabbas (a convicted insurrectionist and murderer) and Jesus (an innocent teacher and healer) should have been obvious. The fact that the crowd chose Barabbas reveals the power of institutional persuasion: given enough pressure from trusted leaders, people will choose violence over innocence, the murderer over the Messiah.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Where have you seen trusted leaders use their influence to direct people away from truth?
• 2.How does knowing the crowd was 'persuaded' (not spontaneous) change how you view mob decisions?
• 3.What makes institutional persuasion so powerful that it can override obvious moral choices?
• 4.Who is influencing your choices right now — and are they directing you toward Jesus or Barabbas?

Devotional

The crowd didn't choose Barabbas on their own. They were persuaded. Worked over by the chief priests and elders — the people they trusted for spiritual guidance — until they asked for a murderer and demanded the death of the innocent.

This is what institutional manipulation looks like: trusted leaders using their credibility to produce an outcome that serves their agenda, not the people's interest. The crowd's choice feels spontaneous — "Barabbas! Crucify him!" — but it was manufactured. The chief priests and elders arrived before the crowd, did their work, and by the time Pilate offered the choice, the outcome was predetermined.

The horror isn't just that they chose Barabbas. It's that they were led to choose Barabbas by the very people who should have led them to choose Jesus. The spiritual leaders of Israel used their influence to ensure the Messiah was killed. The shepherds delivered the sheep's shepherd to the slaughter.

This pattern recurs wherever spiritual authority is weaponized against truth. When trusted leaders use their credibility to direct people away from what's right and toward what serves the leaders' interests, the crowd follows — not because the crowd is stupid, but because trust in authority is powerful. You believe the people you've been taught to believe. And when those people say "Barabbas," you say Barabbas.

Who is persuading you? And toward what?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture