Now at that feast the governor was accustomed to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they desired.
All Commentaries on Matthew 27:15 Go To Matthew 27
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Note how far Pilate goes to give the crowd a chance to relieve themselves from blame. Observe how they did not leave themselves so much as a shadow of an excuse. Here was their choice: Let an acknowledged criminal go free, or free one whose guilt was still disputed. If they should choose to let the known offender go free, would it not be even more fitting to allow the innocent to go free? For surely Jesus did not seem to them morally worse than acknowledged murderers. But they instead chose a robber. This was not just any robber but one who was infamous for wickedness in many murders. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
