13 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14 said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; 15 no, neither did Herod, for [a]I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. 16 I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” 17 (for[b] it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).
18 And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.
20 Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. 21 But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
22 Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”
23 But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men [c]and of the chief priests prevailed. 24 So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. 25 And he released [d]to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
Luke 23:13-25
Taking the place of Barabbas. Jesus was returned to Pilate, who saw now fault in Him, no crime worthy of death. Three times Pilate offered to chastise and release Jesus, and each time the crowd refused and became more fervent in their desire to see Him crucified.
In modern definitions, to chastise is a severe rebuke or reprimand. In the days where Jesus walked the earth, it was a severe punishment by beating, whipping, scourging. Led by the Sanhedrin and people present, chastisement simply wasn’t enough to satisfy their bloodlust. They wanted Christ crucified so badly, they chose to free a murderer in his place, Barabbas.
This made me think of the thief on the cross, later in this very chapter. If not for Christ taking the place of Barabbas, if not for the crowd unknowingly fulfilling prophecy by setting a murderer free and crucifying Jesus – that thief would have been damned along with the rest of us.
Instead he would be joining Jesus in paradise after his final breath because in his final moments, he turned to Christ.
