Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 27].
chances. While Pilate wavered in pressing the question, they used
all their arts to get the people to "ask for themselves"
(\ait•s•ntai\, indirect middle ingressive aorist subjunctive) and
to choose Barabbas and not Jesus.
27:22 {What then shall I do unto Jesus which is called Christ?}
(\ti oun poi•s• I•soun ton legomenon Christon;\). They had asked
for Barabbas under the tutelage of the Sanhedrin, but Pilate
pressed home the problem of Jesus with the dim hope that they
might ask for Jesus also. But they had learned their lesson. Some
of the very people who shouted "Hosannah" on the Sunday morning
of the Triumphal Entry now shout {Let him be crucified}
(\staur•th•t•\). The tide has now turned against Jesus, the hero
of Sunday, now the condemned criminal of Friday. Such is popular
favour. But all the while Pilate is shirking his own fearful
responsibility and trying to hide his own weakness and injustice
behind popular clamour and prejudice.
27:23 {Why, what evil hath he done?} (\ti gar kakon epoi•sen\;).
This was a feeble protest by a flickering conscience. Pilate
descended to that level of arguing with the mob now inflamed with
passion for the blood of Jesus, a veritable lynching fiasco. But
this exhibition of weakness made the mob fear refusal by Pilate
to proceed. So they "kept crying exceedingly" (\periss•s
ekrazon\, imperfect tense of repeated action and vehemently)
their demand for the crucifixion of Jesus. It was like a
gladiatorial show with all thumbs turned down.
27:24 {Washed his hands} (\apenipsato tas cheiras\). As a last
resort since the hubbub (\thorubos\) increased because of his
vacillation. The verb \aponipt•\ means to wash off and the middle
voice means that he washed off his hands for himself as a common
symbol of cleanliness and added his pious claim with a slap at
them. {I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man} (or
{this blood}); {see ye to it}. (\Ath•ios eimi apo tou haimatos
tou dikaiou toutou\ or \tou haimatos toutou\ as some manuscripts
have it, \humeis opsesthe\.) The Jews used this symbol (De 21:6;
Ps 26:6; 73:13). Plummer doubts if Pilate said these words with
a direct reference to his wife's message (26:19), but I fail to
see the ground for that scepticism. The so-called _Gospel of
Peter_ says that Pilate washed his hands because the Jews refused
to do so.
27:25 {His blood be upon us and upon our children} (\to haima
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