“Why, what evil hath he done?”
The full verse · Matthew 27:23 · KJV
the , , hath he ? they cried the , , Let him be .
Asked by
Pilate: Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, seated on the judgment seat at Jesus' trial (Matthew 27:2, 19)
The Scene
The multitude has answered, "Let him be crucified," and Pilate presses them once more (Matthew 27:22).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPilate was asking for a charge. A death sentence ought to rest on a crime, and he had not found one. He knew the chief priests had acted "for envy" (Matthew 27:18), and his wife had called Jesus "that just man" (Matthew 27:19). Luke shows this was Pilate's third appeal and gives his own verdict with it: "I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go" (Luke 23:22). The question pushed the crowd to name an evil they could not name.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe crowd gave no answer to the question. "They cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified" (Matthew 27:23). Mark says they "cried out the more exceedingly" (Mark 15:14), and Luke says "the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed" (Luke 23:23). When Pilate "saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made," he washed his hands, released Barabbas, and delivered Jesus to be crucified (Matthew 27:24-26).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsPilate's fear of "a tumult," an uproar or riot (Matthew 27:24), weighed heavily at a crowded feast. Matthew Henry notes that the people were so set on Christ's death "that Pilate thought it would be dangerous to refuse." Gill observes that the more Pilate favored Jesus and spoke for His innocence, the more "clamorous, outrageous, and urgent" the crowd became. Pilate's hand washing that followed was a known sign: Barnes says, "The Jews were accustomed to wash their hands when they wished to show that they were innocent."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyPilate's question has an answer, and the answer is nothing. His wife called Jesus "that just man" (Matthew 27:19), Pilate called Him "this just person" (Matthew 27:24), and in Luke he says he found "no cause of death in him" (Luke 23:22). Matthew Henry writes, "It is much for the honour of the Lord Jesus, that, though he suffered as an evil-doer, yet neither his judge nor his prosecutors could find that he had done any evil."
The crowd's only reply was volume. Henry calls it "the cause carried purely by noise." Matthew wants the reader to see that Jesus went to the cross not for any evil of His own. Peter later called Him "the Holy One and the Just" (Acts 3:14).
Look Closer
How did the crowd answer Pilate's question about what evil Jesus had done?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You were condemned though You had done no evil; what does Your innocence mean for the guilt I carry?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The crowd answered a fair question by shouting louder. When are you tempted to raise your voice instead of looking honestly at the facts?
- Tell about a time when someone was treated unfairly and a person spoke up for them. What did that teach you?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Pilate's question is a fair one to ask when people are being condemned: what has this person actually done? The crowd shows what happens when feeling outruns facts. Volume replaced evidence, and an innocent man was sentenced.
When a group around you is set against someone, slow down and ask Pilate's question honestly. Then do what Pilate failed to do and act on the answer. He knew the truth, and still gave in to keep the peace (Matthew 27:24).
This does not mean every accusation is false. It means a charge deserves evidence before it receives a verdict.
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