Mat 27:20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

The Jewish Sanhedrin was able to try Jesus for blasphemy under Mosaic Law (Luke 22:71) and succeeded. But they could not pass the penalty of execution because they did not have the authority to do so (John 18:31). So they brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate. Pilate tried Jesus and found him innocent. He would want to release Jesus but he feared the Jewish Sanhedrin who threatened to report him to Caesar if he released Jesus (John 19:12). Pilate gave the multitude a choice: Release Jesus or Barabbas (v.16). In doing this, he sought to use the voice of the multitude to quash the Sanhedrin’s verdict. “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus” (v.20). The choice should have been obvious: Barabbas was a murderer and robber (Mark 15:7; John 18:40) while Jesus had done good to them. But the multitude was swayed by the words of the Sanhedrin council and they chose to release Barabbas. They did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). One lesson we can learn from the choice made by the multitude: majority is not always right. Jesus says about following the multitude: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13). We know that following the crowd is not a good idea but we cannot help ourselves and the reasons are many. Here are just a few: 1. We want to fit it. We do not want to be the odd one out. 2. We are afraid to go against the majority. 3. We are followers. Majority of the world’s people are followers. 4. We are not sure ourselves. When we don’t know the answer, the tendency is to follow the majority. We think since if it is the majority’s view, it must be right. The “majority is right” mentality costs many to lose their salvation. Many have this idea that true churches must be big and have many members. Many are attracted to churches which have thousands of followers. Hence, when they enter a church that is small and has few members, they never return. Majority of those so called “looking for the true church” are actually looking for a place to fit in and not for the true church. Our Lord says: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). Many are like Aaron who followed the multitude to do evil in the case of the golden calf and lied, saying: “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:4). Aaron did not have the courage to go against the will of the people. God wants us to have courage like Joshua, Caleb, Moses, and many other faithful men and women of God in the Bible who mustered enough courage to do what is right. He said to Joshua: “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). When the multitudes choose to practice false doctrine and try to get us involved, we need to be strong enough to stand against the multitudes that do err (Proverbs 1:10-18). There is only ONE way to heaven and that way is through Jesus (John 14:6). The devil says all churches are the same. The Scripture says there is only ONE Faith and One Body (Ephesians 4:4, 5). Who will you listen: the majority or the Scripture?