Matins Devotion: November 17, 2025

Matthew 27:11–32

There’s a fascinating thing that happens often in the passion of our Lord. Those who despise His gospel end up confessing His gospel. When the high priest demands that Jesus tell them whether He is the Christ, Jesus responds by saying, “you have said so.” As we heard in our reading this morning, when Pilate asks Jesus if He’s a king, Jesus replies again, “you have said so.” In other words, “you have refused to acknowledge me as your Savior and your King. But by your own words, you confessed that I am, and so you stand condemned.”

And we see the same thing even more clearly later on in our text, when Pilate asks those in the crowd if they want him to release Jesus or Barabbas, and the chief priests and elders cry out for Barabbas to be released. Ah, so the miracle working, demon-conquering, dead-raising One, the One they know is innocent, they want Him condemned. But the guilty one, this murderer named Barabbas, they want him set free. They want Jesus to take the punishment that Barabbas earned while Barabbas is declared innocent by his judge. How fascinating that these men accidentally confess the glorious gospel of Jesus in their quest to see Jesus put to death. Through their mockery, they confess the very thing they reject, and thus, they stand condemned.

So let us confess the Gospel purely, without irony. Let us confess it not unintentionally, but with every atom of our hearts. Once we were all Barabbas. Once we were murderers and robbers, worthy of death, imprisoned and distant from God. But then Jesus Christ went to the cross, and shed His innocent blood. He died for the sins we committed, paid the debt that we owed. And through His glorious forgiveness and mercy, He shattered the doors of our prison and allowed us to walk out of the pit of condemnation and into the arms of God.