The Shadow of Nazareth Jesus. Both Barrabas and Jesus are sentenced to die by crucifixion, but Jewish custom allows the release of a prisoner on the day of the Passover feast. Pontius Pilate, the Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, has the authority to decide whether to free Barabbas or Jesus in honor of the Passover. However, Pilate is unwilling to make the decision himself, so he lets a crowd that has gathered before him choose who is to live. The crowd chooses Barabbas, who is set free, and Jesus, who is innocent of any wrongdoing, dies on the cross. Following the crucifixion,
Matthew 27:54 in Matthew. Matthew 27:54 Matthew 27:54 is the fifty-fourth verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse follows immediately after the death of Jesus and describes the reaction of the Roman soldiers present. The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads: In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: The modern World English Bible translates the passage as: For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 27:54 This verse is based on , though the author of Matthew makes some modifications. Mention is added of