19. (Barabbas was a man who was in prison for his part in a riot in the city and for murder.)
20. Pilate wanted to let Jesus go free and told this to the crowd.
21. But they shouted again, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22. A third time Pilate said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I can find no reason to kill him. So I will have him punished and set him free.”
23. But they continued to shout, demanding that Jesus be crucified. Their yelling became so loud that
24. Pilate decided to give them what they wanted.
25. He set free the man who was in jail for rioting and murder, and he handed Jesus over to them to do with him as they wished.
26. As they led Jesus away, Simon, a man from Cyrene, was coming in from the fields. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross and to walk behind him.