Matthew 27:23 Meaning and Explanation
“And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A single question from Pilate brings the issue into focus: what actual evil has Jesus done? Matthew records no answer to that question. Instead, the demand for his death grows louder, showing how a crowd can press forward without supplying a just ground.
Pilate asks what evil Jesus has done, yet the crowd answers with a louder demand for crucifixion. The verse lays bare the contrast between an unanswered question of justice and a determined public cry.
The Context of Matthew 27:23
Pilate has offered the gathered people a choice between Barabbas, a notable prisoner, and Jesus called Christ. He knows envy has influenced the delivery of Jesus, and his wife has warned him about the just man. The chief priests and elders persuade the multitude to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. After the crowd first calls for crucifixion, Pilate asks the question in this verse. Immediately afterward, he sees that a tumult is forming, washes his hands, and delivers Jesus to be scourged and crucified. The chapter keeps returning to the innocence of Jesus amid decisions made around him.
What Does Matthew 27:23 Mean?
Pilate says, "Why, what evil hath he done?" The paired questions seek a reason and a charge. Matthew gives no allegation in reply. "But they cried out the more" describes increased volume and intensity, not increased evidence. Their repeated words, "Let him be crucified," aim at a specific and terrible punishment. The verse does not portray a careful judicial finding. It portrays a governor facing a crowd whose demand overwhelms the question of Jesus' guilt. Pilate's question itself stands in the narrative as testimony: the condemnation advances while the asserted evil remains unspoken. Jesus is treated as guilty without Matthew supplying a crime that justifies the sentence.
This moment completes the chapter's repeated witness to Jesus' innocence. Judas calls his blood innocent, Pilate's wife calls him just, and Pilate soon uses the same description. The leaders' persuasion of the multitude precedes their cry, showing that public opinion in the scene has been actively shaped. Pilate bears responsibility for the authority he finally exercises; the crowd's pressure does not remove his duty to judge rightly. Matthew also records the people's own words and actions without turning the passage into a warrant for contempt toward later people. The chapter directs attention to the persons present and to the universal human capacity to reject justice when fear, envy, and power govern the heart.
Jesus had taught that the Son of man would be delivered to be crucified, and Matthew now shows that prediction arriving through identifiable human acts. His innocence matters deeply for the meaning of his death. He does not die as one exposed by his own evil; he gives himself in faithfulness to the Father's will amid false accusation and violence. The cry for crucifixion also stands near the release of Barabbas. Matthew does not explain that exchange in this verse, yet the scene places a guilty prisoner released beside the righteous Jesus condemned. It invites grateful attention to the costly mercy made known in Christ's willing endurance.
Bible Verses Related to Matthew 27:23
“For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.”
- Matthew 27:18
“When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”
- Matthew 27:19
“And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.”
- Luke 23:22
“Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:”
- 1 Peter 2:22
Where Matthew 27:23 Echoes in Scripture
Luke 23:22 gives a close parallel: Pilate asks for the third time what evil Jesus has done and declares that he has found no cause of death in him. That repeated question strengthens Matthew's point that the sentence does not emerge from a demonstrated crime. The Gospel accounts preserve the public pressure surrounding the judgment while continuing to identify Jesus as righteous.
How to Apply Matthew 27:23 Today
When a strong opinion is repeated loudly, we can pause long enough to ask Pilate's basic question: what is actually true, and what is actually just? Families, workplaces, churches, and communities can all be affected when impatience replaces careful hearing. This verse encourages us to distinguish evidence from intensity and to protect the dignity of people who are being accused. It also calls us to examine our own responses to Jesus. We can receive his innocent suffering with humility, gratitude, and a readiness to let his way reshape how we speak about and treat others.
Reflection & Prayer
Whose voice may be receiving too little patient hearing in a situation near us? Pray: "Lord Jesus, righteous and merciful, guard our speech from cruelty and our judgments from haste. Teach us to love truth when a crowd makes another way seem easier."