Pilate was unsuccessful in his efforts to set Jesus free.

Luke 23:13-25

13 Pilate then gathered together the chief priests and other Jewish leaders and the crowd that was still there. 14 He said to them, “You brought this man to me, saying that he had caused trouble among the people. But I want you to know that after having examined him while you were listening, I do not conclude that he is guilty of any of the things that you are accusing him about. 15 Obviously Herod did not conclude that either, because he sent him back to me without punishing him. So it is clear that this man has not done anything for which we (inc) should kill him. 16-17 16-17So I will have my soldiers flog him and then release him.”[fn] 18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Execute this man! Release Barrabas for us (exc)!” 19 Barrabas was a man who had tried to persuade people in the city to rebel against the Roman government. While doing that, he had murdered someone. So he had been put {they had put him} in prison, where he was waiting to be executed. 20 Because Pilate wanted to release Jesus, he tried to persuade the crowd again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Command your soldiers to kill him by nailing him to a cross!/Have him crucified!” 22 He spoke to them a third time and asked them, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have concluded that he has done nothing for which he deserves to die. So I will have my soldiers flog him and then release him.” 23 But they kept insisting. They shouted loudly that Jesus should be nailed {that Pilate should have his soldiers nail Jesus} to a cross. Finally, because they continued to shout [PRS] so loudly, 24 Pilate decided to do what the crowd requested. 25 The man who had been {whom they had} put in prison because he had rebelled against the government and who had murdered someone, he released! That was the man whom the crowd had asked him to release. He handed Jesus over to the soldiers, to do what the crowd wanted.