Every year at Passover, it was the custom of the governor to pardon a prisoner and release him to the people—anyone they wanted.
Festus, because he wanted to curry favor with the Jews, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go with me to Jerusalem and be tried for these charges?”
Two years later, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Before he left office he decided to leave Paul in prison as a political favor to the Jews.
But they all agreed, “We can’t do this during the Passover celebrations or we could have a riot on our hands.”
“You know that the Feast of the Passover begins in two more days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to be crucified.”
Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them. So the soldiers seized him and took him away to be crucified.
Now, Pilate was holding in custody a notorious criminal named Barabbas, one of the assassins who had committed murder in an uprising.
but Peter was left standing outside by the gate. Then the other disciple came back out to the servant girl who was guarding the gate and convinced her to allow Peter inside.