Jesus or Barabbas
Who Was Barabbas? Barabbas played a key part in the events leading up to Jesus’ death. He never speaks a word, yet his story occupies at least 38 verses of the New Testament. There is lots we don’t know, but I can tell what we know: Barabbas was guilty. Jesus was innocent. Barabbas lived; Jesus died. Matthew 27:16 calls him a “notorious prisoner.” Mark 15:7 says he was in prison with the “insurrectionists” who had committed murder. Luke 23:19 says he was in prison for insurrection and murder. John 19:40 adds that he had taken part in a rebellion. Peter preached in Acts 3:14 and called him a murderer. Prison was where he belonged. Why would anyone want him to be set free?
Why Did the Crowd Choose Barabbas? The gospel writer notes that Pilate tried several times to release Jesus. Knowing that at Passover every year a prisoner was released from jail, he offered them Jesus or Barabbas, thinking that surely, they would prefer the popular preacher to the bloodthirsty killer. Who would choose a murderer over Jesus? What sort of people prefer a killer to a teacher of God’s truth? It only takes four or five men in strategic places to start the chant, “Give us Barabbas! We want Barabbas!” Sensing the mood of the crowd, Pilate makes one last, feeble attempt at justice. Mark 15:12: “What shall I do then with the one you call the King of the Jews?” But it is too late now. The crowd begins to shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Thomas Whitelaw wrote about the crowd’s choice of Barabbas over Jesus. He mentioned seven words that summarize that event: It was popular, but the popular choice is often wrong. It was frenzied. “When passion rules, judgment dies.” It was criminal to prefer a murderer over the Prince of Life. It was foolish to choose an enemy and reject a friend like Jesus. It was fatal in that it guaranteed judgment to the nation. It was predicted in Isaiah 53:3. It was overruled by God to bring salvation to the world. We see the wisdom and greatness of God, who could use the evil choice of a foolish mob to bring salvation to the world.
What Should It Mean to Us? Firstly, we are all like Pilate, but the choice before us is far more difficult because we know so much more than Pilate ever knew. He believed Jesus to be innocent but caved under pressure and set a criminal free. What will the end be for us who know the truth about Jesus and still prefer Barabbas? Secondly, we are all like Barabbas. We may not be a murderer, thief, criminal, insurrectionist, or lawbreaker, but Barabbas stands for everyone who ever lived. Our sins have cut us off from God. Most of us think of ourselves as pretty good people, or at least we’re not as bad as the next person, and it’s true in one sense. We haven’t done every terrible thing that others have done, but still, our hands are not clean. We may have cheated, we may have lied, we may have gossiped, we may have falsely accused, we may have made excuses, we may have cut corners, we may have lost our temper, we may have mistreated others. When we finally get a glimpse of the cross of Christ, we see how great our sin really is. In the light of Calvary, all our supposed goodness is nothing but filthy rags. The beauty of the Christian gospel shines forth from this story. Jesus, the innocent, takes the place of Barabbas, the guilty. A sinner goes free! An innocent man dies! Therefore, in the great wisdom of God what should have been a catastrophe provides salvation to the world. J. C. Ryle put it this way: Let us confess that, like Barabbas, we deserve death, judgment, and hell. But let us cling firmly to the glorious truth that a sinless Saviour has suffered in our stead, and that believing in him, the guilty may go free. Finally, we are left with the question Pilate asked: “What shall I do then with Jesus?" You can stand back and say, “I don’t care about him.” You can push him away and say, “Leave me alone.” You can open your heart and say, “Lord Jesus, I welcome you into my life.”
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