THE SKINNY ON BARABBAS

“But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.” (Matthew 27:20-21)

Barabbas is the title of a 1961 epic film starring Anthony Quinn.  Of course, the basis for that film was the Biblical account of Barabbas, a notorious criminal being chosen to live and Jesus Christ being chosen to die.

In my personal devotional reading I’ve just read through the last few chapters of Matthew during the past week.  While most of the 1961 film is total fiction, there is some fascinating stuff we can see in the Bible account about Barabbas that most people miss, entirely!

The “synoptic gospels” (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) state that Barabbas was an insurrectionist and that he has murdered people in his insurrectionist activities.  It has been speculated that he was a Zealot.  The Zealots were a radical group of Jews from the time of Jesus Christ who wanted to overthrow the Roman government’s rule over Palestine.  He may have been a Zealot, but that isn’t stated anywhere.  Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor thought he had a nice little solution to his “problem” of Jesus Christ.   (The Jewish religious establishment wanted him dead, but he still had many, many committed followers.)  Each year at the Passover holiday, Pilate released a prisoner to them.  This would be an easy way out for Pilate.  He would have Jesus scourged (a horrific experience from which some did die), beaten and humiliated, and ask the crowds if they’d rather have Jesus released or Barabbas released.   It seemed like a no brainer.  As far as Pilate was concerned, there was no way they’d ever want Barabbas released, so they’d pick Jesus and everybody would be happy. Of course, to Pilate’s shock, things did not go that way at all.

There are four words at the end of chapter eighteen of John's Gospel which seem to be totally out of place and/or even incorrect.  The words are: “now Barabbas was a robber.”  It’s almost like a throw away line such as, “Now Barabbas had bad breath,” or “Now Barabbas liked Greek women.” Barabbas was in prison for murder and insurrection.  That was his crime.  If he was also a thief or also liked Greek women, or had a mole on his left cheek, well, so what?!

Not so fast!

Do you know that every detail in the Bible is important?!

Now, we’re going to uncover something I find fascinating...the skinny on Barabbas!  Did you ever hear what his name means. (In the Bible, names almost always have significance.)  The name “Barabbas” is Aramaic.  Aramaic is the language Jesus and his disciples spoke; not Hebrew.  If you take the time to check it out, you’ll find that the Aramaic word “Bar” means “son of”.  And, the Aramaic word for father is “abba”.  “Bar-abbas” literally means, “Son of the Father”.  Now, you’ve got to admit, “Son of the father” is kind of a weird name!

Now, do you know what the name “Jesus” means?  The name Jesus is actually the name Joshua or Yeshua.   (Jesus is the English version of the Greek version of that name; it would actually be more correct to call Jesus “Joshua” or “Yeshua”.)  Jesus means “Salvation”...or quite literally: “Jehovah is salvation.”

I’m not done.

In John chapter eight, Jesus has an amazing conversation and confrontation with the Jewish religious leaders.   To anyone who thinks Jesus was a wimp, read that chapter!  He tells them they are not of God but are of the Devil.  In fact, he says something to them that would make them fighting mad.  He tells them Abraham is NOT their father (or ancestor) but that the Devil is their father.  (See John’s Gospel, chapter 8 verses 39-45.)

I’m still not done.

In John chapter ten, Jesus says he came to give life more abundantly, but that the Devil’s purpose is “...to steal, and to kill, and to destroy...” (from John 10:10).

Barabbas was a robber, so like the Devil, he stole.

Barabbas was a murderer, so like the Devil, he killed.

Barabbas was an insurrectionist, so like the Devil, he destroyed (and was bent on destruction).

Pontius Pilate really had no idea of the choice he really offered the crowds that day. They had a choice between “The Son of the father [the Devil]” and “Salvation- the Son of God” and they chose “The Son of the father [the Devil]”.

Bob Dylan’s great song from his 1979 “Slow Train Coming” album says. “Gotta Serve Somebody”. If you’ve listened to that song, you know Bob admonishes his listeners that, “well, it may be the Devil and it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody”.

There’s no neutral.

Whom do you choose to serve?

That's the skinny on Barabbas!