Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. (Matthew 27:15-16)

A Notorious Prisoner

The Romans, who subdued Jerusalem’s Jewish population, knew the need to keep the city pacified to maintain peace. There were many conflicts erupting in the city and around Judea when Jewish patriots fought against the Roman occupation. Many of the criminals had been caught and crucified. The prisons were full of insurrectionists accused of sedition and treason. A custom developed by the Roman authorities to release one prisoner of the people’s choosing during the feast of the governor sought to pacify the population.

Jesus was brought before Pilate, governor of Judea, by the Jewish council seeking to have the man from Nazareth executed. Pilate knew there was no legal basis for the claims made against Jesus and that only for envy had the council delivered Him for crucifixion. In an attempt to appease the people, the leaders, and possibly his own conscience, Pilate reminded the crowd of the custom to release anyone they desired. He offered them a man called Barabbas, a known criminal and murderer, or Jesus, a man claiming to be the King of the Jews.

Nothing is known about Barabbas apart from holy writ. He appears briefly in scripture but at the most pivotal time in history. Barabbas was a well-known prisoner who had committed robbery and was accused of murder in a rebellion. He languished in prison with his fellow conspirators, waiting for certain death on a cross. Every day drew closer as others were led off to their deaths. The day of execution had come for Barabbas as he waited for the Roman guard to lead him to the place of scourging before being nailed to a cross. The Roman guard went to the cell where Barabbas was kept and called his name. Barabbas knew his time had come. He had heard the shouts of the crowd but probably could not discern the meaning.

The Roman guard took Barabbas out of the prison and, to the shock and surprise of the murderer, set him free. Another man was scourged and led to Golgotha, where He was crucified between two thieves (possible accomplices of Barabbas). He would die that day and be buried in a rich man’s new grave. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. A little over a month later, the New Testament church began in the city of Jerusalem. The silence of the scriptures would suggest that after Barabbas was released from prison, he returned to his fellow robbers and continued his life of crime. Nothing is said in the books of the New Testament about the man who was released in the place of Jesus. Whether he knew Jesus or cared is not known.

Barabbas was a man of the world who lived preying on others. He did not have a jailhouse conversion and became a disciple of Jesus. From the world’s view, the man in the middle of the three crosses was a convicted criminal who deserved to die. The disciples who gathered around the cross and the Roman centurion recognized Jesus as more than man but not Barabbas. Like the world, he could have cared less about the man from Nazareth. There was nothing special about the death of Jesus from a worldview. A man died, and they buried Him.

The story of Barabbas is more revealing of the worldview than many want to admit. Jesus took the place of a robber and a murderer. Barabbas did not care. He only wanted to be free. His life was not concerned with Jesus of Nazareth. It would be fifty days before Peter preached a sermon about the risen Messiah. Those who responded to the gospel were devout men. Barabbas was not a devout man. There are more than eight billion people on the planet, and the vast majority of them are not devout, not concerned, and care nothing for Jesus Christ. Like Barabbas, they do not care that Jesus took their place to save them from the wrath of God. It would be heartwarming to think that Barabbas became a Christian, which is the same feeling God has about the world. He is not willing for anyone to perish. But too many people care nothing for Jesus and will never know how Jesus set them free until it is too late.