WHY BARABBAS?

WHY BARABBAS?

Once again we find ourselves in first century Jerusalem during Passover. 

We witness the cure of the blind man at the pool of the temple.  We witness the totally unjust arrest of the man from Nazareth.  We hear of the betrayal of two of his disciples.  One turned him in to the authorities and the other denied even knowing him.   Then, at what his enemies expected would be a cut and dried indictment; Pilate refused to call him guilty even though they had offered him large bribes.  His meddlesome wife had interfered and warned him off and the superstitious coward knuckled under.  Then he brought out Barabbas and asked them to save the Nazarene instead of the zealot. The crowd wasn’t having any of that.  They had been encouraged and perhaps, even paid, to demand the death of the crazy guy from Galilee and they weren’t about to settle for less.

Why did the people choose Barabbas over Jesus? We, who know Jesus, join with the people of that time in asking that question.  The injustice done to a person whose whole life was dedicated to justice was unbearable.  However, the truth is most of the people in that crowd could have cared less what happened to Jesus. Most of them were street people who enjoyed the spectacle of someone being convicted and crucified who wasn’t them.  They yelled whatever they thought the powers-that-be wanted them to yell.  

Barabbas was a prisoner of the Romans for attacks on Roman soldiers.  This made him a national hero to the Jews.  If it came to a decision between a hero and this Galilean, there was no doubt which way they would go.  They weren’t choosing Barabbas over Jesus; they were getting a chance to put something over on the Romans. Pilate offered the deal because he did not think Jesus was guilty of anything and that the crowd knew it and so would choose him. He figured wrong.  Here was a golden opportunity and they took it, so Rome would blame him. 

It’s so easy to blame Rome and Pilate for this, but the sad truth is what Jesus fully expected.  He commented once that their own people had killed all the prophets and that is exactly what happened to him.  His last days as a human were filled with betrayal.  The physical abuse and the crucifixion broke his body, but the betrayal broke his heart.  

When we are betrayed by anyone, spouse, child, boss or friend, Jesus is there to comfort.  During his whole life he was immersed in humanity.  Nothing that happens to us is unknown to him.  His love goes so deep we could be lost in it, but we don’t trust it.  We treat him as though he were Santa Claus or an ATM.  We are meant to live with him and in him as he lives in us.  If we do what is necessary to know him, we will. It’s there for us. It has always been there since the first Easter.  But we are in danger of duplicating the mindset of the Pharisees; abandoning the love of God and for God in favor of control. Let this Easter be the time we wake up along with Jesus. 

Christos Aneste’, Joyeuses Pâques, Frohe Ostern, Wesołego Alleluja, Felice Pasquas

Happy Easter! 

Carol Lemelin OPA