Deeper Reflection
THE CONTRAST IN VERSES 6 TO 15 IS UNMISTAKABLE. Two men in Pilate’s custody. Both were leaders, each with a sizable following. Both were accused of being a threat to the Roman government and faced the sentence of crucifixion¹⁷. Lesser known, perhaps, is the fact that both share the same first name, Yeshua or Jesus¹⁸. But the similarities end here. The sinful man would soon be released from punishment, but the sinless One would be condemned to die on a cross. What an irony! What a divine exchange! The juxtaposition is intentional. Clearly, these men were polar opposites. Bar-abbas, or Yeshua bar Abba (Jesus, the “son of father”), was an infamous Jewish insurrectionist, held in custody for the crimes of treason against Rome and murder. His was the way of violence to justify political ends – to free Jews from Roman oppression. Not so Jesus the Son of God, who walked in the way of love and peace to fulfil the will of His Father. Pilate himself perceived that this “King of the Jews” was harmless to Rome, but the Jewish religious leaders pressurised Pilate to “cancel” Him because they were envious of His influence (v.10). Yet Christ was the One truly able to set His people free from all their sins.After Barabbas was released at the feast, he slipped into complete obscurity, leaving neither movement nor legacy. After Christ died on the cross – the righteous for the unrighteous – He rose from the grave on the third day, appeared to His disciples and through them turned the world upside down with a revolution of love that continues to this day.

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¹⁷ For helpful short articles on the history and science of crucifixion, see https://www.gotquestions.org/crucifixion.html; https://www.apu.edu/articles/the-science-of-the-crucifixion/. ¹⁸ Matthew 27:16-17 NIV (so NRSV, NET).