As Jesus stood before Pilot on Friday morning around 33 A.D., Pilot already knew that the charges brought against Jesus were bogus. Matthew tells us, “For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him” (Mt. 27:18). The word translated as self-interest in the NIV means envy or jealousy. The gospels are clear that the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the elders felt that Jesus and his popularity threatened their positions as well as invited the Romans to oppress their little nation even more.
In his effort to persuade the crowd and Jewish leaders to release Jesus, Pilot offered to fulfill a Passover tradition of releasing a prisoner. As Israel had been released from bondage in Egypt, Rome would release another Jew from bondage as an acknowledgment of their great feast day. So, he brought our Barabbas. Mark tells us, “A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising” (Mk. 15:7). All accounts of this man paint him as a thief, a murderer, and an insurrectionist.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Pilot asks the crowd, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah (Mt. 27:17)? It is ironic that both are named Jesus. It is even more ironic that Barabbas literally means “son of Abba” or “son of a father.” This was no coincidence because God, who orchestrated everything about his Son’s crucifixion, undoubtedly orchestrated this as well. One is Jesus, the son of an earthly abba, while the other is Jesus the Son of the heavenly Abba.
In this very moment, a vivid snapshot of the gospel appears. The guilty goes free while the innocent takes his place. One who deserves to die is released, while one who is sinless is condemned to death. The man who is the son of a sinful father walks away while the Son of the Heavenly Father is nailed to a cross. That is the crux of the gospel. The crowd witnessed the eternal gospel that day without understanding what they were seeing, yet it was presented all the same. Every Easter season it is presented to the crowds, but many never understand. However, God is faithful to present it all the same.
Another question remains, however. What happened to Barabbas after his release? The gospels do not say and history leaves no record. Perhaps. that is God’s intent. We don’t know the end of the story of this man. Did he continue in his sin and ignore God’s Passover deliverance for him or did he follow the man who took is place and was raised from the dead three days later? We each must make that choice.
Today is called Good Friday because good came out of it. Without his death there would have been no atoning sacrifice. Without his death, there would have been no resurrection. Perhaps, it should also be known as Gospel Friday as each of us see the choice and choose again to follow or ignore the man who took our place.
