Samuel, after learning about the story of Jesus's birth, told Joseph that he was renaming himself "Jesus Barabbas.. If so, the crowd was presented with a choice between two persons with the same name. This most likely indicates he was a freedom fighter of some kind, similar to many of the zealot uprisings that occurred during that time. According to all four gospels Barabbas was said to be a robber, and a murderer. And when the Jews petitioned him again, he gave a signal to the soldiers to encompass them round; and threatened that their punishment should be no less than immediate death, unless they would leave off disturbing him, and go their ways home. The Argument from Contingency: A Proof for God, 6 Verses to Cling to When You Are Overwhelmed. The Jewish crowd chose him, over Jesus Christ, to be released by Pontius Pilate before the Passover feast in Jerusalem. Evidence for this can be found at Mark 15:7, which says that he was in prison because he had taken part in a recent uprising. He may have had supporters in the crowd (see Mark 15:18), and the two thieves on the cross may have been . But the Prince of Peace will enjoy vindicationnot least through the mouths of Roman soldiers, the men of violence par excellence (Matt. Thus, Barabbas was more likely to have had people supporting him for the release. He was released by Pontius Pilate the Roman governor of Judea [1] who presided over Jesus' trial. "[Matthew 27:25], Matthew refers to Barabbas only as a "notorious prisoner". Our Savior is not the things of this world. They brought in false witnesses who gave conflicting accounts and held his trial during the evening and early morning, certainly not protocol. Not only did they both get convicted and sentenced with a capital punishment, but they both share similar names. The validity of the event has been contested by skeptics and even some theologians. Pontius Pilate offered the Chief Priests and Israel the choice to free Barabbas and Jesus. We often choose the temporary, physical, victories. The parallels with the Barabbas story are fascinatingone dies while the other is releasednot least because it was the chief priests who wanted Barabbas released and Jesus killed (Mark 15:11). Jesus Barabbas was a thief, murderer, and traitor, while Jesus the Christ was perfect. Barabbas, in the New Testament, a prisoner mentioned in all four Gospels who was chosen by the crowd, over Jesus Christ, to be released by Pontius Pilate in a customary pardon before the feast of Passover. Matthew 27:16 refers to him as a notorious prisoner, and this suggests that this may not have been the first time he was in prison. Even the name of Barabbas has significance. Ask yourself, are you open to God doing a new thingin your life or still pursuing old, temporary fixes. Leviticus 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. He was a murderer. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? Approximately 30 years after this event involving Barabbas and Jesus, Israel would find themselves in a full-blown revolt against Roman rule (66 AD), which ultimately led to the destruction of the temple. This post may contain affiliate links. A few scholars such as Hyam Maccoby, Stevan Davies, and Horace Abram Rigg believe that Jesus and Barabbas were the same person. (See John 8:44.). In approximately 27 AD, Pilate brought his troops to Jerusalem for the winter and also brought images of Caesar into the Holy City. If so we would love to hear from you. A Takeaway from Barrabas and Jesus | Who was Barrabas. In the Bible story of the crucifixion of Jesus, the Jewish high council, or Sanhedrin, accused Jesus of blasphemy and decided to put him to death. It also must be noted that his crimes were linked to insurrection in the city. Additionally it appears fairly often as a personal name in the Gemara section of the Talmud, a Jewish text dating from AD 200400. The most dramatic examples, for my money, occur in the crucifixion story. In a brief detour of our study of the Gospel accounts of Barabbas and Jesus, lets look at two separate writings from the Historian Flavius Josephus. The guilty man was released instead of the righteous one. Could we be repeating the same mistake, by trying to save ourselves from sin and its effects by our own power? The Jews protested and watch what happened. What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews? Pilate asked them. . But my favorite example is Barabbas. The Pharisees believed that it was God's will to live in the world in which God had placed them, to remain pure, and to meet the temptations, the dangers, and the trials. Jesus represents the way of peace, innocence, and sacrifice. Even the rich young ruler does not get this privilege. This is where the critical claims come in. They screamed Give us Barabbas! and Crucify Him (Jesus). He was a criminal sentenced to die under Roman law for insurrection and murder. The one whose name, Bar-abbas, means son of the father? For a final lens on the Barabbas story, consider the Day of Atonement. Now we know that Judas is, but only thirty-two verses have to do with Judas. Named an apostle in Acts 14:14, he and Paul the Apostle undertook missionary journeys together and . Obama was the US president from 2009 to 2017. This shows us what a loving Father God is to us, and that He wants us to live a righteous life that honors Him. The reason that this is important is that it makes the man more than an everyday criminal, as sometimes portrayed. Both Mark and Luke's Gospels tell us that Barabbas was an insurrectionistsomeone who wanted to overthrow the Roman government and a murderer. They preferred to have him set free as opposed to Jesus, whom they condemned to crucifixion. I am trying out this new little way of doing facts on Bible characters. - He was a Jewish rebel, known as a Zealot, and a "notable prisoner," imprisoned for participating in a murderous insurrection against the Roman Empire. In character, Barabbas represented the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning. One passage, found in the Gospel of Matthew, has the crowd saying (of Jesus), "Let his blood be upon us and upon our children. YOU CAN CALL ME BARABBAS Text: Mark 15:1 - 15 Most of you call me "Shawn". Mark 15:7 and Luke 23:19 say that he was thrown into prison with his fellow rebels because they had committed murder in a particular rebellion. Origen claimed that a bandit could not have been named Jesus, so "Jesus" was probably added to Barabbas's name by a later heretic. The above is the profile of the man that the Jews wanted released in place of Jesus. We were sinners who violated the Word of God and were headed for eternal condemnation. What was Barabbas crime? The Gospels point out that freeing prisoners is a Passover custom. God wants us to live from a place of eternal victory, where physical things come and go but the Kingdom we possess and all the rewards that come from that are forever. This is how much they hated Jesus, and wanted to see Him condemned to death, not knowing that His death was for their redemption. But who was Barabbas, and what can we learn from him? Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who found him innocent. According to Scripture, it was customary for the Governor to grant clemency on a prisoners death sentence as a sign of goodwill toward the Jewish citizens, at Passover. We do know from the historian Josephus that many Jews had rebelled similarly through insurrections, earning a great deal of these zealots a crucifixion punishment by the Romans. Dirk Jongkind explains this issue more in his article here. A Roman governor doing so could have been executed himself. Barabbas' name means, in Hebrew, "son of the father." That's an interesting name since most proper names actually named the father, like Simon bar Jonah (Simon, son of Jonah). The Gospel accounts show the Roman Governor fulfilling his tradition and the mob overwhelming choosing the rebel over Jesus. In one such instance, the "crowd" (: chlos), "the Jews" and "the multitude" in some sources, are offered the choice to have either Barabbas or Jesus released from Roman custody. Much like Jesus' betrayal, arrest, and denial, we again find ourselves as a self-reflecting audience of a three-act drama. Barnabas's travels and ministry for Jesus are described. Governor Pontius Pilate gave the populace a choice to spare either Barabbas, a criminal, or Jesus, condemned as a heretic, from crucifixion. Luke 23:19 Meaning. Neither do I, and Christ died. Certain gospel verses suggest an unexpected militancy from the man of peace. But that is the whole point. Barabbas was a Jewish insurrectionist c. 30 C.E. 19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Some scholars believe that the story of the crowd choosing Barabbas to be released was included to justify anti-Semitism, so that people could blame Jews for the death of Jesus. One goat would be set free to roam the wilderness (a symbol of the sins leaving). There is no story that mentions his background. The Bible is FILLED with stories about amazing men and women. Many have placed blame for Christs death on the Jews, commonly citing Matthew 27:25, in which the crowd shouts, His blood be on us and on our children! However, numerous modern Christian scholars and leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI, have explicitly denounced this position, claiming that the crowd on that fateful day consisted of Jewish Temple authorities and Barabbass supporters, not of the entire Jewish people. The variant Barrabban found in the Harclean Syriac would mean "son of the rabbi or teacher." The Apostle Paul talked about choosing between the temporal and the eternal. Pilate thus reluctantly had to let Barabbas go. The story of Barabbas illustrates a profound truth about salvation - the substitution of Christ for each and every one of us. Well discuss his crimes in a moment, but all four Gospels deemed it necessary to not only mention him, but to mention him by name. Who was Barabbas? a son of somebody. More verses have to do with Barabbas than have to do with Judas, and yet Barabbas did no work. Pilate responds in typical Roman fashion with threats, violence, and intimidation. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. Jesus was the Messiah. He has a bad reputation for being a liar, thief, insurrectionist and zealot. He was "son of a father" i.e. A couple of you call me "Daddy.". As we see in the Gospel accounts above, they seem to conflict in Barabbas crime. And through his substitution, I become a Bar-abbas myself: a son of the Father. He shared a name with Jesus, but the similarities stopped there. After Jesus sets us free, He sends us to the rest of the world to tell others about Him. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. Barabbas was most likely a freedom fighter who had taken his zealous actions too far. Ancient versions of Matthew 27:1617 mention Barabbas as "Jesus Barabbas." 18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: Luke 23:18 Meaning. The name is ironic, considering that Christian belief states Jesus as the only Son of the Father. Why was Barabbas in jail? What crime has he committed? asked Pilate. We also know he had received a certain notoriety or popularity with the Jewish people. Upon which Pilate was deeply affected with their firm resolution to keep their laws inviolable: and presently commanded the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Cesarea.Antiquities of the Jews 13.8.1. The authors most likely included his name because people at the time wouldve recognized it due to Barabbas notoriety, or Barabbas was still alive and could attest to these events. We ought to analyze some of the reasons for their doing this. Barabbas and Jesus both represented two very different paths for Israel. But he may have actually been a freedom fighter in the Jewish resistance to the Romans. 27:16), guilty of murder and plunder during an insurrection in Jerusalem (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19, 25; John 18:40). Or the one claiming to be the Son of God? " Barabbas was a criminal, and the Bible describes him in different ways. Barabbas was one who was a slave to sin because he had a bad reputation. According to 2 Corinthians 5:15, Jesus died for all in the world so that those who receive Him no longer live for themselves but for Him. Image:
Barabbas is a biblical character mentioned in the four gospels of the New Testament. Not much is known about Barabbass history, except that he was probably a rebel or a bandit who had been imprisoned by Roman authorities. In either case, Pilate seems well aware of this tradition, and trying to please the Jewish people, and trying to free Jesus, gives them a choice of which prisoner to release. Barabbas full name was most likely Jesus Barabbas, in which the church father Origen took major issue, going as far to say that heretics put in the holy name of Jesus in front of Barabbas name. This story was initially present in three gospels, Mark 15:6, Matthew 27:15, and John 18:39. The masses chose Barrabas, and he is haunted by the image of Jesus for the rest of his life. Barabbas is due to die for his sins, and he deserves to. Barabbas was a murderer and a rebel who did not respect the authorities of the land. We are truly free because Jesus set us free out of His great love for us. ba-rab'-as (Barabbas): For Aramaic Bar-abba = literally, "son of the father," i.e. [12][13] The Church Father Origen seems to refer to this passage of Matthew in claiming that it must be a corruption, as no sinful man ever bore the name "Jesus" and argues for its exclusion from the text. Jesus was an innocent man about to murdered, and Barabbas was a murderer about to be set free. He could have died soon after his release or at an old age. The Gospel of Matthew states how the crowd said of Jesus, "Let his blood be upon us and upon our children." T. The other goat (the Lords goat) was then sacrificed and its blood used for the atonement of Israel. In character, Barabbas represented the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning. He had sought to save the Jews through insurrection. He appears to be a hardened criminal that was better off in jail. Have something to add about this? Some indicate hed murdered someone, others said he robbed, and others say he participated in a revolt of some kind. You can, of course, blame the high priests - they really did . Jesus and Barabbas both were popular, but Jesus had fallen in his poll numbers. Weird things about the name Barabbas: The name spelled backwards is Sabbarab. [17] Further, Dimont argues against the believability of the Barabbas story by noting that the alleged custom of privilegium Paschale, "the privilege of Passover", where a criminal is set free, is only found in the Gospels. But first, they needed Rome to sanction their death sentence. Rugby league is a ball contact sport that involves passing and kicking an oval shaped ball. For decades, there had been growing tension between the Jewish people and the Romans that ruled over them. As Christians now, we may feel far removed from this passage. Barabbas, a criminal on the brink of receiving his execution, gets set free by the Jewish people when they are given a choice between releasing either Barabbas or Jesus from their penalty, a customary pardon as part of the Passover Feast (think about the American pardoning of a turkey by the President on Thanksgiving). Updates? Barabbas is a biblical character and a Jewish insurrectionist (c. 30 C.E.) One such person was a man who had a legion of demons. (See John 8:44.) Abba in the time of Jesus was perhaps a title of honor (Mt 23:9), but became later a proper name. Acts 11:24 identifies Barnabas as "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith" who brought "a great number of people to the Lord" (NIV). Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Instead of receiving the punishment he ought due to his actions, Jesus takes his place and receives Barabbas warranted punishment. And you, dear sinner, on this Good Friday, I can say with complete confidence what has happened for you: Jesus took your place on that cross. Jesus Himself is frequently referred to as "the Son," often speaking of God as "the Father.". His real name was Joseph, but the apostles nicknamed him Barnabas meaning "son of encouragement," because he loved to encourage others. One became the sacrificial goat, whose blood was spilled. He states that Jesus could have been the leader of a Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Isaiah 64:4 says that, Our own righteousness is like filthy rags. We can only depend on Jesus to take away our sins so that we can be released from the penalty of death and find true freedom. whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem, according to the Christian narrative of the Passion of Jesus. According to the Greek text of Matthew 27:26, Barabbas's first name was Jesus. 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