I am Barabbas

[Allen of the Cross]

I am Barabbas: a rebel, an insurrectionist, a murderer. I was full of hatred and deceit, I was condemned unto death.

I was supposed to be killed, bearing the full punishment on a brutal cross, to be scourged and made to drink the cup of the King's wrath. I was a rebel, and was supposed to be utterly destroyed.

But in my place Jesus Christ went, up on that hill I was supposed to die on, bearing my cross and the burden of my guilt. He was innocent, and I was a murderer. He is the King, and I was a rebel.

Now I'm free, exonerated, set free by the death of the Righteous One. Now I'm free forever, and I will always remember the One who bore my burdens on Calvary.

 

[lanceleo]

In books and movies, Barabbas is usually depicted as an evil criminal. But he may have actually been a freedom fighter in the Jewish resistance to the Romans. 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. In fact, some biblical scholars think that he was an important rebel leader. If so, this would explain why the crowd shouted for his release, because any leader in the fight against the hated Romans would be very popular with the common people.