Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus Barabbas
“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” - Matthew 27:21
In that moment, no one realized the deep rooted symbolism of the bigger picture meaning of what was happening. To begin, lets start at the root of the names..
The name Jesus comes from Hebrew Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ)
Meaning: “YHWH saves” or “The Lord is salvation”
Barabbas (Aramaic): is translated to “son of the father”
So less than coincidentally, at Pilate’s judgment seat, the crowd is given the choice between two, who were linguistically known as the same:
Jesus, Son of the Father
Jesus, the Son of the Father (God)
Some of the early manuscripts of Matthew 27:16–17 actually read: “Whom do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?” Later scribes likely removed “Jesus” from Barabbas out of reverence for Christ’s name. Which, arguably strengthens, rather than weakening, the theological weight of the scene.
So before the crowd stood two men... Not myth. Not coincidence. Not literary flair. A recorded, proven, real historical event. Pilate is not just asking a question. He is unintentionally staging a revelation: Here stood the stood the two versions of humanity.
Barabbas displayed all the traits of being:
- Violent
- Rebellious
- Guilty
- Hiding behind the system
Jesus of Nazareth offering the opposite in every regard:
- Obedient
- Innocent
- Willing
- Accepts the consequence
The Gospel was about to unfold entirely in one complete scene- One man’s rebellion brings death. One man’s obedience absorbs it. Both standing side by side awaiting final judgement.
The choice was open, but the decision was already made. and Deuteronomy 30 was replayed: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.” Pilate unknowingly reenacts this covenant moment.
- Jesus Barabbas- death-dealing freedom
- Jesus Christ- life through death
The 'irony' is piercing. The crowd is offered Life. They choose death. And Life dies for them anyway. Israel fails the covenant choice again, and God chooses to keep it alone. Pilate believes he is judging Jesus.
In reality:
- The crowd is on trial
- Power is on trial
- Religion is on trial
- Human preference is on trial
Jesus stands silent, not because He is powerless, but because the verdict has already been chosen, not by Rome, but by humanity.
Pilate washes his hands in an act of symbolic theater: “I am innocent of this man’s blood.” But God does the opposite: He takes responsibility for the bloodshed. He absorbs the guilt into Himself. And with that, human authority avoids guilt. Divine authority assumes it. The one with real power does not wash His hands, He allows them to be pierced. Mankind chose a savior who kills our enemies over a Savior who kills our sin.
And, even though the crowd chooses wrongly… salvation still happens, displaying this true and amazing point of grace- God’s plan of redemption does not depend on humanity making the right choice.
Jesus Barabbas is not just a man in the story. He is:
- The guilty one
- The violent one
- The undeserving one
- The one who walks free
He is humanity.
There laid the cross, one that was already meant for another. And Jesus, the chosen replacement, carries Barabbas' cross. Barabbas, on trial for insurrection (one of many crimes), walks free during a festival of freedom. One Jesus chose you. The other, himself.
This is not allegory. This is demonstration. The gospel was not first explained with words. It is revealed with a body walking to a cross meant for someone else. One Jesus entered the city, free. The other escorted outside of the city walls with the others rejected by society for abandonment.
In that moment, the name Barabbas dies forever in history, never redeemed. The name of Jesus, on the other hand, becomes one of the most powerful, iconic names of all the ages.
Barabbas is not the villain of this story. The crowd is not the villain.
Neither is Rome. Sin is.
Two Jesuses. Two sons of the father. Two paths of freedom. Two outcomes.
Today we stand at the same crossroads. You have the same decision to make now as the crowd did in first century AD... Which Jesus will you choose? And one vivid reality connected to this decision is this- no choice, is making a choice.
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
