For those who have seen ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ -imagine Jesus standing before Pilate- beaten, bloodied, wearing the crown of thorns. It's early on Friday morning and Jesus has just endured three different religious trials. Pilate now sits on the judgment seat, conflicted and disturbed. He knows that Jesus is innocent and perceptively assess the situation before him as an internal Jewish argument. He senses he is in an intractable political situation and knows he can’t win.
Pilate devises a plan to appeal to the masses asking them if they would like a prisoner released. He’s willing to do anything to curry favor and to keep Caesar off his back. The crowds cry out, ‘Crucify Jesus!’ -but which one?
Matthew’s account of the crucifixion identifies Barabbas’ first name as ‘Jesus.’ While most of the earliest Greek manuscripts omit this name; by the third century it was reintroduced. The early Church Father Origen explained that the name ‘Jesus’ wasn’t seen fit to be given to such a sinner as Barabbas, and out of respect, it was temporarily stricken from the record.
So imagine Barabbas sitting in jail. His execution is near. He hears the shouts, ‘Crucify Jesus.’ He undoubtedly realized his death was imminent. The guard comes to his cell, turns the key and says to him, ‘You are now free to go. Someone else took your place on the cross. Now get out of here.’
Didn't Jesus do this for each of us?
