What Is It About Barabbas?
A teeming horde had gathered and they wanted blood. Pontius Pilate was hoping that his yearly offer of freedom for one prisoner during the celebration of Passover would be given out to the miracle worker from Nazareth, and not a known murderer like Barabbas. After the Roman governor saw it was futile, and increasingly dangerous to plead with the angry mob any further he turned and symbolically washed his hands saying: “I am not responsible for the death of this man!” all while the crowd continued to yell out their horrifying choice: “Give us Barabbas!”
The first time I heard this story my stomach turned while my mind recoiled in disgust. How could anyone want a violent offender like Barabbas to go free instead of Jesus? As a child I never imagined that humans were capable of this level of evil and it stood out as a sad and sobering warning regarding the true nature of humanity.
Over the years I have begun to see other lessons in this story emerge that eluded me initially, and one of the most notable being the dangers of going along with the crowd, or inadvertently allowing any kind of group too much power over my mind. It feels good, and we are encouraged from day one to be accepted into different groups. That is how we handle almost every aspect of our personal and private lives, and what is considered normal. We apply to schools and hope they accept us. We apply for jobs and hope they accept us too. We even go as far as to label the different groups within the schools that we want to be accepted by, like the jocks or cool kids etc. It is in this understandable and dangerously deep desire to feel apart of something that unspeakable evil can be conceived, and good people can be manipulated. The shock I felt at the crowd when I heard the story as a child was now dwarfed by a clearer and far more disturbing understanding that I could be one of them.
With more time to consider this story further, thankfully another wonderful lesson presented itself. There is another option, which is no longer being a prisoner to either the childish shock at the depths of human depravity, or the limitless sadness of knowing I am just as culpable and capable of it as anyone. Instead I can know what and who people are, and my own potential to unknowingly be drawn into hate and madness, but not allow either of those things to dictate my actions or rule my mind and rob me of my peace. The fact that some people are, and will always be steeped in stupidity and craziness does not strip humanity of all its meaning and dignity. It is my choice to be angered or upset by the crowd, or join in. Ultimately the state of my heart and mind is my responsibility, and that must never be silenced or surrendered if a peaceful and fulfilling life is my goal.