PrintToday's "Moment with Mark" (119)
24 March, 2013
Now it was the governor's custom to release one prisoner each year at Passover time — anyone the people requested. One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, convicted along with others for murder during an insurrection. The mob began to crowd in toward Pilate, asking him to release a prisoner as usual. "Should I give you the King of the Jews?" Pilate asked. (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) But at this point the leading priests stirred up the mob to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. (Mark 15:6-12)
As the sovereign will of God continued to unfold in both the natural world and the spiritual realm, I wonder if Pilate suddenly saw a possible way out of his dilemma? As if by coincidence (?) the Passover was that time of the year when it was the custom of the Roman Governor to release a prisoner to the people as an expression of good faith (or, more likely, as a political ploy!).
Somewhere deep in the Roman gaol was a notorious prisoner named Barrabas. He would offer either Jesus or Barrabas so that the people would make the choice and Pilate was "off the hook". I think this was the second time Pilate was surprised. He didn't think they would choose Barrabas. But they did! You can never predict what a 'pumped up' crowd will do.
I'm not the first to imagine how Barrabas (if he was somehow acquainted with the facts of his totally unexpected release) must have felt. He knew he was destined for his own cross. He was as guilty as hell and that's probably where he expected to go - if he believed in such a place. But now another will die in his place and he will go free.
How do you feel about that, Barrabas?
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