Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

This short post is for the purpose of highlighting a little known hidden spiritual truth that God has interwoven in the historical account pertaining to a murderous insurrectionist man named Barabbas. This teacher has labeled this post as another one of God’s spiritual Hid Treasures, but this particular example is a bit unusual, as it is ‘hidden in plain sight’. This is because although the historical account involving the man named Barabbas is well known, and many Bible students are aware that Barabbas’ name in Hebrew means “Son of the Father”, the spiritual implications of the account are nonetheless understood by only very few.

The account also serves as another of many Historical Parables in the Bible. Such Historical parables are accounts of literal, and accurately recorded, historical events, which were also precisely crafted and recorded/inscribed by God in the Bible (via God The Holy Spirit, in allegorical manners) to convey important Spiritual Truth. And that Spiritual Truth is that Eternal Salvation is only a gift of grace by God, paid for in full for the sins of God’s Elect by Jesus’ eternal Atoning Sacrifice, and is obtainable through the hearing of, and responding repentant faith in, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; which is the true purpose and lasting substance of the Bible.

Barabbas

Barabbas (the man whose life intersected with that of Jesus’s trial before Pontius Pilate on Passover Day in 33AD) is mentioned in all four of the gospels of the New Testament as found in Matthew 27:11–26; Mark 15:6–15; Luke 23:17–25;; and John 18:33-40. Those full four accounts concerning Barabbas are all appended at the end of this post. The following is a synopsis of those accounts of Jesus’ trial before the Governor Pontius Pilate and how the accounts pertain to Barabbas.

Pontius Pilate Sought Jesus’ Release

Jesus stood silent before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, not answering the false accusations being levied against him by the Chief Priests and elders/rulers of the Jews. Note that this was entirely consistent with Isaiah’s prophesy in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

Note: All of Isaiah Chapter 53 is entirely Messianic, and all of those verses prophetically point us unequivocally to the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary Atonement for His Elect…everyone who is spiritually blessed and set free from their just punishment like Barabbas was. Another verse that stands out: Isaiah 53:5, “But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.“

Pilate made clear that both he and King Herod had already examined Jesus and determined that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death (Luke 23:14&15).

Pilate knew that Jesus was being falsely set up by the chief priests who had handed Jesus over to him because of what we read in Mark 15:10, “For he (Pilate) knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.” Pilate preferred to just chastise/scourge/whip Jesus and then send Him on His way, so he sought for a way to release Jesus and still maintain the peace and not have an innocent man’s blood on his hands.

Pilate hoped that he could circumvent the desires of the Jews by taking occasion that it was the time of the Passover Feast. The release of a Jewish prisoner was evidently customary during the time of the Feast of Passover as we read in Mark 15:6, “¶Now at [that] feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.” According to that custom, the Roman governor would evidently grant mercy to one criminal as an act of goodwill toward the Jews over whom he governed. Pilate offered the mob that occasion as a means to release Jesus, but the mob chose instead the release of Barabbas, a notorious and clearly guilty criminal who had been previously imprisoned according to Luke 23:19, “(… for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)” Pilate’s plan was foiled, because of what we read in both in Matthew 27:20, “¶But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.” and in Mark 15:11, “¶But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.”

We next read in Matthew 27:22, that, as a result of that unexpected turn of events, “¶Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? [They] all say unto him,Let him be crucified. ¶And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. ¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to [it]. ¶Then answered all the people, and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children. ¶Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered [him] to be crucified.“

Pilate was evidently quite surprised at the mob’s demand for Barabbas to be set free instead of Jesus. After Pilate’s first failed attempt to free Jesus, we read in Luke 23:20-25, “¶Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify [him], crucify him. ¶And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let [him] go. ¶And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.“

Note to the reader: There is additional elaboration on this sequence of events in Matthew 27:24&25, “¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye [to it]. ¶Then answered all the people, and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children.” On the surface (from a literal perspective) this declaration would seem to be a case where the people, in their arrogance, were condemning themselves (as well as their progeny) for the undeserved death of Jesus, and were in essence saying “bring it on.“ However, when we consider this declaration from a spiritual perspective, we can see a duality is present in the which that God moved the crowd to say what is a key Gospel truth, namely, that the only hope for mankind, including their posterity, is to be covered by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for sin. This duality is similar to what we find between the earthly/literal meaning and the heavenly/spiritual meaning recorded in John 11:49-52, “¶And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.” And please not how closely this parallels the account of Joseph with his brothers who had wanted him killed (just like the Jews wanted Jesus killed)…and what did Joseph say to his brothers in Genesis 50:20?…”But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive.” Just one more Historical Parable.

The Spiritual Implications of Barabbas’ Release from Prison and Death, and Jesus Taking Barabbas’ Place

The story of the murderous Barabbas and his release from condemnation is far more than a historical artifact and surprising happenstance. The events associated with him and his name in particular were supernaturally crafted, predestined/foreordained, and were recorded precisely by God to provide some additional spiritual insights into the Atoning Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus was completely innocent of sin as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he (God) hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” and yet He went willingly to His execution because of what we read in John 10:14-18, “I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd. ¶Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.This commandment have I received of my Father.“

While the Bible does not tell us any more of Barabbas, we cannot rule out that Barabbas could have become converted following his miraculous release from prison because of Jesus’ intercession. However, whether Barabbas was ever converted and saved or not remains inconsequential to the validity of the spiritual analogy that can be drawn from this historical account.

Son of the Father?

It is no accident or happenstance that Barabbas’ name literally means in Hebrew, “Son of the Father“! We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is “The Son of God“, and that Jesus died on the cross in the stead of Barabbas. So what is the spiritual message that can be drawn from this?

In mankind’s natural state, all of humanity are captives to the devil in the devil’s prison house awaiting execution on Judgment Day because of the fall of Adam. By God’s Grace, through Jesus’s Atoning Sacrifice, sinners can be made “sons of God”. How do we know this?

Sonship in Christ

We should all remember that all the believers are considered by God to be the “sons of God”, as we read in John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:” And in Galatians 4:1-7, we read “¶Now I say, [That] the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. ¶And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.“

There are many, many other verses that make clear that all Believers are considered by God to be His children. One standout verse is Galatians 3:26, “¶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  For a much more in-depth explanation on how this is the case, please see this post: “True Believing Christians Are the Children of God“.

CONCLUSION

Barabbas was a condemned thief, murderer, and insurrectionist during the time of Roman rule over Israel in Jesus’ day, who had his death sentence (by crucifixion) amazingly commuted because Jesus took his place on the cross on Calvary/Golgotha Hill (located just outside the gates of Jerusalem).

The account of Barabbas’ release coincides precisely with the reality of the Salvation of every believer throughout time. Everyone stands fully guilty before God and deserving of death because everyone is a sinner and by God’s standards we are all equal before God as thieves, murderers, and insurrectionists (as hard as this is to believe for those who may think of themselves as “good”). For we are told in Romans 3:23-25, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” and Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“

As the prophet Jonah said in Jonah 2:9, “…Salvation [is] of the LORD.” Through no effort or ability on any person’s part, a person is saved solely on the basis of Jesus’ taking that otherwise condemned sinner’s place through His Atoning Sacrifice on the Cross. Salvation is by Jesus Alone! The Lord Jesus Christ, although completely innocent, served as the sinner’s Kinsman Redeemer and sin-bearer to take the sinner’s just punishment for his or her sins (which was the equivalent of an eternity in Hell). Jesus voluntarily stepped in to take the sinner’s place. The resulting eternal Salvation for the sinner is solely a Gift from God to His Elect. Those saved sinners form the Body of Believers, the Eternal Israel, the Eternal Church, the Bride of Christ.

Barabbas, is a picture of every one who God has chosen unto salvation, representing every one who is allowed to go free with no condemnation, just as we are told in Romans 8:1, “¶[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Moreover, 1 Peter 3:18, “¶For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:“…“

APPENDIX: The Four Biblical Accounts Concerning Barabbas

Matthew 27:11-26, “¶And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.¶Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. ¶Now at [that] feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. ¶When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. ¶But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. ¶Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? [They] all say unto him,Let him be crucified. ¶And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. ¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see [ye to it].“

Mark 15:6, “¶Now at [that] feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was [one] named Barabbas, [which lay] bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire [him to do] as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. ¶But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do [unto him] whom ye call the King of the Jews? ¶And they cried out again, Crucify him. ¶Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. ¶And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged [him], to be crucified.“

Luke 23:13-24, “¶And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined [him] before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release [him]. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) ¶And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this [man], and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) ¶Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify [him], crucify him. ¶And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let [him] go. ¶And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.“

John 18:33-40, “¶Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of theJews? ¶Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? ¶Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? ¶Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:  if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. ¶Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. ¶Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault [at all]. ¶But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? ¶ Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.“

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