Some People Want Barabbas!

“They shouted, "No, not him [Jesus]! We want Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a terrorist.” (John 18:40 Contemporary English Version).

We make choices every day. Some of the choices are as simple as what to eat for dinner, but others are complex life-or-death issues. Some of the choices are made based on our own judgement whereas others are influenced by family, friends, and sometimes, the crowd. And some of the choices we make are good and others are bad or not so good.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was on trial before Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman province of Judea. A large crowd of people gathered at the governor’s palace. Among the people were members of the council of elders, the chief priests, the rulers of the people, teachers of the law, and many ordinary Jews. A life-or-death choice was presented to them.

After Pontius Pilate examined Jesus, he told the Jewish leaders that he found no charge against him. Pilate wanted to find a way to release Jesus, so he reminded them about their custom which required him to release one prisoner to them during the Passover. He asked them whether he should release Jesus, “the king of the Jews,” to them. “They shouted, "No, not him! We want Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a terrorist.” (John 18:38-40 Contemporary English Version).

The choice they had to make could not have been any clearer. There was a sharp contrast between the two candidates for release from prison and death. Here was Jesus, a holy and righteous man, the Son of God and Messiah, who performed good deeds for all. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead, preached good news to the poor, and performed several other miracles. And then there was Barabbas who, depending on the Bible translation, was described as a terrorist, bandit, revolutionary, robber, or murderer. Barabbas had committed murder during an insurrection or uprising against the Romans who ruled Judea (Mark 15:7). Yet, the crowd rejected Jesus and wanted Barabbas freed. “We want Barabbas,” they shouted, not Jesus.

In a strong rebuke to the men of Israel regarding the “Jesus-or-Barabbas” choice, the Apostle Peter said, “You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.” (Acts 3:13b-14 NIV).

Good choices are a product of knowledge and wisdom that come from God. The Apostle Paul spoke of God’s hidden wisdom with these words: “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:8 NIV).

Examples of choices we make occur during elections. The U.S. had its presidential and general elections a few days ago, on November 3, 2020, and the votes are being counted. Ghana will have its presidential and general elections a few days from now, on December 7, 2020. Elections present choices of candidates and issues. Some choices are clear-cut, like night and day; others are more challenging. Depending on the side one prefers, one may think that the other side’s choice is Barabbas. We have better chances of making the right choices if we do not rely on our own judgement all the time, but pray and consider what Jesus would do.

The beauty of democracy lies in diversity of expression. People have diverse views about candidates and issues. Some choices made may seem strange, but we need to recognize that one person’s Barabbas may be another person’s hero. What we should pray for is for all of us to be guided by the knowledge and wisdom that come from God so that we can discern right from wrong and choose what is right. We should do so not for our selfish interests only, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:4).

There will always be people who want Barabbas. There will always be people who will make choices based solely on their selfish interests without any regard to how those choices will adversely affect others. And there will always be people whose choices are unduly influenced by others.

As painful as it may be, we need to respect people’s right to make what we may consider as wrong choices. God is able to use the wrong choices for divine purposes. The “wrong choice” the Jewish leaders and the crowd made to release Barabbas instead of Jesus, resulted in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the whole world. God’s knowledge and wisdom are what we need to guide our choices. May none of us ever reject Jesus Christ and his free gift of Salvation! May God help us so that instead of saying “we want Barabbas, we will say, “we want Jesus.”

Prayer is the key. May God grant us the grace to seek Him daily through our prayers.

Dr. Daniel Gyebi, Attorney-at-Law, Texas, U.S.A., and Founder, PrayerHouse Ministry, Kumasi, Ghana.

PrayerHouse Ministry is dedicated to providing a quiet facility for Christians to pray individually by themselves without any intermediary priest, pastor or any other person. This is a free service. No money is demanded or accepted. One facility is located at Kyerekrom / Fumesua, near Building and Road Research Institute Offices, one mile off the Kumasi-Accra Road and next to a house called Grace Castle. If you are interested, please contact Agnes at 054-7498653. Another is located at Kantinkyiren, at the junction of Kantinkyiren and Konkori, off the Kumasi-Obuasi Road, branching left at Trede junction. Contact Kwadwo at 020-8768461 / 0246-989413