Barabbas: Son of the Father Dies in Place of the Son of the Father

Have you ever stopped to think what it was like for Barabbas? I once heard somebody talking about this, maybe it was in church or some place like that I can't remember right now, but what I do remember is the impression this reality left on me.

BAR IS Son OF

The prefix BAR meant (and I guess still means) "son of". It's not a mystery to most people that another name for father is ABBA. So if you are the son of the father you would be BarAbbas.

Barabbas' Vantage Point

What I remember is that the guy in the front of the room speaking said, "Did you ever stop to think what it was like for Barabbas?" From Barabbas' vantage point he most probably couldn't have seen the crowd; he could only have heard them.

Barabbas was a notorious prisoner, a thief, caught, imprisoned and slated for "crucifixion". He continued, "Both Jesus and Barabbas were locked up and could only hear the crowd from a distance. He said, "Pilate asked the crowd, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"

Warning In A Dream

Then, Matthew 27 verse 17 says that Pilate knew that the crowd handed Jesus over because of envy. Then in verse 18 Pilate's wife comes to him and while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." But the governor asked the crowd, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" The crowd all yelled, "Barabbas."

Innocent Blood

Pontius Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!" Even though the governor asked what crime Jesus had done, the crowd still yelled out all the more to "let him be crucified." So Pilate, in verse 24, "saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person." Pilate actually called Jesus a just man!

Hidden In Plain Sight

The speaker I was listening to then continued on and said, "Barabas would have only heard them say, "Barabbas, let him be crucified, let him be crucified." It must've been quite a shock for him to be released don't you think." I remember thinking, wow, this was in plain sight all the time and I never saw it. Guess you can't see anything until your eyes are opened.

In my own personal research I ran across this in Answers.com, it is the definition of barabbas:

Barabbas

(bərăb'əs)