"This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”  (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)  Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”  Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.  So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”  The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”  Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”  They shouted back, “Crucify him!”  “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”  Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”  And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”  So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. - Matthew 27:16-26

"One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising.  The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.  “Would you like me to release this ‘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 crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus.

Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”  They shouted back, “Crucify him!”  “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”  But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”  So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. - Mark 15:7-15

Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!”  (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)  Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus.  But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”  For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”  But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed.  So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.  As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished. - Luke 23:8-25

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.   But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”  But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.) - John 18:30-40

I am Barabbas

I am Barabbas.  He took my place on the cross.  And I am left to ask the question why?  And what does it mean?