“Give us Barabbas!” (from The Bible and its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons, 1910). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Barabbas was a man from the Bible, he was guilty of sedition, and murder. He could be seen as a rebel leading an insurrection (a community organizer perhaps), and was loved by the people. His name means Son of a man (as far as my non-Hebrew language skills can tell ((heck I barely speak English and its my natural language)).
I find it interesting that when Jesus was brought before Pilate, Pilate did not want him to die. The choice was given to the people. Execute the Son of Man who was guiltless, or the Son of A man who was guilty, and the activist walked free while innocence was nailed to a tree.
This tragedy opened the way for the greatest gift humanity ever received, eternal salvation. The beauty of God’s plan was that He knew our fallibility and knew what we would do, and this seeming loss was the greatest victory ever won.
As we approach Easter, I believe we should prepare for an even greater victory. The culmination of Good versus Evil. As the world stands in awe once more, of a community organizer, of seditious and vain glorious leaders of rebellions, and of organized Evil that is (like Herod and Rome) in control of all aspects of life, we need to seriously attempt the Great Commandment to go and tell the greatest story ever told.
We need to remember to Matthew 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.