Jesus and Jesus
Pilate offers the people a choice between two Jesuses—one who fights with violence and one who lays down his life—and the crowd, stirred by the priests, chooses Barabbas, while Jesus is handed over to be crucified.
Mark 15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
The sham trial is over, and the religious leaders now hand Jesus off to the Romans to do what they themselves could not. For all their hatred of Rome, the priests are willing to partner with their oppressors if it means getting rid of Jesus. Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, takes up the case.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
Pilate questions Jesus—“Are you the king of the Jews?” The words carry political weight, but Pilate clearly means an earthly king, a threat to Caesar. Jesus’ answer is enigmatic: “You said it, not me.” In other words—yes, but not in the way you think. The priests pile on with their flimsy accusations, and Pilate gives Jesus chance after chance to defend himself. But Jesus stands silent. He will not talk himself out of the cross. Pilate is astonished. Why won’t this man fight for his life?
6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
Desperate to avoid condemning an innocent man, Pilate tries a different tactic. He appeals to the crowd, offering to release one prisoner as was custom at Passover. On one side stands Jesus of Nazareth. On the other, a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. Pilate assumes the people will choose the rabbi who healed their sick and fed their hungry. But the chief priests know how easily crowds are swayed. They stir the mob to demand Barabbas instead.
Here Mark drops a bomb that the other Gospels help us piece together: Barabbas was no petty thief. He was a zealot, an insurrectionist who had killed Romans in the name of Jewish freedom. If we look at Matthew’s account, though in some translations it has been removed to not cause confusion, we discover Barabbas’ full name. What would be confusing about his name— well it was Jesus, Jesus Barabbas. And if we look at the name Barabbas we discover it means “from the father. So his full name is “Jesus, from of the father.” So Pilate has placed before the people a choice between two men named Jesus both sons of Abba. One offers power by the sword, vengeance against their oppressors, a kingdom that looks like every other kingdom they’ve ever known. The other—Jesus of Nazareth, Son of the true Abba—offers an upside-down kingdom built not on violence but on mercy, not on vengeance but on forgiveness, not on taking life but on laying it down.
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The people, whipped into a frenzy, cry out for Barabbas. And when Pilate asks what to do with the other Jesus, their voices grow louder still: “Crucify him!” Pilate hesitates, but not for long. Crowds are fickle, and conviction often collapses under the weight of popular opinion. Wanting to avoid a riot, Pilate gives in. Barabbas walks free, and the Son of God is handed over to be crucified.
Reflection Question
In what ways are you tempted to choose your own“Jesus Barabbas”—a version of Jesus who fits your desires for control, power, or comfort—over the real Jesus who calls you into the upside down Kingdom?
