Barabbas

BARABBAS

A Story of The Son of God

(By the late Douglas Wasson & Modified by Warren Johnson)

(Suggested Scripture Readings: Isaiah 53:1-9 and Matthew 5:1-12 and 43 & 44)

On a hillside in the mountain wilderness somewhere between the city of Jerusalem and the

village of Jericho, a man was speaking. He was a huge burly figure and his listeners, while

interested, seemed to avoid looking directly at him as they awaited his words. He had only one

good eye and that was a piercing dark instrument that darted from face to face as he looked for

the reactions of his listeners. Most hideous about him, however, was the fact that his entire face,

from his neck to his hairline, was covered with an ugly purple birth mark.

slaves all your lives? Don't you want to be able to have a decent meal just once without seeing so

much of your money going into the hands of the tax collectors? God has ordained that his people

should be free!

Come! Follow me and BE free!"

"A-ha!", wagged one of his listeners, "and maybe you think you are the Messiah!" A small

chorus of laughter broke out in the group. The speaker turned with a snarl and suddenly grabbed the man and shouted, "I AM the Messiah! Look at me. Am I not despised and rejected of men? Do you not turn your face from me? You fools!!", and he knocked the man to the dusty ground.

About 30 years before, a child was born in the hut of a poor shepherd and his wife. The

child was ugly indeed. It had a bulky body, only one good eye, and an ugly purple birthmark that

covered its entire face. The parents had abandoned the infant at the door of the kindly village

rabbi in the hope that the rabbi would give it better care than they could and the rabbi had taken

the child into his home and raised him to manhood. The child turned out to be quite intelligent and he learned quickly from his substitute father. Very early he learned the messages of the sacred writings. As he grew older, he coupled his physical fierceness with the quality of a dreamer and he became convinced that the suffering servant who, according to the prophet Isaiah, would one day come was none other than himself. He even began to call himself "Barabbas" which means "Son of the Father."

As he reached his adult years, he gathered about himself a band of zealous supporters who

were eager to rid the country of Roman rule. It was to them that he declared his messiahship.

Physically, he was able to put down any challenges to his authority and the members of the group

came almost to worship him as their leader and friend - the savior from all their woes. The band

made its headquarters in the mountain wilderness some distance west of Jericho and they began to

rob the rich in order to feed and care for the poor. News of Barabbas' work spread quickly and

wherever the plight of the people of Israel was mentioned, there the name of Barabbas would be

whispered as a symbol of hope.

Barabbas was a strange combination. Mention of Rome would make him fly into a terrible

rage, and yet, even a wounded Roman soldier would be given comfort and nursed back to health.

Men were awed in his presence. They feared him - and yet they followed him faithfully and tried

to find ways of working closely with him.

One day, a tall, clean cut young man in his late teens came into the camp and asked to

speak to the leader. The young man's name was Joel and he turned out to be the nephew of

Ciaphas, the high priest in the temple in Jerusalem. Joel was deeply troubled over the greed and

corruption that had crept into the priesthood and temple worship. Barabbas was attracted to the

youth at once and his presence brought new life to the camp.

Joel had brought news of a traveling preacher from Galilee who had also attracted quite a

following. He was the son of a carpenter from Nazareth and Barabbas sent a couple of his

followers out the hear this traveling preacher. When they reported back to him, Barabbas

decided to hear him for himself. Barabbas found the carpenter's son on a hillside overlooking the

Sea of Galilee. There were rumors abounding that by some miracle he had managed to make the

people so generous that five hundred mouths had been fed a meal.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.", Barabbas heard the man, whose

name was Jesus, say. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

There was a clamor among his listeners to crown Jesus as their king and to overthrow the

yoke of Rome. Barabbas listened intently to the Galilean's message. "You have heard that it is

written, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies', but I say to you love your enemies.

If one strikes you, do not strike back in return, but turn the other cheek." Barabbas was

fascinated by the control Jesus had as he spoke. He did not shout - and yet he seemed to be

speaking to the very soul of each listener.

Someone shouted, "Crown Jesus as our king !", and others began to chant the words.

"Crown Jesus as our king! - Crown Jesus as our king !", and Barabbas almost joined in,

forgetting himself, under the spell of the man from Nazareth. But Jesus called for silence and

declined, saying, "My kingdom is not yet", and then he quietly left.

Barabbas was so amazed that for a moment he did not know what to do; and then, in anger

and frustration he cried out, "Coward! Weakling! You'll be stoned to death by your own kind.

No good son of Abraham can love his enemies!! LOVE ROME I?!? Bah!! You are a FOOL !!!"

Some months later, the forces of Barabbas struck out against Rome and were slaughtered

without mercy. Barabbas had half expected some support from Jesus when things came to a head.

When none came, however, he was bitter in his accusations that the carpenter's son was really a

Roman sympathizer. The followers of Barabbas were scattered far and wide and one day,

Barabbas and Joel and another member of the band were captured and taken to a dungeon in the

city of Jerusalem where they were chained in the damp darkness to await their execution.

Many days passed, but the days seemed like years because all time was lost to the prisoners.

And then, one morning, the guards released the chains that bound Barabbas and half dragged him

out into the open. The bright sunshine blinded him for a moment but he soon saw that he was in

the Roman Court, the "Pavement", as it was called, and the procurator, Pontius Pilate, was

presiding. A mob had gathered and, here and there, one could see the garb of a priest showing

among the rabble as each of them tried not to come into contact with the common people, for fear

of being defiled. Across from Barabbas stood a tall man garbed in a purple robe. His hands were

tied behind his back and a crown of thorns had been pushed down on his head, cutting the flesh.

The blood from the wounds trickled down his face and neck and dripped to dry in the dust at his

feet. It was the Galilean!

Pilate looked at Barabbas and shuddered. Then, raising his hand for silence, he pointed

first to Barabbas and then to the Galilean and snarled, "Here! Which do you prefer - Jesus your

"king" or Barabbas?" A sudden shout came up from the crowd. "Barabbas! Give us Barabbas to

be freed!" Barabbas looked at the crowd and saw some of his old followers. He smiled to himself,

but he was still amazed. "The prophecy is fulfilled", he thought to himself, "I am the Messiah!"

But Pilate was speaking again. "And what would you have me do with Jesus, your 'King'?"

"Crucify! Crucify him!!", the crowd shouted.

And so it was that the soldiers, followed by the crowd, led Jesus to the top of a hill called

"Golgotha" where three crosses had been prepared for the victims. The Galilean's was to be in the

center and on either side side, two others, 'revolutionaries' it was said, were to be impaled.

Barabbas and some of his followers who had rallied to his side when he was freed pushed to

the front of the crowd and there he saw Joel, the nephew of the high priest, and the other

henchman who, only a short time before, had been chained with him in the dungeon. THEY were

the "revolutionaries"!

Barabbas rushed to Ciaphas who was standing off to one side and cried out, "Why don't

you stop them? That is your nephew!"

Ciaphas' eyes narrowed. "He is a fool! Let him die."

By this time Joel and the other man had been placed on the cross bars and these had been

raised and dropped into a slot that had been cut in the upright.

The Galilean's cloak was taken from him and he was laid flat upon the remaining cross

piece. He offered no resistance. He said nothing - even when the soldiers stretched out his arms

and drove a single spike into the palm of each hand. And then his cross was lifted and fitted into

the upright. The flesh of his hands was torn as the weight of his body was suspended on the spikes.

Then his feet were drawn together and fastened to the upright with the single long spike.

The mob, which had been taunting him all to way up Golgotha was now hushed as each

blow of the hammer drove the spike through the flesh and bone and into the wood. And then, as

the soldiers withdrew, the crowd drew closer and began to taunt again - this time throwing stones

and dirt and spitting upon the crucified. One man rushed to the center cross and, pointing,

shouted, "Men of Israel, behold, your 'King'!!" The mob shouted with glee and more stones and

dirt were thrown.

Still there was no response. No words of reproach came from the dying carpenter's son.

And then, suddenly he lifted his head and cried out, "Father, forgive them, for they know

not what they do." The laughter increased and someone called out - "So he's the Son of God, is

he!?! Well, let GOD come down and SAVE him then!!!"

Although it was only noon, the sky had begun to darken and the air had become stifling hot

and clouds of an impending storm seemed to be gathering in all directions on the horizon. The

low rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance and occasionally a gust of wind would toss a

whirlwind spiral of dust into the air. The two men on either side of Jesus writhed in pain as each

movement made their wounds deeper.

Suddenly, the one who had been Barabbas' henchman called to Jesus - "If you ARE the

Messiah, save yourself - and us!" But Joel called to him saying, "Have you no fear of God? We are

receiving what we deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong!!" And then, turning to Jesus,

Joel said, "Master, remember me when you come in your kingdom."

The crowd grew silent. What would the Galilean say to this, if, indeed, he spoke at all?

Jesus turned his head to Joel, "My son," he said gently, "today you will be with me in Paradise."

Barabbas was horrified. How did Jesus dare to be so calm and make such a promise when

there was no hope at all. "Paradise" - What Paradise was there in the Valley of Hinnom where the

bodies of all criminals were dumped. Barabbas had come to love Joel and tears welled up in his

one good eye as he watched and could do nothing. And yet, there was something different about

the young man. His face had taken on a look of contentment and he seemed to have the assurance

of something beyond this life's experience.

The sky had become darker now and Barabbas could only see the faint outline of the dying

men. He drew closer, not wanting to miss a sound, when, suddenly, Jesus cried out with remorse

and anguish, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?!?"

It was now almost the ninth hour and the darkness was heavy about the scene on Golgotha.

Occasionally, a flash of lighting would light the scene of horror. The crowd had become silent and

the only sounds that could be heard were the roll of thunder in the distance and the groans of the

dying men The Galilean's breath was coming harder now. He sighed, as though the burden of the

whole world were upon his shoulders.

Standing not far from the center cross was a woman who wept bitterly and rested her head

upon the shoulder of a young man. Jesus looked down at the pair and said to the woman,

"Woman, behold your son", and to the man he said, "Son, behold your mother."

Then he closed his eyes and his head hung loosely to one side. He spoke softly and only

those closest to him heard him say, "I thirst." One of the crowd dipped a sponge into a cask of

vinegar, put it on a stick, and raised it to the Galilean's lips. It was then that Jesus opened his eyes

and looked directly down at Barabbas. And then he shook his head and refused the liquid - still

looking at Barabbas who drew back - unsure of his step and unsure now even of himself.

Barabbas looked on with fascination as the Galilean lifted his head and fixed his eyes on

something (someone?) visible only to himself on the horizon. Then he spoke with triumph and

contentment, "It is finished!" His head sank upon his breast and only those closest to him heard

his final words - "Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit."

Instantly a blade of lightning slashed across the sky, blinding crowd for a moment. The

earth began to tremble and shake, forcing the people to cling to one another to remain standing.

One of the crosses reeled in the shaking and a cry of pain rang out. The mob began to run away ­

away toward the city. They were terrified for it seemed that the whole anger of God had been

turned upon them.

And then, the sun, piercing the rolling clouds, cast a shaft of light that brilliantly

illuminated the center cross.

Barabbas looked at the face of Joel and saw contentment. He looked at the face of Jesus

and saw triumph. The Son of God was dead for, as one of the Roman soldiers had remarked,

"Surely, this man was the son of God."

On a hillside in the mountain wilderness somewhere between the city of Jerusalem and the

village of Jericho, a man was speaking. He was a huge burly figure and his listeners, while

interested, seemed to avoid looking directly at him as they awaited his words. He had only one

good eye and that was a piercing dark instrument that darted from face to face as he looked for the

reactions of his listeners. Most hideous about him, however, was the fact that his entire face, from

his neck to his hairline, was covered with an ugly purple birthmark.

And yet - while his countenance was hideous - it was also radiant and his listeners were

warmed as he spoke saying, "And my master, Jesus, said, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall

obtain mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed

are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'"

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