The Reverend Kirk T. Berlenbach

Palm Sunday, Year C

March 28, 2010

“Crucify him! Crucify him!” These dramatic lines make it perfectly clear which man the crowd has chosen. Yet this scene, one of the most dramatic in the Passion Gospel, is also the most misunderstood. There are many characters involved- Jesus, Pilate, Herod, the religious leaders and of course the crowd itself. But there is one character who plays an absolutely pivotal role in the action yet ironically, he is the one man we know the least about.

So just who was this man we know as Barabbas? The Gospels tell us was a notorious criminal and that Pilate offers him along with Jesus to the crowd so that they might choose which one would be set free. On the surface that doesn’t seem to be much of a contest; on the one hand we have Jesus- a gentle and peaceful teacher, a miracle worker and healer and even more than that- the Son of G-D, sent to save the people from their sins. On the other we have Barabbas- described in the various Gospels as being a robber, a rioter and even a murderer. Given the startling contrast between these two men, one has to wonder, is there even any choice to make?

Of course the crowd had a different point of view which lead them to do the unthinkable. When given the choice between Jesus and Barabbas, the crowd called out for the criminal to be set free and when Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus they cried, “Away with him, away with him! Crucify him!” Such hatred towards such a gentle man leaves us scratching our heads in bewilderment. How could anyone make that choice? How could they choose Barabbas over Jesus?

Unfortunately, that is exactly the reaction this scene was meant to evoke. Before we can proceed any further in our examination of Barabbas we must accept the fact that the Gospels intentionally paint a harsh picture of the Jewish people. In this scene in particular the Jewish crowd (and by extension the whole of the Jewish people) are presented as willfully sinful. At the urging of their corrupt leaders they condemned to death the very Messiah who came to save them. Unfortunately this sinister characterization has helped to fuel all kinds of horrors perpetrated against the Jewish people, horrors often justified as righteous revenge against those “Christ Killers.”

Yet as terrible as such centuries of anti-Semitism may be, they become even more tragic when we consider that the choice between Jesus and Barabbas may not have so clear cut after all. On the contrary, modern scholarship reveals that these two men shared many things in common. To begin with they shared the same first name, Jesus. The name Barabbas is in fact a poorly translated version of the man’s last name. His full name was Jesus Bar-Abbas. The “Bar” was a part of every Jewish surname which translates as “son of.” Properly translated this man is Jesus, son of Abbas. By the same token, our Jesus would have been known as Jesus Bar-Joseph.

Of course the name alone would mean very little, even to the crowd. So let’s look at why Jesus Bar-Abbas was locked up. His listed crimes range from rioting to being a bandit to murder. While these are all serious crimes, historical evidence suggests that he could more properly be termed a freedom fighter or revolutionary. Jesus Bar-Abbas was no petty thug… he was a man fighting for a cause. He was in jail for challenging the authority of Rome.

These two men shared not only a name but also a common purpose. Each sought to overthrow against the oppression of Rome and had gained enough notoriety to warrant getting arrested. In essence the crowd had to choose, not between a criminal and a messiah- or guilt and innocence or evil and good. Rather they were asked to choose between two revolutionaries who were each trying to establish the Kingdom of G-D.

When we take all this into account, it changes everything. From the crowd’s point of view there was really only one real difference between them. It was not their cause or their popularity, it was their methods. Bar-Abbas used the sword while Bar-Joseph taught that we should not meet violence with violence but rather turn the other cheek. Considering just how desperately the crowd wanted to be free of Roman occupation, is it any wonder the people chose the fighter over the idealist?

This more complete understanding of just who Bar-Abbas really changes many things. First, it humanizes the Jewish crowd and undermines the validity of the “Christ Killer” argument that so many Christians have used to justify their anti-Semitism. But there is an even more profound consequence. The similarity between these two Jesus’ forces us to confront a difficult fact- that we, like the crowd, must continually choose between them.

Of course our choice is not really between two men but rather between the methodologies they represent. As we try to figure out the best way to confront evil and to change our world into the Kingdom of G-D we are constantly confronted by the choice between violence and non-violence. Unfortunately for us this is not as clear cut as it might seem. Even for peaceful people, violence can still hold an appeal. For starters it is easier- when we are struck the most natural thing in the world is to respond by striking back. How often does force seem like the only sensible response- especially when it is to be used for a just cause or against an enemy who just will not listen to reason? The path of violence can be incredibly seductive.

Yet our Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that violence can never be used to build the Kingdom of G-D. One need only look at history to see the sad truth- violence always and inevitably begets more violence. Ironically we see this proven in the history of the Jewish revolutionaries like Bar-Abbas. About thirty years after Bar-Abbas was freed, his method of violent revolution appeared to finally succeed when the Zealots drove the Romans out. Yet their path ultimately had disastrous consequences for themselves and for the whole of their nation. After less than a year of freedom the Roman legions returned, overwhelmed their defenses turned Jerusalem into a smoking ruin and forced many Jews into exile or slavery.

Although it goes against all our instincts, conventions and even our common sense, we must accept that only the path of non-violence has the power to truly change the world. The powers of Jesus’ time clearly understood this. When faced with these two Jesus’, Pilate, Herod and the religious authorities knew which one of them proved the greater threat to their power and dominion. Faced with the same choice between these two Jesus’ they chose to eliminate, not the violent rebellion of Jesus Bar-Abbas, but the non-violent resistance of Jesus Bar-Joseph. They had dealt with rebels like Bar-Abbas before and they did not scare them. But Jesus Bar-Joseph was something new- he was a new kind of threat and his Jesus’ refusal to meet their hatred in kind frightened them. And so they had him killed. Yet as we know this choice ultimately backfired on them for when Jesus submitted himself to humiliation, torture and death, he also proved that violence cannot ever truly overcome the resilient power of non-violent love.

Following this Jesus is not easy. As we try to follow him we will constantly be tempted to turn aside and follow the path of Bar-Abbas instead. Time and time again it will seem so much easier, so much more sensible, so much more effective to just give in and use force to resolve a conflict or overcome an obstacle. Yet our Jesus shows us that there is a different way- one that does not perpetuate the violence and hatred of this world, but instead forgives its enemies, blesses those which curse it and ultimately even lays down its life in love so that others may live. And that way does not lead us to political power or glorious military victories- it leads to the cross. And it is out of those timbers and out of the blood of the martyrs that the Kingdom of G-D is truly to be built. So as we continue into Holy Week ask yourself, which Jesus will you choose?