Barabbas or Christ?

It can readily be acknowledged that God’s way of doing things is not the common way that people do things.  As scripture puts it: “My ways are not your ways, says God.”  God’s wisdom is not our wisdom.  Much is made of a “natural law” as if there is such a thing, but our “human nature” is what we are given to rise above through Christ.  It is through Jesus, the incarnation of Christ, and the revelation of God, that we learn how God does things.  The way God does things is not the way people generally do things.  By studying and following Christ we learn the ways of God.

Repentance means to turn around and go in another way, and is the call of Jesus as he begins his ministry.  Stop doing things in ways that lead to disaster, violence and death, and choose the way that leads to life and peace.  God offers us a life of abundant joy, filled with all good things, but people constantly choose to follow the ways that lead to disaster.  All through the scriptures God tells us to “choose life!”  People keep showing through their choices that they prefer the ways of death.  History is filled up with stories of disaster and death, and we still do not learn.  Instead people tend to repeat violent patterns over and over again.  

When Christ became incarnate in Jesus so we could see clearly the ways of God, what did we choose?  We chose Barabbas, and his ways.  We understand Barabbas, who is like us.  We do not understand this Jesus, who is like God.  Barabbas is a good metaphor or symbol for the ways of the world God strives to change.  Barabbas was in prison for insurrection and murder.  He represents those who choose to use force to accomplish what seems a good goal.  Barabbas is fighting for freedom, for justice, for independence, for security, for his nation, for his country, for his people, “for his flag,” even for his “God.”  He is willing to die, and, more to the point, he is willing to kill for what he believes in.  To the Romans, he is a terrorist, an insurgent, and to his people he is a freedom fighter, a hero.  He could be compared to some of the heroic figures in the book of Judges.  If we did a movie about Barabbas, we could cast a young John Wayne to portray him.  He is sincere in his beliefs.  He intends to set the captives free.  He intends to right wrongs.  He is usually quite charismatic and attractive to those around him.  He is certain of the rightness of his cause.  He would like to enforce “right” with “might.”  

Barabbas stands for those who seek justice, freedom and peace through brute force and violence.  Barabbas is the symbol of all who believe that “might makes right” and who believe “the end justifies the means.”  The way of Barabbas does not work in the long run, but people keep trying this way of violence over and over again.  God knows peace cannot be established through violence.  Violence begets violence.  Violence may “win,” violence may bring compliance, violence may get its way, but it does not bring true peace.  

Barabbas does not understand the peace that God brings.  For God brings a peace that the world cannot bring; God brings a peace the world cannot understand.  Oppression and repression of opposing forces is not peace.  Holding people down through acts of violence and force is not peace.  The same forces that Barabbas opposes in his age believe they are creating peace with their violent oppression – the “Pax Romana.”  We all have seen time and again that once the coercive force, that has been holding things down in an artificial peace, is removed, anarchy and chaos return.  There is a veritable explosion of violence when people who have been suppressed through violence have that violent force removed. 

Christ came into the world in a quiet and unassuming way, promising peace and proclaiming liberty to the captives, saying: “It is the great and glorious day of our God.”  Jesus came to bring freedom, justice, and security for all people, not through violence, but through reconciliation.   Christ comes proclaiming freedom through forgiveness, acceptance and reconciliation, and promising a peace that the world can never give.  I suspect the world does not even want this kind of peace.  The price seems too high; the way too foolish.