“But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, ‘No, not him! Give us Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.” – John 18:39–40
Pilate offers the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, between the innocent Son of God and a guilty rebel. It should have been an easy decision. Truth Himself stood before them. But the voices of the mob drowned out the clarity of conscience. The people chose Barabbas.
The tragedy here is more than historical-it is deeply human. We, too, face moments when we must choose between Christ and compromise. Between truth and convenience. Between obedience and rebellion. And too often, like the crowd, we deny truth in order to preserve comfort or avoid conflict.
Barabbas represents the quick fix, the revolutionary with a sword, the one who promises change through force. Jesus represents the slow, self-giving truth of God’s kingdom. The crowd chose the shortcut over the Savior. We do the same when we seek immediate relief over eternal redemption.
This moment is also a profound exchange of grace. Barabbas deserved the cross, but Jesus took his place. The guilty went free while the innocent was condemned. In that sense, we are all Barabbas. We are the ones set free because Jesus bore our penalty. What the crowd saw as a rejection was actually the stage for redemption.
Truth does not vanish when denied. It remains, steady and unchanging, even when the crowd shouts against it. The question for us is: when the world raises its voice, will we stand with the mob-or with the Messiah?
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, I confess the times I have denied You by choosing the easy way instead of the true way. Thank You for taking my place, as You did for Barabbas, and setting me free by Your sacrifice. Give me courage to stand for truth even when the crowd shouts against it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
