For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. (Romans 2:23-25)

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteous of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Introduction

All four gospels address Pilate’s acquiescence to the Jews in his releasing of Barabbas while condemning Jesus to be crucified. All four gospel writers mention that Barabbas was either an insurrectionist, a robber, or a murder. At the time of Jesus’ trial, Barabbas had already been imprisoned and was condemned to die. How is it, then, that the case and release of Barabbas represent the Christian understanding of humanity in the world? Our full understanding of Barabbas comes through our understanding of Jesus’ propitiatory work through His substitutionary atonement.

The Substitution

When Jesus came to him to be baptized, John the Baptist declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). As the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus lived perfectly the Law of God, so there was no sin in Him. Only a perfect sacrifice can remove our sin once and for all. The Book of Hebrews proclaims the preeminence of Christ. His sacrificial atonement completes – fulfills once and for all – the sacrificial shedding of blood. The sacrifices as detailed in the Old Testament are but foreshadowings of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, the Christ. For it is impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). But through His fulfillment of the Law the blood of Christ ended the sacrificial system once and for all. Eternal life is granted to those who believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. As the epigraph above, (2 Corinthians 2:21), proclaims: our sin was imputed to Christ and His righteousness as a free gift has been imputed to those who are called to be in Christ.

We Are All Barabbas

Barabbas was imprisoned. He was a condemned insurrectionist, robber, and murderer. As the epigraph above (Romans 3:23-25) tells us, before knowing Christ as our savior, we were all Barabbas in his condemnation. We were imprisoned and enslaved by our sins, our fallen nature. We were guilty and condemned before God. We were dead in our trespasses. When Pilate pardoned and released Barabbas, he was freed from the just sentence he had received, awaiting execution. Jesus Christ took his place. For those who believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ, we are now the freed Barabbas. In Christ, the gavel has sounded, echoing in the court room. The Judge makes the pronouncement: Justified. One step remained: the recognition of our guilt and that it had been paid – atoned – for. We have to receive the pardon, that is admit our need for God’s grace.

Receiving the Pardon

Barabbas could have very well rejected his pardon. He could have proclaimed to be a sworn enemy of Rome, wanting nothing from them. Yet, he did not reject his release and pardon for his crimes. We too, as believers in Christ, had to recognize our need for the atoning work of Jesus the Christ. We had to profess before God our need for His grace and receive the gift of salvation. This is not a work on our part anymore than Barabbas in some way earned his pardon from Pilate.

In 1892, a man by the name of George Wilson committed a crime for which he was sentenced to hanging. Being approached by friends of Wilson, then president Andrew Jackson granted Wilson a pardon from his death sentence. Wilson, however, rejected the pardon. His case reached the Supreme Court in which John Marshal wrote, a pardon is an act of grace, proceeding from the power entrusted with the execution of laws . . . delivery is not completed without acceptance . . . we have no power in the court to force it on him.

Our pardon before God is an act of grace. We must see our need and then believe in the atoning work of Christ. Scripture tells that faith too is a gift of God. In some manner beyond human fathoming, God’s providence and man’s responsibility before God are both Biblical truths. Those who do not recognize their need for Jesus’ atoning work reject it. They are in the stead of George Wilson.

Conclusion

We have no historical documentation that records for us what unfolded in Barabbas’ life following his pardon. We can hope that he came to know the teachings of Christ and took them to heart. After all his name, Bar-abbas, means son of the father, one who obtained his pardon because the Son of the one true living God the Father took his place. Our Christian worldview holds that we are Barabbas, justly condemned, but graciously pardon. We live in a world where we must recognize that every living soul is a Barabbas in need of a pardon, apart from which there is only condemnation. Hence, there is no meritorious difference among people when it comes to what God offers us through Christ. Those of us whom God has called to believe in Christ strongly and emphatically embrace the free gift that comes to us through His grace alone.

John V. Jones, Jr., Ph.D./October 14th, 2025

CHRISTIAN THOUGHT/WORLDVIEW