Conundrums of Barabbas

I was born in a world ruled by emperors and organized power. I was Armed with a spirit of combat and weapons of warfare. Resistance to the death led me to be captured and imprisoned. There was one, Jesus, whom I had heard about but had no use for him. Notwithstanding, here we were, accused criminals of capital offenses. Authorities of the Jews preferred my release and not Jesus'. We both were revolutionaries, but our methods were different. His was a revolutionary plan based on love. Mine was a plan of revolution to defeat the Romans by any means necessary. I sought to destroy a system made by men of greed and power. He sought to save all people from their sins. My crimes were against the kingdom of Ceasar. Technically, his crimes were against the kingdom of Satan. Before my arrest, I was very busy seeking to overthrow the Romans, but not so busy that I was never aware of the ministry of Jesus as he went about doing good. It never occurred to me that we would meet, but here we were at the crossroads of our lives. There were no words spoken between us, but I heard life-changing words penetrating the very core of my soul. So, as I freely walked away from my prison chains, I stared at Jesus and wondered which of us was really free. Every fiber of my being was wrapped in confusion and filled with questions, and I was forced to deal with his claims of Deity. Moreover, I was pardoned and released by a mob. Jesus was condemned by a kangaroo court and crucified. I was released to fight again. Jesus was crucified so that all mankind might be able to live forever. 032124PS