Best Barabbas Poems
Hey there, whatcha lookin' at?
Yeh, you in the shadows, pretending like you're reading something.
That's right, YOU! You DO recognize me eh? Barabbas!
The meanest man in all Jerusalem!
Ya heard of me --right?
Remember the big uprising about a year ago?--That was my doing.
Perhaps you recall, I also murdered that guy.
Boy, he had it coming-he sure did!
Whazzatt? You thought I was still in prison?
Well---------I was until about five days ago.
Suddenly Pilate releases me in response to the cry of the crowd!
(Mebbee you was part of that mob!?)
Seems Pilate releases one prisoner each year at Passover.
This time it was between me and some Nazarene guy--name of Jesus.
Anyway, here I stand, a free man!
Whatcha say? What happened to Jesus?
Well I can tell you it weren't pretty.
First they mocked Him( He claimed He was some King dont'cha know)
Then they beat Him, pulled out His beard, and whipped Him.
I saw Him pass by carrying the heavy cross-beam.
He looked at me...and there was something about His eyes!
Sounds strange, but I actually felt like He loved me.
So I followed the procession to Golgotha where the Romans crucified Him.
It got so very dark--at noontime mind ya--and stormy too!
He called out,"Father forgive them!"-- then He bowed His head and died.
Well, they took Him down, and buried Him in some rich guy's tomb.
But yesterday, I heard people claim that He was risen!
Now His followers are telling EVERYONE that He is alive!
And--He will give eternal life to all who will come to Him.
That's where I'm headed now, to find out more information.
Ya wanna come along? Charlie Pelota
Happy Easter all.
Categories:
barabbas, history, holiday, introspectionme, easter,
Form:
Free verse
Jesus was an innocent man;
The son of God, while Barabbas
Was a Jewish dyed-to-the-wool
Enemy to the Roman Empire
“Crucify him!” “Crucify him!”
“Release Barabbas!” “Release Barabbas!”
The masses chanted in unison…
To the cross the virtuous Man
Was nailed, while the murderer
Went away scorch free,
To kill more Romans
Today, we still repeat the same
Crucifixion by following one’s charms
Instead of one’s ways; hiring a family
Member who is unqualified for a job,
Instead of hiring a stranger
Who is qualified for the same job;
Voting for a politician because of his wealth
And influence, instead of a peasant farmer
Who promises change
It is by choosing falsehood instead of Truth,
That we choose Barabbas instead of Jesus,
Leading us to frustration and chaos
But, in the end, Truth becomes visible
To us as an eternal Force
That we cannot live without
By: Teddy Kimathi
Choice of Motif: Philosophical
Categories:
barabbas, faith, life, philosophy, poetry,
Form:
Free verse
Bravery was required and being willing to stand for freedom and justice was demanded. Apathy, cowardice, and indifference only provided ammunition for the ever-imposing Roman government.
Rebellion was in my blood, and I was willing to shed it all for the cause of Jewish freedom. Anything less than force and violence was never going to get the job done, not even Jesus Christ because all of the religious sects, rabbis, and High Priests were simply being used by the Romans.
Being a rebel for the cause of freedom and the restoration of Israel was all I cared anything about. As I found myself caught up in the same judicial system as Jesus, I encountered the crossroad of my life. Sadness filled my heart, and tears filled my eyes as the masses chose to free me a criminal instead of Jesus.
03032019PoSoup
Categories:
barabbas, easter,
Form:
Personification
Where are my hands?
Where are they?
They're reaching for dark
chests.
And somebody is giggling.
Barabbas!
And my backbone is
squeezing.
I can't breath.
Take them.
The Three Wise Men passed
by
(without stopping)
after a long star.
On the hill
there was a town.
Categories:
barabbas, inspirational
Form:
Free verse
Pilate concluded the case was a fraud.
The charge against Christ was legally flawed.
But because he was so morally weak,
A novel verdict for Christ he did seek.
So, he decided to offer a choice,
and the crowd chose Barabbas with one voice.
Barabbas, the seditionist was spared,
Jesus the Savior, sinful man’s death shared.
Barabbas depicts the gods we invent,
when Jesus, the Son of God we resent.
Like Barabbas, these gods bring us disgrace,
when in our lives they occupy God’s place.
Jesus or Barabbas is still the choice,
Proffered to us by the Spirit’s still voice.
The choice you make will determine your fate,
whether perdition or the pearly gates.
Categories:
barabbas, betrayal, christian, destiny, fate,
Form:
Rhyme
I heard a shout from the crowd
Set the guilty free
To this day I still think about
Why him and not me
I'd heard the man was innocent
That he'd done nothing wrong
As he said underneath his breath
Forgive them, they no not what they've done
I made my way that day out of harms way
Swearing never to look back
But felt the urge, wouldn't call it courage
That held me down where I was at
Following at a short distance
The one who took my palce
With a strong need for forgiveness
I still hold to this day
Through it all with him on trial
I felt the guilt, the shame
Could not help but think about
Me being partially to blame
As he stood there in silence
A lamb being led to slaughter
The hungry wolves would have his head
He'd be dead by tomorrow
Guilty came the verdict
To the worlds sigh of relief
As once again I wondered
Why him Lord, not me
I followed along as he carried his cross
Hoping not to be recognized
You never know how far a crowd will go
Or when a mob could change their mind
This is the other side of the story
From the day I was set free
The day my life was changed when I
Watched the Prince of Peace hang on that tree
Dying for the sin of you and me
Categories:
barabbas, life,
Form:
Rhyme
Jailed for sedition and murder,
soon to face the executioner.
One worse than him was hard to find,
compared to him who was so kind.
Convinced that Christ the crowd would choose,
Pilate was trapped by his own ruse.
When the rabble chose Barabbas,
what was he to do with Jesus?
Crucify him, came the answer,
release to us the prisoner.
So, Christ was nailed upon a tree,
and Barabbas was then set free.
What cruel irony is this?
A case of justice done amiss
Christ died so Barabbas could live
to us He wants, new life to give.
Christ paid sin's price, absorbed the cost
He died so we would not be lost.
forsake the life of sin and strife
Accept Christ's offer of new life.
Categories:
barabbas, analogy, betrayal, corruption, irony,
Form:
Rhyme
It was the legacy of legacies
Three dead men
It was the legacy of legacies
Three dead men
Two were thieves
One was a heretic
One other was spared
Many sparrows have flown since then
And many have died
Categories:
barabbas, destiny, history, time,
Form:
Free verse
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
Categories:
barabbas, christian, confusion, easter,
Form:
Prose Poetry