" a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder."--Luke 23:19
A sort of type of the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Whereas, Jesus accused the money changers being in the temple as turning the House of God into a Though the People certainly did not think of Barabbas as a messiah (though maybe they saw some Messiah potential in him", the fact he was imprisoned for being a "revolutionary" (like the two thieves/revolutionaries that died along side Christ) certainly is more in line with what many in the Israel at the time of Christ and after were looking for--another Judas Maccabeus that would free Israel from pagan rule and reestablish the Jewish nation as a self ruling state. Much of the Jewish clergy convinced the People to pick a wicked man who was called the "son of the father" just like the rabbinate of Rav Akivah's generation 100 years later thought Bar Kozivah [Khokbah] would/did achieve 'messiah status' since he established a led a Jewish revolt that temporarily may have made a Jewish state and made himself hannasi (prince/president) for 3 years before being annihilated by the Romans (again).
Ironically, Jesus was the one that taught people to pay taxes and claimed His kingdom was not of this world, but was betrayed by people who were supposed to be part of His kingdom--the priests and elders of the people and his own apostle--Judas, whose name is symbolic, and his death by having his bowels gush open in a potters field even more symbolic and was how the Nation would suffer for rejecting God and did when the Roman army came and destroyed Jerusalem 40 years later. 40 years also being a symbolic time period of repentance.
Jesus was executed for the same crime he accused other people of (a lot)--being a LEESTEES--robber/thief/revolutionary. Barabba, and the two "thieves" (same word used for a revolutionary) were all convicted of the same crime. Jesus accused people that pushed for his execution beforehand of turning the Temple into a "cave of LEESTON" (robbers/revolutionaries). When Jesus was arrested he even referred to this. John 10 even talks about people trying to steal sheep by sneaking in not using the gate as being a "thief and a robber (leestees)" referring to failed messiahs.
So in the end, Jesus was executed on charges of treason/insurrection by
declaring to be a King, although the people hated the Roman
King--Caesar, they said he was the real king and must be followed. Jesus
the one that told people to pay their taxes and accepted Roman soldiers
and tax collectors was executed for treason, and Pilate the governor
freed a revolutionary at the urging of the same people that demanded
Jesus be executed for being....a revolutionary. So Pilate executed a man
that recognized Roman authority and discouraged revolution in order to
prevent a revolution, and freed the guy that wanted a revolution.
But, in the end, perhaps Jesus was the biggest threat and biggest revolutionary since after Jesus' died His followers would gain control of the empire, ousting pagan authority, but in order for this to happen--Jesus had to die and resurrect from the dead.
Pilate really had no good solution.
But, in the end, perhaps Jesus was the biggest threat and biggest revolutionary since after Jesus' died His followers would gain control of the empire, ousting pagan authority, but in order for this to happen--Jesus had to die and resurrect from the dead.
Pilate really had no good solution.