Barabbas

The betrayal of Jesus is filled with heartbreak and for me especially frustration. Although I know that Christ's death was part of the plan it's still frustrating to see how unjust everything was. I want to focus especially on the moment when Christ is judged of Pilate and is brought before the people. Pilate had found no fault in Christ but he knew that many Jewish leaders wanted him dead. So, he sought any way possible to let Christ go. At the time of the Passover the Roman governor would let one prisoner go. Pilate saw this as his chance to let Christ go. In the book of Mathew the situation is made clear: "And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" (Mathew 27:16 -17) Pilate, in his eyes, presented an obvious choice between a guilty man and an innocent man. One man was Barabbas, whose name means the son of the father, who was guilty of murder, robbery and other horrible crimes. The second man was Jesus Christ, the literal son of the Father, who was completely innocent of any crime. To Pilate's astonishment the crowd chose Barabbas to be released. Instead, of Barabbas suffering for his own crimes Christ suffers in his place. The injustice of the situation caused me frustration each time I read it. Nevertheless, I came to realize that Barabbas is a lot closer to me than I thought, because I am just like Barabbas. Instead of suffering for my own sins, I let Christ suffer for them. My frustration turns to gratitude as I realize that Christ suffered so that I wouldn't have to suffer.