And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
At the feast it was customary for the governor to free one prisoner whomever the people chose, and Pilate set Jesus against Barabbas hoping the crowd would spare Jesus. With one voice they roared together for Jesus to be taken away and for Barabbas to be released to them, to Pilate's great astonishment. Barabbas was a notorious robber, thief and murderer, while Jesus was the innocent and holy Son of God who had done them no harm. The priests and rulers stirred the multitude to this fury, and behind them Satan with evil angels worked to destroy Christ and cut off heaven from earth. In choosing Barabbas they rejected the Holy One and chose Satan personified, a choice every person still repeats by associates, life and character in whom they take as king.
Trial Setting Before Pilate
It was the custom at the feast for the governor to release to the people one prisoner, whomever they wanted, and Pilate seized on that offer of a choice between Jesus and Barabbas as a way to save Jesus. That custom of setting free one condemned prisoner at the great national festival was a pagan and unjust practice. Pilate put the offer forward because he knew Jesus was true and innocent, having repeatedly found no fault in Him, and because he knew the priests had brought Jesus to the judgment hall for envy. He knew also that even bound and accused, the power in Jesus was the power of God and not of a common man.
To stir pity so the multitude would decide the punishment already inflicted was enough, Pilate had Jesus scourged in front of them, but the hope was vain. While Pilate hesitated, the insistence of the crowd grew, pressing him to choose the guilty prisoner instead of Jesus. He asked them whom they wanted released, putting to them what he should do with Jesus who is called Christ. Through weakness he let an enraged mob override justice, and though declaring he found no fault in Christ he delivered the innocent Christ to them to be crucified.
The demand went up all at once with one voice, a united roar of voices like wild beasts and like the hoarse cry of demons. It came from people determined not to let Jesus go free. To Pilate it was a matter of great astonishment. The cry belonged to the forcing of Jesus upon the Roman governor by the Jewish priests and rulers, and it shows the opposition He endured while remaining faithful as Pilate faced the decision about Jesus.
Jesus and Barabbas Contrasted
Barabbas was a notorious, hardened criminal, a robber, thief and murderer, a condemned rebel who claimed to be the Messiah. The crowd chose him to be released instead of Jesus when the customary release of one prisoner chosen by the people was offered, demanding that Jesus be taken away and Barabbas be given to them. He was set against the innocent Saviour in hope of rousing the people to a sense of justice, but the demand for him, first started by the priests and then taken up by the mob, exposed rejection of the innocent Saviour who had done them no harm.
He was a false Christ who pretended to be Christ and claimed religious power and a right to establish a different order of things and to set the world right. He did great wickedness by theft and robbery and murder and claimed whatever he seized was his own under satanic delusion, doing wonderful things through satanic agencies. Against him stood Jesus, the innocent and holy Prince of heaven, the Son of God who made the world and all things therein, pure from every taint of evil. Christ embodies goodness, truth and righteousness and had done the people no harm, yet the criminal and murderer was freed while the Son of God was condemned to die.
Christ left the royal throne of God and came to earth to save people and to win a crown of immortality for humanity, yet was discarded by the very people He came to save with a murderer chosen in His place. His divine character shone through His humanity, with a countenance expressive of the Father's image. Stripped to the waist, pale, with a crown of thorns on His head, with long cruel stripes from which blood flowed freely, and with face stained with blood and marked by exhaustion and pain, Jesus was placed side by side with Barabbas after being scourged in front of the multitude in vain hope of stirring pity so they would decide the punishment was enough. Even in that condition His noble character stood out in marked contrast with Barabbas, a chief robber whose every feature proclaimed a debased and hardened desperado, a notorious guilty man set in striking contrast to Christ in innocence against guilt.
The crowd's demand to release Barabbas instead of Jesus meant the cross that had been prepared for Barabbas was brought out and laid upon Jesus's bruised and bleeding shoulders, so Jesus suffered in Barabbas's place. Crosses were also placed upon the companions of Barabbas to suffer death at the same time with Jesus. Jesus bore His burden only a few rods before He fell fainting to the ground from loss of blood and excessive weariness and pain.
Powers Moving the Crowd
The cry for Barabbas was first started by the priests and then taken up by the mob, for the priests, rulers and elders persuaded the people, inflamed them to insane fury, and stirred them up to demand Barabbas instead of Jesus. The religious leaders and guides who should have led in right paths persuaded the poor, ignorant multitude to make that choice, and their influence allowed an enraged mob to override justice. The same spirit remains in those who despise the remedy that could save and transform them, warning that human guidance cannot be trusted in place of Christ.
False witnesses helped stir the lawless mob to frenzy, while the people's ignorance and trust in human leaders made them vulnerable to manipulation and led them to denounce Christ. Behind the united cry stood Satan, the great apostate, with evil angels working through the priests and rulers and inspiring their rebellion. Having confederated with the priests and rulers of the Jewish nation to kill Christ, he worked with fierce determination to destroy the champion of God and of truth and by one desperate act to cut off all communication between the world and heaven.
The crowd's demand was driven by satanic frenzy and demonic influence, expressing rejection of Christ whose divine character shone through His humanity and alignment with Satan's rebellion in preference to the Son of God. Satan himself stood at the head of those who reviled Him and led the cruel mob in its abuse. People cried out against Him because His pure life and holy teaching convicted them of sin, rebuked their sins, exposed their iniquities and condemned them. For the same reason men hate the Bible and oppose the Word of God, because its truth troubles the conscience and will not let them sin just as they please and carry along their hereditary and cultivated traits of character while they want their own ideas cherished as the mind of God.
The demand of the multitude is the response given to all who live a conscientious life and bear testimony to the claims of God, the evil of sin and the judgment to come. Such witnesses are called disturbers of Israel because their testimony awakens apprehension in the soul, offends pride and arouses opposition, proving that evil is ever warring against good because some have an interest in maintaining every kind of evil in constant and severe conflict with the prince of darkness that continues now. Those shouting had mingled their voices in rejection of Christ and took an active part in His death, taking His blood upon themselves and their children. The people who had hailed Him as king turned fickle to hiss at and revile Him and cry for His death, and the same voices that cried for Jesus to be taken away and crucified later praised Herod.
Meaning of Choosing Barabbas
In choosing Barabbas the crowd rejected Christ, the Holy One of Israel, when tested with obedience leading to life or disobedience leading to death, expressing obedience to eternal death rather than obedience to eternal life. He who had left the royal throne of God and come to earth to save people and to win a crown of immortality for humanity was discarded by the very people He came to save, with a murderer chosen in His place. Placed side by side at His trial, Christ with countenance expressive of the Father's image and Barabbas a thief and a murderer, they were offered for release, and when asked whom to release the crowd answered like the bellowing of wild beasts to do away with Christ and release Barabbas. Their choice reflected their moral taste, and those who make a like choice share the portion of thieves and murderers.
In choosing Barabbas before Christ, men chose Satan personified, aligned with Satan's rebellion, and Satan was exalted on that occasion as on every such occasion. Man was given the opportunity to choose between Barabbas and Jesus Christ, the Son of God who made the world and all things therein, and the cry for Barabbas went up as a roar of voices like wild beasts. Barabbas in character represented Satan as the god of this world, and under demonic influence the crowd chose that thief and murderer in preference to the Son of God. Satan thus stirred the world to reject the Son of God in His holy character and choose a robber and murderer in His place, succeeding in his desperate war to perpetuate sin and gain supremacy over earthly kingdoms. The religious leaders and guides who should have led in right paths persuaded the poor, ignorant multitude to make that choice.
The choice displays a spirit opposed to Christ, who came to save rather than destroy human life. It rejects the divine Son of God, the personification of the only true God in goodness, mercy, untiring love, and sympathy with human woe, and accepts a murderer in His place. The demand shows the hatred of evil against good and proves that evil is ever warring against good because some have an interest in maintaining every kind of evil. It is the response given to all who live a conscientious life and bear testimony to the claims of God, the evil of sin, and the judgment to come, who are called disturbers of Israel because their testimony awakens apprehension in the soul, offends pride, and arouses opposition, and the same hatred seen in the days of Christ continues now in constant and severe conflict with the prince of darkness. Jesus was the Life and Light of the world, yet His own nation clamored for His blood and chose the murderous Barabbas in place of their beloved Teacher, though the world did not know or receive Him.
Choice Repeated in Life
The cry to take Jesus away and release Barabbas is still made today, for by associates, by life, and by character each person individually demonstrates which one is chosen and whom to have as king. The crowd discarded the very One who had left the royal throne of God to save people and win a crown of immortality for humanity, choosing a murderer in His place. When Christ was placed side by side with Barabbas, His countenance expressive of the Father's image stood against a thief and murderer, yet the answer to whom to release came like the bellowing and roar of wild beasts to do away with Christ and release Barabbas. In choosing Barabbas before Christ, men chose Satan personified, and Satan was exalted on that occasion as on every such occasion when people cry Barabbas and in effect say crucify Christ.
That choice represents siding with the world against Christ, and those who do not belong to Christ or refuse Him and choose the world are classed with murderers and unbelievers. Jesus was the Life and Light of the world, yet the world did not know or receive Him, and that rejection of Christ is repeated whenever He is refused for the world. The choice illustrates the opposing sides people must choose between, Christ and the apostate, with responsibility for that choice and its influence on others, a choice first made under the influence of priests and rulers for a thief and robber instead of Christ.
The choice reveals what people do when they are not under the control of God's Spirit or when they reject God's grace, showing the spirit of those who stand under the powers of darkness in a coming great crisis. When asked to choose between Jesus, the innocent and holy Prince of heaven, and Barabbas, a thief and murderer, the crowd demanded Barabbas, and human nature still turns against Christ and despises the remedy that could save and transform. The same spirit remains in human hearts that can be driven by opposition to Christ, so human guidance cannot be trusted in place of Christ while remaining loyal to Him. The scenes of betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion have been reenacted and will again be reenacted on an immense scale, with people filled with the attributes of Satan under great deluding power. Even now the decision is being made and the scenes enacted at the cross are being reenacted in churches departed from truth and righteousness, revealing what human nature will be and do when the love of God is not an abiding principle and His restraining Spirit is removed.
Those who give their affections to any leader but Christ come under entrancing infatuation, turn from hearing truth to believe a lie, are ensnared, and by every action repeat the cry for Barabbas and against Christ. To the degree light is refused and rejected there is misconception and misunderstanding, and those who reject Christ and choose Barabbas work under ruinous deception where misrepresentation and false witness grow under open rebellion. Rejecting the divine Son of God, the personification of the only true God in goodness, mercy, untiring love, and sympathy with human woe, and accepting a murderer in His place, shows what human nature can and will do when under the control of the great apostate. The choice is repeated when people reject Christ in the person of His saints, for Christ the innocent Son of God was murdered because He spoke truths people did not want to hear, and so are His followers.
The same bitter hatred and malignity Satan showed against Christ he now shows against those keeping the commandments of God because they will not worship the institution of the papacy, stirring the whole world against them through wicked men. The religious guides who should have led in right paths persuaded the poor ignorant multitude to choose a robber and murderer in place of the Son of God, and allowing envy, hatred, and unbelief to control the heart still leads to persecuting the people of God even as the Jews persecuted Christ. The Christian world professes Christ while rejecting the law, thus virtually crucifying the law as the Jews crucified Christ. Men hate the Bible and oppose the Word of God for the same reason the Jews cried away with Christ, because His pure life and holy teaching convicted them of sin, rebuked their sins, exposed their iniquities and condemned them, and its truth troubles the conscience and will not let them sin just as they please and carry along their hereditary and cultivated traits while they want their own ideas cherished as the mind of God.
Judgment and Scripture Connections
At the final judgment the lost will see the condemnation of Christ as it truly was and will hear their own rejection of Him repeated in the cry to release Barabbas. At Christ's coming those who rejected light and refused obedience will recognize the sacrifice and love they rejected and will hear that cry again as part of the condemnation they chose. That rejection stands in contrast to Christ's resurrection and later recognition as King of Glory, when those who called for His removal will acknowledge His divinity and every mouth will be closed.
Angels in heaven witnessed the cruel deeds by which men put Christ to open shame, when wicked men took Him, humiliated, mocked and condemned Him, and demanded His death while calling for the release of Barabbas, a robber and murderer. The decision was a sight for the heavenly universe, watched from the heavenly courts by angels with intense interest, as the people with one voice chose between Barabbas and Christ the Son of God and cried with frenzied hearts to crucify Christ and release Barabbas. On the cross of Calvary the Redeemer suffered a cruel death of shame, and by His death He proved the falsity of Satan's charges against God and vindicated God in the sight of the angels as One willing to make in man's behalf the greatest sacrifice that could be made.
The same people who chose a robber and murderer and demanded His crucifixion later heard the disciples by the Holy Spirit declare that the humiliated, spit-upon, thorn-crowned, crucified Man is the Prince of Life at the right hand of God, and learned it was the Son of God they had crucified. Seeing their beloved Teacher condemned as a criminal and the murderous Barabbas chosen instead tried the disciples' faith and caused hope and courage to fail, giving them cause to mourn and fast when the Bridegroom was taken from them. That fickleness of people who had hailed Him as king turning to hiss, revile and cry for His death was a test the disciples had been prepared to face, so they would not be overwhelmed when the crowd condemned their Lord. The same murderous spirit that demanded Jesus be taken away appeared again in the crowd's shout against Paul, Away with him.
At the feast it was customary for the governor to free one prisoner whomever the people chose, and Pilate set Jesus against Barabbas hoping the crowd would spare Jesus. With one voice they roared together for Jesus to be taken away and for Barabbas to be released to them, to Pilate's great astonishment. Barabbas was a notorious robber, thief and murderer, while Jesus was the innocent and holy Son of God who had done them no harm. The priests and rulers stirred the multitude to this fury, and behind them Satan with evil angels worked to destroy Christ and cut off heaven from earth. In choosing Barabbas they rejected the Holy One and chose Satan personified, a choice every person still repeats by associates, life and character in whom they take as king.
Trial Setting Before Pilate
It was the custom at the feast for the governor to release to the people one prisoner, whomever they wanted, and Pilate seized on that offer of a choice between Jesus and Barabbas as a way to save Jesus. That custom of setting free one condemned prisoner at the great national festival was a pagan and unjust practice. Pilate put the offer forward because he knew Jesus was true and innocent, having repeatedly found no fault in Him, and because he knew the priests had brought Jesus to the judgment hall for envy. He knew also that even bound and accused, the power in Jesus was the power of God and not of a common man.
To stir pity so the multitude would decide the punishment already inflicted was enough, Pilate had Jesus scourged in front of them, but the hope was vain. While Pilate hesitated, the insistence of the crowd grew, pressing him to choose the guilty prisoner instead of Jesus. He asked them whom they wanted released, putting to them what he should do with Jesus who is called Christ. Through weakness he let an enraged mob override justice, and though declaring he found no fault in Christ he delivered the innocent Christ to them to be crucified.
The demand went up all at once with one voice, a united roar of voices like wild beasts and like the hoarse cry of demons. It came from people determined not to let Jesus go free. To Pilate it was a matter of great astonishment. The cry belonged to the forcing of Jesus upon the Roman governor by the Jewish priests and rulers, and it shows the opposition He endured while remaining faithful as Pilate faced the decision about Jesus.
Jesus and Barabbas Contrasted
Barabbas was a notorious, hardened criminal, a robber, thief and murderer, a condemned rebel who claimed to be the Messiah. The crowd chose him to be released instead of Jesus when the customary release of one prisoner chosen by the people was offered, demanding that Jesus be taken away and Barabbas be given to them. He was set against the innocent Saviour in hope of rousing the people to a sense of justice, but the demand for him, first started by the priests and then taken up by the mob, exposed rejection of the innocent Saviour who had done them no harm.
He was a false Christ who pretended to be Christ and claimed religious power and a right to establish a different order of things and to set the world right. He did great wickedness by theft and robbery and murder and claimed whatever he seized was his own under satanic delusion, doing wonderful things through satanic agencies. Against him stood Jesus, the innocent and holy Prince of heaven, the Son of God who made the world and all things therein, pure from every taint of evil. Christ embodies goodness, truth and righteousness and had done the people no harm, yet the criminal and murderer was freed while the Son of God was condemned to die.
Christ left the royal throne of God and came to earth to save people and to win a crown of immortality for humanity, yet was discarded by the very people He came to save with a murderer chosen in His place. His divine character shone through His humanity, with a countenance expressive of the Father's image. Stripped to the waist, pale, with a crown of thorns on His head, with long cruel stripes from which blood flowed freely, and with face stained with blood and marked by exhaustion and pain, Jesus was placed side by side with Barabbas after being scourged in front of the multitude in vain hope of stirring pity so they would decide the punishment was enough. Even in that condition His noble character stood out in marked contrast with Barabbas, a chief robber whose every feature proclaimed a debased and hardened desperado, a notorious guilty man set in striking contrast to Christ in innocence against guilt.
The crowd's demand to release Barabbas instead of Jesus meant the cross that had been prepared for Barabbas was brought out and laid upon Jesus's bruised and bleeding shoulders, so Jesus suffered in Barabbas's place. Crosses were also placed upon the companions of Barabbas to suffer death at the same time with Jesus. Jesus bore His burden only a few rods before He fell fainting to the ground from loss of blood and excessive weariness and pain.
Powers Moving the Crowd
The cry for Barabbas was first started by the priests and then taken up by the mob, for the priests, rulers and elders persuaded the people, inflamed them to insane fury, and stirred them up to demand Barabbas instead of Jesus. The religious leaders and guides who should have led in right paths persuaded the poor, ignorant multitude to make that choice, and their influence allowed an enraged mob to override justice. The same spirit remains in those who despise the remedy that could save and transform them, warning that human guidance cannot be trusted in place of Christ.
False witnesses helped stir the lawless mob to frenzy, while the people's ignorance and trust in human leaders made them vulnerable to manipulation and led them to denounce Christ. Behind the united cry stood Satan, the great apostate, with evil angels working through the priests and rulers and inspiring their rebellion. Having confederated with the priests and rulers of the Jewish nation to kill Christ, he worked with fierce determination to destroy the champion of God and of truth and by one desperate act to cut off all communication between the world and heaven.
The crowd's demand was driven by satanic frenzy and demonic influence, expressing rejection of Christ whose divine character shone through His humanity and alignment with Satan's rebellion in preference to the Son of God. Satan himself stood at the head of those who reviled Him and led the cruel mob in its abuse. People cried out against Him because His pure life and holy teaching convicted them of sin, rebuked their sins, exposed their iniquities and condemned them. For the same reason men hate the Bible and oppose the Word of God, because its truth troubles the conscience and will not let them sin just as they please and carry along their hereditary and cultivated traits of character while they want their own ideas cherished as the mind of God.
The demand of the multitude is the response given to all who live a conscientious life and bear testimony to the claims of God, the evil of sin and the judgment to come. Such witnesses are called disturbers of Israel because their testimony awakens apprehension in the soul, offends pride and arouses opposition, proving that evil is ever warring against good because some have an interest in maintaining every kind of evil in constant and severe conflict with the prince of darkness that continues now. Those shouting had mingled their voices in rejection of Christ and took an active part in His death, taking His blood upon themselves and their children. The people who had hailed Him as king turned fickle to hiss at and revile Him and cry for His death, and the same voices that cried for Jesus to be taken away and crucified later praised Herod.
Meaning of Choosing Barabbas
In choosing Barabbas the crowd rejected Christ, the Holy One of Israel, when tested with obedience leading to life or disobedience leading to death, expressing obedience to eternal death rather than obedience to eternal life. He who had left the royal throne of God and come to earth to save people and to win a crown of immortality for humanity was discarded by the very people He came to save, with a murderer chosen in His place. Placed side by side at His trial, Christ with countenance expressive of the Father's image and Barabbas a thief and a murderer, they were offered for release, and when asked whom to release the crowd answered like the bellowing of wild beasts to do away with Christ and release Barabbas. Their choice reflected their moral taste, and those who make a like choice share the portion of thieves and murderers.
In choosing Barabbas before Christ, men chose Satan personified, aligned with Satan's rebellion, and Satan was exalted on that occasion as on every such occasion. Man was given the opportunity to choose between Barabbas and Jesus Christ, the Son of God who made the world and all things therein, and the cry for Barabbas went up as a roar of voices like wild beasts. Barabbas in character represented Satan as the god of this world, and under demonic influence the crowd chose that thief and murderer in preference to the Son of God. Satan thus stirred the world to reject the Son of God in His holy character and choose a robber and murderer in His place, succeeding in his desperate war to perpetuate sin and gain supremacy over earthly kingdoms. The religious leaders and guides who should have led in right paths persuaded the poor, ignorant multitude to make that choice.
The choice displays a spirit opposed to Christ, who came to save rather than destroy human life. It rejects the divine Son of God, the personification of the only true God in goodness, mercy, untiring love, and sympathy with human woe, and accepts a murderer in His place. The demand shows the hatred of evil against good and proves that evil is ever warring against good because some have an interest in maintaining every kind of evil. It is the response given to all who live a conscientious life and bear testimony to the claims of God, the evil of sin, and the judgment to come, who are called disturbers of Israel because their testimony awakens apprehension in the soul, offends pride, and arouses opposition, and the same hatred seen in the days of Christ continues now in constant and severe conflict with the prince of darkness. Jesus was the Life and Light of the world, yet His own nation clamored for His blood and chose the murderous Barabbas in place of their beloved Teacher, though the world did not know or receive Him.
Choice Repeated in Life
The cry to take Jesus away and release Barabbas is still made today, for by associates, by life, and by character each person individually demonstrates which one is chosen and whom to have as king. The crowd discarded the very One who had left the royal throne of God to save people and win a crown of immortality for humanity, choosing a murderer in His place. When Christ was placed side by side with Barabbas, His countenance expressive of the Father's image stood against a thief and murderer, yet the answer to whom to release came like the bellowing and roar of wild beasts to do away with Christ and release Barabbas. In choosing Barabbas before Christ, men chose Satan personified, and Satan was exalted on that occasion as on every such occasion when people cry Barabbas and in effect say crucify Christ.
That choice represents siding with the world against Christ, and those who do not belong to Christ or refuse Him and choose the world are classed with murderers and unbelievers. Jesus was the Life and Light of the world, yet the world did not know or receive Him, and that rejection of Christ is repeated whenever He is refused for the world. The choice illustrates the opposing sides people must choose between, Christ and the apostate, with responsibility for that choice and its influence on others, a choice first made under the influence of priests and rulers for a thief and robber instead of Christ.
The choice reveals what people do when they are not under the control of God's Spirit or when they reject God's grace, showing the spirit of those who stand under the powers of darkness in a coming great crisis. When asked to choose between Jesus, the innocent and holy Prince of heaven, and Barabbas, a thief and murderer, the crowd demanded Barabbas, and human nature still turns against Christ and despises the remedy that could save and transform. The same spirit remains in human hearts that can be driven by opposition to Christ, so human guidance cannot be trusted in place of Christ while remaining loyal to Him. The scenes of betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion have been reenacted and will again be reenacted on an immense scale, with people filled with the attributes of Satan under great deluding power. Even now the decision is being made and the scenes enacted at the cross are being reenacted in churches departed from truth and righteousness, revealing what human nature will be and do when the love of God is not an abiding principle and His restraining Spirit is removed.
Those who give their affections to any leader but Christ come under entrancing infatuation, turn from hearing truth to believe a lie, are ensnared, and by every action repeat the cry for Barabbas and against Christ. To the degree light is refused and rejected there is misconception and misunderstanding, and those who reject Christ and choose Barabbas work under ruinous deception where misrepresentation and false witness grow under open rebellion. Rejecting the divine Son of God, the personification of the only true God in goodness, mercy, untiring love, and sympathy with human woe, and accepting a murderer in His place, shows what human nature can and will do when under the control of the great apostate. The choice is repeated when people reject Christ in the person of His saints, for Christ the innocent Son of God was murdered because He spoke truths people did not want to hear, and so are His followers.
The same bitter hatred and malignity Satan showed against Christ he now shows against those keeping the commandments of God because they will not worship the institution of the papacy, stirring the whole world against them through wicked men. The religious guides who should have led in right paths persuaded the poor ignorant multitude to choose a robber and murderer in place of the Son of God, and allowing envy, hatred, and unbelief to control the heart still leads to persecuting the people of God even as the Jews persecuted Christ. The Christian world professes Christ while rejecting the law, thus virtually crucifying the law as the Jews crucified Christ. Men hate the Bible and oppose the Word of God for the same reason the Jews cried away with Christ, because His pure life and holy teaching convicted them of sin, rebuked their sins, exposed their iniquities and condemned them, and its truth troubles the conscience and will not let them sin just as they please and carry along their hereditary and cultivated traits while they want their own ideas cherished as the mind of God.
Judgment and Scripture Connections
At the final judgment the lost will see the condemnation of Christ as it truly was and will hear their own rejection of Him repeated in the cry to release Barabbas. At Christ's coming those who rejected light and refused obedience will recognize the sacrifice and love they rejected and will hear that cry again as part of the condemnation they chose. That rejection stands in contrast to Christ's resurrection and later recognition as King of Glory, when those who called for His removal will acknowledge His divinity and every mouth will be closed.
Angels in heaven witnessed the cruel deeds by which men put Christ to open shame, when wicked men took Him, humiliated, mocked and condemned Him, and demanded His death while calling for the release of Barabbas, a robber and murderer. The decision was a sight for the heavenly universe, watched from the heavenly courts by angels with intense interest, as the people with one voice chose between Barabbas and Christ the Son of God and cried with frenzied hearts to crucify Christ and release Barabbas. On the cross of Calvary the Redeemer suffered a cruel death of shame, and by His death He proved the falsity of Satan's charges against God and vindicated God in the sight of the angels as One willing to make in man's behalf the greatest sacrifice that could be made.
The same people who chose a robber and murderer and demanded His crucifixion later heard the disciples by the Holy Spirit declare that the humiliated, spit-upon, thorn-crowned, crucified Man is the Prince of Life at the right hand of God, and learned it was the Son of God they had crucified. Seeing their beloved Teacher condemned as a criminal and the murderous Barabbas chosen instead tried the disciples' faith and caused hope and courage to fail, giving them cause to mourn and fast when the Bridegroom was taken from them. That fickleness of people who had hailed Him as king turning to hiss, revile and cry for His death was a test the disciples had been prepared to face, so they would not be overwhelmed when the crowd condemned their Lord. The same murderous spirit that demanded Jesus be taken away appeared again in the crowd's shout against Paul, Away with him.