The Thief and The Friend

“Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” Mark 15:6-15

I am a creature of habit. I have routines and most of my days look nearly identical. I am often stuck on certain songs or certain Scriptures for weeks at a time, unable to move on and let them go. Something stirs inside of me when I listen to Jason Upton’s song “The Thief and the Friend.” I want you to keep these lyrics in mind as we move through this piece together.

Many men are brave
And many men are strong
But few men have I ever seen
Who fight for who’s right
And then fight for who’s wrong
Fight for the friend and the thief.

Most of the world knows, whether fully or in part, of the crucifixion story. I think we all, whether we like to admit it or not, have selective memories when it comes to our own recollection of events. Such is the case with the cross. Perhaps we forget how many narratives exist within the larger over-arching story of Jesus’ death. Undoubtedly, all are of equal importance, because the sovereign hand of the Lord predestined that “‘the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain…the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’ – for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:25-28). All of this, so that we might share with Christ in communion and relationship with the Father.

So, given that, I want to draw special attention to the narrative of Barabbas. All four Gospels mention him (Matthew 27:15-23, Mark 15:6-15, Luke 23:18-25, John 18:39-40). He is probably the last person anyone thinks about when they ponder the crucifixion. After all, this is about Jesus. As a murderer and a leader of an insurrection – a fancy word for rebellion – against Rome, Barabbas was on death row. And yet, here he stands on the same stage, next to Jesus, as Pilate presents the two of them to the crowd.