So in the few moments before Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, hands Jesus over to the Jews

to be crucified, there is a strange exchange what happens, in which Pilate offers to release

a prisoner. And thinking that maybe the crowd will ask for Jesus, in the stead the crowd

asks for Barabbas. And the entire narrative is set up in a way

that seems to create a relationship, opposition between these two characters. One is Jesus,

and the other is Barabbas, an insurrectionist and a murderer criminal. And so the crowd asks for Barabbas. And so I want to look at what is going on

in this story, why this opposition is set up, what it can tell us about who Christ is, and also what it

can tell us about today. And some of the things we're seeing in the world happen, especially in the

United States, with the protests

and the riots, how this seems to be related to the relationship between Jesus and Barabbas.

This is Jonathan Peugeot. Welcome to the symbolic world. So we read in the Gospel of St. Luke, Pilots summoned the chief priests and the rulers

and the people and said to them, you brought this man to me as one who incites the people

to rebellion and behold, having examined him before you, I have found no guilt in this man

regarding the charges which you make against

him.

No, nor has Herod, for he sent him back to us, and behold, nothing deserving of death has

been done by him.

Therefore, I will punish him and release him.

Now, he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.

But they cried out together saying away with this man and released for us Barabas.

He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city and for murder.

Pilate wanted to release Jesus, addressed to them again, but they kept on calling out saying

...