Before Procession: Lk 19:28-40; First Reading: Is 50:4-7; Psalm: 22. R. v. 2a; Second Reading: Phil 2:6-11; Passion Narrative: Lk 22:14-23:56
THE SCANDAL OF CHOICE
BY FR VALENTINE NNAMDI EGBUONU, MSP
Today is Palm Sunday, the last Sunday of Lent and the beginning of the Holy Week. Every Palm Sunday, one of the unique qualities of the liturgy on this day is the reading of the passion narrative of Christ which usually is lengthy. One ugly incident in this passion narrative among other things is the scandal of choice. The scandal of choosing rebellion over peace, hate over love, darkness over light, Barabbas over Christ. This is one of the greatest scandals of all time. And sadly, we are not over it yet but are still guilty of this scandal continually.
Who was Barabbas? What was he known for? And what qualified him to win the pick over Christ?
Barabbas was a Jewish nationalist who fought for the political independence of his people ruled by the Romans. He was a zealot who belonged to a movement that advanced the political freedom of his people through violence and insurrection. Barabbas was fighting a just cause but in a wrong way. Zealots often go over the board in advancing their political concerns. In the case of Barabbas, he was convicted of insurrection, murder and robbery. And as deterrence against further potential threats, he was sentenced with a capital punishment by the Roman government until the trial of Jesus.
Barabbas was a notorious criminal. The following are what the scriptures said of him:
“There was a man called Barabbas among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection.” (Mk 15:7). In Matthew 27:16, Barabbas was called “a notorious prisoner.” In John 18:40, Barabbas was called “a robber.” In Acts 3:14, he was referenced as “a murderer” who was released in place of the Righteous One. Obviously, Barabbas was not just a political nationalist. He was also a robber and a murderer. A crime he apparently committed in the cause of his fight for political freedom. This was the man that the Jewish religious leaders spurred the crowd to choose over Jesus.
But to put the record straight, there is a noticeable divergence of interest in the choice of Barabbas over Jesus. While the religious leaders of Jews were out to kill Jesus; the concern of the crowd was their agitation for political freedom. And since the sentiments of the crowd agreed with the beliefs of Barabbas; the religious leaders capitalized on that and spurred the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas their fellow comrade since Jesus fell short of their expectation of a political Messiah. The crowd was excited about the offer. They happily chose to have their man back over Jesus. A man of war. A man of the sword. A man who would help them get their nation back regardless of his criminal record. Not Jesus, that coward of a man who preaches peace and cares nothing about their political freedom.
But for the religious leaders, the preference for Barabbas over Jesus was not for any political reason or genuine concern for the criminal’s freedom. Barabbas was just a means to an end. Much more was at stake than the fate of Barabbas. Jesus was a threat to their reputation and popularity because he preached the truth and exposed their ugly sides. And since they could not stand the truth or stop Jesus, they wanted to do away with him.
How often do we prioritise and advance our selfish goals using people as means to an end? Or pretend to care about people when actually we are driven by certain ulterior motives? Do we associate with people not because we hope to learn from them but because we perceive we can manipulate and use them? In politics and governance, do we choose retrogressive over progressive policies either for certain incentives or due to some biases, racial sentiments or hate factor? Do we vote a charlatan over a competent candidate in our local and national politics due to party allegiance, racial prejudice or personal biases? How often do we settle for mediocrity over excellence or prioritise our goals over people? We can go on and on.
We cannot deny that we can sometimes be manipulative just like the religious leaders who are very good at striking when the iron is hot. Who threw the bait and lured the crowd to do their wish. Do we not capitalise on the needs, qualities and weaknesses of people to get things out of their hands or to gain their support? Do we not tell people what they need to hear to lure them to do what we need them to do? Do we not make false political promises just to fulfil our political ambitions? Do we not profess false love to take advantage of the weaker gender? Do we not concoct false stories to get money out of the hands of those we perceive to be very generous? Perhaps we are all culpable.
How about the crowd? Maybe just like them we still choose action over restraint, violence over peace, hate over love, selfishness over selflessness, sin over holiness, darkness over light, the world over Christ? Perhaps we still do, and very much so. Because we are still blinded by our passions and desires that the way of Christ seems unattractive.
The choice of Barabbas over Christ was a scandal. A scandal driven by selfish ambition, envy, pride, hate and lack of openness to truth. It was an avoidable scandal only if they gave Christ a chance. Now, Barabbas, the crowd and the religious leaders who conspired against Jesus are all history. The ball is now in our court. We can begin now to choose wisely by listening to Christ and following his commands. Otherwise, after waving our palm branches, we will still be found guilty of the same scandal of choice that we all condemn.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Lord Jesus, we ask pardon for the many times we yielded to our selfish passions over our love for you. We pray for the openness to trust in your commands, that we may put you first in every choice we make in life. Amen.
