Barabbas, a convicted murderer, notorious for sedition and robbery, sits in his filthy cell, dreading the excruciating pain of crucifixion. He has witnessed the horrors of Roman justice along the roads of Judea and Galilee, knowing the slow, torturous death that awaits him, designed to last up to three agonizing days. Sleep eludes him as he fidgets, his mind racing with thoughts of the worst. In a remarkable turn of events, Barabbas receives Pilate's Passover pardon in AD 31, escaping his just appointment with the crucifix. While Pilate finds no fault in Jesus and faces pressure from the restless mob, he chooses to release Barabbas and condemn the innocent Jesus. Barabbas, whose name means "son of the father" or "son of his dear father" in Aramaic, stands in stark contrast to Jesus Christ, the true Son of the Father. As the Roman guards approach Barabbas, he braces for the worst, only to hear the clang of his heavy chains dropping to the stone floor. Reality sinks in—they are letting him go. Barabbas learns that Jesus of Nazareth, considered by some a prophet, has given him a new lease on life, a fresh start. No crucifixion awaits this murderous, thieving rebel after all. He can hardly believe his fortune. Barabbas represents each of us, the sons of our dear Father who have fallen short. Just as he walked out of prison a free man, Jesus gave Himself so we too can walk free, released from the penalty of eternal death. Because of the gracious act of Jesus, the true Son of His dear Father, the iron shackles have been broken from us, and we walk about as truly free men and women.

While all four gospels mention Barabbas in their accounts of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on Passover day, Matthew pays the most attention to this aspect of the crucifixion story, including specific details. In Matthew's gospel, Pilate presumptuously gave the people the choice of which man should fulfill each role, and they chose Jesus for crucifixion and Barabbas for release, not recognizing Jesus' role before God, but to condemn Him and continue their lives without disruption. Notably, Barabbas bore no sins that day, not even his own, as Pilate pardoned him, and no one led him outside the camp to bear away the nation's sins as a symbol of sin under a divine curse. The idea that Barabbas was worthy to bear the sins of the nation is completely at odds with God's sacrificial system, which required an innocent substitute, and Barabbas was not unblemished. While Matthew seems to have incorporated elements of the Atonement ritual into his crucifixion account, the role of Barabbas that day was entirely unrelated to the Day of Atonement.