Jesus, Barabbas, And Liberation Theology

35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

40 Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

John 18:35-36, 39-40

Why the focus on the choice between Barabbas and Jesus at the trial with Pilate? What was the gaping difference between these two? Simple. One was a political messiah who fought the Romans and wanted to throw off the chains of the “oppressors.” The other cared little about the Romans and wanted us to throw off the chains of sin. One fought a political enemy, the other fought a spiritual enemy.

But the Sadducees, High Priests, and Elders (the elites in power in Jerusalem) chose to use the “Passover Pardon” to have Pilot release Barabbas, a leader in the zealot movement, instead of Jesus.

The answer lies in the misunderstanding of the Jews surrounding what the purpose and mission of the “Messiah” would be. And we must understand how this mistake relates to our day and how we can learn from it.

Today we see a similar choice being presented to us, not of people but of ideologies, with one being represented by Christ and the other by Barabbas.

Our choice is “Savior” theology vs. “Liberation” theology.

And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these two theologies are also based on how we view the purpose and mission of Jesus Christ. The adversary's goal has always been to remove the Doctrine of Christ. He does this by lowering our aim to a temporal purpose from a spiritual purpose.

Just to give some quick definitions -

Savior theology is based in the belief that we need to personally be saved from our sins because in our fallen state, we are inherently sinful and need to grow and improve and learn how to become more like God.

Or, in the words of King Benjamin - “Put off the natural man and become a saint.”

On the other hand, Liberation theology is founded in critical theory and views the world through the lens of people being victims or oppressors.

For liberation adherents, the role of the Messiah and Christians, in general, is to overthrow the oppressors and liberate the captives. The mantra you often hear is, “Jesus was a revolutionary!”

This is the great half-truth of Liberation Theology because, make no mistake, Jesus WAS a revolutionary, just not in the political sense.

He was a spiritual and religious revolutionary.

A major part of Christ’s mission was to fulfill the Old Law and give the New Law. This was incredibly radical for the Jews of the day, whose entire lives revolved around strict adherence to the Law of Moses.

At the time of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, most Jewish people accepted him as the Messiah. However, they didn’t all share the same vision of his messianic role.

There were those who, at least partially, understood that Christ was literally the Son of God and that they personally needed his salvation, regardless of what form it took.

Then some were convinced the Messiah would deliver them from their oppressors and crush their enemies.

The prevailing theory of the day was that the Jews didn’t need saving because they were the seed of Abraham. They were God’s chosen people. The problem wasn’t with them but with their oppressors. They had no need to change.

Sound familiar?

Likewise, Liberation Theology teaches the same principle. The problem is “out there” with the systems of oppression and the people gaining from them. It removes the need for us to “put off the natural man” and to repent, change, and grow.

IT'S EASIER.

Conversely, Savior Theology is about binding ourselves to Jesus Christ and His atonement, telling us the problems are within ourselves. We must repent, change, work, and grow.

I have been saying for years that this is the end game when you mix The Religion of Academia with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Click HERE to see my ongoing series on Liberation Theology.

Those who adhere to the Religion of Academia must remake their God into their own image. I know this may seem radical, but this has always happened in history. We see it in the Old Testament, and we see it throughout the Book of Mormon. Over and over again, they choose Barabbas.

Best,

Greg Matsen