The Barabas Syndrome

The Barabas Syndrome

11/13/13

Some of us are familiar with the Biblical story of Barabas, but I wonder how many of us really understand what transpired during that story and how it relates to conditions that we face today.  Most of us probably do not even give the people’s side of the story much consideration and to what the local status and cares of these individuals meant.  It is quite a powerful story and it actually has many similarities to current events.  People’s reactions to the popular thing to do have really not changed much from the time that this story occurred until now and once we grasp this concept it should place new ideas into our forethinking about human thinking and actions.

When I was a young man still growing up and learning the ways of the world I tried my best to push some of the boundaries that had been set before me.  Not all of these boundaries were placed there by my family, many were in place by society and the rules that they had deemed important.  There was and still is nothing wrong with rules for even though they are broken sometimes they are put into place for a very good reason. 

When I would break one of these rules my mother and father would almost immediately know these things and to be honest it really frustrated me.  I felt like I could not get away with anything but as I look back on these instances now, I thank God every day that He instilled these parental conditions within my parents, for if He did not place these rules within parents I wonder just how many teenagers would actually make it out of their formidable years.

Mom and dad not only had the guidance of God within them they also understood their children in a very personal manner.  This comes through watching, listening, and hearing what the child does over a course of time.  Parents have this innate ability to sense when their children do not tell the truth, try and cover things up, do what is right, etc yet for some reason, the child never picks up on this setting.  I know I did not until I became a father myself and then I understood what mom and dad meant when they said that they already knew things by the time I got home from my outings.

Now, knowing that I have lived in many places in this country I had the privilege in getting to know many kids and families from different cultures and lifestyles.  While I did not exactly know everything about their habits and ways at the time I can remember many instances where these attributes came from their mouths by some of the things that as kids we did.  This forms a pattern and should pop up things in our minds when we do things or ask certain questions that we already know the answer to.  It may not seem such a deep meaningful answer to the kid asking for a friend to spend the night at a friend’s house on a school night, but the adult society and means should pick up on this pattern of believing; it is just something you do not ask or do.  This represents a pattern that should be taken into consideration of how people are and what society believes.

If a person studies the behavioral patterns of a certain society they will eventually understand how that society thinks, acts believes and operates on a general scale.  I have often stated this fact in my own studies of the younger people that are growing up in our society and when people react in a shocked or stunned manner about certain instances, I ask them why?  They should have known what was going to occur just by the general attitude that they all portray.  It is amazing how many people forget this concept when they are looking at history unfolding before their eyes and we need to stop and understand that this type of human behavior has not changed in a very long time.  Yes, the sides and issues may have changed but the attitudes and general conditions of the human “migratory” positioning of issues has not.

Most people in our society would claim these actions by people as being a part of the democratic process that we all enjoy and support and they are correct.  But it still can be followed and recognized by those who are looking closely at what is transpiring.  There are many controversial issues that are posing and positioning their ideas and concepts within our lives today.  I could list some of them but I believe that we know the major ones that I am referring to.  I am not here to start an argument or raise any red flags over these issues, all I am doing is making note that issues and how humans respond to them have not changed much from the Biblical times until our present day.  It is however, my full intention to make you think about the relevancy of this particular Biblical story and every other Biblical story and how each one is relevant today and how things can develop just as it was back in those olden days.

We continually see all of the passion and hype that our present world is giving to these hot topics that flash across our screens every day. We also see the attitudes that are being displayed on both sides of the issues.  Also, we witness many angered and frustrated people to why others do not see their point of view.  The emotional swings our society is enduring must be taking a toll on its stability, for I can notice the increased tension and hostilities coming from these advocates from my den.  So, if I can feel and understand the emotions from hundreds of miles away, then I know those that are up close and personal to the event can feel this as well.  But their demeanor about such issues is provoking a further division between the ones who stand with them and in opposition to these ideas.

The way that democracy should work is part of this pattern and in theory, should regulate itself and moderate itself accordingly.  However, when excitement and prideful agendas become the norm, all things that are considered to be normal that have been previously accepted as such become threatened.  What is the norm becomes the general question and the extreme legalities of each agenda invade the electorate or other governmental offices and then these opinions take on a higher form of exposure?  In other words, the snowball effect takes hold and progresses in a natural pattern.  So why place our beliefs in something that will just wash away when a storm comes our way?

Now my purpose in this article is not to undermine any political process or ideology but one must have the concern enough to study these activities and then make a rational decision if these changes are good for not only the society but the people as well.  I understand that not everyone will be in agreement with every detail of this progression but we need to stop and consider what may actually begin to occur if we do not.  Some of the laws that have been recently passed in our state and local governments can have considerable consequences to those who use these laws and for those who do not.  All sides must be in agreement to enforce them when they are enacted by any level of the government.  The most important concept and the question that we need to deal with: what will these laws lead to next?

This is where the story of Barabas comes into play and how it is relevant in our personal lives and society today.  When you look at this story one tends to overlook what the people are saying and what part they play in the story.  The concept of the story cannot be denied in that they wanted to release a convicted violent criminal at a time when they had established a policy to do so.  To most of us voluntarily releasing any violent criminal back on the streets would spell out total disaster, but this was the custom.  Ever think about where that custom arose from?

Many of us know that Rome was in control of the entire area at the time when Jesus walked the earth.  Most of us know that the Roman Empire continually flexed its military authority while it was in power.  At this time of the empire, Rome still had enough control over its subjects to mandate this type of authority and many of the people that it subjugated resented this style of living.  So, in order to combat these animosities amongst the people, the Roman government decided to keep a tradition that had been established to release a certain criminal at a certain time of the year, as a “respect” gift to the common people.  In reality, the Roman beliefs about the Jewish people were degrading at best and since the amount of unrest had made its ways beyond the empire’s borders the government gave concessions to such seemingly minor details.

How this act became an established law or policy we may never understand completely but it was one that came into existence for some specific reason and the people came to expect it being enforced at the same time every year.  Kind of interesting when you put into that perspective isn’t it.  It seems to me that the people back in the time when this story unfolded were a very progressive people for if a law existed back then, then one should automatically identify that at one time that law did not exist.

The question remains is if we have reached the Barabas syndrome within our society and in our personal lives.  This question is an important one since our actions drive the needs of the world according to what we dictate.  We read that the people in the Biblical story of Barabas chose his release instead of a wrongly accused and condemned man.  The situation cannot be any clearer, the people spoke and their will was done.  The people chose to allow the death of an innocent man, to whom the religious authority disagreed with because of His exposure of their hypocrisy, and freed a violent criminal.  Talk about a hypocrisy upon another hypocrisy.  Now, one must contend that that is exactly how we live in our societal states today!

This story of Barabas is another testament of how the Bible is relevant in our world today.  We look at this story and if we honestly read its content and think about what was occurring at that time, there are no differences from that specific time and what we are facing today.  We see it on a second by second basis and there is no way possible to deny it.  When will begin to destroy the innocent?  Oh, wait that process has already started and has taken hold in our society with such a death grip that our subjugator has complete control over our future.  As stated before I am not making this into a political article but one that deals with humans and the choices they make.

A short caveat and clarification here, if I may.  In the Old Testament, there is a story that states that the people of Israel wanted to be like the other nations, such that they wanted their own physical king.  When the prophet questioned God about this manner concerning the people, God said let them have their king and that their decision was not due to him but their desire to separate themselves from Him.  Fast forward to Jesus and the story of Barabas.  If Jesus had not had the mission to overthrow the decisions of the people then He would have acted in opposite manner that God did in the Old Testament, which would decertify Jesus as being the chosen one to redeem man and to close the gap that we created in the first place.

The progression of our lives reflects on what we set as standards for everyone else around us.  The morals and values of this society have drastically changed and no one can honestly discredit this statement as being an untruth.  Jesus understood the society of His time because He walked in His society; He also understood how far the society had come and how far it still was willing to go.  I also find it interesting that Jesus never argued with the pattern of His society, only with the ones that falsified His Father’s Church, who were responsible for His death, not the entire Jewish community.  On the other hand, one must also comprehend that Jesus came to this earth to bridge the gap between God and man and in order to do this He had the mission of changing human hearts, not their physical government, for God knows that once a man changes his heart he can change his surroundings.

Just as a parent knows their child so does God know our hearts.  It is said by scientists that the complexity of the human body is overwhelming to think about yet a parent knows their child’s heart better than anyone else.  The love that a parent has for their children has been compared to many things but in each example, the moral of the story is that a parent knows and loves their child in a unique and specific manner, even if that parent has multiple children.  God understands our hearts far more than what our physical parents can.  It is true that our parents created us physically but our hearts were spiritually ordained millennia before the first recorded human being walked on this earth.

God allows us to make our own choices in life and that is an enormous challenge that we must face each day.  Most of us do not realize just how big our decisions weigh in other people’s lives or to our society.  But if the people in the Bible were faced with these same types of choices then that means they accepted their opportunities and either went with the flow or stood their ground and fought for what was right.  I know that not every person in that story wished for Jesus to die, even Pilate’s wife disagreed with the decisions that he made concerning Jesus yet her voice was left unheard and ignored.  Still, she made her choice in the matter.

This article is designed to make the reader think about where we are at and how we are reaching new territory within our lives.  The word choice is thrown around like a beach ball in our society and even though we regard this word as a sacred portion of our lives, we must understand its value within the subjects that make up this word.  I hope that I have shed some light on this way of believing and how dangerous it can be to live by.  No, there will never be another Jesus that walks the face of the earth again, but it does say that each decision that we make can group us into this syndrome which will only continue to progress and grow.  The crowds made its choice to release Barabas, a condemned murderer are we ready to continue this acceptance of the Barabas syndrome that we have chosen?

God truly loves His people, for He is the ultimate Creator and parent.  He only wishes to have a relationship with us and to show us the way to true happiness.  There is only one way that this can be achieved and that is to accept His ways.  They are not some randomly made up harsh laws but guides that provide us with a path of less pain and suffering.  They are not rules of control but guidelines to true freedom. Come back to God and allow Him to restore our lives back to the manner for which they were created.

DLB