Barabbas: Leader, Rebel, or Murderer?

When looking at the character of Barabbas in Jesus films, it is always interesting to see how he is going to be portrayed and what he will look like. In trying to paint a picture of what Barabbas will look like, one has to wonder what a murderer looks like, how they act, and if they will look guilty or innocent.

Barabbas in scripture
The story of Barabbas can be found in the four gospels: Matthew 27:15-26, Mark 15:6-15, Luke 23:16-25, and John 18:39-40. Matthew uses the word “notorious” to imply that he might have been publicly or generally known. Mark and Luke use the word “insurrection” which could mean that he was arrested with those that took part in a revolt Mark or that he had taken part in the revolt as stated in Luke. John simply says he had taken part in a rebellion. What we know about Barabbas by reading scripture is that he has committed murder and the rest is left to our imagination.

Barabbas in Film
When most films decide to show a scene with Barabbas and Jesus, it seems they usually use the gospel of Matthew to stay true to the biblical text and this is how it usually goes:
Kings of Kings (1961)
This movie shows Barabbas in a way I have never seen him before. It challenges me to ask the question, is Barabbas the King of Kings or is it Jesus. This movie shows us a man that is not only a fighter in the resistance to the Romans but also a leader. The movie opens with 10,000 rebel Jews hiding in the hills and their leader Barabbas is wanted for murder. The Romans had been trying to capture Barabbas but were unsuccessful. The friendship between Judas and Barabbas is also one I find interesting about this movie. It adds an interesting element to think that Barabbas would be “best friends” with the man that would betray Jesus. When Jesus is introduced in the picture, Judas and Barabbas have a conversation about it: Judas: A new prophet has come into town and he has the same first name as yourself, Jesus. Barabbas: we need more fighters and fewer prophets. Barabbas was obviously regarded as someone that was important since they cared enough to tell him a new prophet was in town. It appears Barabbas is still the hero in this movie and he makes the comment: Barabbas: I need a prophet to help me win over the people, can this Jesus do it? Barabbas wanted to meet Jesus but for reasons that had to do with the fight. In this movie, he was known as the Messiah of war and someone that was leading the Jews in their fight for freedom. It was interesting to see how Nicholas Ray had shown us a Barabbas that was young, handsome, and intelligent enough to lead an underground operation to fight the Romans. The scene that shows Pilate asking the Jews who he should release, Jesus or Barabbas happens while Barabbas is in Jail so he never gets to see how the crowd responds or reacts. Upon his relief, he acts surprised that they had actually chosen him but walks away feeling somewhat important. *Movies like The Greatest Story ever Told, Jesus Christ Superstar, and the Last Temptation of Christ do not take the time to show Barabbas at all.
The Passion of the Christ (2004) Unlike Nicholas Ray, Mel Gibson did something different with the character of Barabbas. Barabbas was referred to as a notorious murder, he looked like a villain, and he was very different from Ray’s Barabbas who played the hero. When Barabbas was released to the crowd, they seemed disgusted and did not want anything to do with him. It seemed they feared Barabbas as if his actions were unpredictable. Gibson shows us a man that is slightly over weight, dirty, and blind in one eye (probably lost an eye fighting).


Time and emphasis devoted to Barabbas
The scene with Barabbas can take less than five minutes to go through what happens when Pilate is asking the crowd whether he needs to release Jesus or Barabbas. Some films have taken the time to give Barabbas his five minutes of fame while others have completely ignored that scene. In passion plays, the story of Barabbas does not really say much about the life of Jesus and it would make sense that films don’t really spend too much talking about him. There was a 1961 film about Barabbas which explained what happened to Barabbas after he was released. Since scripture does not say much about his life after his release, one can conclude that such films are based on historical fiction and not fact.


Goals of the filmmaker
When filmmakers like Gibson take the time to introduce Barabbas it seems the goal is to remain true to the biblical text by showing us a notorious murderer. Once in a way you run into directors like Nicholas Ray that embellish the story of Barabbas and make you ask the question, who is the real king of kings.. Jesus or Barabbas? As I said before, the character of Barabbas is not as important as other characters like Judas and when they are not included in passion plays, it is easy to not notice that they have been omitted and when they are included, a director has a decision… whether or not they give Barabbas his five minutes of fame or not even bother mentioning him.