~Jesus Standing Before Pontius Pilate Symbolism~
When Jesus was arrested, he was brought before Pilate along with a man named Barabbas. Now, Barabbas was murderer, swindler, and a thief…among other things. It was customary for the Romans to release a Jewish prisoner during the Passover festival. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate tried to use this custom as an excuse to release Jesus. Pilate asked the people who they wanted to be set free; Barabbas(who was the darkness, evil, and lies), or Jesus(who represented the Truth and the Light). With one unanimous voice, the people said “Give us Barabbas”!
This story has important moral symbolism to it, that carries on to this very day. This symbolism is: “when people are given a choice between truth & light and lies & darkness, they will always choose lies”. Because people don’t want the truth. They’re afraid of it. People fear what they don’t understand
