Matthew 27:16

Barabbas’ name means "son of the father." Jesus, of course, was the true Son of the Father. The Greek word translated "notorious" (episemos) really means eminent or outstanding (cf. Romans 16:7). He was a famous prisoner but not necessarily one that the Jews regarded as an undesirable character. On the contrary, he had evidently been leading an insurrection against the Roman government as a freedom fighter (cf. Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19; John 18:40). His guerrilla actions were fairly common then. [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of . . ., 18:1:1.] Many of the Jews would have viewed Barabbas as a hero rather than as a villain. He was more of a messianic figure, in the minds of most Jews, than Jesus was.

Possibly the two men crucified with Jesus were Barabbas’ partners. Matthew used the same Greek word to describe them as the other evangelists used to describe Barabbas (i.e., lestes, "rebels" or "insurrectionists," Matthew 27:38). All three were more than common robbers; they were more like Robin Hood’s men.

Jesus really took the place of one rebel, Barabbas, because the people preferred one who tried to overthrow Rome’s power, to the Messiah that God had provided for them. This shows their insistence on having a Messiah of their own design (cf. 1 Samuel 8:5; 1 Samuel 8:19-20).