As Easter nears, I think about two men 害羞草研究所� one who died, and one who didn害羞草研究所檛. Jesus died; Barabbas didn害羞草研究所檛. Or maybe it害羞草研究所檚 the other way around, in the long term.

If 1st century Israel had telephone books, Jesus could not have been listed. He didn害羞草研究所檛 qualify for a last name. Although he is commonly called Jesus Christ, Christ was not his family name. In fact, it害羞草研究所檚 not a name at all. It害羞草研究所檚 a title, an honorific, like 害羞草研究所淩everend害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所淧resident.害羞草研究所� Christ 害羞草研究所� Christos in Greek 害羞草研究所� is the term used for the Messiah, the anointed one, the chosen one.

In his culture, sons were identified by their father害羞草研究所檚 name. The prefix 害羞草研究所淏ar害羞草研究所� meant 害羞草研究所渟on of,害羞草研究所� just like 害羞草研究所淢ac害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所淢c害羞草研究所� for the Scots, and 害羞草研究所淥害羞草研究所� for the Irish.

The earliest biblical texts describe Jesus only as the son of Mary 害羞草研究所� making him a no-count illegitimate. Later versions legitimize him by providing a human father 害羞草研究所� Joseph, son of Jacob, a descendant of the legendary King David. But Jesus is never, never, described as Jesus Bar-Joseph.

And Jesus himself never refers to Joseph as his father.

He reserves the term 害羞草研究所淔ather害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� in Aramaic, 害羞草研究所渁bba,害羞草研究所� better translated by our familiar 害羞草研究所淒addy害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� for his relationship with God. John害羞草研究所檚 gospel regularly pairs Jesus with a divine father. Jesus spends almost two chapters of that gospel exploring the intimacy of his relationship with his Father, meaning God.

By a cruel irony, when governor Pontius Pilate offers to free Jesus as a goodwill gesture for the Jewish Passover, an angry crowd demands that he release, instead, a thief and murderer named 害羞草研究所淏arabbas.害羞草研究所� Barabbas 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渢he son of the father害羞草研究所�.

And so the man who said 害羞草研究所淭he Father and I are one害羞草研究所� was executed on a trumped-up charge of claiming to be King of the Jews, while the man named 害羞草研究所淪on of the Father害羞草研究所� was set free. The coincidence is so keen, it almost demands further exploration.

Did the freed Barabbas go to Golgotha, to the hill of many skulls, to watch his stand-in die?

What did it do to him, to know that he was alive only because an innocent person took his place? Was he haunted by guilt? Did it change his life? Or did he grab his unexpected freedom with both hands and scamper out of Jerusalem, away from the unholy liaison between Temple and Rome, to resume his career of crime?

At least one writer has felt inspired to look at life through the eyes of the man who didn害羞草研究所檛 get executed. Par Lagerkvist wrote a 1950 novel called Barabbas.

A commentary describes the novel as founded on thesis and antithesis 害羞草研究所� similarities and contrasts. Jesus dies first; Barabbas dies later. Jesus is crucified in Jerusalem; Barabbas, in Rome. Jesus talks to God; Barabbas, to darkness. Barabbas is, in many ways, a modern person. He says he wants to believe, but can害羞草研究所檛 accept the exalted beliefs of early Christians about Resurrection and the Second Coming. What he really believes in is the 害羞草研究所渙paque and remorseless void that surrounds his life.害羞草研究所�

He is a fatalist. Where others find meaning, Barabbas finds only meaninglessness.

Perhaps the novel害羞草研究所檚 central antithesis is that because Barabbas has never known love, he can never understand someone who embodied love.

Author Jim Taylor lives in Lake Country: rewrite@shaw.ca