There was a man named Barabbas, imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the uprising.
Barabbas is presented as a truly guilty man, a prisoner involved in rebellion and murder. His figure creates a sharp contrast with Christ: on one side is the murderer and rebel, on the other side the innocent and holy Savior. This verse prepares the picture of the great exchange: the guilty one is to be released, and the Innocent is to be condemned. Barabbas’s release is not only a historical event, but a spiritual sign of the truth that Christ takes the sinner’s place. He who had no crime is handed over to death, so that those bound in sin may receive freedom through Him.