son of a father

i find the name of barabbas interesting. in fact, i find the whole scene interesting. we look at barabbas as nasty and deserving of murder and wonder why the crowd wanted him released instead of Jesus. we have to remember that the crowd was only trying to please the roman government and show them they were not rebellious and following this "king of the Jews". not only that, but its quite possible that barabbas was a "robin hood" type, stealing from the romans and giving to the poor. whatever the case, Pilate's decision was based on what they wanted! what irony in this situation! we find irony even in the name of barabbas, simply meaning "son of a father". while one son of a father is being realeased, the other, the Son of the Father, is condemned to death. i find this incredible and quite intriguing.