The Shadow of the Galilean

Andreas spends the night in the caves. He has nightmares until Barabbas wakes him up; it is still dark. The two of them have a quiet conversation, and Barabbas explains that he was the one who suggested that he become an informant instead of being ransomed. He worried that if he said he knew Andreas, the other Zealots might ask too many questions. Although the Zealots can be frightening, Barabbas assures Andreas that they are not cold-blooded killers, though he has killed two people. Most people who join the Zealots are poor men who cannot make a living off their land and want to create a more just society. One of the Zealots, a man named Simon, has left the movement to join Jesus. Jesus’s approach to tackling oppression is rather different: he advises his followers not to “resist one who is evil” (87). Jesus asserts that people must dismantle the distinction between the oppressors and the oppressed if they want real justice. 

Barabbas does not see how this approach will get anyone anywhere and insists that they must fight back against Rome. Reform is not enough; only overthrow is sufficient. Rome’s power is only increasing, and Antipas is essentially a puppet king who follows Rome’s orders.