Jesus stood before Governor Pilate, and it was customary to release a prisoner each year during the celebration of Passover.

One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder during an uprising.

When Pilate asked the crowd whom to release, they preferred Barabbas over Jesus.

A guilty conscience had driven the greatest injustice in the history of humanity. It was impossible for them to bear the Savior’s love and so much goodness in such harsh times. It was better to eliminate Him and free the murderer Barabbas.

They would never be as good as Jesus, but they could feel better by comparing themselves to a murderer loose on the streets. That is why people continue to reject the Lord, because they feel they are not as bad as others.

This is how the human conscience works when living without God: we tend to tear down the good to feel better about ourselves, and we prefer to compare ourselves with those who are outside the law, thinking that this will validate our existence before the Creator.