Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. Mark 15:6-11

            The Barabbas incident showed the extent of the hatred toward Jesus, that they would allow the release of a murderer and rebel, on death row, over a healer, teacher and savior.  It’s not different today.  People choose lesser heroes to make themselves look better, refusing to be challenged and submissive to great people.