“So I never realized that when the veil was torn, etc., that others were raised from their graves. I’ve read Matt. 27 multiple times but listening to it, my comprehension was better.” This was a message sent by one of the members of our congregation recently. Since the beginning of the year, she has been listening to the Bible with her children as they drive to school each morning. They are following the 2-year plan that we share on our monthly church calendar. I replied, “That’s awesome! I love how approaching the Bible in a different format can help it come alive in new ways.”
A few minutes later, my family read the same chapter around the breakfast table. When we got to verse 16 my eye caught something new. It says, “At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus[b] Barabbas.” I copied this from the 2011 edition of the New International Version, because that is the translation we have chosen to read through as a family in 2025-2026. What caught my eye in that verse is the name “Jesus.” Have you ever heard Barabbas, the notorious insurrectionist who was guilty of murder, called “Jesus”? I hadn’t, and that’s why it caught my attention.1 The NIV includes a footnote to explain why they used Jesus Barabbas here rather than simply Barabbas, like every other major Bible translation. It reads, “Many manuscripts do not have Jesus; also in verse 17.”
This observation prompted a conversation with my children about why some manuscripts would have the longer reading while most have shorter readings in v.16-17. And then we wondered about why the NIV translators chose to follow the minority reading here instead of going the way of every other major English version using only Barabbas.
Now I want to be clear that I do not have any direct knowledge of the reasoning behind the NIV 2011 reading in this passage. But I think there are a couple of possibilities. First, the original reading (what Matthew actually wrote) could be just Barabbas. Obviously, this is supported by the majority of the manuscripts and by every English version other than the NIV, so there’s pretty strong evidence behind it. If so, then we have to assume that at some point a scribe added Jesus to the name of this convicted felon. He may have done so accidentally, since he was obviously copying the name Jesus throughout the book and numerous times in the near context.
It is possible that he simply made a mistake but also possible that he did so intentionally. Discussing this possibility, we tried to understand why someone would change the name of this murderer from simply Barabbas to Jesus Barabbas. What possible motivation could there be for such a change? We were not aware of any, nor could we imagine how such a modification would be advantageous to anyone trying to change Scripture. The fact that there is no evidence of such a change in the other Gospels also seems to argue against a scribe making an intentional insertion here.2
Sometimes we are just too familiar with the way our favorite text reads to really think about it.
In the end, it is difficult to see any positive reason for a change from Barabbas in the original to Jesus Barabbas. But what if the longer name was original reading? A scribe could also very easily accidentally omit the name. But it seems much more likely that, if his full name was truly Jesus Barabbas, and Matthew faithfully recorded it in at least these two verses, later scribes may have felt uncomfortable identifying the criminal by the same name as our precious Savior. In this case, then, they would have a fairly reasonable motivation for dropping the longer name and preserving only Barabbas, in the vast majority of manuscripts. This would also explain why the NIV translators chose to include the full name, Jesus Barabbas, rather than just the surname favored by the majority; they believed that this was more likely to be the original reading and preserved it in their translation.
What does this have in common with the message I shared at the beginning of this post? It’s about getting a different perspective on the Bible. Sometimes we are just too familiar with the way our favorite text reads to really think about what it’s saying or to notice details that can give nuance and depth to the Scriptures.
Whether you cue up an audio version of your favorite translation or pick up a copy of a new version, you can gain a better understanding of God’s word by seeing it with fresh eyes. Instead of a new translation, you might consider reading an older one like the Geneva Bible (first published in 1560) or the American Standard Version of 1901. With the proliferation of Bible apps and websites, the options vary widely. In addition to reading in different translations, you could purchase a print Bible in a more accessible format like a single-column reader’s edition that eliminates headings, references, and other distractions. I’ve found that having a different layout has a significant impact on how I read and think about the Bible.
Other practices that may help include copying Scripture by hand into a notebook or journal, learning to read the Bible in a different language, or reading it out loud. Copying will force you to slow down and pay attention to the details and has the added benefit of showing you just how difficult it is to copy even a shorter book without making mistakes. This will give you a greater appreciation for the work of scribes throughout church history and help you see why scholars continue to study manuscripts and make updates editions based on their discoveries.3 If you put in the work to learn enough of a new language to decipher even small portions of Scripture, you will benefit from having to slow down and think carefully about what you read. You will also get exposure to the way people from other cultures and languages think, especially about the Bible. For most people reading out loud brings a whole new set of challenges including pronouncing unfamiliar words and names. Hearing yourself read even a very familiar translation can help you discover things you would otherwise miss.
Sure, you may not understand as much when you listen to an audio Bible while taking your kids to school, doing the laundry, or mowing the lawn as you do when you sit and read your Bible with journal in hand. You may have difficulty becoming fluent enough in another language to learn to read the Bible, and your handwriting may result in a copy that is virtually illegible. But in the end, I am convinced that the benefit of gaining a fresh perspective on God’s word is worth the effort. Let me encourage you not just to read God’s word but to seek out new and fresh ways to encounter the Scriptures for your own spiritual benefit and the glory of the God who inspired them.
1I had previously read the NIV in its entirety, but it was the 1984 edition which includes only the shorter reading of the name.
2Barabbas is mentioned by every one of the Gospel writers (Matthew 27:16-17, 20-21, 26; Mark 15:7, 11, 15; Luke 23:18; John 18:40), but Matthew is the only one where there is any evidence of the longer name, Jesus Barabbas.
3Many people have very strong opinions about Bible preservation, especially those who are in the King James Only movement. They could be helped by doing some hand copying and learning just how easy it is to make honest mistakes, even under ideal conditions.