Prince of Life

But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
Acts 3:14-15

After Peter and John healed the lame man at the gate of the temple, a crowd formed, so Peter saw that it was a great opportunity to preach. Only a few months had gone by since Christ's crucifixion and the events were on everyone's minds. Peter clearly placed the guilt of rejected the Messiah on those temple goers, noting the irony that they chose a murderer to be granted life, but delivered the Prince of Life to be murdered.

Contrasting Barabbas with Jesus shows the ends of the human spectrum. Matthew calls the criminal a"notorious prisoner"; Mark says he committed "murder and rebellion", while John just notes he was a "robber". On the other hand, the Prince of Life was viewed by His enemies as a political threat and they saw that as much worse than someone who just went around stirring up trouble and killing people.

Our sinful nature can justify any form of deviant behavior. Psychologists have been shocked to discover that most criminals in prison have an extremely high self-esteems. They feel pretty good about themselves and have reasons for doing the terrible things they have done. Others, of course, buy into their lies, so every year the really notorious bad guys are acquitted of their crimes, if they have powerful lawyers and a high profile case.

When the human heart rejects the Savior and justifies its evil deeds, the trial of Jesus occurs all over again with the same results. The guilty are exonerated and the Prince of Life is condemned.