Maybe everybody already knows the answer to this question. And I apologize if this seems simple-minded.

I only ask because of how striking the resemblance is to the persecution and death of Jesus. It has a character set complete with relationships that mirror the trial of Jesus. Herod would represent the Roman governor who is reluctant to kill an innocent man. His adulterous wife, Herodius, would be the leaders of the Jewish people who have left their true husband, God, for Rome and are pushing Rome to crucify him. Herodius’ daughter would be the Jewish people, who do whatever the leaders want. John, of course, is the righteous servant, Jesus. That his head is cut off is interesting. Perhaps meaning that the Church loses it’s own head when Jesus is crucified. His disciples take his body. And then the subsequent fear of resurrection (complete with rumors even? but never actually seen…) afterwards by those who killed him.

Mark doesn’t appear to be a stranger to foreshadowing because he does it when Jesus needs three tries to heal a blind man and then immediately gets frustrated that his own disciples can’t understand what he is saying.

Could something similar also be applied to the character of Barabbas, an opposite Jesus who seemed to be exactly what the people were expecting in a Messiah rather than a suffering servant?

And if these stories are more symbolic in nature then does that mean these stories are simply not true? And what does that say about Mark’s gospel altogether?

This is difficult for me because I have been a very typical West Texas southern conservative evangelical for a lot of years and I’m just now seeing things aren’t quite what I thought. I’m not a scholar so I have a lot of dumb questions.