The Anti-Christ in "The Jew of Malta"

We discussed in class the many ways in which Barabas serves as the anti-Christ in Christopher Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta", but what particularly stood out to me was the many ways Barabas is similar to Christ.  It seems to me that although Barabas outwardly opposes Christianity, he has more in common with Christ than he (or any Christian) would care to admit.  There are multiple instances of this Christ-like behavior throughout the play, but I find the most peculiar instance of it happens early in the play: Barabas is sacrificed by the Christians for the good of Malta.

The above instance occurs in the second scene of Act 1 and has a strong resemblance to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The Christians are reminded of their "ten years' tribute" by Calymath and immediately decide to tax the Jews in order to accumulate the money they owe; Barabas refuses the tax and therefore is robbed of all his goods.  Ferneze states, "No, Jew, we take particularly thine/ To save the ruin of a multitude;/ And better one want for a common good/ Than many perish for a private man" (1.2.97-100).  Between the two options, Barabas is chosen to be sacrificed; likewise, Jesus was chosen over another option.  The Bible tells us that Jesus was meant to be sacrificed for everyone's sins, that His blood was spilled in order to cleanse the rest of us; Ferneze's statement mirrors that idea, claiming that taking Barabas's money and goods (his life) will release the rest of Malta from ruin.

It is curious to me that Marlowe would compare the Jew, Jesus Christ, to a Jew, Barabas, because one is thought to have saved mankind while the other is an evil figure, full of vengeance and hatred for Christianity.  If he made this comparison intentionally, then I must ask whether he did it to make the audience uncomfortable or if he did it to insinuate that not all Jews are evil figures, or if his point was to prove that there is a bit of evil in everything good?  So many questions are raised by Marlowe's depiction of Barabas as out Savior.  This relationship was curious to me and makes me reflect on other stereotypes surrounding me in today's society.  How many good things are linked with evil?  How many good people are stamped with an "evil" label?