INTRO: Have you ever done something wrong and
didn't get punished for it? Speeding,
but the red lights go around you or is an ambulance? Now what about this, have you ever been
caught red-handed, guilty with no chance of escape, and someone else
voluntarily took your punishment?
VIDEO ROLL-IN: "Barabbas"
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, took the place of Barabbas, a
violent insurrectionist, and died in his place on the cross. Martin Luther
labeled this event “The Great Exchange”.
Barabbas was a scoundrel! Matthew called him a notorious
prisoner; Mark described him as a rebel; Luke let us know that Barabbas was “a
man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and
for murder”; John described Barabbas as a “robber”, an insurrectionist; in
Acts, Luke spoke of Barabbas as a murderer. He was more than some guy who stole
a piece of bread and some milk for his family!
Barabbas had been caught, tried, convicted, and sentenced!
His crimes were punished by crucifixion: the violent, painful trademark of
Roman power. Barabbas was destined for a cross!
But... Jesus was also on trial for heresy, sedition, and
treason. The religious leaders wanted
him dead. They stirred an angry crowd
with lies and false charges. Listen to how Mark describes it:
Mark 15:6–15 (NKJV) Now at the feast
(Passover), Pilate was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever
they requested. 7And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained
with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. 8Then
the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done
for them. 9But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to
release to you the King of the Jews?” 10For he knew that the chief
priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11But the chief priests
stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. 12Pilate
answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom
you call the King of the Jews?” 13So they cried out again, “Crucify
Him!” 14Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But
they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15So Pilate, wanting to
gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he
had scourged Him, to be crucified.
Pilate gave the angry mob a choice: Jesus or Barabbas. Pilate
couldn’t believe that the crowd wanted Barabbas released instead of Jesus. Over
and over we see Pilate expressing Jesus’ innocence:
Matthew 27:23–25 (NKJV) Then Pilate said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying,
“Let Him be crucified!” 24When Pilate saw that he could not prevail
at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands
before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” 25And all the
people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
The march to the cross, the Via Dolorosa,
was filled with anguish that should have been Barabbas’ pain and suffering—that
should have been our pain and suffering!
Isaiah 53:4–6 (NKJV) Surely He has borne our
grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten
by God, and afflicted. 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
for our
iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are
healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every
one, to his own way; and the Lord
has laid on Him the
iniquity of us all.
Peter remembered that day:
1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV) who Himself bore our sins
in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for
righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
It should have been Barabbas scourged and led to death on
the cross at Calvary. It should have been you; it should have been me. But
instead, the great exchange took place. One writer said, "This is, in fact,
the climax and focus of the whole gospel. All sinners, all rebels, all the
human race are invited to see themselves in the figure of Barabbas; and, as we
do, we discover in this story that Jesus comes to take our place, under
condemnation for sins and wickedness great and small. God’s mercy reaches out
where human mercy could not, not only sharing in, but in this case substituting
for, the sinner’s fate."
I John 2:2 (NKJV) And He
Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and
not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Propitiation, payment, satisfaction… There had to be payment for sin because God is holy and just. Holiness had to be satisfied!
Parent taking punishment story…
Perhaps the question posed by Pilate echoed in the ears,
heart, and life of Barabbas for years after that mercy-filled day:
Matthew 27:22a (NKJV) Pilate said to them,
“What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
John MacArthur said, “This is the most inescapable question
every human being faces.”
We don’t know what Barabbas did in response to the freedom
he experienced in exchange for Jesus’ death. The Bible is silent regarding what
happened to him after he was released on that Friday Jesus went to the cross in
his place. Perhaps the Bible is mute to allow us to put ourselves in his shoes.
I see three possible scenarios:
1.
Barabbas went back to his prior life of rebellion and
insurrection. Many of us make this
choice. We ourselves are
insurrectionists against the rule of God in our life. Will we choose to go back
to that life considering all that Jesus has done? Will we choose pleasure?
2.
The second choice is even more insidious. Barabbas may
have decided that a life of crime was too dangerous and so he turned over a new
leaf and became a good citizen, a good person. He joined the synagogue and went
to temple on holy days. The only problem is that he never gave his heart to
Jesus! He had a Christianity of convenience!
He only wanted peace and prosperity!
3.
Maybe he made a third choice. In the light of all that
Jesus did, Barabbas fell to his face in repentance, embraced Jesus as his
Savior and Lord, and served him radically until he too was martyred as a missionary
for The Way! He chose passion and
purpose!
These are your choices also. Will you live for pleasure, or
peace and prosperity, or passion and purpose?
What will you do with
Jesus?
Neutral you cannot be.
One day your heart
will be asking
What will He do with
me?
Paul sums up the great exchange this way:
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him
who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God
in Him.
I was guilty with
nothing to say
They were coming to
take me away
And then a voice from
heaven was heard that said
"Let him go! Take
me instead."
That crown of thorns,
the spear deep in His side
All the pain, it should
have been mine
Those nails were meant
for me
But He took them and
let me go free
I should have been
crucified
I should have suffered
and died
I should have hung on
the Cross in disgrace
But Jesus, God's Son,
took my place
Yes, Jesus took your
place—and that changes everything!
Romans 12:1 I beg you brothers and sisters,
in light of everything that God has done for us, give yourselves completely to
Him, which is your best form of worship!
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