There once was a man who was a thief and a murderer. He was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. In his days, the death penalty was a gruesome event – the kind of thing that is only shown in R-rated movies. It was slow, painful, bloody, and humiliating. As he sat in his cell, he begin to think of the evil he had done and how the pain for him was going to be worse than the pain he had inflicted upon others. He wept and prayed as he waited for the hour of his execution.
As the time drew near, he started to hear a loud commotion outside his cell. He arose and went near the window to listen. “Is that a crowd chanting?” he asked himself. He drew closer to the window and could hear exactly what the crowd was chanting – “Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!” “They are talking about me!” he thought to himself. This caused him to panic. Sweat started pouring from his body. He knew his time had come. The horrific consequences of his crimes were at the door.
All of the sudden, the guards came to the cell, opened the door and said, “Barabbas, you are free to go.” “What? I thought I was to be crucified today?” he asked the guards. “No. Those crazy Jews have demanded you to go free and for Jesus to take your place.” they told him. “Jesus?” Barabbas asked. “The guy who has been helping people and performing all those miracles?” “Yes,” said one of the guards. “Today is your lucky day.” Barabbas was so grateful. This man called Jesus, who had every right to call angels from Heaven to destroy the world, took his place. He never deserved such a selfless gift.
What is the point of this story? Barabbas is me. Barabbas is you. He is everyone, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We did not deserve His love. We did not deserve the sacrificial gift of His only begotten Son. We were all doomed to eternal separation from God, but Jesus took our place. He’s now sitting at the right hand of God offering salvation to everyone that obeys Him. Have you obeyed Him? Have you heard the Gospel? Do you believe it? Will you confess Jesus as the Lord? Will you be baptized in order for your sins to be washed away? And you will you live a faithful life for the one who died for you?
Scripture References: Mat. 27:16-26; Mark 15:7-15; Luke 23:18-25; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23; Heb. 5:9; Rom. 10:9-10, 17; Acts 22:16; James 1:12
Author’s Note: Not every detail in the story is what really happened with Barabbas.
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