Barabbas: He Died in My Place (Bulletin Article for December 3; by John Denney)
[NOTE: The following article was originally published in the Messenger from the Memorial Parkway church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. I thought it lent an interesting perspective between Barabbas and us. I hope you enjoy it and learn from it. I know I did.]
As we read Luke 23:19, the Bible doesn’t give us any room for debate on the type of person Barabbas was. He was a bad man, put in prison as an insurrectionist (one who disturbed the peace). His rebellion appears to have even led to him taking at least one life. John 18:40 calls him a “robber.”
This is the man the Jews preferred over Jesus (Matthew 27:21). They took a known felon over the Son of God. Mankind has always preferred the ways of the world to the ways of God.
It seems that many in society have fallen in the depths of human degradation, and are as proud of their sin as they can possibly be. People who openly practice extramarital sex, living together outside the bond of marriage, homosexuality, vulgarity and other sins seem to be role models in Hollywood and even in our own community. Like Barabbas, we fall into the same condemnation.
The Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” His death was the price that was to be paid, yet Barabbas did not die. I wonder if he ever realized and became appreciative of Jesus, Who went to Calvary in his place.
Jesus, however, went to the cross, not only for Barabbas’ sins, but also for ours. God did not tell us that the wages of extreme sin is death, He simply said “sin” (Romans 6:23). And, so, all of mankind fits into Barabbas’ shoes. All of us are found guilty, awaiting the inevitable sentence.
This death is not a physical death, but a spiritual one. For that reason, Jesus paid the price for us! His atoning blood appeases the wrath of God against sin and allows Him to forgive us. And, just as Barabbas went rejoicing from Pilate’s prison that day, we can rejoice throughout our lives knowing that we stand justified before our God. And we can rejoice thanks to the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins and accepting His cleansing blood in baptism.
Gratitude characterizes the view of the cross from the perspective of Barabbas. We don’t know how Barabbas took advantage of his new lease on life, but we can commit ourselves to serving that One Who died in our place!
