It's a sad story. A man has been found guilty of a crime that will result in his death. But he's innocent. What must it be like to be innocent and all are crying for your blood? Or, what about the man who is guilty and walks away scot-free?
Just such a story happened in the Bible. It's recorded in all four gospels. The one that Pastor Josh uses is found in Mark 15:6-15. A big holiday is coming up. And, as the custom is at the time, Pilate can free a prisoner. He has two. Prisoner #1 is Jesus. As far as he, Pilate, can tell Jesus had not committed any crime. Verse 10 even states that Pilate knew that the only crime was one of envy that the chief priests had against Jesus. Prisoner #2 is Barabbas. He's a known terrorist who is both a murderer and a thief.
Apparently it's also the custom that the people get to choose which one to put to death and which one to save. Now, the priests have done their homework. Obviously, they have placed people in the crowd and may have even bribed them to shout that they want Jesus condemned to die. So, when Pilate asks them which one to condemn, the crowd yells "Jesus, crucify him!" In fact, Pilate asks them a second time just to be sure that he heard them right. "Jesus, crucify him!" a second time.
Barabbas walks free. Jesus is crucified. Physically speaking, Jesus died in Barabbas's place. The Light of the World died for a man who came from a very dark place. But, that's the way that it goes. The Light of the World died for everyone whether from a very dark place or not. It's just that Barabbas was the first. Neither history nor the Bible tells us what became of Barabbas. Whether he continued on as a terrorist or took advantage of his second chance and might have been one of the hundred and twenty in the upper room in Acts 1:13-15. No one knows. We just know that Jesus died for him.
He died for you, too.
Just such a story happened in the Bible. It's recorded in all four gospels. The one that Pastor Josh uses is found in Mark 15:6-15. A big holiday is coming up. And, as the custom is at the time, Pilate can free a prisoner. He has two. Prisoner #1 is Jesus. As far as he, Pilate, can tell Jesus had not committed any crime. Verse 10 even states that Pilate knew that the only crime was one of envy that the chief priests had against Jesus. Prisoner #2 is Barabbas. He's a known terrorist who is both a murderer and a thief.
Apparently it's also the custom that the people get to choose which one to put to death and which one to save. Now, the priests have done their homework. Obviously, they have placed people in the crowd and may have even bribed them to shout that they want Jesus condemned to die. So, when Pilate asks them which one to condemn, the crowd yells "Jesus, crucify him!" In fact, Pilate asks them a second time just to be sure that he heard them right. "Jesus, crucify him!" a second time.
Barabbas walks free. Jesus is crucified. Physically speaking, Jesus died in Barabbas's place. The Light of the World died for a man who came from a very dark place. But, that's the way that it goes. The Light of the World died for everyone whether from a very dark place or not. It's just that Barabbas was the first. Neither history nor the Bible tells us what became of Barabbas. Whether he continued on as a terrorist or took advantage of his second chance and might have been one of the hundred and twenty in the upper room in Acts 1:13-15. No one knows. We just know that Jesus died for him.
He died for you, too.
