I Am Barabbas...And So Are You
It should have been us, but He took our place
We are Barabbas in a lot of ways. Remember him? He’s the guy that Pilate, at the request of the Jewish crowd, released instead of Jesus. (Mark 15:6-15)
What Do We Know About Barabbas?
When we piece together all four gospel accounts, we get only a small glimpse of Barabbas.
His name in Aramaic meant “son of his father.” That was as basic a description as you can find. Simply put, he was a human man, the offspring of another human man. Nothing more about his life other than his humanity set him apart from others.
He was an insurrectionist. Barabbas was a rebel. Quite possibly he was among the ranks of a group of Zealots who wanted to overthrow Roman rule. Men like Barabbas stirred up trouble everywhere they went.
He was a murderer. Apparently, a recent uprising got so violent that in the process, Barabbas killed someone. The Romans incarcerated him, and he awaited trial on charges of murder and insurrection.
Not exactly a heroic figure, was he?
How Are We Like Barabbas
In more ways than we care to admit, we are Barabbas.
We are merely human. Even our best efforts at anything good come up woefully short. As Paul said in Romans 7:18, there is nothing good in us, humanly speaking. We are nothing more than a human child of a human father.
We are rebellious since we have rebelled against God and all He has for us. In Romans 3:10 & 23, Paul reminds us that we all are sinners who come short of God’s standard of righteousness. In no way can we claim ignorance because we know what God requires. We can only admit that we chose to do our thing instead of God’s thing.
We are murderers. “I’ve never taken the life of another human being,” you say. We did, however, cause the death of Jesus, God’s Son. The truth of Romans 5:8 gives us freedom. God demonstrated his love for us by giving His Son’s life for our sin.
Like Barabbas, we went free because Jesus went to the cross. We’re the ones who sinned, not Jesus. No fault was found in Him, but we are full of faults. Yet, He died for us, and He set us free.
What Happened to Barabbas?
The Bible does not mention anything else about Barabbas after Pilate released him? Did he return to his thieving, rebellious ways? Or did the import of what happened affect him so profoundly that his life changed? We really don’t know what happened to Barabbas.
But I know what happened to me. I found myself humbled when confronted with such sacrificial love. It amazes me that Jesus would willing take my place, because I know who and what I am. His love for me compels my devotion to Him. How could I turn away from such love? I am forever HIS.
As you meditate during this Easter season, put yourself in Barabbas’s place. You, too, are Barabbas. You should have died, but Jesus took your place. How does that truth affect your life today?