“They had a notable prisoner, called Barabbas...Pilate said unto them ‘whom
will you that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called the
Christ’...they said ‘Barabbas.’”
Matt. 27:15, 21
Many Christians believe in a cross that is far
too small, one that
has lost some of its grandeur, majesty, and power. The cross of Christ is
made small by the distance of time, tradition, and the lack of a love for
Christ. However, the cross looms larger when we know more of its
cost, power, and reality in our lives. Some of that reality is gained
when Christ’s sufferings are viewed from the vantage point of the
guilty criminal sentenced to death. As we stand in the place of the
condemned and watch Jesus Christ suffering for the accused, it is then
that we realize the awful cost of His death. We begin to truly
understand the importance of this substitutionary atonement when we
go to Calvary and there see the Just One suffering death, while the
guilty go free. The New Testament tells us of such a man, one who,
through Christ’s death, would experience this freedom, forgiveness,
and joy. This man is Barabbas, the insurrectionist and murderer. The
account of Barabbas, which appears in all four gospels, is not merely a
chapter in a larger story, but is recounted carefully so that we might
better appreciate our salvation in Christ. Truly, Barabbas’ freedom is a
picture of our salvation.
Barabbas Condemned to Die
When Barabbas was condemned to die, no one
questioned the
justice of his sentence. He was an insurrectionist against Roman rule, a
robber, and a murderer. And now, that outraged law had laid its
strong hands upon him, and he lay bound in a Roman cell, under the
sentence of death. He was not awaiting trial, but execution. Just before
him lay, as his only prospect, the awful death of crucifixion. He knew
what that meant—long hours of unspeakable agony, the hands and feet
torn by great nails, the wrist and shoulder joints dislocated by the
downward drag of his body. Each quivering nerve was a separate
torture through tension and a burning, unquenchable thirst, while all
around stood a jeering and taunting mob. All of his earthly hopes,
ambitions, and dreams now lay in rubble at his feet. All the prospects
he once sought would now end on a cross. The only question was,
when?
The sound of workmen’s voices on the hill outside
his jail-cell window
began to answer this question. The jailers were preparing three large
wooden crosses, while the other workmen were cutting three sockets in
the hard rock of Golgotha, the skull-shaped hill nearby. He knew that
one of those crosses would be for him? The thought produced in him a
sense of suffocation, of something clutching at his heart. A cruel Roman
guard shouted to him, ”You are to suffer in the morning.” There were
two other criminals who were to die with him, but since he was the
greater criminal, he was to have the prominence and to die on the
middle cross.
Barabbas Set Free, Christ Crucified
It was difficult to sleep that night because of
both worry and
unusual disturbances in the prison. The confused noises, outcries, and
the tramping of soldiers’ feet on the stone pavement outside broke the
stillness of the night and penetrated the prison’s thick walls. Everyone
in the prison recognized that something unexpected was taking place.
Barabbas sat up for a moment to consider what all this might mean.
Perhaps there was another insurrection, such as the one he had raised
against the majestic and inflexible Roman law. But the night wore on,
and finally, the first rays of daylight shone into the prison—the light of
his last day. Then he heard soldiers’ footsteps and the jailer’s key
grinding in the lock; the prison door swung open; but as he braced
himself for the suffering that would await, then he heard the joyful
words, “Go free! Go free, Barabbas; another takes your place! Another
is to die on your cross between the two malefactors.”
As Barabbas emerged into the free, glorious
Judean sunshine, the
crowd was already surging out toward, “Golgotha”, the place of the
skull. Then, if not before, the desire must have arisen to know the man
who had been condemned to die in his place. One can easily imagine
how Barabbas followed the throng, striving eagerly to see the One who
was to die on his cross. Perhaps it was not until the sound of the
hammer driving the nails had ceased and the cross—Barabbas’
cross—had been reared up, bearing its awful burden, that Barabbas saw
the Sufferer. We may well believe that, moved by a strange desire
welling within, Barabbas pressed his way through the howling mob
until he stood looking up into the face of Jesus.
Barabbas knew of Him, of course. His substitute
in agony was the
teacher out of Galilee, the Man who spoke as never a man spoke, the
Man whose life had been lived absolutely without sin. Adam was the
first to sin, but then, so did Abraham, Moses, David, and all the prophets
who followed; but not this Man. Moreover, He was able to heal lepers
and the paralyzed with just a word or a touch. One day, when the
crowd was hungry, He miraculously produced enough food for five
thousand men (not to mention women and children) out of five loaves
of bread and a few small fishes. Because of these mighty works of God,
Barabbas may have wondered if this Jesus were, indeed, the Messiah,
the Son of God. But he had not become His disciple because of his sin.
Barabbas’ Theology of Christ’s Death
Whatever the case may have been, on that day
Barabbas, though
not a trained theologian, nevertheless, began to understand the biblical
doctrine of salvation as never before. Christian writers, preachers, and
commentators have noted that Barabbas’ knowledge of the atonement
contained many of the essential elements. John McNeill, the great
Scottish preacher has well said: “My brethren, let me commend to you
Barabbas’ theory of the atonement. It is a good theory to preach on,
pray on, sing on, and die on. Do you know any other theory that will
stand these tests?” Let us examine the tenets of Barabbas’ theory of
“salvation.”
First,
He knew that he was a guilty sinner, sentenced under the
righteous condemnation of the law (Luke 23:25). In these two respects,
Barabbas was representative of all men (Rom. 3:10-20). For the
Scriptures tell us that, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of
God” (Rom. 3:23).
Secondly,
Barabbas knew, as he looked at the Sufferer hanging on the
center cross, that this man had done no sin (John 8:46, John 19:4). He
might echo, like the thief on the cross, “...seeing thou are in the same
condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of
our sins, but this man has done nothing amiss” (Lk. 23:40-41). The
Savior of the world was holy and just.
Thirdly,
He knew that Jesus was, for him, a true substitute. Jesus died
in his stead, so that he could go free. Whoever might question whether
Christ’s death was truly liberating and substitutionary, Barabbas would
never question this fact (2 Cor. 5:21). For Jesus’ dying on the cross was
the means of his freedom.
Fourthly,
He knew that he had done nothing whatsoever to merit the
marvelous death of Jesus Christ in his place. Whatever may have been
the reason for it, he knew it reached him as an act of pure grace (Eph.
2:4-9). All who are saved, whatever their standing in life, must
acknowledge that it is only through and because of the unmerited grace
of God.
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BARABBAS
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JESUS
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Name Meaning:“Son of the Father”
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“Son of
the
Father”
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Insurrectionist, murderer
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Sinless and holy
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Set Free
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Crucified
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Received Grace
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Received Judgment
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Guilty of all charges
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Innocent of all charges
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Fifthly,
Barabbas knew Christ’s death for him was perfectly and fully
sufficient. The only question before Pilate was whether Christ should
die or Barabbas. When it was decided that Christ should die,
Barabbas was set free. There was, therefore, nothing for him to add
to it. Just because Christ was dying, he was living. His assurance of
“salvation” was complete the instant that his Substitute said “It is
finished” and gave up the spirit (John 19:30, Eph. 1:7).
The Two “Sons of the Father”
After that day on Calvary’s hill, Barabbas, whose
name means
“son of the father”, would never be the same again. For it was there
that the Christ, “the anointed of the Father” died on his cross. Two
“Sons of the Father”: One sentenced to die for crimes of which he
was certainly guilty; the other sentenced to die for crimes of which
He was entirely innocent. One walked across the pavement, a newlyfreed
man, while “the other gave His back” (Isa. 50:4) to the Roman
scourge. One went out of the prison to be exonerated of all his
crimes, while the other silenced all who watched Him carry a rough
Roman cross upon His bloodied back. One received mercy without
wrath, while the other received wrath without mercy. One was
granted life, although he deserved death. The other received death,
although He deserved life, and was hastily buried in a borrowed
tomb, His death scattering all His friends. Two “Sons of the Father,”
one of whom died to set the other free. Thank God that, so many
years ago, the innocent One died, that all the rest of mankind could
be set free by believing in Him. Thank God for our Lord Jesus Christ,
the “Lord of Glory” (1 Cor. 2:8), who willingly stood in the place of
the condemned, who suffered the scourging due the sinner, who
endured the excruciating pain of the cross—in place of Barabbas...in
place of me...in place of you. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we
have turned each one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all”(Isa 53:6).
Editorial Note: Some editorial license has been undertaken in fleshing out the
details
surrounding the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and the trial of Barabbas.
In these
details we have attempted to be faithful to both Scripture and New Testament
history.
