Mark 15:11-13 "But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him."Not a lot was known of Barabbas. His name means "son of Abba". Often the Priests would be called "Abba". It is possible that Barabbas was once a religious man. For whatever reason, he had become a thief, a murderer and the leader of an insurrection. He was in prison waiting his sentence to be crucified. Crucifixions were not uncommon among the Romans. At times they may have a road lined with crosses of individuals that they wanted to make a public example of, causing the people to fear the same sentence if they followed these rebels.
Jesus had been arrested and charged with committing blasphemy, and teaching against Caesar. The Pharisees had hired men to lie and testify falsely against our Lord. When brought before Pilate, Jesus was asked the question 'Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus simply answered, "Thou sayist." He had never claimed to be the King of the Jews, but he said His kingdom was not of this world. He had come to proclaim the truth, and those that know Him hear the truth. Pilate then asks Him "What is Truth?" Jesus did not respond. Pilate finding no fault in him wished to release him, but the Jews sought to kill him. Pilate knew that during this season they could request that a man be pardoned and set free. His desire was to wash his hands of this Jesus, and send Him away. He found it is not that easy. When we are confronted with the truth, we must either accept or reject, but ignoring is not an option. Pilate wanted to ignore Him, but he had to make a choice, he chose to release Barabbas.
In the Roman empire, when a person was freed of all charges and pardoned, they were given a white stone with their name on it. This was a sign for all that they were free.
Now look at this man Barabbas and see the comparison to our lives today:
1. He was a terrible sinner - We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
2. He was bound in prison and could not free himself - We are all bound by sin and cannot free ourselves
3. He was sentenced to death - We are all guilty and the wages of our guilt is death (Romans 6:23)
4. He received a pardon though he did not deserve it - When we accept Christ we are saved by grace, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)
5. Jesus took his place on the cross - Jesus took our place. He was our substitute. He paid the debt that we owed and died in our stead. His sacrifice paid the price for our salvation. through the confession of our mouth, and believing in our heart we can be saved (Romans 10:9-10)
6. He received a white stone - One day when we stand before the Lord, when we have endured this life and the sufferings that may come our way, we will not only eat of the hidden manna, but we will be given a white stone with a new name on it that only we will know (Revelation 2:17) for we became new creatures in Christ "...old things are passed away behold all things are made new" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
How about you? Have you accepted the substitute in your life? If not, you are guilty and deserve death. But Christ came that you "...might have life, and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10)
