“Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:15-17)
Anyone familiar with the story of Jesus Christ is also familiar with many of the “bit players” in the drama. One of them is this man named Barabbas, who was released according to Jewish and Roman custom at the feast of the Passover. The Bible says this was done as a courtesy to the Jews because of their religious customs, probably to represent the release of the children of Israel from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, which is what the Passover is all about. But as the New Testament tells us, the Passover was fulfilled by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
Well over 80% of all people in the United States identify themselves as “Christians”. But that is such a broad label that it really does not clearly identify those who have truly trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. If 80% of the citizens of this country were truly born again believers living in fellowship with the Saviour, we would not have any of the problems we face today with drugs, crime, pornography, economic collapse, societal breakdown, divorce and family abuse, etc. and ad infinitum. The overwhelming vast majority of those 80% are Christians “in name only”. They have never made their faith personal. To them, Christianity is a religion that they belong to because of their affiliation with a group that labels themselves “Christian”. In reality, they are no more saved than Barabbas was.
Barabbas is a fascinating character. His name (Bar-Abbas) means “son of the father”. Of course, all of us are the son of a father (duh…), but Barabbas pictures the entire human race. We are all sons of our first father Adam, and as such, we are all guilty of the sin he brought on humanity in his fall. We may not have done what Barabbas did (sedition, robbery, and murder), but, “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) As a result, we are sentenced to die, just as this man was. If you will remember, there were two thieves crucified with Jesus on that day. Barabbas was a robber, and most likely, the third cross was slated for him. But he was freed, and Jesus took his place. No man on earth ever had a clearer personal witness of the gospel than Barabbas. A guilty man was in bonds and sentenced to die. An innocent man took his place, and the guilty man went free. Barabbas had zero merit. There was no reason to free him other than someone taking his place. That is the gospel. But there is no indication that Barabbas ever got saved. If you saw the movie “The Passion of the Christ” (by the way, not live footage, but a fairly accurate representation of the story), Mel Gibson did a very good job of capturing this scene. As he was being released, Barabbas paused for a brief moment and looked at Jesus. Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still for just a couple of seconds. You could clearly see that Barabbas was pondering the significance of his release. He knew first hand what it meant for Jesus to take his place in judgment. Then after a brief pause, he grinned, let out a yell, and ran out into the crowd a free man, and disappeared from the annals of history, never to be seen or heard from again. He is just like so many who profess to be a Christian. They have seen with the eye of faith what Jesus did to take away sin. They acknowledge the historical accuracy of the gospel record. But they have never made it personal. I Timothy 4:10 says Jesus is, “…the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” Jesus took away the sin of the world on the cross. In that regard, he is the Saviour of all men. But only those who have personally asked him to be their Saviour are genuinely saved. Jesus died for “Barabbas”, all the sons of the father Adam who are held in the bondage of sin. But specially, he is the Saviour of those that believe. If you have never personally asked Jesus to save you, do so today by faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment