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The
Substitute
His
name was Barabbas, meaning “son of the father.”
However, he was not the
kind of man that would make his father proud.
Writers describe him as “a notorious
prisoner” (Matthew 27:16), an insurrectionist,
a rebel against the government of his day (Mark
15:7), a murderer (Mark 15:7; cp. Acts
3:14), and a robber (18:40).
He was found by the governing authorities to be
GUILTY of these crimes, and having committed a capital
crime, he deserved the DEATH sentence.
Since he lived in first century Palestine,
occupied by the Romans and therefore under Roman law,
his manner of death was to be crucifixion.
But,
when the paths of Barabbas, “son of the father,”
and Jesus Christ, Son of the Heavenly Father, crossed,
the course of his life would change forever.
Herein, we
see an illustration of the CONDITION
of ALL mankind
under sin and the sentence of death.
We also see Gods SOLUTION for ALL who have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans
3:23) everywhere proclaimed by the URGENT and VITAL
message
of the "GOSPEL"
Observe
some of the factors of Barabbas’ case and how they
apply to each and every one of us.
Barabbas
was guilty and deserved punishment for his crimes.
He was NOT an innocent man who was
suffering unjustly for crimes that he did not commit.
He was guilty, and he deserved to die.
You and
I are also guilty and
deserve the punishment for sin.
Rebellion against God’s ultimate authority
over life, in whatever form it manifests itself, is
called SIN.
The TRUTH is that
“ALL have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God” (Romans 3:23) AND
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
THEREFORE, ALL the
world stands guilty before a holy God, and deserving
of death. There
are NO
exceptions.
Unless,
that is, someone approved by God is willing to die
in our place.
Jesus
became Barabbas’ substitute.
Pilate, the Roman Governor, found nothing
worthy of death in Jesus.
Nevertheless, the angry Jews cried out for His
crucifixion. Pilate
had a custom that during the Jewish Passover, he would
release one prisoner to the people as a show of good
faith. He
offered them a choice:
Jesus or Barabbas.
The people chose Barabbas.
And so, Jesus was
crucified in his place.
And
in this "EXCHANGE OF
LIVES" we see a picture of what Jesus
actually did for
you and me. Barabbas was WITHOUT HOPE -
imprisoned and awaiting the sentence of death.
Apart from Christ, we too are WITHOUT HOPE
- in bondage to SIN and under the sentence of death,
looking forward with a fearful expectation of
judgment. God’s
justice demands FULL payment for our sin, which is
DEATH. But
in His mercy, He provided a Substitute for us.
On the cross, Jesus not only died in
Barabbas’ place; He died in OUR
place.
When
you and I deserved to die in payment for our OWN sins,
God “made Him who knew NO sin to be sin for
us, that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Scripture
declares that Christ “Himself is the propitiation
[or the Substitute who
paid the price for] our sins, and not for ours only
but also for the whole world”
(1 John 2:2). Yet,
NOT all will be saved from their sins (Matthew
7:13-14). Why?
Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice MUST be
accepted! We
accept Christ’s gift through our faith
(Acts 16:31), repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confession
(Romans 10:9-10) and baptism
for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).
Jesus
died YOUR death!
In His loving grace He took YOUR
place in payment.
Will
you accept God's Substitute?
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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