Luke

Barabbas – A Portrait Of Us All

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Barabbas – A Portrait Of Us All

Luke 22:63 – 23:25

We have been following Jesus on His final march to the cross. He has spent the evening with His disciples, teaching them, washing their feet, eating the Passover, praying, and singing hymns. Then He resolutely strode to the Garden of Gethsemane where He poured out His soul in agonizing cries and tears to His Father to let the cup pass Him by. When He was finally sure that it was not possible and God was not willing to let the cup pass Him by, He arose from prayer and walked calmly toward His traitor and enemies who had assembled to arrest Him. When Peter rashly flailed around with his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Jesus healed him and told His disciples to put their swords away. Jesus was then brought to Annas, the retired High Priest, and then Caiphas, the current High Priest. Somewhere along the way, Jesus had occasion to turn and look at Peter, who went out and wept because he had denied his Lord three times that very evening.

What took place on that evening was a travesty of justice, a sort of kangaroo court. The Jews had established many different rules for their system of jurisprudence to make sure that justice was served. However the Jewish religious leaders broke almost all of their rules as they tried Jesus.

• No criminal trial could be started at night.
• The Jewish council could not initiate charges, but could only consider charges brought by an outside party.
• The initial proceedings were supposed to take place in the temple, but in this case they took place at the high priest’s home.
• Jesus was tried without a defense counsel.
• The defendant was supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
• He could not be convicted on the basis of testimony against himself.
• Conviction required the testimony of at least two reliable witnesses, whose testimony had to agree. They had to affirm that their testimony was true on the basis of direct experience, not hearsay or presumption. They had to identify the precise time and location of the event about which they testified. False witnesses were subject to the same penalty that the accused would suffer if convicted.
• In capital cases, the death sentence could not be carried out until the third day after it was given, and in the intervening time, the members of the council were to fast. This meant that the trial could not be convened during a feast, such as Passover.
• A pronouncement of guilt by the high priest was contrary to the normal order, which should have started with the least senior members.
• If a council voted unanimously for conviction in a capital case, the accused was set free, because the necessary element of mercy was presumed to be lacking.

In practically every particular, the Sanhedrin set aside the normal rules of justice. This was a travesty of justice!

Not only that, but Jesus was treated shamefully. Mt. 26:67-68 says, “Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?” So, there was spitting, slapping, and hitting in the face going on. There was mockery and blasphemy (vs.65). Later (23:11) Herod and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him, dressing Him in a gorgeous robe, as something of a clown. Imagine, the Lord of Creation, the Lord God Almighty who has been worshiped with the utmost reverence by the entire host of heaven, now is mocked and scorned and blasphemed with physical abuse by lowly creatures of the dust!

Well, the High Priest finally said, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Mt.26:63). When Jesus said, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven”, the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses?”  All of them said that He was deserving of death. So, the high priest put Jesus on the stand and made Him tell them whether He was the Son of God. In doing so, he was manipulating Christ to incriminate Himself. Notice the crime for which they said he was deserving of death – blasphemy. Of course, Jesus only committed blasphemy if His claim to be the Son of God was a lie. There was no blasphemy if He was telling the truth.

At this point in Israel’s history, the Jews did not have the power of capital punishment. The Romans had stripped them of that power, and reserved it for themselves alone. Therefore, the Sanhedrin knew that they couldn’t go to the Romans with this charge of blasphemy, because the Romans could care less about a Jewish theological issue. So, the members of the Council had to come up with charges that the Romans would take seriously. That’s why when they brought Jesus before Pilate, they aren’t charging Him with blasphemy. They charged Him with “misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King” (Lk.23:2).  Now, of course all of these charges were false. Jesus never misled the nation, forbade paying taxes to Caesar, or was in competition with any earthly king. However, these charges were so serious that Pilate couldn’t just dismiss them. In Luke 23:5 they even said, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.” When they said “Galilee”, Pilate latched onto it as though it were a lifesaver! Pilate didn’t believe Jesus was guilty of these crimes, but He couldn’t just dismiss the case seeing that the entire Sanhedrin was on his doorstep demanding he do something about this. But when they said “Galilee”, Pilate felt his troubles were over. He could just dump this Jesus on Herod, and let him deal with this whole ugly affair. After all, Galillee was Herod’s jurisdiction.

Herod was happy to see Jesus, for he had heard of the many miracles Jesus had performed, and wanted to see one himself. When Jesus failed to perform for him, he mocked him and sent him back to Pilate. Now, Pilate has to make a decision. All the people are clamoring for Jesus’ blood. The problem is that Pilate doesn’t believe Jesus is guilty of any of their charges.

Pilate had one last way he could possibly escape this dilemma. The Romans had a tradition. In order to show themselves merciful to the Jews who chafed under their authority, the Romans  released one of the Jewish prisoners at the Feast of Passover. And so, Pilate, believed that if given a choice, of course the people would want to release Jesus over Barabbas who was a convicted and condemned criminal. However, when he asked them who he should release, Barabbas or Jesus, he must have received quite a shock when they shouted that they wanted him to release Barabbas, and crucify Jesus.

According to historical sources, Barabbas’ was also named Jesus. They called him Jesus Barabbas. So, Pilate is pointing to two Jesus’ – Jesus Barabbas, and Jesus who is called Christ, and asking them which one he should release.

This morning we are going to ask three questions of our text:

1. What did these two men do?
2. What did these two men deserve?
3. What did these two men receive?

1. What Did These 2 Men Do?

Barabbas

Notorious.  Mt.27:16 says, “At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.”  Barabbas wasn’t just any old criminal. He was a notorious criminal. If he were living today he would be on the list of America’s Most Wanted. You would see his mug shot in your local post office. He was the Osama Bin Ladin of the first century. He was famous among the Jews as a thug and a con man. Everyone knew his name.

Insurrection. Luke 23:19 says, “He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.”  Most likely, Barabbas was a Zealot. These were a group of Jews who had decided to take matters into their own hands, and revolt against the Roman government. They concealed hidden daggers beneath their robes, and whenever they could, would cut down a Roman soldier in some back ally. Their goal was to stage a revolution. They wanted to overthrow Rome, at any cost. They were not content to submit themselves to their governing authorities, but instead were intent on killing and overthrowing the governing authorities.

Murder.  Luke 23:19. My guess is that the person Barabbas murdered was a Roman soldier. This man was a cold blooded killer. He was a hardened, callous, unfeeling man who would stop at nothing to effect his mission. You didn’t want to get in Barabbas way, for he had no respect for human life.  The name “Barabbas” would strike fear in people. It would be like mentioning the names “Charles Manson” or “Ted Bundy” today.

Robber. John 18:40, “So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.” There we have his full profile – a notorious murderer who committed insurrection and robbery. This man stole other people’s personal property. This guy was a slime ball! The Bible has nothing good to say about him. He was a wicked, ungodly man to the core.

Now, let’s take a look at Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ

Not Guilty.  This is what Luke is laboring to show his readers. He does it in many different ways. Let’s take a look at them.

Luke 23:4, “Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”

Luke 23:14-15, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold nothing deserving death has been done by Him.”

Luke 23:22, “And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

Luke 23:41, “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

Luke 23:47, “Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, sayaing, “Certainly this man was innocent.”

Now, if all that is not enough, we have the testimony of Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:4 when he says to the chief priests, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

The uniform testimony of Scripture is that Jesus was not guilty of any of the charges leveled against Him by the religious leaders. In fact, the uniform testimony of Scripture is that Jesus was sinless!

2 Cor. 5:21, “He made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf…”

Hebrews 7:26, “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens…”

1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God…”

Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

1 Peter 2:21-22, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.”

1 John 3:5, “in Him there is no sin”

The Word of God clearly states that Jesus was without sin. What a contrast to these two men. Barabbas, the hardened murderer, insurrectionist, and robber, and Jesus Christ, the righteous and holy Son of God.

2. What Did These 2 Men Deserve?

Barabbas

So, what did Barabbas deserve for his crimes?  Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.”

Leviticus 24:17, “If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death.”

Barabbas was not an offender in prison that was going to be rehabilitated and released into society. He was a murderer on death row. In fact, his execution was scheduled for the very day Jesus was executed. Barabbas was guilty of rebellion and murder and theft, deserving of death. He had been tried and found guilty, and the Governor himself had placed his seal on the signed death warrant. Nothing was left but to execute the sentence.

Jesus Christ

What did Jesus deserve? He deserved eternal life. He is the only man in history who has perfectly kept God’s law. Leviticus 18:5 says, “So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.”  Jesus did all of God’s statutes and judgments. Therefore, he earned life.

Barabbas deserved death – Jesus deserved life.

3. What Did These 2 Men Receive?

Here we see the greatest injustice of all time. Barabbas was released, and Jesus was crucified.  They let the wrong man go free, and they put to death the wrong man. Jesus was innocent and they crucified Him. Barabbas was guilty, and they released him!

Imagine Barabbas sitting in his prison cell. He has no plans for the evening. As far as he is concerned, this will be his last day on earth. His execution is planned to take place in just a few hours. Yet, he hears the shouting of a great mob of people. His only about 2,000 feet away from where Jesus is being tried. Of course, he could not hear the voice of Pilate, but he would have been able to hear the shouts of the crowd. So, what did he hear in his cell that day?

Let’s look at Matthew 27:21-23, “But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said “Crucify Him!”  Now, what would Barabbas have heard? “Barabbas! Crucify him!”  So, when he heard the soldiers coming down the stone corridor, with the keys jangling in their hands, and saw them stop at his cell, what did he think? “OK, this is it. I’m going out to die.”  However, what a shock he must have received when the warden said, “Barabbas, you’re free to go. Get out, and don’t let us see your face again. The Governor has pardoned you. Someone else is going to die in your place.”

That’s what Barabbas received? What did Jesus of Nazareth receive? First, he was scourged. He was whipped with a cat of nine tails. That was a leather whip with bits of stone or glass sewn into the ends. As a man was lashed with it, his back would be torn to ribbons, and become hamburger meat. Many men went mad from a scourging, and some died. But that was only the beginning. After the scourging Jesus was made to carry His cross to the execution site. The soldiers would make Him lie down naked on the rough timbers. Then one soldier would hold his hands in place, while another drove iron spikes through his wrists and feet. Then then they would lift up the cross and drop it into a hole, and leave him there to die. Crucifixion was an extremely cruel form of capital punishment because the person’s death came about so slowly. Often it would take several days for a crucified man to die. The victim would die of suffocation. He would hang limply from the cross in such a way that he would have to push down on his pierced feet just to take his next breath. And so, for hours or days, the crucified man would push himself up just enough to take another breath, and then fall back down in exhaustion. That’s why the Romans would break the victim’s legs if they wanted to speed up the death. When the man’s legs were broken, he could no longer push himself up to take another breath, and would die of suffocation. Jesus didn’t die of suffocation. Jesus voluntarily gave up His life. He said, “Father into Your hands I commit My spirit” and then died.

Barabbas deserved death and got life. Jesus deserved life and got death.

Conclusion

So, what does all of this have to do with you and me? This account of the release of Barabbas is included in all four of the gospels. I believe they included it, because they saw in it a type of us. You see, YOU are Barabbas. I am Barabbas. His story can become our story.

His Name.  Barabbas is a compound word, comprised of “bar” and “abba”.  Bar means “son of.” Remember that Jesus addressed Peter as “Simon barjona.” That means “Simon son of Jonah.” Now we know what “abba” means, right? Jesus addressed his Father in prayer by crying, “Abba! Father!”  So, Barabbas means “son of a father.” Now, that in itself doesn’t tell us very much does it? It is a very vague and ambiguous name. After all, everyone is the son (or daughter) of a father. But interestingly, it is the perfect name if he represents all of mankind. All of us are the son of our first father, Adam. We are sons and daughters of Adam. We are born in Adam, and have inherited his sin and death.

His Guilt. Just as Barabbas was a guilty rebel, murderer, and thief, so are we.

Rebel:   We have rebelled against God’s authority. We have defied him times without number. Instead of doing His will, we have done our own. Instead of reverencing God’s name, we have used it as a curse word. Instead of honoring our parents, we have disobeyed and dishonored them. Instead of always speaking the truth, we have spoken lies. All of us are rebels.

Murderer:  We may not have actually murder against another human being, but in a way we are responsible for the murder of Jesus Christ, because it was our sin that put Him on that cross. We have to own up this and take responsibility for it. If we had not sinned, there was no reason for Him to suffer and die.

Robber:  During our life we have all stolen things. It may have been our employer’s time when we took a long lunch or break, or goofing around when we were supposed to be working. It may have been taking things home that were our employer’s property. It may have been shoplifting, or actual burglaries.  In another sense, we have all robbed God. Everything we have is from Him, and we have used our time, and our money, and our bodies, and our talents for our own pleasure rather than for His glory.

His Sentence.  Folks, we are sons of our father Adam. We are guilty, just like Barabbas was. And we deserve death, eternal death. Galatians 3:10 says, “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a cruse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them.” If a person does not always continue to do everything in the Law, he is cursed. How many commandments must a person break to go to Hell? It was D. L. Moody who asked his hearers once, “If a man falls over the side of a cliff, and is dangling from a chain of 10 links, how many links must break before he falls to his death?” Of course, the answer is only 1! My friends, you don’t have to break every commandment to be lost. You only have to break one. If you want to be saved by your works, you must obey all of God’s Law. But that’s not all. You must always obey God’s law. You must abide by it. So, what happens if you don’t obey all of God’s Law, and obey it always? You are cursed! You are doomed! You will face eternal death.

His Destiny. Now, this is where things get really interesting. In spite of his guilt and death sentence, Barabbas was released. He was set free. He was supposed to die on that middle cross, but Jesus Christ took his place. The righteous one took the place of the unrighteous one. A substitution took place. The religious leaders were saying that Jesus was guilty of insurrection, stirring up the people. However, that is exactly what Barabbas was guilty of. Jesus bore the full penalty for Barabbas’ insurrection. Likewise, Jesus bore the full penalty for all of our crimes against the high court of heaven. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”  Yes, we are all cursed because of our sin. Yet Christ set us free from that horrible curse, by becoming a curse for us. He bore our sin and punishment, so that we might be pardoned and set free.

Are You Barabbas? Do you see yourself in him? Now, what did Barabbas have to do to be released? Did he promise to do hundreds of hours of community service, or make restitution to those people he had robbed? No, the truth is he did absolutely nothing to deserve His release from death. His release was an unsought and unexpected gift from the Governor. My friends, our salvation is of grace. We did nothing to earn or deserve it. It came to us unsought and unbought from the Governor of the Universe.

If you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, I challenge you today to trust Him as your Savior and Lord. Accept His cross as the payment for your sin. Determine that you will begin today to follow Him in all things.

If you are a follower of Jesus, I exhort you to worship the great Substitute for Sin – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is worthy of your worship. He has redeemed you by His mighty hand and bloody death. Join the angels in singing, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break it sseals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Amen.

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