“ME? BARABBAS?”
Mt. 27:15-17, 20-26
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: You really wonder about people’s common sense when you’ve read some of these instruction labels:
1. On a hairdryer: Do not use while sleeping.
2. On box of Cracker Jacks: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
3. On a bar of Palmolive soap: "Directions: Use like regular soap."
4. On some frozen dinners: "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
5. On a K-Mart iron: "Do not iron clothes on body."
6. On Nytol Sleep Aid: "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
7. On a child's superman costume: "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
B. TEXT
15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Mt. 27:15-17, 20-26.
C. THESIS
1. We’re going to look this morning at one of the most unusual substitutions in all of human history – the good for the bad.
2. This substitution throws great light upon each of us, because if we look into the face of the forgiven person, we’re likely to see our own face there!
3. The title of this message is “Me? Barabbas?”
I. STORY FROM BARABBAS’ PERSPECTIVE
A. BARABBAS’ LAST DAY
1. The prisoner stiffened as he heard the sounds of the soldiers coming into the pitch-dark prison. The stench and the blackness were driven back as the torches drew near.
2. He broke into a cold sweat and his stomach turned sick with fear. He knew the horrors of crucifixion; he had seen it too many times, but this time, it would be him.
3. Pushing, shoving, and dragging him, the ruthless soldiers brought him to the surface. Fresh air! Sunlight! How sweet to breathe it again, but only for a few hours.
4. But instead of taking him to the yard to be scourged, they forced him onto a balcony of the Palace, and there below, was a mob of thousands.
5. What cruel trick was Pilate about to play? What were those soldiers saying? Something about the Passover, and a prisoner would be released? Surely Pilate would not let him go -- one who had killed Romans and led a revolt against Caesar.
B. THE SUBSTITUTION OF JESUS TO DIE
1. With disbelief he listened as Pilate offered the mob a choice -- Jesus or Barabbas! That was no choice at all. He was guilty; Jesus was the prophet, the miracle-worker from Galilee.
2. They wouldn't possibly choose him! His heart almost stopped beating as he heard the crowd scream, "Give us a Barabbas!" And about Christ they cried, "Crucify him!"
3. His mind reeled as he thought, “This can't be happening! Me -- the guilty one -- spared? And Jesus -- the innocent one -- crucified? This must be some cruel joke.” But it wasn't.
4. With cursings, Pilate's soldiers roughly dragged him down the hallway, released his chains, and with threats of revenge, thrust him out onto a street.
5. He stood in shock, watching the door close. This morning he was to be crucified. Now he stood in the street -- a free man!
6. He began to hear the lash of the lictor’s whip. Again and again it cracked. Someone had been taken into the soldier’s courtyard and tied to the whipping post.
7. He ran down the street and peered through a hole in the wall. There in the courtyard, Jesus had been bound to HIS whipping post.
8. With every crack of the whip, Barabbas winced with vicarious pain, knowing that it should be HIS skin the cat-of-nine tails was ripping.
C. BARABBAS REELS AT THE INCONGRUITY
1. Barabbas’ mind reeled. “That Jesus is the holy Prophet! 1,000’s think He’s the Messiah. He’s healed the deaf and blind; He’s driven out demons; He even raised people from the dead. If there EVER was a Man from God, He’s Him!”
2. How could He be taking MY place? Who am I that God should even notice me?
3. I’m a criminal; He’s innocent. I’ve killed people; He’s never hurt anyone. I’ve cursed and sworn, but He’s only blessed. I’ve done gross sins, but He’s kept Himself pure. I’ve made a fool of myself in public, but He’s always acted wisely.
4. Why is He punished and I am set free?
5. After a terrible beating, Barabbas watched as Jesus took up HIS cross – the cross upon which he was going to die – and bore it to the place of death.
6. Barabbas’ nails were driven into Jesus’ hands. And Jesus died the death Barabbas was supposed to die.
THIS MAN BARABBAS GOT ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE REVELATIONS/ EXPERIENCES OF WHAT IT MEANT FOR JESUS TO BE HIS SUBSTITUTE.
JUST AS IT’S TRUE THAT JESUS WAS THE SUBSTITUTE FOR BARABBAS, SO WAS HE THE SUBSTITUTE FOR US!
II. OUR TERRIBLE POSITION
A. GUILTY OF CRIMES
1. This is the Sunday before Good Friday, when we recall the death of the Savior of the World – for us. On that day Jesus became the Substitute for You and I. THIS IS A MOMENT WE SHOULD PUT OURSELVES IN THE SHOES OF BARABBAS, SO WE CAN GRASP WHAT IT MEANS THAT JESUS TOOK OUR PLACE.
2. Mark 15:7; Barabbas was a criminal, guilty of insurrection and murder. He deserved to die; he was an evil, bloodthirsty man.
3. You and I are just like Barabbas -- guilty of sin. We are under the same sentence. Someone might say, "Are you saying that I'm an equivalent to a criminal? You insult me!"
4. Others might say, "But wait! Are you saying there’s no difference between a moral person and an immoral person?” Oh, there’s a difference – one’s a moral sinner and the other is an immoral sinner! Both are still sinners in God’s sight.
5. We categorize sin. Some sins we consider bad -- child abuse, murder, armed robbery, etc. but Jesus taught that sins of the heart, the imagination, are just as damning as terrible outward sins.
6. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. God is perfect. Heaven is perfect. Only perfection can enter it. Only one sin to keep you out.
7. Misconception: WE CAN BE GOOD ENOUGH TO GET TO HEAVEN.
B. ILLUSTRATION
1. Who here is a GOOD Swimmer? Come up here with me. We’re going to have a race: you, me, and Michael Phelps. We’re going to swim from Galveston to London, England.
2. Can you picture how this is going to go? I’m a lousy swimmer: I’ll be the first to go under. I’d last a couple of hundred yards at best.
3. Next you’ll be swimming. You might make it half way across Galveston Bay. It’s huge. But at last, you’d go under too.
4. Last would be Michael Phelps. As an Olympian, he might make it 50 miles, but at last Michael Phelps would wear down in sink helplessly beneath the waters.
5. Now if people were watching from space and could see Galveston and the route to London and where we 3 went down, you, me and Michael Phelps would look like we went down in the same place!
6. The POINT: OUR VERY BEST EFFORTS STILL LEAVE US IMPOSSIBLY FAR FROM THE MARK!
C. ILLUS. 2: ENTRANCE BY GRACE
1. A man died and went to heaven. Of course, St. Peter met him at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, “We work on the point system here. You need 100 points to get into heaven. Tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I’ll give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.”
2. “Okay,” the man said. He thought for a moment. “I was married to the same woman for fifty years and never cheated on her, not even in my heart.” “That’s wonderful,” said St. Peter, “that’s worth three points!” “Three points?”
3. “Well, I attended church all my life and I supported its ministry with my service and my tithe.” “Terrific!” said St. Peter. “That’s certainly worth a point.” “One point?!”
4. The man begins to panic, slightly. “I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.” “Fantastic, that’s good for two more points.”
5. “Two points?” Exasperated, the man cries, “At this rate the only way I’ll get into heaven is by the grace of God.” “Bingo,” said St. Peter. “That’s 100 points! Come on in!”
D. BECAME OUR SUBSTITUTE
1. The idea of Substitution has been around a long time. In the Old Testament there were sacrifices -- substitutes who died in the place of the people.
2. During the Civil War, a man hired a substitute, who fought and died in his place. The man was drafted again, went to court, and the court declared he couldn't be drafted again, because his substitute had served and died in his place.
3. In the winter of 1975, the Chicago Sun Times pictured a couple at a table kissing. The caption read: "Roderick Hinson gets a snack and a smack from Jacqueline Nash of East Cleveland, Ohio, after he served her three day jail sentence for possession of an unregistered gun." Hinson said it was his fault that she had the gun and that "a jail is not a good place for a lady." The judge said the substitution was unusual, but legal.
4. The GREATEST SUBSTITUTION: Jesus took your place at Calvary. Your cross. Your whipping. Your nails.
III. A CHOICE MUST BE MADE
A. YOU MUST CHOOSE
1. Just as Pilate set a Choice before the people -- Christ or Barabbas -- God has called on all the human race to choose.
2. The choice between 2 worlds: this one or the next;
The choice between serving God and serving ourselves;
The choice between surrendering our will to God or remaining independent of him.
B. MAGNITUDE OF THE CHOICE
1. More than a nice platitude; it's more than accepting an ideology or a mental decision. There must be a change of our hearts and spirits -- our very nature is corrupt. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things; who can know
it?" Ezekiel 36:26 says, "A new heart and a new spirit will I put in you..."
2. The only way we can get a new nature is to surrender ourselves to Jesus.
C. JESUS’ CALL TO DECISION
1. Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Mark 8:34-37. Two options are before you today; you must choose one -- which will it be?
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: THE NORTH STAR
1. A story is told of a ship called the North Star, that had to cross the North Atlantic through iceberg-infested waters.
2. A sailor was placed on deck to watch for icebergs. As fate would have it, the watchman fell asleep. When he suddenly awoke, to his horror, he saw a massive iceberg ahead of the ship.
3. The crewmen tried to correct the ship's direction, but it was too late. There was a jolt, then a sickening slow-motion crunch as the iceberg ground into the ship.
4. The captain assembled the frightened passengers and crew and announced the extent of the damage. He told them there was still a way to save the ship.
5. The captain looked at the sailors and said a volunteer was needed to jump into the frigid waters and swim into the gash caused by the iceberg.
6. Once inside, the swimmer could close the door to the compartment where the water was entering, saving the ship and all lives on board. None volunteered.
7. The captain paused; He realized that he would have to go down the line and ask the men individually.
8. The first seaman, with a mournful glance, reminded the captain that he had a wife and kids at home. The next sailor stood quietly, unable to say anything.
9. Suddenly all eyes turned toward a voice that pierced the tense silence. It was the youngest sailor, a teenager, who came forward.
10. He said, "I will do it, captain. Just give the command and I'll enter the water." The captain turned pale. He wrapped the young sailor in a tight embrace, then whispered the command, and the sailor quickly took off his shoes and jumped into the water.
11.As the crowd on deck listened intently, the subtle roar of the water entering the ship stopped. In the silence of that moment, the passengers realized that the young sailor had drowned.
12. The next morning, as the sun began to rise on the cold, gray horizon, the captain, being a Christian, called everyone together for a service of thanksgiving to the Lord.
13. After singing a few songs, the captain said, "That young man who made such a great sacrifice for us last night ....was my only son. You were saved at the price of my son." The same thing is true of us.
B. THE CALL
1. The question is, have you surrendered your life to Him?
2. Are you grateful for what He did for you? Will it be in vain?
3. Q: Will you say, ‘Give me a Barabbas’ or ‘Give me Jesus Christ’ and surrender to Him?
