"No! Not This Man, We Want Barabbas!” Series

Sermon: “No! Not This Man, We Want Barabbas!”

Scripture: John 18:28-40 “Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. 29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?” 30 “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted. 31 “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. 32 (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.) 33 Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. 34 Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” 37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”40 But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

Introduction: John 18 allows us to listen to Jesus’ trial before Pilate. That day, the truth was on Trial. When our motives are impure, our choices can be deadly. Have you ever thought about the choice Barabbas? Barabbas means son of the father or son of the Rabbi, this well-known criminal who had come to the end of the line. Historians seem to suggest that he and two of his crew were arrested and tried together for the crimes against Roman and the Jewish community. He may have begun his journey as a freedom fighter but became an insurrectionist. His group may have had noble, patriotic purposes in mind. Yet like most rebels, they evolve into criminals, destroying other for their own gain and notoriety. The attack on Washington, January 6 is an illustration revealed how the son of a Rabbi could end up on death row. Not only that, this scene we find Pilate trying to find a way out of a tight spot. Pilate knowing Jesus was innocence desired to release him. He finds a loophole, an old almost forgotten Jewish law to secure the release of Jesus. He offered release any prisoner the Jews desired. In offering to release a prisoner, Pilate assume people would prefer Jesus over Barabbas. How wrong he was.

Pilate just want this case to go away. He understood the religious leader’s motive against Jesus. They were jealous and envious of Jesus. Pilate preferred not to deal with Jesus at all. Remember, he sent Jesus to Herod, when Herod returned Jesus to him without charges, Pilate had to deal with it. Finally, he calls for a basin to wash his hands of the matter and turns Jesus over to the Jews to be crucified. Many people would like to wash their hands and not deal with Jesus. We all must answer the question, “What shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ? That is the real question! Not what shall I do about police brutality, violence in the community, hypocrites in the church, or weaknesses of his followers, nor many of the other excuses people make. No it isn’t which religion is right nor which denomination or church is right? The question is, “What shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?

One can only imagine the shock and awe experienced by Barabbas. He was guilty of every charge. He is on death row awaiting execution probably thinking, the Passover will give me a few more days, then the surprise come. “You are free to go! Matthew calls Barabbas a notorious prisoner whose reputation preceded him. Mark calls him a murderer. John describes him as a robber. Luke said, he was guilty of sedition and murder. He is the good, bad, and ugly rolled into one. Each of the four gospel writers describes Barabbas to make sure we get a clear picture of this evil man. Barabbas was held in his prison cell about 2000 feet from these public proceeding. He probably thought the crowd was calling for his immediate execution. Barabbas could only hear the noise of the crowd. The crowd was shouting his name, “Barabbas, Barabbas!” Then the next shouts he heard crucify him! Crucify him! From what he could hear, he thought the whole world had turned against him and he was about to be instantly crucified. When suddenly, without warning, He is dragged out and told “You are free to go!” Free to go? Why? “Someone else is dying in your place today!” “On your way!”