YOU CAN CALL ME BARABBAS
Text: Mark 15:1 – 15
Most of you call me “Shawn”. Some of you call me “preacher” or “pastor.” A couple of you call me “Daddy.” But you can all call me “Barabbas.”
In chapter 14 of Mark, we read how that Jesus celebrated His last supper with His disciples. Judas leaves the supper to go to betray our Lord and Savior. Jesus tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him and that the rest of them will scatter. Peter forcefully declares that he will never forsake the Lord, but Jesus tells him that he will even deny knowing Him three times before the night is over. Solemnly, Jesus takes His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane where He spends His last hour of freedom praying to His Father.
Mark also records how that Judas comes on the scene and betrays Jesus with a kiss of friendship and respect. Jesus is arrested, and the disciples scatter just like He had said. Jesus is taken to the high priests home, where the Jewish High Council is meeting to hold a sham of a trial. Jesus is accused by many false witnesses that cannot get their stories straight, but finally is pronounced guilty of blasphemy after He is asked if He is the Messiah and He responds, “I am.” Blasphemy was punishable by death, but the Romans had taken away the power to execute criminals from the Jews. That’s where our scripture picks up.
Very early in the morning, the Jewish leaders tie Jesus up and take him to the Roman governor of Judea that just happens to be in Jerusalem with additional soldiers to keep the peace during the Passover. The Jews hated Pilate, and Pilate hated the Jews, but the Jewish leaders knew that if they wanted to execute Jesus, they would have to accuse Him of a political transgression in order for Pilate to agree to capital punishment. Pilate did not care about whether or not Jesus was guilty of blasphemy – that was a Jewish problem. So Luke records that the Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of three things: encouraging people not to pay their taxes to the Roman government, claiming He was a King in opposition to Caesar, and causing riots all over the countryside and disturbing the peace. While none of these accusations were true, they were certainly enough to get Pilate’s attention.
Pilate was charged with controlling the Roman soldiers that were stationed in Judea, collecting taxes for the Roman government, and with keeping the peace in his territory. If Jesus was truly guilty of what the Jews were accusing Him of, He represented a threat to the Roman government and to the peace that had been imposed by the Roman army. Pilate takes Jesus into the palace and questions Him.
After having several conversations with Jesus, Pilate finds Him not guilty of the charges that the Jews have brought against Him, and decides to let Him go free. But the Jewish leaders have gathered a mob outside of Pilate’s palace and have convinced them to call for Jesus’ execution. Pilate announces that he finds no fault in Jesus and will set Him free, but the crowd cries out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate had made a tradition of setting free a prisoner during the Passover, and decides to give the people a choice. He finds one of the most notorious criminals that he has in custody, Barabbas, and brings him to stand beside of Jesus. He asks the crowd, “Which one should I set free?” He is surprised that the people choose Barabbas. Thinking that He might be especially generous and free both of them, he asks the crowd, “What do you want me to do with the one that you call the King of the Jews?” And the people cry out once again, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” So, bowing to the pressure of the mob that stood outside his palace, Pilate releases Barabbas, and sends Jesus to be flogged and crucified.
This scripture teaches us a very profound truth about God and the salvation that He has provided for us. Barabbas was guilty of rebelling against the Roman government, inciting a riot, and being a party in the commission of a murder during that riot. In short, he was guilty of treason and of inciting the people to rebel against the Roman government. This was punishable by death, so as we are introduced to Barabbas in this scripture, we find him sitting on death row, waiting to be crucified. He is sitting in his cell, when suddenly some Roman soldiers come and take him to the platform where Pilate is sitting. The next thing that Barabbas knows is that the people are given a choice to choose between him and a man that Pilate says is innocent of the charges brought against him. He is surprised when the crowd chooses to have him released, and even more surprised when they call out to crucify the man that is innocent. But Barabbas accepts his freedom and walks away.
One of the surprising things about this story is that some historical sources record that Barabbas’ first name was Jesus. So Pilate presents two Jesus’ to the crowd that day – Jesus Barabbas, and Jesus Christ. Barabbas was guilty of the very thing that Jesus was accused of – treason. On that day, Jesus Christ, who was innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever, was substituted for Jesus Barabbas, who was guilty of everything. Jesus Christ was punished for the evil deeds that Barabbas was guilty of doing, and Barabbas walked away pardoned of his transgressions.
Now at the beginning of the sermon, I said you could call me Barabbas. The reason I said that is that Jesus did the same thing for me that He did for Barabbas. He became my substitute. I have shared my story with you several times since I have been your pastor. Two thousand years ago, before I was even born, I was standing there beside Pilate and Jesus, and I had been found guilty. I was guilty of lying, lust, witchcraft, and dozens of other things. I had been sentenced to die for my transgressions. But a man named Jesus, who was innocent of all those things, stepped forward without saying a word, and He took my place. He was punished and put to death for the sins that I had committed, and I walked away free and pardoned.
I want you to close your eyes for a moment and try to remember all the sinful things that you have done throughout your life. What are you guilty of? Deceit? Gossip? Adultery? Hatred? Envy? You may not realize it, but you have already been found guilty and have been sentenced to death. The Bible says “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:10, 23) It goes on to say that “For the wages of sin is death;” (Romans 6:23a)
Now, with your eyes still closed, I want you to imagine that you are standing on that platform with Pilate and Jesus. You are guilty and deserved to be executed, but instead, Jesus, who is completely innocent of doing anything wrong, becomes your substitute and is sentenced to death for your sins. You walk away free and completely pardoned.
The Bible says, “[3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. [8] He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” (Isaiah 53:3 – 8)
This was Jesus’ mission all along. He came to be your substitute. In Mark 10:45, Jesus told the disciples, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
So you can call me Barabbas, because on that day 2000 years ago, Jesus took my place, and I was set free and pardoned for all the sin I would ever commit. Your name is Barabbas too, because Jesus did the same thing for you.
Now, before I close, I want to mention two things. First of all, did you notice in the scripture that we read in Mark that Barabbas didn’t have any second thoughts about what Jesus was doing for him? He didn’t turn around and tell Pilate, “That’s okay, I am not worthy of this.” He didn’t say, “What do I have to do to pay Jesus back for what He is doing?” He just simply accepted Jesus as his substitute and walked away free and pardoned. That’s what you and I have to do too. We are not worthy of what He has done for us, and we can’t earn it. We can never pay Him back for what He has done. All He wants us to do is just accept it. Accept it and walk away free and pardoned. Have you accepted what Jesus did for you on that day? If not, what are you waiting for? I quoted only part of a verse earlier… “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Jesus has given you a great gift that He purchased with His own life. Accept it and walk away free and pardoned.
One last thing. Did you know that the name Barabbas means “Son of the father?” When Jesus took Barabbas’ place, Barabbas walked away pardoned and free to live as the son of the Father. When you and I accept Jesus as our substitute, we are set free to live the rest of our lives as the son or daughter of the Father as well. We should live our lives for Him. He took our place; we should take His place and continue His ministry. 1 Peter 2:21 – 24 says, “[21] For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: [22] Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: [23] Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: [24] Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 goes on to say, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
I am Barabbas. You are Barabbas, and so are you, and you, and you. Jesus was your substitute and was executed for the crimes that you committed against God. You can walk away free and pardoned, but you must accept what He has done for you, and live your life as a son or daughter of the Father. If you have not accepted Jesus’ substitute, what are you waiting for? The first time Jesus came, He came to be our substitute, and to die for our sins. The second time He comes, He will come to take us to spend eternity with Him. Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Have you accepted his offer of substitution? Are you living as one of the sons or daughters of the Father? Are you looking for His return? If not, now is the perfect time to do so. Don’t put it off.
