Barabbas or Christ?
Resurrection Series 2022
Pastor Rodney A. Fry, MA, MDIV, MS, LPC, RPT Matthew 27:15–26
A. Pilate: The Most Uncomfortable Man in Jerusalem
1. Faced with a decision he doesn’t want to make
2. Under pressure from the Jews to crucify Jesus
3. Urged by his wife to have nothing to do with Christ
B. Pilate Tried One More Time to Free Christ
1. The custom of freeing a prisoner at the feast (v. 15)
2. Could this be a way of not having to decide about Jesus?
II. Body
A. The Contrast Between Barabbas and Christ (vv. 16–18)
1. A choice between a sinner and the Savior
2. Who was Barabbas?
a. A well-known criminal (v. 16)
b. Guilty of insurrection and murder (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:24)
c. A thief (John 18:40)
3. Who was Jesus?
a. One who was falsely accused (Matt. 26:59–61)
b. One whom Pilate believed to be innocent (v. 24)
c. One in whom Pilate could find no fault (John 19:4)
B. The Choice Between Jesus and Barabbas (vv. 20–24)
1. Pilate offers the crowd a choice
2. What a choice!
a. A choice between wickedness and righteousness
b. A choice between sinfulness and holiness
c. A choice between darkness and light
3. We must make the same kind of choices daily
4. The crowd was influenced by the priests and elders (v. 20)
5. Don’t let others influence you to make the wrong decision
C. The Consequences of Choosing Freedom for Barabbas (vv. 25–26)
1. The consequences for the people (v. 25)
a. “His blood be on us, and on our children”
b. The suffering that followed
2. The consequences for Jesus (v. 26)
a. The scourging
b. The crucifixion
3. The consequences for Barabbas
a. Jesus died in his place
b. Guilty Barabbas was set free
III. Conclusion
A. Jesus Also Died for You and Me
B. Trusting Him, We Are Set Free
