Mark 15:1-15 – Barabbas: That’s You!
Today, as we proceed through our study of The Life of Jesus, we get ever closer to Jesus’ death. Today we are looking at one aspect of His trial and crucifixion that may or may not be new but it bears repeating anyway. To be reminded of what Jesus did for us is always worth hearing again. Let’s read Mark 15:1-15.
I’m told of an overly-ambitious American attorney who telephoned the governor just after midnight, insisting that he talk to him regarding a matter of utmost urgency.
An aide eventually agreed to wake up the governor.
"So, what is it?" grumbled the governor.
"Judge Garber has just died," said the attorney, "and I want to take his place."
The governor replied: "Well, it’s OK with me if it’s OK with the undertaker."
This passage of scripture is about taking someone’s place. The Roman tradition, to appease the crowds, was to show mercy once a year. It was an attempt to control the mobs, by being able to say in an uprising, “But look what we have done for you!”
In the year that Jesus died, likely 30AD, there was a prisoner named Barabbas. It’s obvious to see the change of public opinion. The crowds that had shouted Jesus’ praises on Sunday were now shouting for His execution. They swayed on their opinions so far that they requested that this scoundrel named Barabbas be set free while Jesus be killed.
Well, today I want to show you that you and I are Barabbas. In a physical sense, Jesus took Barabbas’ place. But in a deeper sense, each of us is a Barabbas, and it was our punishment that Jesus took.
Let me explain. We first have to look at the name. Barabbas is a Hebrew name which literally means, “son of father”. That’s fairly ambiguous. I mean, every person is a child of his/her father. Every male is a son of his father, and every female is a daughter of her father. That name Barabbas applies to each one of us. So when we say that Jesus died in Barabbas’ place, He died in our place.
Let me get more specific. John 18:40, in most translations, call Barabbas a thief or a robber. The NIV uses a phrase that I will get to in a moment. But we can see that Jesus died for a thief or a robber. Is that you? Have you ever wanted very strongly what someone else had, to the point of not being happy with what you already had? That’s what the Bible calls coveting, and it’s a sin.
Have you ever lusted? Wanted someone that wasn’t yours? Either you were already taken or the other person was. Lust is stealing, and that makes any of us who have ever had wandering eyes or thoughts a robber and a thief.
Well, who else was this Barabbas fellow? Matthew, Mark and Luke all mention that Barabbas was a murderer. Well, surely, none of here today is a murderer. Then again, Jesus said that being very angry with another person is the same as murder. Wishing another person dead is murder. And honestly, as an old pastor told me years ago, spreading lies and gossip about someone else kills their reputation and good name, which in a sense kills them too. So maybe none of us has actually pulled a trigger, but thinking about the things that Jesus said were like murder, how many of us are innocent?
The last thing that the Gospels say about Barabbas’ charges is that he was an insurrectionist. He rose up against the leading government, the Romans, and tried to rebel against them. Well, let me say, even if you have never stolen or murdered, I know you have rebelled. I know that you looked at God square in the eye and said, “I don’t want to do what is right. I want to do what I want. I want to ignore my conscience. I want to follow my desires instead of follow God.” That’s insurrection. God made you, He put you here, He deserves to be obeyed, and I know that each of you walked away from Him.
So it could have been you in that prison cell awaiting execution. The good news is that, even as Jesus took Barabbas’ place, He took your place too. The death you deserved, Jesus took it. The punishment you deserve, Jesus took it. The separation from God that you deserved, Jesus took it. The truth is, you are Barabbas, you deserve to die, and Jesus took your place.
Now, one interesting thing about Barabbas is that we have no idea how he felt about this whole thing. He got off scott free from his deserved punishment, but the Bible doesn’t tell us how he felt about it. Relieved? Thankful? Or unthinking and callous about the whole thing?
Isn’t that us? We know that Jesus died for us, that He took our place, but it doesn’t seem to affect us much. We still try to do all the things we want without considering God’s opinion about them. We still try to get all the things we want, not considering what God wants for us. We know Jesus died for us, but to live for Him is too much. Once again, we show how much alike we are with the scoundrel, the notorious criminal Barabbas.
So I say, let the truth flood your soul. I say, let the fact of Jesus’ dying in your place actually affect you and get into your thoughts and feelings. Don’t walk out of here without being thankful what Jesus did. Remember His sacrifice for you, Barabbas. And live your life for Him. The fact that He died for Barabbas means that He is more than willing to forgive you – that’s what it was for. So despite your past attempts at stealing, your past murders, your past insurrections, fighting against God, know and believe and accept His forgiveness. And be grateful for it. Don’t become hard.
Let me tell you a story to close. In the mountains of Virginia, there once was a one-room school with students no teacher had been able to handle. Two or three teachers had been run off from this school in one year by the unruly students.
An old bent-over teacher heard about the school and applied for the job. There were so few candidates that he was hired on the spot.
The next morning Old Man Teacher stood before the class. He said to the class, "Young people, I came here today to conduct school. But I realize I can’t do it by myself. I must have your help." One big boy they called Big Tom, in the back of the room whispered to his buddies, "I can get rid of this guy.”
And Big Tom tried. He tried the tack on the chair, the glue on the chair, and the snake in the desk drawer. Nothing worked. Old Man Teacher was there to stay.
Well, Old Man Teacher told the class that if they were to have school, there would have to be some rules to go by. But he also added that he would allow the students to make up the rules, and that he would list them on the blackboard. This was certainly different, the students thought! One young lady said, "No putting girls’ ponytails in the inkwells." Another one shouted, "Be on time!" Pretty soon they had ten rules listed on the board. Even Big Tom piped in and said, “You know, I hate when someone steals my lunch. There should be a rule about no lunch-stealing.” Old man Teacher wrote that on the board, too.
The teacher then asked the class what the punishment should be for breaking the rules. "Rules are no good unless they are enforced," he said.
"Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on," was the decision of the boys.
"That is pretty severe, boys. Are you ready to stand by it?" inquired the teacher. Another yelled, and the teacher said, "The rules stand. School comes to order!"
Everything went well for two or three days. Then Big Tom came in one day very upset. He declared that someone had stolen his lunch. After talking with the students, they came to the conclusion that little Timmy had stolen Big Tom’s lunch. Someone had seen little Timmy with Big Tom’s lunch! The teacher called little Timmy up to the front of the room.
Little Timmy admitted he had taken Big Tom’s lunch.
So the teacher asked him, "Do you know the punishment?"
Little Timmy nodded that he did.
"You must remove your coat, then," Old Man Teacher instructed. The little fellow had come with a great big coat on.
Little Timmy said to the teacher, "I am guilty, and I am willing to take my punishment, but please don’t make me take off my coat."
The teacher reminded little Timmy of the rules and punishments and again told him he must remove his coat and take his punishment like a man. The little fellow started to unbutton his old coat. As he did so, the whole class saw he did not have a shirt on under the coat. And even worse, they saw a frail and bony frame hidden beneath that coat. The teacher asked little Timmy why he had come to school without a shirt on.
Little Timmy replied, "My daddy’s dead, and my mother is very poor. I don’t have but one shirt, and my mother is washing it today. I wore my big brother’s coat so’s to keep warm."
At that point, Big Tom spoke up. He said, “Oh that’s OK, Old Man Teacher. I’m so big and he’s so small, and I can go one day without eating. He doesn’t need to be punished.”
But Old Man Teacher said, “But he does. He knew the rules, he broke the rules, and we must follow through with the punishment.”
With that, the Old Man Teacher drew back to strike little Timmy.
Just then Big Tom stood up and came down the aisle. He said, "Wait! What’s the rule?”
Old Man Teacher turned around at the board and read word for word: “No stealing. Punishment: Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on.”
Big Tom said, “It says that punishment has to be dealt out. But it doesn’t say who has to take it.”
Old Man Teacher thought it out and said, “You’re right – it doesn’t.”
At that point Big Tom took off his shirt, stooped down, and stood over little Timmy at the desk. With great hesitation, Old Man Teacher began to lay the rod on that big back. After only five licks that old rod just broke in half. And at the end of it all, all you could hear were sobs. From the teacher and from the class. But the one who did the loudest sobbing was Little Timmy, grateful that someone who didn’t deserve it took his punishment for him.
