“WHY BARABBAS?”


BIBLE READING: Matthew 26-Mark 2
DISCUSSION                                                                 
                The story of Barabbas has always intrigued me.  He is only mentioned in the story of the cross, but he is mentioned in every one of the Gospels.  Honestly, if we have no mention of him or his story; the story of Jesus is still the same.  Jesus would have still been arrested, still scourged and still hung on the cross for our sins.  None of those primary aspects of the Gospel would change at all, so why did God see fit to intertwine His story with Barabbas?   Just think for a moment, Barabbas was guilty of a crime and was awaiting his justly deserved punishment.  Yet through a series of events, Barabbas is granted mercy.  He was released that day, because someone else was willing to pay for his crime and accept his punishment.  That someone was Jesus!  We are in the same situation, because of our sin our justly deserved punishment is death (Romans 6.23).  Yet, through the series of events that are contained in the pages of our Bibles from Genesis through Revelation; Jesus was willing to pay for our crime and accept our punishment.  The story of Barabbas is more our story than it is of Christ’s.  Barabbas reveals to us on a physical level, what God does for us on a spiritual one. -MH

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