John 18:38-40 says, “Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.”
As we read here in John 18, there was a Jewish custom to release a prisoner during the Passover. This custom gives freedom to one not worthy for such a gift. On this specific year, there was a dilemma (whether to release Barabbas or Jesus). Barabbas was a criminal, more specifically, a robber. In other verses in Scripture, it also reveals that he was a murderer. This man was truly a criminal. Because of his actions, he was worthy of a death penalty. Jesus, on the other hand, was innocent. Pilate found no fault in Him. Jesus was sinless, harmless, and perfect. It is obvious that Jesus should have received freedom. Barabbas did absolutely nothing to gain this free gift. However, Jesus took the punishment on himself, while Barabbas was set free. I see such a wonderful parallel. We are just as Barabbas. We are sinners, worthy of death. We have sinned against God and have no merit to receive freedom. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
We deserve death because of our crimes, our sin against a Holy God. Yet before we serve this death sentence, there is a free gift of eternal life available to all. This comes from an exchange through Jesus Christ. He died on the cross in our place. Again, there was no crime committed, but He was sacrificially put to death. Through this death, we can be set free. Not because of anything we did, but because of what He did for us. This gift of freedom can only be gained through faith. If we would only place our faith and trust in Jesus, we can be set free. Make that decision for yourself and also tell others about this freedom we can have through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(By Matt Shold)
