John 18:12-27; Matthew 27:1-26; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-40; Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20; John 19:1-16; Matthew 27:32-56; Mark 15:21-41;

Luke 23:26-49; John 19:17-37

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.

John 19:1-8

In the final hours of Jesus’ ordeal before dying, Pilate stands in conflict. Should he release Jesus, a man he believes is not guilty, or should he act in the best interest of Rome and sacrifice one Jew for the good of the country? He chided Jesus, reminding Him of the power he held to let Him live or die. Jesus corrected Him, stating He was allowing all of this to happen to Himself. Jesus even gave an opening for Pilate to go ahead with the crucifixion saying the greater guilt was with those who turned Jesus over to Pilate. With the “power” over life and death, Pilate was desperate for an acceptable solution for the Jews, the Romans and for Jesus.

He thought he had it all figured out earlier when he brought Barabbas into the mix.

(Pilate) went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

John 18:38-40

A robber? That is an understatement. Barabbas was a revolutionary. Barabbas was a killer. His actions placed his own countrymen in direct peril, because the Romans did not tolerate insurrection. The Zealots were a nasty bunch who relentlessly poked at Rome until the Romans retaliated. Barabbas was a social and political Jew, but not a religious one … at least not ‘practicing. In a very real sense, Barabbas was the enemy of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians, the fishermen, the shepherds, the vine keepers and the Romans. Pilate picked the guy everyone wanted dead – who happened to actually deserved to die.

But, the people spoke. Release the guilty one and kill the innocent one. In what universe of justice do the guilty go free and the innocent perish? In the universe of grace, mercy, justice and righteousness that is under the sovereignty of Yahweh who is willing to die to save my soul. You see, I am Barabbas.

I am Barabbas and so are you. We all are guilty and death is the wages of our sin. Even so, the world prefers us to Jesus. The world wants the sinful me, not the washed and sanctified me, so it condemns Jesus. It makes no sense. And they crucified Jesus between two thieves.

As Barabbas went his way, things simply got worse for Jesus. The bloody mess that He was wearing the robe of derision and the crown of pain, the King of the Jews now endured spitting, insults the weight of a cross and the finality of nine-inch spike into His hands and feet. His body jarring into place, Jesus struggled for each and every breath He took. He watched as the garment Mary made for Him when He was younger was callously given to another at the roll of dice.

As the innocent man approached death, somewhere an astonished man walked away freely. One would die so the other could live. It makes no sense. I seems so unjust. My Savior is dying and I go free. I am Barabbas.

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!