The First Person Saved by Jesus' Death: Barabbas Released Instead of Jesus
Why was Barabbas released instead of Jesus?
He stood condemned. He was a robber. A murderer. An Insurrectionist. A notorious prisoner scheduled for a well-deserved crucifixion: Barabbas.
What ran through his mind as he sat in prison awaiting the cross? Was his heart hard? Did he justify his actions? Did he think, “Those I plundered deserved to be robbed. Those I murdered had it coming to them. The Romans do not deserve my respect; they should be overthrown! My plundering and murdering and insurrection have made the world a better place.”
Did he fear the pain of the cross? Did he envision his flogged body lying on the horizontal cross? Did his fists tighten at the thought of nails being hammered through his wrists and feet? Did his head dizzy picturing the cross containing his body being lifted to a vertical position? Did he imagine his flesh tearing, his body slumping, his lungs barely able to breathe as he hung for hours awaiting death?
But the crucifixion of Barabbas never happened. Barabbas surely knew that Pilate would release a prisoner at the Passover feast. But release him? Surely not. He wasn’t exactly popular with the crowd. To hear that the chief priests had stirred up the crowd to have him released instead of this Jesus; well, that must have been a stunning revelation to Barabbas.
His chains were released. He was set free. Jesus was sent to Calvary.
Did Barabbas follow the crowd to Golgotha? Did he watch as Jesus struggled to carry the cross? Did he observe the soldiers hammer the long spikes? Could he hear the hammers beating on the nail heads? Did he think:
“It could have been me."
"It should have been me."
"Why wasn’t it me?"
This righteous man, who knew no sin, is hanging on the cross instead of me.”
Did he watch Jesus breathe his last, the body placed in the tomb? Did he wonder at the soldiers guarding the tomb, pondering why they would fear someone stealing a dead man? Did he struggle with the mental agony of guilt, knowing he, too, should be hanging on a cross?
Sometimes, the mental agony is worse than the physical pain.
Did he hear the rumors on Sunday morning? The tomb is empty! Jesus the crucified has been seen walking, talking, and eating! Over 500 people have seen him! Can the crucified One really have risen from the grave? If so, then He truly is the Son of God. He has taken away the sin of the world.
Did Barabbas believe? Was his heart of stone changed? This side of Heaven, we’ll never know. Barabbas was saved from physical death, but I don’t know if he’s spending eternity with Jesus. Do you believe? Has your heart of stone been changed to a heart of flesh?
It could have been you on the cross.
It should have been you on the cross.
But Jesus took your place.
First published in Pursuing Perfection on Substack by Tessa Lind, tessalind.substack.com
Recommended Reads:
While the nails were still being driven, Jesus prayed forgiveness over the very people killing Him, including the guilty criminal beside Him who had nothing left to offer. A look at the scandalous, undeserved grace at the heart of the cross.
Redemption means being bought back. On the cross, Jesus took the debt we could never repay and turned guilt into grace, shame into forgiveness, fear into freedom.
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