{"id":4250,"date":"2006-03-05T15:03:31","date_gmt":"2006-03-05T21:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=4250"},"modified":"2019-07-20T08:55:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-20T13:55:31","slug":"barabbas-a-prisoner-set-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/barabbas-a-prisoner-set-free\/","title":{"rendered":"Barabbas \u2013 A Prisoner Set Free"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\tby Kent Heaton\n

The scene was chaos as the crowd shouted, \u201cCrucify Him, crucify Him.\u201d The subject of their wrath was not for a murderer but a man \u201cwho went about doing good\u201d (Acts 10:38). Their cries for death were not given for one who had been an insurrectionist but to a man who healed \u201call that were oppressed of the devil<\/em>\u201d (Acts 10:38 ). All of the people gathered that day were demanding the punishment \u2013 not of one who was a robber (John 18:40) \u2013 but of one who gave His life to help others (Matthew 18:11). Voices filled the hall in hatred and envy (Matthew 27:18) as a quiet man stood before a Roman court with no one to defend Him. He stood alone. He stood silent. He stood looking into eyes created by His own hand. Jesus Christ stood before an audience of His own people as they screamed to Pilate to crucify Him.<\/p>\n

In a dark jail stood a man who was vile and evil. His life was one of destruction and slaughter. He was called Barabbas. We know nothing of this man until the trial of Jesus (Matthew 27:15-26;\u00a0Mark 15:6-15;\u00a0Luke 23:13-25;\u00a0John 18:39-40). We know nothing more about him following. Yet, his life depicts the very nature of man and the reason for the death of Jesus. A paradox is found before Pilate as the greatest man that ever lived would be traded for the vilest of men of his day. A person of the Godhead was taken away and killed; a person of mortal flesh was released. Barabbas was a murderer; Jesus was the Savior. Barabbas was a thief; Jesus was the great shepherd. Men released an insurrectionist; God allowed His Son to die.<\/p>\n

The Roman court was contemptuous in its human design. There was no righteousness and justice. Pilate released Barabbas and handed Jesus over for crucifixion \u201cto gratify the crowd<\/em>\u201d (Mark\u00a015:15\u00a0). He knew the only reason the Jews wanted Jesus dead was because of envy (Mark 15:10). The human nature was too base to rise above the obvious and the holy. Barabbas was a known criminal \u2013 who to some point \u2013 Pilate may have thought that as evil a person as Barabbas was \u2013 how could the people allow someone like him back into society? Yet they chose to set him free and crucify Jesus.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In Barabbas we find ourselves. Chained to the misery of human despair, we are enemies of God (Romans 5:8) and without hope (Ephesians\u00a02:12\u00a0). The criminal Barabbas was released from prison because of the death of Jesus. The Son of God took the place of Barabbas. Our insurrection is in the rebellion against those things of God and we are by \u201cnature children of wrath<\/em>\u201d (Ephesians 2:1-4). We are imprisoned in sin with no hope of release or pardon. (Ephesians 2:8-9). In Christ, we find \u201credemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins\u201d (Ephesians 1:7). How is our freedom granted? By His sacrifice on the cross. He took our place! Jesus died for me! It is not because I deserved my freedom \u2013 no more than Barabbas deserved to be set free. His guilt was pardoned because of Jesus. My guilt is pardoned because of Jesus (John 3:16).<\/p>\n

God did not reveal what happened to Barabbas. He may have gone back to murder and robbing. He may have become a better man. The story of Barabbas is not about the man Barabbas but how Jesus took his place of condemnation. Jesus was condemned to die so that I can find in Him no condemnation. \u201cThere is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus<\/em>\u201d (Romans 8:1). Christ became the curse for every man (Galatians\u00a03:13\u00a0). The innocent blood of the Lamb of God was poured out in the place of a vile and wicked man. That is salvation. Jesus died for the vile and wicked people of this world \u2013 you and me. What did Barabbas do? Better yet \u2013 what will you do?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Kent Heaton The scene was chaos as the crowd shouted, \u201cCrucify Him, crucify Him.\u201d The subject of their wrath was not for a murderer but a man \u201cwho went about doing good\u201d (Acts 10:38). Their cries for death were not given for one who had been an insurrectionist but to a man who healed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1571,179],"class_list":["post-4250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-forgiveness","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":94859,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/ignorance-crucified-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":4250,"position":0},"title":"Ignorance Crucified Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Ignorance is not bliss. From the cross, Jesus said, \"they know not what they do\" (ignorance), and later Peter told the Jews that I know that you did it by ignorance (Acts 3). Ignorance is not knowing what is vitally important. When there are things we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58646,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/people-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":4250,"position":1},"title":"People Change","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Donnie V. Rader via\u00a0Guardian of Truth\u00a0XL: No. 19, p. 6-7, October 3, 1996 When General Motors came out with the new aerodynamic style Chevy Caprice (1990) I said that I would never have one of those \"ugly\" things. When cellular phones started getting popular, I thought it was dumb\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-shall-we-do-with-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":4250,"position":2},"title":"What Shall We Do with Jesus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Jesus does not allow us to be neutral about Him. We are not left with the option of just calling Jesus a good man while denying His claims. If He was not who He claimed to be, He was delusional at best and a lying manipulator at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65710,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/his-blood-be-upon-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":4250,"position":3},"title":"His Blood Be Upon Us","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant The expression in the title came from Matthew 27:25 during the trial of Jesus, as Governor Pilate was in a sense \"between a rock and a hard place.\" He seemed to realize that Jesus had committed no crime, and his wife had cautioned him against doing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67871,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/taking-the-gifts-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":4250,"position":4},"title":"Taking the Gifts of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Robert F. Turner \"And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor\" (Joshua 6:2). According to some theories of Gift and Grace, this promise says, ``(1) you already have the city and can't lose it;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57435,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-innocence-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":4250,"position":5},"title":"The Innocence of Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 30, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bill Cavendar via\u00a0Guardian of Truth\u00a0XXIX: 3, p. 67, February 7, 1985 The Bible records six different trials that Jesus endured after He was seized in the Garden of Gethsemane. 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