It feels very odd to be home on Easter morning, lounging in my jammies instead of donning my Sunday best. But no matter where we are He is Risen indeed!
I just had to write a few lines this Easter weekend, to wish you each a fabulous celebration of our Risen Savior. We had a powerful Good Friday service, where we meditated on the cross, heard a message from Jeff on Barabbas, and worshipped God for His sacrifice for us. Then last night, we attended our Easter celebration service (our church urged us to go Saturday night instead of Sunday to save space for guests—which is why I’m reluctantly home on Easter morning!), which was fabulous—praising God for the Greatest Day in History and hearing a message from Joel on why the resurrection changes everything. A few things stood out to me, and are what I’m chewing on this Easter morning as I savor these last quiet moments before I hear the pitter patter of feet upstairs and it’s time to put our Resurrection Biscuits in the oven.
Barabbas: Jeff taught on the importance of entering ourselves into the story of Christ’s trial and crucifixion. We are most powerfully moved by stories in which we are able to personally identify with one of the characters. In the Passion story, we often want to identify with Christ, the hero, or at least John, the faithful disciple who stood at the cross, comforting Jesus’ mother. Or perhaps the more realistic of us identify with Peter, who loved Jesus and followed him, but denied him at the end out of fear.
But Jeff highlighted another character in the story—one who contributes no spoken lines, but who speaks volumes by what he does contribute.
Barabbas, if you read the gospel accounts, was the murderer, insurrectionist, and robber—basically a terrorist—who was also scheduled to be executed, and deservedly so. He shows no remorse or repentance. When Pilate finds Jesus innocent, and is desperately looking for a way to get out of executing Jesus while still appeasing the crowd, he offers this escape route—using the tradition of giving one prisoner back to the people, to be set free. He offers to set Jesus free, but as you know they shout all the more, “No, crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Instead who do they demand is set free?
Barabbas. The guilty. The innocent is condemned so the guilty can be set free. So Barabbas is set free and Jesus is delivered up to the crucified. The innocent in place of the guilty.
The plot is even richer than we saw at first glance. Barabbas’ name. Do you see it? Bar-Abbas. Bar-Abba. Bar=son of, Abba= the father. Son of the father. The real and true Son of the Father, the Son of God, taking the place of the wicked, sinful son of the father. Substitutionary atonement in its richest glorious splendor right there.
Here’s what got me. It’s always seemed odd that Barabbas contributes so little to the story. He isn’t repentant, doesn’t go and change his lifestyle (or at least we don’t know about it). His life represents so much and yet he doesn’t seem to contribute that much to the actual gospel account. But perhaps that’s just it.
The only thing Barabbas contributes to the work of redemption is his sin. The only thing Barabbas contributes to his own deliverance is the sin that makes it necessary.
And he, above all other characters, is the one who represents you and me.
All I contribute to my redemption is my sin which makes it necessary. And that, friends, is good news for you and for me. Because,
“By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
And now, the Greatest Day in History, is possible, because Christ did it all. He died. He rose. He conquered sin, death, and the grave. Nothing is the same.
O Happy Day; Happy day! You washed my sin away.
O Happy Day; Happy day! I’ll never be the same.
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Thank you, Jesus.