Barabbas: We are made Free

In the final hours of Christ’s life, He is taken before Pilot, who interviews Him intently. Upon discovering or deciding for himself that Jesus appeared innocent of wrong that permitted such involvement of the Romans, Pilot presented the people with an option. They could free Jesus of Nazareth or free Barabbas, a man known for his crimes against the people. Sure he knew what would be said, Pilot was shocked to hear “free Barabbas” shouted from below. He was so disturbed by this turn of events that Pilot insisted on washing his hands, clearing his own conscience.

I think the person most shocked to hear such a revelation was Barabbas himself. We have no way of truly knowing the man’s heart. Was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or did he truly lead a life of crime? Did he have any remorse for his actions, or was he proud of his muddied reputation? One thing is for sure, he was not happy to be in the roman custody. It was likely he was meant to be the third in a row of robbers to be crucified that very day. In that very moment, he was pulled in front of the Roman leader looking out on all the people he had wronged and was certain his fate was set in stone. How could he possibly right his wrongs from the cross?

Then he hears his own name called out. The people wanted to free him. How could this be? Looking at Jesus, the Man meant to take his place all he would see was the humble Servant doing His Father’s bidding, and Barabbas would wonder how Jesus of all men, could be worse than himself. Despite everything, this Jesus, no matter what His reputation, had become Barabbas’ Savior. In that moment, the first was set free because of the death of Jesus.

In Barabbas, we see a type of each of us. We are all held prisoners to the wrongs we have done. Some of these can’t be undone. We can’t unbreak hearts that no longer trust us. We can’t bring joy back to someone we have stolen it from. We stand before the world, our crimes written in the hearts of those we’ve injured, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, and left to face the music. Beside us stands a Man, and despite our crimes so publicly placed, He takes those crimes upon Himself. It is He that you watch upon your cross, taking the punishment that was meant for you. Not just the physical punishment, but the emotional torment of knowing we can not recreate a bond we have broken.

This very sacrifice reconnects broken bonds. We can turn to those who have wronged us and look up together at the man on the cross, who took both our burdens. If He loved us both this much, why can’t we drop the chains of hate,  sorrow, and fear? Why can’t we love with a hope we won’t be hurt again? We can. Because of Him, we can hope those who have wronged us will become better, and we can better ourselves. Because of Him, we can walk away from the cross of our sins and start again.

I don’t know what Barabbas did with his second chance. Perhaps he wound up right back in prison. Maybe he was killed by another, unhappy he had been released. I would like to think Barabbas grew curious of this Man who had become his Savior. He sought after the Man and came upon His followers. He learned of Christ and His mission and suddenly felt a closer connection to the redeeming power of Christ than any other, for he had been redeemed in this life. His chains had literally been removed, his punishment literally given to another. His Savior. The Savior. Jesus Christ.