Today's Barabbas

There I was, consumed with pride, rebellion, lust, selfishness, shame, and lies. A rebel with a wandering heart. Ill-deserving of anything but the jail cell I sat in, expecting my soon judgement. When will they come to get me? When will they call my name? What will it be like to walk to that cross in front of all the people I have hurt? I fully deserve to be spat upon and cursed as I make that walk. Surely, I will walk with my head down, feeling the pain and shame I fully deserve. I expect nothing less of a harsh punishment. I know that time is coming when they call my name, release me from my prison, and lead me down the road to my final judgement in front of all whom I have hurt. When will they call my name?


I sat there waiting, then I heard my name. I knew what was to come in my final hour. The guards came in, grabbed me, chains and all. My bondage covering me, they dragged me outside. 

Then, I heard the word: Pardoned.

A man, fully innocent and ill-deserving of my deserved punishment got up and entered into the walk I was anticipating. 

I sat there, in absolute shock as someone chose to take my place. Why would you pardon a sinner like me? Why would you willingly walk the road I fully deserved to walk? I never felt that kind of love before. 

Speechless, I watched as that man was scourged. "They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him." Matthew 27:28-31

That scarlet robe was meant for me. Those thorns were meant to be pushed into my head. That spit was supposed to be on my face. Those beatings were supposed to scourge my back, 

That cross was meant for me.

That man was Jesus. I am today's Barabbas.

"BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were DEAD in our trespasses, made us ALIVE together with Christ. By GRACE you have been saved." Ephesians 2: 4-5

I did absolutely nothing to earn His pardon. Not only am I undeserving of that grace, but I am ill-deserving. I have absolutely nothing to bring to the table. Absolutely nothing. How in the world does God desire to show me, the worst of sinners, grace? By His death, I am FREE! I have been given LIFE, and life to the fullest (John 10:10). It's not about how can God send people to Hell, but how in the world can He show people grace? Here's the even crazier thing...not only did my Jesus pardon me when I became a Christian, but He pardons me every day. Oh how vast the love and grace of Jesus! There is nothing I could ever do to earn that grace and salvation. Just like Barabbas, I bring nothing to the table. There is no amount of works that could have earned me grace. It is fully the grace of my Jesus. If I could lose my salvation, I would have never received it from day one. There's absolutely no way I could ever have gained that favor. 

Does Easter truly excite you that you have been fully pardoned, every day? 

The moment the gospel does not excite us and bring us to our knees is because we have forgotten the gospel. Do you further your faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love everyday? 2 Peter 1:9 says that if you are lacking these things, it is because you are so nearsighted, that you are blind, having forgotten that you were cleansed from your former sins.

I dare us to live as if we are pardoned. I dare us to remember the gospel daily. I dare us to not just think about the gospel this weekend, but for us to allow it to penetrate our hearts daily, so we may be reminded of how much we don't deserve Him and be reminded of the grace that our Jesus so fully brings. We have a special hope, as our Savior is ALIVE. Will you dare to live like He is alive?