| June
16, 2007
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The day the Lord Jesus was crucified, another
man was supposed to be on that middle cross. It had been
erected for Barabbas, the murderer and terrorist. But the
furious crowd was given a choice to let one person go and
they said, “Not this man but Barabbas” John
18:20. So the Lord Jesus took the place of Barabbas on the
center cross.
It is interesting that in this event we have the most vivid
illustration of the truth that the Lord Jesus is the substitute
for our sins. Barabbas could say, “He took my place.”
If we understood the deepest meaning of the death of the
Lord Jesus, we could do the same.
Did Barabbas think about that? We don’t know. When
Barabbas walked away as a free man, we don’t know
where he went. Did he meander over to the cross later that
day and look at the sight of the Lord Jesus hanging there?
If he did, he could reflect on an astonishing fact. Looking
at the Lord Jesus, he could have said, “He died for
me.”
But this is true, not only for Barabbas, it is also true
for us. The apostle Paul stated this when he said, “The
Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20.
Yet this is what most of us miss. Consequently, we live
with the guilt of our sin hanging over us like a thick cloud
that blocks out the sunshine of God’s love. Subsequently,
we strive to reach some righteous standard that will alleviate
our guilt and deflect the wrath of God from us.
All this is so unnecessary. God has given us the perfect
illustration in the release of Barabbas to help us grasp
that the Lord Jesus has paid the penalty for sin. He has
already suffered for offences against God. The apostle Paul
reminds us that “Christ died for our sins.”1Corinthians
15:3. If Barabbas had known those words, he could have stood
by the cross that day and quoted them. We do know the words
and can look back 2000 years to the cross and say them.
If we enter into the meaning of the substitutionary death
of the Lord Jesus, we can walk away free just like Barabbas.
Jim Beattie
submitted by Russ Nesbit
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