Opening Prayer
Use your Word today, Father, to instruct me, to convict me, to change me. I want to be more like Jesus.
Read LUKE 23:13–25
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” [17] [a]
18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
Footnotes
- Luke 23:17 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 27:15 and Mark 15:6.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.’1
Think Further
Choices we make today may have consequences later on. Pilate, the religious leaders, and the crowd made choices during the trials of Jesus. Pilate wanted to release Jesus as he could not find any grounds for the death penalty. The religious leaders and the crowd preferred to have Barabbas released. In the end, Pilate conceded and gave them what they wanted.
It is strange that the religious leaders and the crowd preferred to have Barabbas released instead of Jesus. Barabbas, also known as Jesus Barabbas, was a notorious prisoner who had taken part in insurrections and had committed murder (v. 19).2 He believed that God saved through violence and war, and he was prepared to fight and die for that belief. In this respect, the Roman authorities found him to be dangerous and imprisoned him. However, Jesus believed that God saves through self-sacrificing love and that he himself was the embodiment of that love. Because of this, the Jewish religious authorities found him dangerous and wanted to have him killed. In contrasting these two characters of Barabbas and Jesus, we could reflect on how we respond to the circumstances surrounding us today. In a world of heightened terrorist attacks, rising religious intolerance, and increasing repression of religious freedom, how could followers of Christ become agents of transformation?
Sometimes we hear the clamor, ‘Give us Barabbas,’ denoting a preference for a revolutionary option of political powers, military strength, and economic sanctions. The ethic that Jesus teaches is to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, turn the other cheek, and to go the extra mile. It is easier for us to choose to follow the worldly ways than to follow Jesus in embodying self-sacrificing love.
Apply
Whose way do we choose to follow? Is it the way of Jesus Barabbas or the way of Jesus Christ?
Closing prayer
Thank you, Merciful Father, for the great substitution that took place when Jesus died in my place. Help me to use the freedom purchased for me in ways that bring you glory and draw others to you.
Last Updated on March 28, 2024 by kingstar
