Sermon Snippet – WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE CHOSE BARABBAS RATHER THAN JESUS?
INTRODUCTION – In Luke 23:13-25, we find the sad and sobering account of the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. Egged on by their egotistical and godless leaders (Matthew 27:20), the people of Israel opted for a radical murderer (verse 19) and robber (John 18:40) in place of the Messiah. What happens when we choose Barabbas rather than Jesus? To put it another way, what happens to a nation that abandons God?
1. EMOTION SUPERSEDES TRUTH
The facts were clear even to the pagan Pontius Pilate: Jesus had done nothing
wrong – absolutely nothing (verses 13-16). Barabbas, however, was guilty of heinous crimes and, according to the law of both the Romans and the Jews, deserved the death penalty. This staggering double standard shows us that unbridled emotion runs roughshod over all that is good – indeed, over the best. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Thus, we should not be surprised that today’s prevailing philosophy of postmodernism focuses on emotion to the exclusion of fact and faith. If we will not have Jesus, we will have hatred. Hatred is no reasonable substitute for the truth, nor for the Truth (John 14:6).
2. VIOLENCE BECOMES NORMAL
Jesus came as “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and specifically offered His peace to all (John 14:27; 16:33). He rejected violence as an option even as violent men, including the traitor Judas Iscariot, arrested Him illegally (John 18:3-11). Barabbas, a vicious killer, was released to return to his life of crime; the difference is truly shocking. Think also of the leaders’ response to the miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead: they wanted to kill him “because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus” (John 12:11). A dead man was raised to life, and they wanted him dead again! Instead of seeing this miracle as an ultimate confirmation of Jesus’ Messianic claims, they were blinded by rage and ready to join Barabbas in murder. If we will not have Jesus, we will have violence. Violence is no decent substitute for the Prince of Peace.
3. CONTROL ERODES FREEDOM
The evil rulers held sway over the masses, convincing them to spurn the Messiah. Why are so many people so easily led into oppression? One reason is found in Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He hath set the world in their heart.” God has placed an eternal perspective, an awareness of His existence, deep within us. We know that God is real. If we rebel against that foundational concept and employ our wills to reject God’s primacy, we will inevitably seek to replace Him with someone or something else. The sham trial of Jesus was an exercise of raw power; as such, it was an abuse of power. If we will not have Jesus, we will have the control of ungodly men. Such control is no good substitute for the eternal freedom of Jesus, Who assures us that “if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
CONCLUSION – Hatred, violence, control – as we have already seen, there is nothing new under the sun. What do we need in our country? Proverbs 14:34 is precise: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Righteousness is simply doing the right thing. Can a remnant of believers make a meaningful difference? Elijah learned that 7,000 were faithful in Israel and were saving the nation (I Kings 19:14, 18). In Abraham’s day, ten righteous people would have saved wicked Sodom and Gomorrah from annihilation, but that small number did not exist (Genesis 18:32). In Jeremiah’s time, just one righteous person – yes, only one! – would have prevented the destruction of Jerusalem, but that one could not be found (Jeremiah 5:1). One believer in Jesus makes a disproportionate difference in the life of a nation. May each of us choose Jesus as Savior, and may each one then seek to do the right things. May we become people of truth, peace, and freedom.