Our Stand-In

Passage: Matthew 27:15-26

Barabbas is a murderer. He deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law. Yet one strange day, due to some bizarre twist of fate, he finds himself off the hook.

We don’t know anything about Barabbas. He could have been a sociopath – a remorseless monster. He could have been a calculating career criminal. He could have been a guy who grew up in poverty, and wandered into a life of crime because he didn’t have a better option. Who knows? And who knows why the Gospel accounts are sparse in their treatment of Barabbas.

Here’s one way to explain it. In the story of Jesus’ trial, Barabbas is the guy whose place Jesus takes. Barabbas is slated for execution. Yet against any odds he gets bumped off the cross to make room for this other guy. This guy who obviously doesn’t deserve it – not the way Barabbas does.

Barabbas is us. The one that deserves punishment, but gets bumped at the last minute. The ones who run away from the prison, hammer strokes reverberating in our ears.

In the Gospels we’re never told what happens to Barabbas. Does he return to his life of crime? Or does he take advantage of his second chance? That's a question we have to answer. What are you going to do with your second chance?