Release to Us Barabbas – A Good Friday Sermon on John 18:39-40 (Updated from 2013)

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [Pilate] went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Barabbas was more than a robber. Barabbas was a murderer. Barabbas was an insurrectionist. Barabbas kept kicking the hornets nest we call the Roman Empire. And everyone felt the consequences. Barabbas is two Aramaic words. Bar-Abba. Literally, ‘son of the father.’ He believed that he was living up to his name. Doing the work of his father. It was pretty obvious to everyone else that he wasn’t.

There was no love for Barabbas from the people. No love from the high priests and scribes and Pharisees. Everyone was glad when Barabbas went to prison. Because then they would finally get some peace. No more robbing people to raise funds for his personal fight. No more insurrections that got innocent people killed. No more Barabbas. And that in and of itself was good enough.

Pilate was no dummy. He knew how the people felt about Barabbas. And he had no desire to be manipulated by these priests and their religion. Instead, Pilate wanted to show that he was the one in charge. He was the one in control. Matthew’s Gospel records Pilate giving the choice first. Manipulating the tradition of prisoner release to his advantage. Or so he thought. “Who do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?” “Not this man, but Barabbas!”

Do you live up to your name, sons and daughters of the Father? Are you true bar-abbas? Or do you merely happen to have the name. Do you instead carry out insurrection against the Father. Robbing Him. Revolting against Him. Murdering Him. We kick the hornet’s nest of God’s Wrath, and wonder why we keep getting stung. And then we have the audacity to believe that we really are living up to His name. We are the same as Barabbas.

And as such, as bar-abbas, we deserve to be locked away. We deserve to be condemned.  We deserve the flogging and the soldiers mocking. We deserve the thorns across our head, and the reed across our face. We deserve the nails in our hands and feet. We deserve the humiliation of being hung naked in front of the world. We deserve the cross. And death on that cross. Not Him. Us. What good are we? There is no good in us. The best of us, the worst of us, we’re all the same. All bar-abbas.

But perhaps you are still useful. Perhaps there may still come some good from you. You can still be a pawn to be sacrificed. And the accuser planned on using you in just that way. Satan stands you before God and says, who shall I release? Barabbas? These bar-abbas? Or Jesus, who is called Christ? After all, only one of them is innocent. Only one of them lives up to His name. Only one is good. Only one is holy. Make the right choice, God. Abandon these bar-abbas. Save this man Jesus. Save your Son. Release Him. Just say the word and it will be done.

And God Himself says, “Not this man, but Barabbas!”Not this man, but all these bar-abbas. Because this man has claimed all of their crimes. This man has taken upon Himself all their evils. This man bears all their sin. And He will suffer and die for them as justice demands. Jesus will be flogged and mocked. Jesus will bear the thorns and reeds. Jesus will receive the nails in His hands and feet. Jesus will be humiliated, crucified naked before the world. Jesus will go to the cross. And it will kill Him.

So set Barabbas free. Set all the bar-abbas free. Release them. For the death of Jesus pardons them from every robbery, every murder, every insurrection. They are pardoned from every sin, whether big or small. Give them back their name. And you do have your name once again. You are still, and once again sons and daughters of our Father. You are bar-abba.

But do not forget about Jesus. He too is bar-abba. The perfect bar-abba. Obedient unto death, even death upon a cross. And so He’s not just another son of the Father. For Jesus and the Father are One, with the Holy Spirit. One God, now and forever. Jesus is not just a man. But both God and man. And so His death is enough to pay your price. Jesus’ death paid the price for the sins of the world.

Jesus truly did die for you. God died for you. Tonight we recognize that. But not even death can hold God. The resurrection is coming. And Sunday Morning, dear bar-abbas, we will shout Alleluia again. Thanks be to God.