Day 10: The Guilty Set Free

Emily peters (Matthew 27:15–26; Mark 15:6–15)

Jesus was always going to die. So why did this part have to happen?

You could look at this and think 'the cruelty, the injustice, what the HECK, how could they have chosen Barabbas over Jesus? Were they crazy? What was going on there? To be honest, it sounds a lot like the questions I sometimes ask myself when I hear the news, or when I see people living their lives apart from God.

But beyond the obvious injustice of this story there's something beautiful. Something outrageous. Something that when we look at it at face value doesn't seem to make sense but when we remember the words of Jesus and why He came to earth is a perfect picture of grace in full-force that wrecks religious minds and causes us to truly think about what we believe deep down about grace.

It's the guilty set free.

Barabbas was a notorious criminal. A rebel. A murderer. A robber. Sentenced to the death penalty. Everyone knew it. No one in the crowd would have been unaware of what he'd done. Pilate was sitting on the JUDGE'S seat and asked the crowd: Who shall I release, Barabbas or Jesus? Now Pilate was a judge in this case. He knew what a judge would have chosen. Anyone looking at the situation would think it's a no-brainer to release Jesus. But there was greater work at play.

And who was it who persuaded everyone to release Barabbas, you ask? It was the chief priests and the elders. The religious leaders.

Anyway, they chose to set the murderer free. Free to roam around and live life like nothing had happened. And sent Jesus to die. How do you feel about that?

I wonder how Jesus felt about that.

Most of all I wonder how Barabbas felt about that. I wish I could see how he lived the rest of his life. I wish I could know if he lived it still unable to feel truly free and remained in the life he lived before, not feeling deserving of this life that he now gets to live. Or did he see Jesus die on the cross and raise three days later and finally understand that this is what he died for? So that he could go free. So that he could be with the Father. So that he no longer has to die but can live life like it was always intended to be.

The truth is, none of us are deserving. Sure, we might not have murdered someone but between us and Jesus, I reckon we're more on the undeserving side! But God says 'I want you to go free'. He sent His Son so that we could walk free. It wasn't just. It didn't seem to make sense. But it's the outrageous love of God for us to give us the gift of life. Life with Him. Life in all its fullness. The old you is gone!

After they'd decided to release Barabbas, Pilate says that he is innocent of Jesus' blood because it wasn't his decision. And the crowd yelled back, 'His blood is on us! And on our children!' How right they were. His blood was on them! And their children. And their children's children, all the way down to us. Drenching us with love and grace and mercy and freedom.

Activation

Today, ask God: Are there any parts of me that still feel undeserving of your freedom and love?
If there are, ask God: What do you say about those parts?
Thank Him. Thank you Jesus for your blood that covers us and lets us walk free, right into the Father's arms.