The
Man Who Walked Away
Matthew 27:18-26
©April
2, 2010 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche GOOD
FRIDAY
One
of the fun things of attending a baseball game or a football game is that you
are able to see what is going on over the entire field. You can see shifts, players
in motion, or a man getting free for a fast break or a long pass. When you
watch the game on television however, the focus is on where the ball is (on the
Quarterback, the pitcher and catcher, or the guy who is shooting). That is
where the where the focus should be placed. However, the bigger picture is
always more interesting.
On
Good Friday we focus on the suffering of our Lord. This is the focal point (and
should be the focal point) of our observance. Every action and every word from
the cross is significant. His sacrifice deserves the spotlight. Tonight I want to widen the lens. We want to
observe some side events that impact how we view the cross. The central figure is Jesus but tonight we
focus on two prominent supporting players: Pontius Pilate and a criminal by the
name of Barabbas.
On
the night Jesus was betrayed Jesus had six different court appearances. It was
a grueling ordeal.
1. The
first was before Annas (John 18:12-14). Annas was the High Priest Emeritus (he
had retired from the job was still deeply respected). This appearance took
place late on Friday night. He was concerned about finding evidence on which to
condemn Jesus.
2. The
second trial was before Caiaphas (John 18:24) who was the current High priest. It
was before Caiaphas that false witnesses were brought forward who could not
even agree with each other! Caiaphas commanded Jesus be beaten.
3. Jesus
before Council of Elders or the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66-71). Very early in the next day the Sanhedrin (the
Supreme Court of Israel) asked Jesus if He was the Son of God and Jesus said He
was. The court condemned Him for blasphemy.
4. Jesus
the first time before Pilate (Luke 23:1-5). First thing in the morning they
took Jesus to the Roman Governor, Pilate who was the regional Representative for
Caesar. He was in Jerusalem because of
the large crowds during Passover. Jesus was taken to Him because Pilate was the
only one who could sign an execution decree.
5. When
Pilate learned Jesus started his ministry in Galilee he sent Jesus to see Herod
who was a Jewish Ruler over Galilee (Luke 23:6-12). The Herods were like the
Godfathers of the ancient world) Herod hoped Jesus would put on some kind of
miracle show for him. Jesus stood silent before Herod. Herod became frustrated,
had Jesus beaten, and sent him back to Pilate.
6. Pilate
the second time (Luke 23:13-25). When Pilate saw the crowd returning I suspect
he thought about locking the door and pretending he wasn’t home. He had to go out to them because it was the
day before the Passover Sabbath and entering a home of a Gentile would make
them unclean and unable to celebrate Passover. (Ironic, isn’t it that these men
who were so careful about maintaining the code of purity yet had no trouble
framing and executing a man . . . the promised Messiah no less!).
This is where we pick up our
story.
15 Now
it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the
crowd. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called
Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them,
“Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called
Christ?” 18 For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed
Jesus over to him.
19 While
Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t
have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal
today in a dream because of him.”
PILATE
Pilate
was officially the procurator of the province and was directly responsible to
the Roman Empire. He would have been a man of experience (for you had to work
your way up to such a position). He would have been at least 27 years old when
he took the post. He became the governor (or procurator) in AD 26 and served
for ten years. Most likely he saw Jesus midway through his term.
Pilate
was apparently a very hard man. He had
no desire to please the Jews. There is a letter recorded from Herod Agrippa to another
official where Pilate is called, “unbending and recklessly hard. He was a man
of notorious reputation, severe brutality, prejudice, savage violence, and
murder.” Pilate was a hardened Roman official.
Pilate
did not like the Jews and the Jews didn’t care for Pilate. There was a constant
power struggle. This contentiousness had made its way back to Rome. Most
believe Pilate was on something akin to probation. Any more problems in Israel
and Pilate would be replaced. This is all necessary background to understand what
took place when Jesus came to Pilate.
The
charge of “blasphemy” which the Jews considered to be a capital offense meant
nothing to Pilate. To the Jews, Jesus claim to be the Son of God was enough to
execute Him. However, they could not do so without Rome’s approval. Since the
charge of blasphemy carried no weight with Pilate, the Jewish leaders had to
try to present Jesus as a rival to the Emperor. Pilate was an experienced
leader and was able to easily see through the trumped up charges. Pilate however
had a problem. He was like a politician who has to decide between doing what is
right (and making people mad) or doing what will get him re-elected. Pilate
could not afford another problem with Israel. He needed this situation to go
away.
Scripture
tells us that even Pilate’s wife was even having nightmares about Jesus! Throughout
this account God gave Pilate every opportunity to do what was right. He may have wanted to acquit Jesus . . . He may have tried to acquit Jesus . . . .but in the end he did not acquit
Jesus, he signed his death warrant.
Before
we are too hard on Pilate let’s realize how often we act just like He does.
· We
say we care about the hurting, but we do nothing to help
· We
say we are anti-abortion, but treat unwed mothers who choose to have their
babies as if they were lepers
· We
call ourselves followers of Christ, but won’t do what He says
· We
say we are concerned for the lost, but we never tell anyone the way to eternal
life
· We
say we love our children, but we do nothing to help them build a relationship
with God.
· We
say He is Lord of our lives but everything else seems to take priority over Him
When
we do things like this we are making the same choice as Pilate. We claim to
mean well but in truth we are still part of the problem rather than the
solution.
Like
Pilate many are convinced Jesus was a great man but they refuse to surrender
their lives to Him. They refuse to “stand with Jesus”. Pilate claimed to be
innocent but was not. Those who claim to be followers but are only fans from a
distance are no closer to the Kingdom than Pilate.
Barabbas
The
other character in the story is Barabbas. The Greek indicates that Barabbas was
a “notorious” criminal. I think of John Dillinger or Al Capone. Perhaps Barabbas was viewed as Public Enemy
#1. Mark tells us that Barabbas had led
an insurrection and was guilty of murder. He was probably the “baddest dude”
they had in prison.
Pilate
was backed into a corner. He was still looking for a way out of his dilemma. He
wanted to set Jesus free but he also want to save face with the Jews (and his
bosses in Rome). So, Pilate proposed an “early release program” of his own. He
said that since it was a holiday he would pardon one prisoner (which apparently
was a Passover tradition). Pilate offered them a choice between Barabbas
(Public enemy #1) and Jesus (the miracle worker who was being “framed”). Pilate believed the people would “naturally” take
Jesus over Barabbas.
20 But
the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to
have Jesus executed.
21 “Which
of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,”
they answered.
22 “What
shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.
They
all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why?
What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But
they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When
Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting,
he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of
this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
25 All
the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
26 Then
he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to
be crucified.
This
situation backfired. Instead of taking Jesus, they choose Barabbas. Instead of setting free the Son of God a
dangerous criminal is put back on the streets.
Shift
your focus for a minute. Consider what in the world is going on in the mind of
Barabbas. He knows he is guilty. He knows he will be given the death sentence
(in fact, many believe the cross upon which Jesus was crucified was meant for
Barabbas.) Chuck Swindoll imagines the scene,
Having
been convicted and condemned to die, his cell is most likely located in the
fortress of Antonia in the city of Jerusalem. From there Barabbas probably
hears the crowd crying for Jesus’ blood. He can’t decipher every word and
nuance, but he can hear the mob shouting at the top of their lungs, in their
frenzy to influence Pilate.
“Barabbas!
Barabbas. Give us Barabbas!” they scream
Barabbas
hears his name. Then the next thing he hears chills him to the bone: “Crucify
him!” He knows he will soon be on his way to the cross.[1]
Imagine
Barabbas as he heard the guards approaching his cell. I suspect his heart began
to beat rapidly. Surely he thought this was the moment of execution. I wonder
what happened next. Did they immediately tell Barabbas he was going to be set
free? (I doubt it. They didn’t like Barabbas and I’m sure they were not happy
about setting him free). When they set him free did anyone tell him why he was being set free? Did someone
whisper that Jesus of Nazareth was going to take his place?
I have
a hundred questions. Did Barabbas look for Jesus? Did he follow his march to
the cross? Did he watch as the Savior died in his place? Was Barabbas impacted
by what happened? When he heard about the resurrection did he examine the
evidence? Did he become a follower of Christ?
We don’t know. He is just a name that appears in the story of history
and then he is gone.
I’m
intrigued by the story of Barabbas because Barabbas in so many ways represents
us. We are more like Barabbas than we would like to admit. We are guilty of a
capital offense: we have committed countless acts of treason before a Holy God.
We have rebelled against His rule. We have resisted His commands. We have
denied His name. If we had been alive at the time of Jesus we quite possibly
could have been in that crowd yelling for the Son of God to be crucified. We
deserve the condemnation yet, because of the Son of God, we are set free. Our
life is changed because of the One who took our place.
Listen
to these insightful words of Max Lucado.
It
happened too fast. One minute Barabbas was in his cell on death row playing
tic-tac-toe on the dirt walls, and the next he was outside squinting his eyes
at the bright sun.
“You’re free to go.”
Barabbas scratches his beard. “What?”
“You’re free. They took the Nazarene instead
of you.”
Barabbas has often been compared to humanity,
and rightly so. In many ways he stands for us: a prisoner who was freed because
someone he had never seen took his place.
But I think Barabbas was probably smarter
than we are in one respect.
As far as we know, he took his sudden freedom
for what it was, an undeserved gift. Someone tossed him a life preserver and he
grabbed it, no questions asked. You couldn’t imagine him pulling some of our
stunts. We take our free gift and try to earn it or diagnose it or pay for it
instead of simply saying “thank you” and accepting it.
Ironic as it may appear, one of the hardest
things to do is to be saved by grace. There’s something in us that reacts to
God’s free gift. We have some weird compulsion to create laws, systems, and
regulations that will make us “worthy” of our gift.
Why do we do that? The only reason I can
figure is pride. To accept grace means to accept its necessity, and most folks
don’t like to do that. To accept grace also means that one realizes his
despair, and most people aren’t too keen on doing that either.
Barabbas, though, knew better. Hopelessly
stranded on death row, he wasn’t about to balk at a granted stay of execution.
Maybe he didn’t understand mercy and surely he didn’t deserve it, but he wasn’t
about to refuse it. We might do well to realize that our plight isn’t too
different than that of Barabbas’s. We, too, are prisoners with no chance for
appeal. But why some prefer to stay in prison while the cell door has been
unlocked is a mystery worth pondering.[2]
As
we reflect on Good Friday we are faced with the same choice of Barabbas: do we
receive the forgiveness and new life offered to us or do we resist because we are
afraid there must be some kind of catch?
So
here’s the question: are you more like Pilate or Barabbas Do you feel pious or
do you recognize your desperate situation?
Do you understand who Jesus is but refuse to stand with Him? Or do you
welcome and celebrate the grace given to you? Will you continue to look for a
loophole to commitment or will you embrace the One who died to set you free?
We
don’t know what happened to Barabbas or to Pilate. Maybe Pilate was able to
live out his years on a government pension. Maybe Barabbas went back to a life
of crime. Maybe they both forgot about Jesus. But then again, maybe Pilate was
forced to live with the torment that he condemned to death the best person he
had ever met. Maybe Barabbas was changed forever. Maybe we will meet Barabbas
in Heaven.
We
don’t know the destiny of these men. What we do know is there is a choice
before us. When you are buying or selling a house someone puts the offer on the
table. Once this happens the other person must decide whether to receive the
offer or reject it. Jesus has put an offer on the table: He offers you
forgiveness from sin and a brand new life that will culminate in eternal life
in Heaven. Now it’s up to you. You must decide whether you are going to stay in
the prison of rebellion or enter the sunshine of new life. He has proved His
love to you. The question is: will you let His love transform your life and
change you forever?
©April
2, 2010 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche GOOD
FRIDAY