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John 18:40
This week I would like to share with you some thoughts I have jotted down a few months ago when reading John 18:40:
'Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber'.
You may be familiar with the occasion - Jesus Christ has been arrested by the Jewish leaders of the day and is standing on trial in front of the Roman Governor, Pilate.
At this time of year, the Jewish Passover, it was the tradition that Pilate would release a prisoner to the Jews. Pilate was offering to release Jesus, who he could tell was innocent, but the people were shouting for a prisoner, Barabbas, to be released and Jesus to be crucified.
As I read this verse I was struck with the thought - how many times a day do we say, "Not this man, but Barabbas"?
Perhaps you are thinking, 'What are you talking about? I never say such things!'
But what about if we look at it this way:
Barabbas 'was a robber', a murderer, and had been inciting revolt against the authorities (Luke 23:19). Barabbas was serving Satan and himself. He had broken God's commands, 'Thou shalt not steal' and 'Thou shalt not kill' (Exodus 20;13,15).
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Photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash
We can view Barabbas as a type of ourselves when serving Satan and our own sinful nature.
In contrast, 'this man' was referring to Jesus.
Jesus, who was not just a man, but who is the Son of God.
Jesus who is total love and compassion.
Jesus, who had healed so many of them, given them relief from their illnesses, brought their dead back to life, provided thousands of them with food when in desert places, listened to their cries for mercy, blessed the children, forgiven the most wicked of people, shared meals with them, taught them of God, saved them from drowning at sea and so much more.
'This man' who is pure and holy, gentle, wise and kind and had come to save his people from their sins and eternal death was being rejected by the Jewish people and leaders for a man who had murdered, robbed and rebelled.
It felt to me that the people's choice of Barabbas over 'this man', Jesus, represents how we chose our own will over God's. How we suppress the little voice of conscience and in effect despise, reject, 'hide our faces from him' and disregard him (Isaiah 53:3). We turn away from what we know is right to indulge our own way of doing things.
I once read a book with some advice for prayer.
The author, Bill Hybels, recommended sitting down each day and jotting down the events of the day before, noticing sins which then became apparent. These could then be confessed before God in prayer and forgiveness requested.
Let us think over our day yesterday likewise, how many things do we need to ask forgiveness for, which were in effect turning from 'this man' and his ways, and crying out for Barabbas?
Was it reading just one more chapter or scrolling our phone for just another 5minutes - and then another 5 minutes - and perhaps another 5 minutes - when our conscience was telling us we had rested enough, and there were jobs to get on with?
Was it giving into sharing a juicy bit of gossip about another believer instead of hiding their fault?
Was it coveting in our heart the lifestyle or possessions of somebody else and being discontent with that which God has given us?
Think how many times a day we chose our own will over God's even if just for a few minutes!
I have been reading 1 Corinthians 13 several times recently and particularly these verses, 'Charity suffereth long, and is kind...seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil'.
Do you know the battle in your heart when you know you are provoked and you know you are allowing all sorts of annoyed thoughts about somebody else to fill your mind?
Do you know the resistance and turbulence in your heart, almost as if pulling in two directions with the new nature wanting to serve 'this man' and the old nature pulling you back to the uncharitable Barabbas way of living?
What can you say when you don't want to be crying out, 'Not this man, but Barabbas'?
All we can do is tell the Lord we don't want to be serving sin and Satan - we want to yield our hearts to our Lord Jesus - we want to be abiding in him and living with that pure charitable love.
What can we say, but "Lord help me, suppress my iniquities, soften my heart"!
What can we do but in prayer 'roll' all our annoyance and uncharitableness into his arms and ask him to take it away, to deal with it and cleanse us from it?
We trust that the Lord has brought or allowed these situations and people into our lives to show us how much we naturally want to serve 'Barabbas'. To show us our need of 'this man' to help us, to make us more like him, to save us from ourselves.
A few months ago I heard a minister explain a disciple or a follower as a 'muse'. That in Bible times, a student of somebody would go and live with them to learn how they lived and performed what they were excellent at.
Imagine if that follower kept disappearing and going off to do their own thing, or doing what they were meant to be learning about in their own way. Think what trouble they might get into, what instruction they would lose, how poorly they would reflect their leader.
Think how we as disciples of our Lord Jesus lose our way and become like the cries for Barabbas when we turn our back to do our own thing.
May the Holy Spirit, who makes us remember, bring to our minds thoughts of our Lord Jesus, 'this man' who suffered so much that his people might be saved.
May we be reminded how much we owe to him, from what we have been saved - as the prophet Samuel counselled the Israelites of old, 'consider how great things he hath done for you' (1 Samuel 12:24).
And may our gratitude and love and his power keep us from uncharitably dwelling on others' sins, keep us from turning to our own way - our cries for Barabbas - and keep us striving for and pressing after 'this man', our Lord Jesus.
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