One Day in the Life of Barabbas
Matthew chapter 27. I want you to look at the first five words of this chapter: “When the morning was come.” Now look down to verse 57 — first five words again: “When the evening was come.” Now drop your eyes back to verse 19: “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, ‘Have thou nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.’”
The morning. The evening. This day.
I want to talk to you about this day — just this one day in the life of one man — because this day made all the difference.
Who Was Barabbas?
We’re going to read now in the same chapter, verse 15:
“Now at that feast the governor was want to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would, and they had a notable prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, ‘Whom will you that I release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus, which is called Christ?’ For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, ‘Have thou nothing to do with that just man, for I’ve suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.’ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, ‘Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’ Pilate said unto them, ‘What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?’ They all say unto him, ‘Let him be crucified.’” Verse 26: “Then released he Barabbas unto them. When he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”
Just a quick reading in Mark’s Gospel — Mark was a shorter writer and got right to the point. Mark chapter 15, verse 7: “And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.” Verse 15: “So Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.”
I just want you to notice that Barabbas was bound with chains with two other men. There were three men bound together in the same prison. We’ll get back to that later.
But what I want to speak to you about is a day — just one day — in the life of this man Barabbas. There was never a day like it before in his experience. It could have been the greatest day of his life. I’m not sure it was — the Scripture doesn’t tell us — but it very well could have been. It was a day when he came face to face with Christ. What he did with that, I’m not sure. But what a day of opportunity. This one day between morning and evening, the Scripture focuses in on one man, one day.
Barabbas, the Prisoner and Murderer
I want to think first of all of the crimes that this man committed. That’s why I turned you to Mark’s Gospel, because Mark tells us not only was he a notorious prisoner, but he was a murderer. I don’t suppose there’s a murderer here — at least I hope not — but this man was a murderer, and I don’t think there’s any question in anybody’s mind that a murderer is a criminal.
He had committed a crime worthy of death. He had taken someone else’s life. Here was a man that deserved to die. I know we’ve done away with the death penalty for the most part, but the Bible says if a man took a man’s life, he deserved to die. Not every man who took someone’s life did die — just the same as today — but he deserved to die. That’s the point. Here’s a criminal that deserved to die for the crime he committed.
What Is Sin? A Crime Against God
We use the word “sin,” and the Bible uses the word “sin.” Do you know what sin is? I was preaching the gospel to a group of foreign students in the town where I used to live. They were boys who came from China, had never seen a Bible, never heard the gospel. I befriended a number of them, took them into my home, and started preaching the gospel to them. Unknown to me, they didn’t know what I was talking about.
I heard them talking one night in the van on the way home. I was taking them back to their barracks, and they were talking in Chinese. I had a rule in my van — no English wasn’t the rule, I mean no Chinese, I wanted to hear what they were saying — but they wouldn’t switch. They kept going in Chinese, and they were arguing. There were about ten of them in there, having this big argument. I said, “Boys, stop — English.” And it went really quiet. Then the boy sitting up front next to me said, “It’s kind of embarrassing. That’s why we were talking in Chinese. We’ve been coming now for a number of weeks to your house, and you’re preaching to us — but what is sin?”
I said, “What? What is sin? We never heard of that before.” I thought, what planet are these guys from? They were serious. What is sin?
I said, “Well, what do you think it is?” The kid up front said, “I think it’s mistakes.” I said, “You’re real close — it’s the mistakes we do on purpose.” “Oh,” he said, “like when we know it’s wrong and we still do it.” I said, “Yeah, that’s sin.” He said, “That’s a crime — in China we would call that a crime.” I said, “Right — except it’s a crime against God.” Do you understand that? That makes us criminals against God. The argument stopped in the van, and the boys were quiet the rest of the way home.
Did you ever think of it that way? Here was a man that was a criminal against society. I hope you’re not a criminal against society, but you are, in your sin, a criminal against God.
“Condemned Already” — Barabbas and John 3
How did Barabbas get into prison? The Bible doesn’t tell us about his trial, but he had a trial — Rome prided itself on its legal system. This man had already been tried and condemned. All he was waiting for was the day we read about — this day — because on this day he was to pay with his life. He was condemned already.
My brother Tim read John 3, verse 16. Had he kept reading, verse 17 would have said this: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already.” That described Barabbas. He was a man already condemned, waiting only for the execution to take place.
Do you know what God says about you and me? Listen to it again: “He that believeth not is condemned already.” There are no scales in the sky. There’s no judgment day coming when you find out whether you’re condemned or saved. The Bible says he that believeth not is condemned already. What was true of Barabbas is true of every person who does not believe on the Lord Jesus to the saving of their soul. They’re condemned already.
The Cross Barabbas Deserved
I picture it this way — I don’t know if it was exactly like this, but somewhere out back of that prison or courthouse, wherever these men were kept, there was a shed with some crosses in it. That day there were three crosses: two for the malefactors who were with Barabbas, and one for Barabbas. All three of those men deserved those crosses. They had committed crimes against the government, they’d had their trial, and they were condemned to die. When the morning had come, all three men knew this was the day — the date was set — and when the evening came, they’d be gone.
This day they deserved to die. What a day. I don’t know if the names were already on the crosses, but I know that before they put the criminals on them, the names went on them. Perhaps they had the names already. We’re not told, but we are told that when they raised the crosses up, the names were on them.
Released: The Word That Changes the Story
But something happened this day. While Barabbas deserved that cross — you following the story? — while he deserved it, something happened in that courtroom. We read one word four times over. In verse 15, right in the centre of the verse: “release.” In verse 17 again: “whom will ye that I release?” Again in verse 21: “which of the twain will ye that I release?” And verse 26: “Then released he Barabbas.”
I want to tell you about the chains that were released. What a day. A man who was chained, waiting to die, shackled by his own wickedness because of his own sin — nobody else to blame but himself. Those chains should only have been released in death. But this day he got the surprise of his life. They were released. What a great word that is — that’s why it’s there four times. Released.
If you’re not saved tonight, look around at the believers here — that’s a great word for us, because we were chained by our sins. We deserved to die, but we were released. That’s what happened that day.
I try to visualize how it happened to Barabbas. He’s chained in a cell, probably chained together with other men. The rattle of keys in the lock, the gate swings open, and someone calls out his name — “Barabbas! Which one of you is Barabbas?” He probably didn’t even want to raise his head, because he was sure: this is it, I’m going out to die. “I’m Barabbas.” The man walks up, puts the key in the lock, and says, “You’re being released.” What? “You’re being released today.” It’s almost unbelievable, isn’t it? Every single person here who’s saved can enter into what I’m saying: I deserve to die. I’m the one who sinned against God. I’m the one who should be punished. How can I possibly be released?
I can almost see that soldier saying, “Come with me. I’ll show you something.” And he takes him into that courtroom and says, “See that man there? His name is Jesus. He’s taking your cross.”
What? He’s taking your cross.
At that point, Barabbas could have done one of two things. He could say, “I’m out of here,” and run. Or he could stay and see why. You can do one of two things right now, too. You can say, “Nice story, I’m out of here.” Or you can stay and see why. I want you to stay and see why — because that day, the greatest swap was made.
One Man Released, Jesus Delivered
I want to tell you about the Christ he encountered. In both Gospels — Matthew and Mark — it says this: “Then released he Barabbas… and delivered Jesus.” One sentence. One man is set free. The other man is going out to die. And somewhere, those two encountered each other. As Barabbas is released, Jesus is set out to die.
Have you ever encountered Christ? That’s what these gospel meetings are all about — that you might get to meet the man who died for you. This man Barabbas came face to face with the man who was taking his cross. Have you ever come face to face with Christ, the man who took the cross for you?
I hope Barabbas did what you should do tonight — stay and see why. Because that’s the choice he had to make. Every single person who encounters Christ has a choice to make. We read what Pilate said when he came face to face with Christ: “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” Nobody told Pilate that was the choice he had to make. Nobody told him he had to ask that question. But he came face to face with the Saviour and he had to decide what to do with Jesus. You have to decide that. Barabbas had to decide that.
The question should have come up in his mind: Who is this Jesus? How can he take my cross? How could he die for you? Who is this Jesus? I can’t die for you. I might love you — I don’t know you, but I can’t die for your sins. I don’t have the power to do that. I can’t lay down my life for you and have you be accepted by God, because I’m a sinner myself. So who is this Jesus, that he could take my cross? And the question for you tonight is: who is he, that he could take your cross and take your place and die in your room?
You’ve already heard tonight — he’s God’s beloved Son. God sent his own Son to take the guilty sinner’s place. That’s who he is. If Barabbas followed him — which he should have — he was free. He could go home, run, and say, “I’m out of here.” Or, if he was a real man, he could follow him out to Calvary, where he should have gone.
“Father, Forgive Them”
I’d like to think he did follow him. I really do — just as I’d like to think you would do the same. If he followed him to Calvary, he would see when they lifted up Jesus on his cross. And now the name on that cross was not Barabbas — the name was: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
When they lifted that cross up, you know what Barabbas would hear? The first words: “Father, forgive them.” What a thing. The man who’s taken my cross says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Can I really be forgiven? That’s a good question for you — it was a good question for Barabbas. Can I be forgiven? Stay and look. Stay and see. That’s why Christ is dying on the cross. That’s the only reason he’s there — so that you could be forgiven. If he didn’t take that cross, you could never be forgiven, and neither could I. “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
You know the next thing he’d hear? “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Forsaken. Why is he forsaken? I’m the one who should have been forsaken. I’m the criminal. I really hope Barabbas heard that day. But more than that, I hope you’ll linger at the cross tonight, because Christ was forsaken by God so that you might not be forsaken for all eternity. He really did take your place. He really did take Barabbas’s cross. And he really was forsaken so that Barabbas could be saved — and so that you could be saved.
“It Is Finished”
If Barabbas stayed around, he’d have heard another great word. Suddenly the air split with one word: “Finished.” And he would watch as Christ bowed his head and died.
If Barabbas was a thinking man — like you should be a thinking person tonight — what was finished? Good question. What was finished? The price of sin was paid. There was nothing left for Barabbas to do. The price of his crimes was paid by another. Someone else died in his place. And he looks around — there are no soldiers to catch him now.
That man could have walked away free. Yes, he was freed by the Romans, but he could have walked away from Calvary almost pumping his fist in the air, saying, “It’s done. I don’t have to pay for my crimes. Someone else paid the price for me. It’s all finished. I don’t need to do a thing.”
But really, I’m not talking about Barabbas anymore, am I? I’m talking about you. If you got to where this man got that day, you could walk away free. Because the truth is, Christ died for the ungodly. He took the guilty sinner’s place. He suffered in our stead. For man — oh, miracle of grace — for us the Saviour bled, and he finished everything that needed to be done to pay the price of our sin.
One Day That Could Change Your Eternity
I can almost picture Barabbas walking away shaking his head — I can hardly believe it, but it’s true. It’s all finished. Nothing for me to do. And all that man needed to do — all you need to do — is bow his head and thank God that Jesus died for me.
One day in the life of one man that could have changed his eternity. This one day, for you, could change where you’ll be forever — if you would take the place of the guilty sinner, knowing Christ has already taken the place as your Saviour and paid the price of your sin. Could you not thank God that Jesus died for me?
