Matthew 27 – The Day Barabbas Met Jesus

When the morning came, Barabbas was condemned. By evening, Jesus hung on his cross. This is the story of the day everything changed.

This article is adapted from a message preached on September 15, 2025. Watch the full sermon on YouTube.

One Day That Changed Everything

Matthew 27 opens with the words, “When the morning was come,” and closes with, “When the evening was come.” Between those two bookends lies one remarkable day—this day—a day that altered the life of one man forever.

Between those two moments, morning and evening, Scripture places this day.

It is the day Pilate’s wife warns him, “I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him” (Matthew 27:19).

It is the day a decision is forced.

It is the day a cross changes hands.

For one man named Barabbas, nothing before this day mattered the same afterward.

A Man Already Condemned

Barabbas was no victim of circumstance. Matthew calls him “a notable prisoner” (Matthew 27:16). Mark tells us plainly what that meant: he had committed murder in an insurrection (Mark 15:7).

He had been tried.

He had been found guilty.

He was condemned already.

Barabbas was not waiting to see if he would die—only when. When the morning came, he knew this was the day. When the evening came, his life would be over.

Scripture uses the same language to describe every sinner outside of Christ: “

He that believeth not is condemned already” (John 3:18).

There are no scales waiting in the sky. No future verdict yet to be decided. Condemnation is not coming someday—it already rests on the unbeliever.

Barabbas simply makes that condition visible.

The Cross Waiting for Him

Somewhere near that prison stood three crosses.

One for Barabbas.

Two for the men bound with him.

All three had earned them.

That morning, those crosses belonged to their names. That evening, they would be lifted, and all three men expected to be gone.

Barabbas deserved his cross. No one disputed that—not Rome, not the crowd, not Scripture.

And yet, this day would not end as expected.

Released

In the courtroom, one word echoes again and again: released.

• “Whom will ye that I release unto you?” (Matthew 27:17)

• “Which of the twain will ye that I release unto you?” (Matthew 27:21)

• “Then released he Barabbas” (Matthew 27:26)

Barabbas was chained, shackled by his own crimes, bound with men just like himself. Those chains were meant to come off only at death.

But on this day, they fell away while he still lived.

Released from chains.

Released from condemnation.

Released while another man was delivered in his place.

This is not an accident of history. It is the gospel in motion.

The Swap No One Could Undo

Matthew and Mark record it in one sentence: “Then released he Barabbas, and delivered Jesus”.

One sentence. Two names. Two destinies moving in opposite directions.

A guilty man walks free.

An innocent Man (Jesus) walks toward the cross.

Somewhere in that moment, Barabbas encountered Jesus—the Man who was taking his place.

Scripture never tells us what Barabbas did next. It leaves the silence intentional. But neutrality was no longer possible.

The Man on His Cross

If Barabbas followed Jesus to Calvary, he would have seen his own cross raised with another name: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”.

He would have heard the first words spoken from it:“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Forgiveness—for murderers, rebels, and sinners who deserved to be there.

Later came the cry that explained everything:

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

Barabbas was not forsaken. Jesus was.

The guilty was spared.

The innocent was abandoned.

And then the final word split the air:“It is finished!”.

Finished. Not postponed, not supplemented, not waiting for human effort. The price was paid in full.

Nothing Left to Pay

Barabbas had nothing left to do.

His crimes had been answered.His cross had been taken.His chains were gone.

He could walk away free. Not because he was innocent, but because another had died in his place.

And this is why the story does not end with Barabbas.

“Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

He took the place of guilty sinners. He bore the judgment. He finished the work.

One day in the life of one man could have changed his eternity.

This day can change yours.