Luke 23. Let’s think about Barabbas for a moment. “But they all cried out together, ‘Away with this man [Jesus] and release to us Barabbas’ – a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder…” (23:18) Jesus has been passed back and forth, from Pilate to Herod, and neither of them found any guilt in him. Jesus did not deserve to be flogged or crucified. But Barabbas was guilty of starting a riot and of murder. Barabbas deserved death. Yet the voices of the crowd prevailed. Then “He [Pilate] released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.” (23:25)

The very guilty man Barabbas was set free. In his place, the innocent Jesus was sent off to be crucified. And that, my friends, is a perfect picture of salvation. In fancy seminary words we call it “substitutionary atonement” – in his death on the cross, Jesus receives a punishment that we deserve because of our sins.

Ever since the original sin of disobedience and rebellion in the Garden of Eden, we have been separated from God. In the days of ancient Israel, one day a year was set aside as the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). A goat was chosen, and the sins of Israel were symbolically placed upon its head, and then it was sent out into the wilderness. It was a reminder that the sins of the people requirement payment for the community to be in right relationship with God. But the atonement goat was just a picture, a reminder, and the ceremony had to be repeated annually because the blood of the goat could not actually remove the guilt of sin (Hebrews 9-10).

In the death of Jesus, the sacrifice for sins was made once and for all. Jesus was substituted in our place, just as he was substituted for Barabbas on the day of his crucifixion.

I’ve always thought the Barabbas character was a strange side story in the crucifixion narrative, in essence I thought it was primarily there to lay the blame for Jesus’ death squarely on the crowds. Thank you to the Foundations New Testament journal we are reading for pointing out a second purpose of Barabbas’ story – the gospel writers gave us a beautiful and timely picture of what salvation means.

Are you surprised to think about Barabbas in this way? Are you glad we are not still required to sacrifice animals on a regular basis to atone for our sins? Do you come before God every day to confess your sins and appeal to the blood of Christ and God’s grace for forgiveness?

What stood out to you from Luke 23?