"Barabbas" - written by Leigh Riches
2003 Oakden Baptist Church

As he looked at the four walls of his cell, the prisoner new that the end of his life was near. Not that long ago he had been a free man, but certainly not a good man.

He was a rebel and a troublemaker. He had stolen on numerous occasions, he hated authority and had lured others into a life of crime during an attempted revolt. It was during this time that he had done his worst - murder - a crime which was punishable by certain death.

There was no denying it, he was a guilty man and was at the top of the list that made up death-row. There was a couple of other criminals awaiting a similar punishment, petty thieves that had also been caught and tried, but neither was as notorious or deserving of death as he was. Death to this man was inevitable and close - in fact he had heard that two or three were to be chosen in the next day or so.

Suddenly a guard marched swiftly toward his cell, turned the key and opened the door. This was the moment he had been dreading, it was time to pay the price for a lifetime of selfishness and crime.

The guard unshackled him and led him upstairs to prison door. Slowly the guard turned to him, put his hand on his shoulder and pushed him into the daylight. “You’re free to go.... They’re punishing that man instead”.

The criminal looked at the man which the guard had pointed to. He was tied to pole with a crown of thorns on his head, and was being whipped, beaten and spat upon by numerous Roman soldiers. “What’s he done?” Barabbas asked the guard. “Nothing” the guard replied, “except for saying that He was the Son of God”.

This story of the third criminal mentioned in the crucifixion - Barabbas - is usually overshadowed by that of the two criminals crucified either side of Christ, but the Barabbas story is none-the-less intruiging. We don’t know all the details, and I hope that you have been able to picture how it might have been - but the facts still remain:

A criminal, a sinner, a guilty man who deserves retribution, punishment and death - is set free. Instead the perfect, sinless Son of God takes his place amongst the three that were to be crucified that day. As incredible and wrong as this seems, we see the same amazing story played out again again every day. The guilt, punishment and sin of man is forgiven by God because His Son Jesus Christ has paid the price, and taken the punishment that we deserved.