Jesus saves Barabbas
Mark 15:1-15
It’s the end of Easter Week. But the effects of Easter live on; this week, every week. Today, we’re going back to see what was going on with the crowd and Barabbas.
CROWD
Holy Week started with huge crowds cheering Jesus as He finally entered Jerusalem. Within a few days they’d gone from cheering to jeering, from shouting ‘Hosanna, save us’, to ‘Crucify him’.
How fickle – changing their loyalties or opinion frequently and without good reason. Before we get too judgmental with them, isn’t that us? Aren’t we sometimes fickle. We too can blow hot and cold. We can sing worship songs and mean every word, and then later, live as if there is no God and our lives are own to do as we please. 
We are the crowd. We find it hard, and we’re not living under military occupation. The enemy we face can be our own apathy, cynicism, or need to be entertained. I’ll do God so long as it makes me feel good, I’ll ‘go to church’ when I’ve not got anything better to do.
But 2,000 years ago they were living under oppressive regime. They weren’t fickle; they were fearful. Legions of fearsome troops, would march in, escorting captured enemy soldiers, now slaves. Finally, the commanding Roman General would ride in on a stallion horse, all smug and powerful. All very orchestrated, local people would be made to wave flags and lay their cloaks down.
Instead, Jesus came into the city riding on a donkey - an even smaller young donkey.
It was as if the whole city came out to join in this victory parade. They grabbed palm leaves, cloaks, and sang/ shouted ‘Hosanna’ = “save us”, quoting Psalm 118:25: "O Lord, save us”
‘Hosanna’ in Hebrew = yashana - Yasha (save us) na (we pray). Hebrew for Jesus = Yeshua. Who can save them, and us? Jesus!
“Hosanna to the son of David.” In Aramaic = ‘Bar David’; bar = “son of..”
There’d been lots of ‘wanna be’ revolutionaries. There was an ongoing armed struggle/ resistance movement to kick out the Romans. The Roman Army was hugely outnumbered. Invaders always are. It’s one thing to win a battle; it’s quite another to occupy and hold the land. Being Passover Festival, the crowds were huge, all mocking Lord Caesar ad cheering for Jesus.
But then, even the crowd’s act of defiance came to nothing. One of Jesus’ inner circle had been turned and handed Jesus over to the authorities. Jesus was then arrested and charged with leading a rebellion. What, on that donkey?
So, the crowds were now fearful. They feared the backlash for backing the ‘wrong horse’ (or donkey). So, now they switched to shouting, ‘Crucify him’.
BARABBAS
Even Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, nudged by his discerning wife, could see that Jesus was no military threat. Jesus was clearly innocent. And yet Jesus was claimed to be ‘King of the Jews’. (We need to be very careful not to fuel antisemitism. Judaism has been blamed for the death of Christ.) But, like the caricature of a politician, Pilate was most concerned about himself and how he came across. He didn’t want to seem weak, but also spotted a ‘PR’ opportunity. His face-saving solution was to go all ‘Simon Cowell’ and put it the people. They’d like that. 364 days a year Pilate led with brutality. But on ONE day he would release ONE person. So, the crowd got out their tablets and chiselled their ‘X’s 
Their choice was between a revolutionary called Barabbas, and a very different revolutionary called Jesus. Pilate assumed they’d call for the release of Jesus. Matthew 27 tells us Barabbas’ first name was also Jesus. The people had to decide which revolution, which Jesus; Jesus the revolutionary or Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. Today, you and I have to make the same choice. There are representations of Jesus that are more Barabbas than Christ. They rely on violence, attacking, power plays, beating those that get in the way. They intimidate, threaten, manipulate.. to get their Barabbas . The Gospel of Barabbas, not of Jesus.
‘True Jesus’ rode on a donkey, not an armed chariot. He came not to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom. Beware of those who claim to speak for Jesus.
Barabbas was no petty criminal. He was a ‘nominal’, active in the armed struggle against the Roman Empire. He was totally committed to over-throwing, killing Roman soldiers, and training and leading others to do the same.
Jesus was in the same court, on the same charge. Luke 23 says Jesus was accused, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.”
This is Jesus who went around feeding the hungry, healing the sick, spreading a message of love - love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; turn the other cheek. Even at his arrest, when one of his hot-head supporters had drawn his sword and cut off a soldier’s ear, Jesus had rebuked him and healed the arresting soldier.
Even Pilate wasn’t convinced, so he put it to ‘the people’. 

 
They chose to save Barabbas. Jesus would have chosen the same.
There’s something else about Barabbas’ name. We mis-pronounce it.
In Year 6 at Junior School, my teacher, Mrs Hobson, kept mispronouncing me name: Brierley this, Brierley that. One day, 10 year old Brierley snapped: “How would you like to be called Mrs Hobby Horse?”
Barabbas comes from Bar = son of, hence Bar-mitzvah. Some say it was Bar-Rabban ie son of the rabbi. More likely Bar-Abbas ie son of the father. Barabbas is pronounced Bar-Abbas ie SON of Abbas
Again, we’re asked to choose between a ‘son of the father’ and THE Son of GOD THE FATHER.
Barabbas lived and yet few know much about him. Jesus was killed and here we are 2,000 years later still celebrating Him.
Bar-Abbas was facing certain death. There was no going back from Crucifixion. UNTIL, that is, another Jesus showed up: Yeshua, THE Son of God, God the Son.
Jesus’ death saved Barabbas. Christ’s death saves us too
WE ARE ALL BAR-ABBAS
Pilate washed his hands. But no amount of have-washing could remove his guilt. He had sent innocent Jesus to his death. We too have the blood of Christ in our hands.
And all this during Passover, the sacrificial lamb
What happened to bar-Abbas? Did he go back to his old life or live differently?
When you know that your life has been spared, saved through the sacrifice of another, you can’t help but live differently.

07840 046020   DannyBrierley@ChesterRoadBaptist.org.uk