BARABBAS
By Rev. Dr. Jerry Schmoyer jerry@schmoyer.net
http://india.christiantrainingonline.org/
READ Gal 2:20 ; Rom 6:6
HELLO! My name is Barabbas
NOT Barnabas, friend of Paul
BAR = son of ABBA = father/daddy
well-known RABBI
JESUS first name (common – Joshua) “ Deliverer”
JESUS BAR-ABBA (Jesus son of Father)
– PHYSICAL deliverance from Rome
JESUS BAR-JOSEPH (Jesus son of Joseph)
-SPIRITUAL deliverance from Sin
CRIME
murder in riots and rebellion against Rome
leader in SICARII (“dagger-bearers”) today: Terrorists
HEARD OF JESUS from Simon Zealot – love & peace!
I NEVER MET JESUS – not in prison (NO PRISONS)
I was deserving of death – Apr 3, 33 AD
BACKGROUND
TEARFUL ENTRY
Lamb selection day
Offer kingdom, rejected
FINAL WEEK, final chance, Jeru 10x size
Sparing with religious rulers
Nation decided, still up to individuals
LAST SUPPER
Passover lamb, substitute
Body and blood = replace matzo & juice
Unity (3 matzos)
Lamb: chosen, killed, body, blood, eaten
TALK – Upper room
Way to Gethsemane (vine branches, coming HS, insula)
Pray for all
GETHSEMANE
Pray 3 times – remove cup
Arrested – didn’t have to be
Not come to Gethsemane in first place
Walked away while disciples slept
Allowed all pinned to ground and left
Followed Peter’s lead and freed self in riot
Called angels to deliver Him
TRIALS
3 religious
3 political (Pilate, Herod, Pilate) Flogging, – crown
PETER DENIALS, brokenness
PASSOVER RELEASE
Prisoner release (Maccabeans, Jews from Egypt)
Pilate; “Here’s my out!” – legally release Jesus
People coming to see, not controlled by rel rulers
Pilate: “Who shall I release?” Crowd: “Barabbas”
Pilate: “What about Jesus?” Crowd: “Crucify! Crucify!”
Drug out of holding cell (to be flogged) – into street!
SUBSTITUTE on cross for me (Took hatred out on Jesus)
Curious, didn’t care about him, loyal to friends, MY cross
TO GOLGOTHA
Pilate beg for release, not work
Pilate flog so have sympathy (worse than death, soldiers hate)
CARRYING CROSS MY cross 200 lb, curse Dt 21:23
SIMON OF CYRENE, black, sons pastors in Rome
EXECUTION AT GOLGOTHA
Golgotha = skull (appearance of hill) smell, feel of death
Some mercy shown: NARCOTIC (gall or myrrh) – rejected
Nailed naked to cross
Cross – Nerve centers, tetanus, gangrene, cramps
Joints separate, lungs burn, ASPHYXIATE
Pull up on nails to breathe
Dizzy, thirst, fever, shame, pain, etc.
If God, why this? If love, how? If Jesus God, why???
Later, though, I ran into soldier who guarded me in prison
LONGINUS – NCO in charge of detail (German)
1. “FORGIVE THEM”
Romans, gods of revenge; Jew God eye for eye
NOT: Father, judge them
BUT: forgive! (kept saying it over & over)
Only the injured person is in the position to initiate forgiveness
-giving up right to revenge, pay back
-willing to absorb cost/hurt himself
Thumb tip, red hanky to white sin forgiven
no forgiveness in me, weakness, take hatred out on innocent
Made me wonder if I could be forgiven, too!
What a difference that would make!
2. “WITH ME TODAY IN PARADISE”
Crowd nasty – shouts, profane & obscene gestures
Soldiers even worse than people, tempting with water
Thieves (comrades of mine) joined in
CHANGE in one, hardened old fighter
Asked to remember Him at end of time when set up kdgm
Jesus “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
FORGIVENESS FREELY GIVEN TO CRIMINAL
3. “WOMAN, BEHOLD YOUR SON”
Take care of each other – my mother?
DARKNESS
NOON – DARK – evil felt in darkness, ruled & reigned
Satan and his forces of darkness were giving Jesus all they had
Privacy, loneliness
I was told later that Jesus was TAKING OUR HELL at that time
4. “MY GOD, …, WHY FORSAKEN ME?”
Eloi Eloi, lama sabachthani (Psalm 22)
Screamed! Over and over! – “God” – not “Father”
surprised at how awful sin & judgment was!
felt every sin & eternal J ever, start with Eve, on thru me & you
First time felt sin, guilt, separation (me used to it
DEAD spiritually these 3 hours (death = separation)
Jesus died spiritually for my sins (not phy)
BEE FLY around son, father grabbed it, too
5. “I’M THIRSTY!”
6. “IT IS FINISHED!”
‘Tetelestai” = “paid in full” on bills of sale, receipts
Not “I am finished” but “It is finished”
Work of salvation finished, completed, done!
FIELDS ON FIRE, burn one place, then go in it for safety
7. “FATHER, HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT”
“Father” – relationship restored, sin gone, not abandoned
Voluntarily died because work on earth is done
BODY: into tomb 3 days to prove death conquered
SOUL – SPIRIT: right to heaven
SIGNS IN NATURE
Darkness Lifted
Curtain Torn 3 PM: Passover lamb & Jesus died, veil torn
Earth Shaken Nature reacting to great significance of event
Tombs Open Jews resurrected (NOT resussitated)
“Firstfruits” of what would come later
MANY BELIEVE
Soldier “righteous man, Son of God”
Simon of Cyrene
Criminal friend on cross
Many in crowd
Priests who saw temple veil torn
Me – Barabbas!
I WAS THERE on Golgotha – April 3, 33 AD
It changed my life completely
You were there – did it change yours?