15 At the festival the governor’s custom was to release to the crowd a prisoner they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Who is it you want me to release for you ​— ​Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? ”

Matthew 27:15-17

Barabbas or Jesus?

This Sunday at NorthStar, we completed week #4 of a sermon series entitled ECHOES: Stories Worth Retelling, where we look at characters in Scripture who played a role in God's redemptive plan. This week, we will dig deeper into Barabbas's life, as recorded in Matthew 27:15-25.At this point in the narrative , Jesus is on his journey to the cross. In preceding chapters of Matthew, we see that Jesus has been betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, and has now been handed over to the Roman Governor, Pilate. While Jesus is under arrest before Pilate, we are introduced to a fellow prisoner: Barabbas.Barabbas was a notorious (v.16) figure in the 1st century. He was an insurrectionist (John 18:40) and a murderer (Mark 15:7). Verse 15 tells us, "At the festival, the governor's custom was to release to the crowd a prisoner they wanted." This custom of releasing one prisoner to the crowd was built around the Passover festival. The Passover is one the most important days on the Jewish calendar, as it marks and memorializes God's action on the Jews behalf to set them free from the bondage of Egypt (Exodus 12). As a result, the Passover festival is marked by utmost political and religious fervor as they anticipate God's liberating power to set them free once again. At this moment in history the anticipation would be at an all time high because the Jews are experiencing similar oppression, not with Egypt, but with Rome.Therefore, there was this soaring expectation that maybe this would be the year that God would set us free from the grip of Rome as he did to our ancestors. So, in order to silence the Jews, to keep them satisfied and content, the Roman Governor would release one prisoner as an act of "political kindness".Verse 17 states, "Who is it you want me to release for you -- Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"So we've got Barabbas, and we've got Jesus Christ. Imagine there are two chairs on the platform, Barabbas sits on one and Jesus sits on the other. As they sit side by side, you will see some remarkable parallels and remarkable differences between these two men. Let's take a look:BARABBAS:

• name literally means "son of a father" in a simple, human sense.
• Leader of a physical revolution against Rome
• A murderer
• Guilty

JESUS CHRIST

• Jesus is the Heavenly Son of The Father
• Leader of a spiritual revolution against sin, darkness, and death
• Giver of Life
• Guiltless

These parallels are not accidental or coincidental. God is drawing our attention to the stark contrast between the guilty Barabbas and the innocent Jesus. What will Pilate do? Who will be released from the chains? Who will the crowd choose?It seems obvious. Of course, you release Jesus Christ, the innocent and guiltless one. But the story does not unfold that way.Let's zoom out of the story to our present moment. Here's what we cannot miss from this passage:

We are Barabbas.

Like Barabbas, we carry undeniable guilt before a Holy God. The very fabric of our DNA rebels against God and His rightful rule. We stand as guilty as Barabbas.Imagine yourself today in Barabbas's chair...You sit next to the innocent one and the question is asked, Who is it that you want me to release? It appears to be a lost cause. On our own, our ship is sunk.Yet, next to us is the Savior of the World...tomorrow we will unpack the rest of the story.