Articles & Devotionals
Jesus in My Place
Last weekend, my wife and I were driving around town just to get out of the house for a little while. As we were driving, we were privileged to find a message by the late Billy Graham’s son, Franklin, on an often overlooked, but highly meaningful detail about the crucifixion – Barabbas. Knowing what we do from scripture, we are given a tremendous teaching about a real spiritual truth – substitutionary atonement. In other words, the gospel in 4 words, “Jesus in my place.”
Barabbas was an interesting fellow to say the least. Each of the 4 gospel accounts mention him and each give a little bit of detail. In Matthew he is called notorious. In Mark and Luke, he is labeled a rebel and a murderer while John calls him a robber.
So why mention Barabbas other than as an interesting historical detail to show the corruption within and contemptable behavior by those seeking Jesus’ death? And the big question… what does that have to do with me? To start answering those questions and to provide some background, let’s look quickly at a passage from the Old Testament.
Let’s look back roughly another 2000 years to what may potentially be the same hilltop in Genesis 22 – the offering of Isaac. After a lifetime of childlessness, Abraham and Sarah have miraculously been granted their son, Isaac. When Isaac was about 12 years old God told Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” YIKES! Though in typical Abrahamic fashion, Abraham acts immediately and sets off with his son. While on the way, Isaac looks around and asks a pretty down to earth question, “…where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” To which Abraham replies, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” We don’t know whether Abraham realized it or not (my guess is not), but that statement was one of the most profound prophesies we find in scripture.
Understandably, Abraham is being rather obtuse with Isaac. He’s been told to offer his son, his one and only son whom he loves as a burnt offering. I am rather confident that if he had told Isaac the full truth at this point, the rest of the trip would have been rather difficult. Here’s the point though. The two of them get up to the mountain, Abraham ties up his son and just when he’s about to sacrifice Isaac, an angel stops the situation and a ram is miraculously provided (see Hebrews 11:17-19 for a little glimpse into Abraham’s mind at the time). Not only do we find the miraculous fulfillment of Abraham’s words to his son just a few short verses before, but we find yet another foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
The idea of sacrifice, substitutionary atonement, is all over scripture. Likewise, the foreshadowing and typological comparisons are unmistakable – even expressly made in various parts of scripture.
Let’s take Isaiah 53 as an example
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Clearly speaking of Jesus (though some 800 years before Gabriel appeared to Mary), the prophet speaks of Him being pierced for our transgressions; being crushed for our iniquities (sins); by His wounds we are healed. Substitutionary atonement.
Even as we jump forward into Hebrews 10, speaking of the very sacrifices ordained in the Levitical law we can see that the law was a shadow… an outline… a visible form of truth without its substance:
1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (I recommend comparing Leviticus 16 with Hebrews 10:19-21)
Now, back to Barabbas. Let’s hit some bullet points:
- Jesus was crucified between 2 robbers. Barabbas was a robber. That middle cross was likely Barabbas’ place.
- Barabbas was a rebel against Rome. Sin is rebellion against God. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” – Rom 3:23
- Barabbas was a murderer, Matt 5:22 says anger with our brother makes us guilty of the same crime (I would suggest we are all guilty of this).
Here is the One with the bruised heel (see Genesis 3), here is the Lamb provided by the Lord (Genesis 22), here is the Scapegoat (Leviticus 16), here is the One who was pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53) in the place of Barabbas – a wanton murderer, thief, insurrectionist, and hater of mankind… in my place, in your place. Barabbas gives a tangible, physical, literal manifestation of the wonderful spiritual truth shown to us that day – Jesus in my place.
