We are all used to the concept of a substitute. Football teams take off an injured player and replace him or her with a substitute. Schools use substitute teachers to fill staffing needs. When cooking we sometimes substitute certain ingredients for others because of dietary requirements or convenience. One person or object takes the place of another. 

In our reading today, we read of a substitution like no other as Barabbas is spared death and Jesus takes his place. Luke is at pains to point out the differences between these two men. Pilate says he finds no basis for the charges brought against Jesus before stating simply, ‘he has done nothing to deserve death’ (v 15). This is in stark contrast to Barabbas who has been convicted of insurrection and murder (v 19). The one who is guilty of taking life will have his life spared while the other – ‘the author of life’ (Acts 3:15) – will be killed in his place.

Most of us have not murdered or caused a riot. Most of us may not have a criminal record. And yet, as the apostle Paul writes, ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). Jesus, the ultimate substitute, chose to die in our place. As Barabbas walked free, so do we. 

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.’¹

Choices we make today may have consequences later on. Pilate, the religious leaders and the crowd made choices during the trials of Jesus. Pilate wanted to release Jesus as he could not find any grounds for the death penalty. The religious leaders and the crowd preferred to have Barabbas released. In the end, Pilate conceded and gave them what they wanted. 

It is strange that the religious leaders and the crowd preferred to have Barabbas released instead of Jesus. Barabbas, also known as Jesus Barabbas, was a notorious prisoner who had taken part in insurrections and had committed murder (v 19).² He believed that God saved through violence and war and he was prepared to fight and die for that belief. In this respect, the Roman authorities found him to be dangerous and imprisoned him. However, Jesus believed that God saves through self-sacrificing love and that he himself was the embodiment of that love. Because of this, the Jewish religious authorities found him dangerous and wanted to have him killed.

In contrasting these two characters of Barabbas and Jesus, we could reflect on how we respond to the circumstances surrounding us today. In a world of heightened terrorist attacks, rising religious intolerance and increasing repression of religious freedom, how could followers of Christ become agents of transformation? Sometimes we hear the clamour, ‘Give us Barabbas’, denoting a preference for a revolutionary option of political powers, military strength and economic sanctions. The ethic that Jesus teaches is to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, turn the other cheek and to go the extra mile. It is easier for us to choose to follow the worldly ways than to follow Jesus in embodying self-sacrificing love. 

Whose way do we choose to follow? Is it the way of Jesus Barabbas or the way of Jesus Christ? 

¹ Matt 5:5  ² Matt 27:16