Let me just repeat that, it's
Mark chapter 15 and we'll read from verse 6. Now at that feast he, that is
Pilate, released unto them one prisoner whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas
which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him
who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude,
crying aloud, began to desire him to do as he had ever done
unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying,
Will ye that I release unto you the king of the Jews? For he
knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the
chief priests moved the people, that they should rather release
Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said
again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him
whom ye call the king of the Jews? And they cried out again,
Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why,
what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly,
Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content
the people, released Barabbas unto them and delivered Jesus,
when he had scourged him, to be crucified. Amen. May the Lord bless to us this
reading from his word as well. It had become a practice with
Pilate, a tradition, if you like, to free a prisoner at the feast
of the Passover. And this was probably quite a
wise and successful thing for Pilate to do. It was an act of
clemency, which really probably cost very little as far as the
Romans were concerned, but it gave them a role, it gave the
Roman authorities a role in the festivities that were going on
in Jerusalem and it gently reminded everyone at the same time where
the true power lay in Jerusalem and in Israel at that time. We'll remember that at the feast
of the Passover, people came from all over Israel. Indeed,
they came from all over the Mediterranean and Asia Minor and probably as
far away as Rome itself to the celebrations in Jerusalem. And they came to worship, they
came to meet their friends, they came to visit the temple, and
they came to remember, they came to recall the glory days of Israel's
past. And maybe even to dream that
those times might someday return. Someday they hoped the Messiah
would come, the one who had been promised long, long ago, the
one whom Moses and the prophets had looked forward to, of whom
David had spoken and Daniel had prophesied. They were looking
for the Messiah even now. and little did they appreciate
the significance of what was happening right before their
eyes at this very moment. John, in his gospel, chapter
one, verse 10, tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ was at
that very moment in the world, and the world was made by him,
and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, his own
people. He came to the people of Israel. He came to the Jews and his own
received him not. And this is exactly what we have
before us today in these verses. Pilate's gesture to release a
prisoner at this time is what nowadays is called soft power. However, any hope he had of wielding
this soft power to solve the dilemma that he faced was not
going to happen. He had a problem, and his problem
was what to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Pilate knew that Jesus
was not guilty of any crime. He knew that he was being played
by the high priest and the Jewish religious elite. Even Pilate's
wife was giving him a hard time over this prisoner, so that Pilate
hoped that the traditional prisoner release could be the answer to
his dilemma, his problem. Pilate offered the Jews the choice
between a prisoner Unlikely to appeal to any religious, moral
individual. A notorious criminal called Barabbas. A man known to be a robber, known
to be a rebel and a murderer. And on the other side, Jesus
of Nazareth. Called by the Jews, the King
of the Jews. an innocent man with popular
support amongst the common people for the wisdom that he showed,
for his healing ministry over several years, for his miracles,
for his holy life. So that in Pilate's mind the
contrast could not have been more stark. Barabbas or Jesus? However, Pilate underestimated
the determination of the Jews. The whim of a crowd would not
rob the high priest of his prize. And we're told that the priests
moved the people to call for Barabbas to be set free and at
the same time demand that Jesus be crucified. They even threatened
to report Pilate to Rome for tolerating a rival king against
Caesar. a quite extraordinary escalation
in the pressure that these Jewish men brought against Pilate. And the bottom line here was
that they outwitted Pilate and they left him beaten and they
left him embarrassed. It was all that Pilate could
do to call for a bowl of water and to publicly wash his hands
declaring that he took no blame for the death of an innocent
man. Nevertheless, it was on his watch
and at his command that the Lord Jesus, that innocent man, was
handed over to be scourged and crucified. So much for Roman
justice. But in truth, it wasn't Roman
justice or indeed Roman clemency that was on display here today. It was an act of mercy and justice
far more significant than either Pilate or the Jews could begin
to realise. as they were sparring with one
another, trying to assert their will and preserve their reputation. It was God's holiness that was
honoured in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was God's love
that was vindicated by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And here on this day, In Jerusalem,
the Lord Jesus Christ established his kingdom, redeemed his people
and glorified his name, while foolish little men ran around
trying to outsmart one another and have their own way. And we're reminded how, still
today, Men and women spend their lives chasing to and fro, vainly
in this world, trying to please themselves and build for themselves
little kingdoms, while the everlasting purpose of God unfolds, unseen,
unbeknown to them, for the salvation of the just and the judgment
of the wicked. That is what is going on right
now, today, in our time. And we bless the Lord that he
has given us an insight into his gospel ways and purposes
and eyes to see and hearts to understand these great and glorious
truths. I want to draw some headings
from this passage today and comment on them for a few minutes and
I want to make a number of applications that I trust the Lord, the Holy
Spirit will use for our hearts good and to comfort us in our
Christian way. These thoughts, these messages,
this gospel that we preach, it's not merely for the hearing of
our minds, but it is we desire, we pray to touch our hearts and
to strengthen our spirits also. The first point I want us to
note is this, the worthiness of our Saviour, the worth of
Christ that is set before us here. One of the principle lessons
taught in Scripture is the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is this holiness, this
sinlessness that is Christ's worthiness to atone for the sins
of his people. And it is that holiness that
is consequently his suitability to be our saviour. When Pilate rose before the gathered
crowd who shouted for the freedom of Barabbas and the crucifixion
of Christ, it's almost as if the Roman governor was struggling
to grasp Why Barabbas could possibly be chosen to benefit over Christ
in this annual release of a prisoner? As the crowd chanted for the
Lord to be crucified, Pilate cried out, what evil has he done? What evil hath he done? And in making that plea, in asking
that question, he bore witness to the Bible's
clear testimony that our Lord Jesus was always and ever without
sin, any sin of his own, and therefore a worthy and suitable
saviour and substitute. Let us just pause for a moment
on this fact because we see it reflected throughout scripture. And I only want to touch on a
few examples. Each time the father declared
his pleasure in his son, it attested his holiness and purity. This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. Christ lived in full obedience
to God, in complete adherence to God's law, and he proved himself
to be the spotless Lamb of God. Paul says of Christ that he knew
no sin. Peter says Christ did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth. And John tells us Christ
was manifested to take away our sins and in Him is no sin. So not only did the Father testify
to His pleasure in His holy Son, but the disciples of the Lord
also testified to the fact that there was no sin in Him. And now even Pilate a heathen,
gentile, governor, repeatedly declares that he has found no
fault in Christ and he personally exonerates him before all the
people. In John chapter 19 verse 4 the
apostle tells us, Pilate therefore went forth again, he did this
repeatedly, Pilate therefore went forth again and said unto
him, behold I bring him forth to you that ye may know that
I find no fault in him. And it's in this sinlessness,
this purity, this spotless Lamb of God without blemish, blameless
in every way. that this attribute, this characteristic
of the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates him to be a worthy sacrifice
for sin. His father called him holy. His
disciples testified that he had no sin in him. Even his enemies
could find no fault and challenged one another to bring forth any
evidence of any evil that he had ever done. Friends, let us have no hesitancy
in trusting in Christ. He is uniquely able to save us
from our sins. Paul tells us, in the mouth of
two or three witnesses shall every word be established. And
here are three witnesses to establish the worthiness of Jesus Christ,
to stand forth as our substitute, as our surety, to bear our sins,
to carry our iniquities, as only he can. This is the only way. This is the unique way. Christ's
fathers, Christ's disciples, Christ's enemies all concur. Behold the man. Behold the man. Pilate said that to the people. Let me add to that, behold the
unique and the matchless and the eminently saviour that is
our Lord Jesus Christ. So we see the suitability of
Christ to be a saviour. The second point we have in these
few verses that we can draw with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ
is that we need such a saviour. We need such a saviour. Barabbas
is a picture of grace applied. Now often Barabbas is presented
by free will preachers as embodying some kind of alternative to Christ
as if the crowd to which these preachers are preaching is presented
with two options, Jesus or Barabbas. Who will you choose? Who will
you choose between the two? Will you choose Christ for life
and heaven or Barabbas for death and hell? Well, it might sound
dramatic, but it's not sound doctrine. Men and women are not
in a crowd passing judgment on Christ. On the contrary, we are
the criminals. We are Barabbas. We are the already condemned,
the guilty. Yesterday in the little introduction
that I sent around, if you would like a copy of that and you don't
currently receive it, let me know, I'll get one to you. It's
a weekly bulletin. But that little intro speaks
of John's reference to Barabbas as a robber. Here in these verses, Mark calls
him an insurrectionist. Kind of complicated word. It
means that he's a rebel. It means that he stands against
the government. And we're also told by Mark that
he was a murderer. And these titles have a typical
significance. Barabbas was a murderous rebel
and a thief. and he was already condemned. He was bound in the company of
other murderous thieves and he was awaiting death. This isn't
about choosing. It's about knowing and acknowledging
what we are before God. It is about knowing that we are
vile, guilty sinners and acknowledging that we're already condemned,
we're already lying with Barabbas in the prison and it's only a
matter of time before that execution will be justifiably carried out. So before we go shaking our heads
at Barabbas and nodding our heads at Christ as if we've got some
sort of choice to make in this matter, But let me say, Barabbas
is a picture of all of us in our sin. Was Barabbas a robber? John tells us so. And have we
not robbed God of His glory? Do we not rob God of His glory
every day, in word, in thought, in deed? Do we not rob God when
we deny him the worship that he deserves and the service that
we owe? And his rights as Lord? Barabbas was a rebel, an insurrectionist,
who rose and stood against authority, who refused to be ruled and went
his own way. But it was the way of death and
suffering. And is that not familiar with
our passage in this world? Barabbas was a murderer. Perhaps
you think that that's something we can't be accused of. But the
reality is that each one of us is a self-murderer. We slay our own souls by our
sin. We condemn ourselves to hell
by our willful violence against God and against our own soul. And like Barabbas, we're prisoners. We're prisoners of Satan. We're
bound to sin. We're chained to unbelief. And
like Barabbas, we're convicted by the law and confined to a
pit with no means of escape. We're worthy of death. We're
under condemnation. And we are deserving of God's
punishment. But I began this little section
by saying that Barabbas was a picture of grace because he was released
when the Lord went to the cross. And under this view, he may be
likened to all of God's elect who were released from their
just condemnation when the Lord Jesus Christ, carrying their
crimes, bearing their sin, was condemned and slain in their
place. The Apostle Paul tells us in
Romans and in Ephesians, he says this, much more then, being now
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. in whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of his grace. Barabbas is a picture of grace
because Barabbas went free at Christ's expense and we who have
trusted in Christ, we who have faith in Christ, go free through
his blood. We obtain forgiveness of sin
because of the riches of God's grace towards us. We saw yesterday
that Barabbas means the son of the father. And if we apply that
spiritually, we learn that the elect These elect Barabbases, if you
like, are children of God by adopting grace. There is a people
beloved of God, whom God hath from the beginning chosen to
salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. When the Gospel is preached,
this people who are sanctified, set apart by the Spirit of God,
who are chosen and elect by the purpose of God, they hear that
Gospel and they are quickened to believe it and receive it
and are blessed thereby. It is these people Barabbas represents. Though a murderer, a robber and
an insurrectionist, he was set free when Christ died. And that
is the lot and the portion of the elect of God, the adopted
people, those who have faith in Jesus Christ through the hearing
and receiving and believing of the gospel. So here was one who was a fit
and able saviour. And here was Barabbas who was
the one who shows us that we needed a saviour. And now, for
the third point, we discover that Pilate, having washed his
hands, then sends Jesus to be scourged and crucified. What
a cowardly hypocrite. Pilate was. He knew that Christ
was innocent. He knew Christ to be innocent. He knew that this was mere politics,
that these priests had delivered him for their own sake, for their
own purposes, for out of envy, and yet he had him scourged and
crucified nevertheless. It was corporal punishment before
capital punishment. So the third point is the scourging
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the scourging of Christ is
both to us who believe a horror and a blessing. It's unclear
from my reading of the Gospels in parallel on this point just
exactly how many times Jesus was scourged. It appears to be
more than one time. But scourging was a terrible
ordeal. It was inflicted with rods, sticks
or with whips and it was purposefully designed to weaken and disable
the victim prior to crucifixion. And we learn from these scourgings
that our Lord Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, bruised
for our iniquities, and that the chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. You know, we read
that verse so often, it's probably one of my most quoted verses. So very often I read that with
the emphasis on the transgressions and the iniquities and the healing. But let us remember the physical. experience that Christ endured,
wounded, bruised, chastised with stripes. We cannot begin to conceive
of the extent and degree of the sufferings of the Lord. However, we believe and we know
that each stripe that he endured helped to secure our redemption. He paid for our sins with his
own blood in his own body. Christ's suffering is our healing. His pain is our blessing. Let us not read these verses
dispassionately. God, give us grace, give us sense
to read these verses over, not with the familiarity of having
read them a hundred or a thousand times, but as if we're reading
them for the very first time. And let us see in them the true
cost of our salvation. Let me mention just one more
point, and I think this is interesting, and I leave it with you to contemplate
and ponder. Matthew in the parallel history
to Mark's passage that we've read here on this incident enlarges
a little bit. And he tells us in Matthew chapter
27 and verse 24, when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing,
but that rather a tumult was made. So there was about to be
a riot. Yeah, see there's those insurrectionists
again. Pilate saw that he could prevail
nothing, but that rather a tumult was made. He took water and washed
his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the
blood of this just person. See ye to it. Right. We've already criticised Pilate,
so we'll be done by that. In verse 25, Matthew goes on
to say, then answered all the people and said, his blood be
upon us and on our children. His blood be upon us and on our
children. Can you imagine a more vile inheritance
to leave to your children than to bequeath to them responsibility
and culpability for the death of Jesus Christ? Within 40 years, the children
of these people felt the full weight of Rome's destruction,
and the nation of Israel was effectively obliterated. However, I wonder if we might
not take this cry, His blood be on us and on our children,
and turn it right around on its head. And instead of making it
such a vile statement of culpability, make it into a prayer. Now I trust that this is not
a liberty too far. But is there, by a believing
heart, a finer prayer to be made than to see their need of salvation
and recognise that only by the application of the blood of Christ
can we or our children be saved. If we can by faith cry that same
phrase, his blood be on us and on our children, then these words
are a prayer of the highest order and greatest value. And I think that that little
phrase, so reversed, is fit to be pushed as far as we have eyes
to see. Guess what I mean. When Jesus
hung on the cross in just a few hours time, he prayed this prayer. Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do. We're going to come to that another
day, but let us just pause and think of that. Here were people
who cried out His blood be upon us and on our children. And the
Lord Jesus Christ said of them, Father, forgive them for they
know not what they do. Secondly, in a mere 50 days after
Passover at Pentecost, Peter stands up and he preaches the
gospel to the same gathered crowd. The same people that said, His
blood be upon us and upon our children, now hear Peter preaching
in the power of the Holy Spirit in that great sermon of the second
chapter of Acts. And Peter says in chapter two,
verse 37, now when they, or Luke tells us, Now when they heard
this, Peter's sermon, they were pricked in their heart and said
unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren,
what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent
and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost for the promise is unto you, listen, and to your
children and to all that are afar off even as many as the
Lord our God shall call. These people cried out His blood
be on us and on our children. And by the grace of God, at the
prayer of Christ, and through the preaching of the gospel,
indeed in a most glorious and spiritual way, the blood of Jesus
Christ was indeed upon them and upon their children. What a prayer
to pray. Dear God, May the cleansing blood
of Jesus Christ be upon us and upon our children and upon our
children's children.