Dwell in the Word Mark 15:1-15

Consider these questions as you dwell in Mark 15:1-15:

1. Reflecting on the exchange between Barabas and Jesus, we see a powerful depiction of substitutionary atonement. How does this event emphasize the profound nature of Jesus taking our place on the cross? How does it inspire gratitude and a renewed commitment to live for Christ?

2. The crowd's abrupt shift from praising Jesus on Palm Sunday to demanding His crucifixion is a striking contrast. What do you think fueled this drastic change in public sentiment? How can we guard against similar fluctuations in our own faith and devotion to Jesus when faced with societal pressures or shifting circumstances?

3. The story of Barabas serves as a poignant reminder of the incredible exchange that takes place in our salvation through Christ. How does the concept of being granted the perfect righteousness of Jesus impact your understanding of forgiveness and redemption? How does this reality motivate you to live a life devoted to Christ's service?

Transcript:

As I've said many times, we are coming to that part of the Gospel of Mark that we know the stories really well. It's one continuous story, but the different little stories we encounter are ones that we have heard so many times because they come up all the time around Good Friday and Easter. Here, what do we have? We have Jesus delivered to Pilate, and Pilate asks him questions. The chief priests accused Jesus of things. There's all this stuff going on. Finally, it comes to a head, and Pilate usually would release someone who had been arrested for a crime. In this case, it was Barabas who had committed murder. This is really probably one of the saddest parts of the story. Obviously, Jesus suffering and dying is the saddest. But when you think about what is happening here, that Jesus is being charged of these things, and they so badly want rid of him that they would exchange a murderer for Jesus. Now, there's so much to this story. This idea that they want Barabas, the crowds were cheering for Jesus on Palm Sunday. They wanted Jesus. They were listening to him. They were enamored with him all through the Book of Mark.

But now the crowds with some stirring up by the chief priests are calling the name of Barabas instead, a name that was being just prior on Palm Sunday of Jesus or say, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord. He's being praised, and then someone else's name is being called, and they're expecting that this Jesus that they've been praising is going to be crucified. Now, this is an interesting story. It's unbelievable to think about. Even Pilate is going, What are you people doing? What evil has he done? But it just gets them all the more rolled up. Crucify him. Crucify him. Crucify him. And so Pilate does what they wish. This is just a sad story. An innocent man is going to be executed. We see that at the end of the passage here. Jesus was delivered to be crucified by Pilate. An innocent man is going to the cross while a guilty man goes free. Now, as we think about this, this is really what the cross is about, isn't it? Jesus went to the cross in my place, and I am a guilty man. I'm guilty of sin. Jesus died in my place.

What we have here is a foreshadowing of what is happening, that Jesus is taking the place of a murderer. Jesus is taking the place of this person who has committed a crime, even though he has done nothing. As we think about this story, as we let this story lead us up to the cross here, we need to be thinking about that's our application. As we read this story, we have to remember that we're Barabas who has gone away. But there's more to it than that. Because Jesus died for us, our sin has been forgiven. Yes, he took our place. If Barabas went and did another crime, he was going to be arrested again. Who knows? Maybe Barabas ended up being crucified later on. We don't know what happened to Barabas. But for us, we sin every day. We fall away in our sin every last day. But the work that Jesus has done for us, the salvation that we have through the cross and through his resurrection, is such a great gift because we are not only forgiven of our sins, but we are given the perfect righteousness of Christ in our place, because he went as the perfect, righteous one to be sacrificed for us.

And so, we have hope. We know we see this picture of forgiveness, this picture of Jesus standing in for a guilty one. But we also have to remember, as we think about the cross, that as Barabas went away, he could have been arrested again. If he committed another murder or committed another crime. But you and I have the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ in our place. That's not a license to sin. That's not what I'm saying. What I am saying is this is an amazing gift that we have in Christ that we can go to God and we can say, We have fallen away and we have sinned. But the message that we hear, what we read in the Gospel, what we know of the Gospel, is that because we have been forgiven by Christ, we have been given the perfect righteousness. Because the righteous one went to the cross for us. We have that gift of righteousness. Now, this was an exchange here between Jesus and Barabas that what was an injustice. But what we have in Christ, while it doesn't seem like a just act for me to receive righteousness while the righteous man is killed in my place, it is a great gift, and it brings us joy, and it brings us happiness, and it causes us to want to live a holy life for Christ's sake.

And so, may we think about that today. May we remember this great exchange that happened with us that we might be God's faithful servants in his world.