Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?” The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!” Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” – Matthew 27: 20-22
I can picture Barabbas, sitting alone in the shadows of his cold prison cell. A faint sliver of light creeps through a small window, barely enough to pierce the darkness. He’s awaiting his fate – crucifixion, a brutal end for a man guilty of murder and for inciting an insurrection in Jerusalem. Outside, not far from the prison where he’s being held, a crowd gathers before Pilate. He tilts his head toward the tiny widow, straining to hear what’s being said. He struggles to make out Pilate’s questions, but surely he can hear the roar of the crowd shouting out his name, “Barabbas! Barabbas!” His heart races. Freedom? Hope? But a few seconds later he hears, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
If all Barabbas caught was his name followed by that chilling cry, he must have soiled himself when he heard the soldier’s footsteps coming toward his cell. “Surely, this is it for me,” he thought, expecting to be dragged to a torturous death. But instead, the soldiers looked at him and said, “Barabbas, you’re a guilty man – but you’re free. Jesus will die in your place.” In that moment, Barabbas understood the cross in a way few ever could. A man condemned to die, now set free, because another took his punishment. Did that truth sink into his soul? Did he carry it with him? Or did he walk away unchanged? We can only wonder…
The scene that day captures a pivotal moment, not just for Barabbas, but for all of us. The crowd’s choice that day set the course for Jesus’ crucifixion, the moment when He bore the weight of humanity’s sin – mine and yours. Like Barabbas, we’re all guilty, deserving of judgment. Yet Jesus stepped into our place, taking the punishment we earned. The cross was not just Barabbas’ rescue, but ours too.
But this passage also holds a mirror up to our hearts. Pilate asked, “What shall I do with Jesus?”
Of course, at the time, Pilate was directing this question to the crowd of Jews standing before him. But he had no idea how significant, how profound, his question that day would be.
What shall I do with Jesus? Shall I thank Him for taking my place on the cross for me? Shall I acknowledge Him as my Lord and Savior? Shall my life be a living testimony to His kindness, His love, and His goodness? Shall I think about all that He suffered just so I could be made right with God? Shall I give Him the glory for all the blessings He’s given me in this life – and the life to come? What shall I do?
What shall you do with Jesus?
Former Blackout Artist 