Matthew 27:21-22 - Barabbas? That's Me!

Matthew 27:21-22: "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor.
"Barabbas," they answered. “ 
"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"

He had been a true zealot when it came to the nation of Israel -- Barabbas loved his nation!

He was irked by the very fact that Rome had placed a heavy yoke around the neck of the nation of Israel. But -- his desire to press hard for what he thought was right had gotten him to where he was:  cold -- lonely -- hungry -- and waiting for the executioner to come for him.

Barabbas had a good start in life.  His name suggests that his father had probably been a Rabbi, so he knew about the religious aristocracy -- and had a firm understanding of the tradition of the Law. But, like many -- even today -- his desire to be righteous had blended social concerns with spiritual concerns.

As a “Zealot,” the Roman Government had him in their cross-hairs -- making him a man on the run -- forcing him to do brutal things to survive -- causing him to become a hardened criminal, and not just a rebel against the government -- committing robbery, battery -- and eventually -- MURDER!

Can you imagine what was going through Barabbas’ mind when he finally heard the guard coming down the corridor to his cell? The anxiety he had when he heard the keys rattling as the jailer unlocked the door… The magnitude of his fear and dread when he heard the lead jailer say… 

“You are free to go.”

Later that day, Barabbas was surely among those who watched Jesus die. Undoubtedly, as he watched, one thing he knew completely -- the one on the center cross was dying in his place.

He knew  that the spikes that were driven through Jesus’ hands were his spikes…  He knew in a very personal way that Jesus of Nazareth was dying in his place.

Matthew 26:16 indicates that Barabbas was also named "Jesus," but there’s another interesting thing about Barabbas’ name -- it is a compound word combining “Bar,” meaning “son of” -- and “Abba,” meaning “Father.” His name literally means “son of the Father.”

Think about that…

The "Jesus" whose name meant “the son of the father” was replaced by -- the "Jesus" who was the true Son of the Father.

You and I stand at the foot of the cross -- exactly where Barabbas stood.

Like Barabbas, the only hope you and I have is in the fact that another died in our place!

Though it is WE who are guilty -- it was JESUS who died in our place -- that we might have the forgiveness of our sins and live eternally with God and the redeemed in heaven.

Galatians 2:20:  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Matthew 26:33-34 - Have You Heard the Rooster?

Matthew 26:33-34:

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

Has anyone known you so well that they knew you better than you knew yourself?

We can often lie to ourselves and let our pride convince us that we are someone we really aren’t.

For instance, you might try and tell yourself that you can play your favorite sport better than most -- think you are smarter than the average person -- believe that you are of “star quality.”

But, then -- when you ask someone who knows you well, and he is honest with you -- you learn otherwise.

It hurts when that happens! 

We want so badly to be the people we think we are, but when we are faced with the undeniable truth -- we see we are not.

So? What was Peter thinking when he spoke to Jesus?

He had been the self-appointed spokesman for the Twelve -- had been right in seeing who Christ was when He asked who he though He was -- had even been the one brave enough to try and step on water and (for a few seconds, anyway) was able to stand on the surface of the lake!

Now that Jesus was telling him that he was susceptible to weakness like the others, Peter still believed he was better.

“Of all Your followers,” Peter thought, “I will be the last to leave you!”

Once Judas showed up with the crowd that arrested Jesus, everything started happening fast. Peter was just doing what comes natural to all of us! He was seeking to keep himself out of harm’s way -- trying not to be seen as “one of those trouble-makers.”

His pride was again leading him in a dangerous direction -- until he heard the rooster crow!

Suddenly, Peter could see he was not the brave and bold man he thought he was. Now, he saw himself as the follower who did exactly what he said he would never do:  he had turned away in Jesus’ darkest hour -- and denied that he even knew Him -- not just once, but three times!

Peter learned a harsh lesson about his own pride that night.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

There are times when we all are faced with the hard reality of who we are. We are confronted with the truth and proven to be imperfect, sinful human beings.

Has your prideful spirit gotten you in deep?  Making promises and statements that you just cannot keep?

It is interesting that Peter, himself, shared the importance of humility when he wrote in 1 Peter 5:4-6: 
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 
In the same way, you who are younger, submit to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble."
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, the he may lift you up in due time.

Romans 2:6-8 - Keep Improving Your Aim

Romans 2:6-8:
God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

In target shooting, the direction is important. In order to hit the target, the first thing you have to do is face the target. You might not hit the target, but if you are facing any other way, you have no chance of it.

Does God expect us to consistently hit the target? No. If He did, why would He have made provisions for our salvation?

Accord to Paul, as he soon tells the Romans later in his letter, “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)

We are fallible, imperfect humans -- we are incapable of being perfect -- we are destined to miss the mark most of the time...

But, while God does not expect us to hit the bulls eye with our every attempt, He does expect us to try!

Where we fail, His grace will justify us -- make up for our inabilities.

Our goal is to make constant progress in the direction God has pointed out for us. He desires our constant movement -- always seeking to gain ground -- seeking to complete the goal before us.

We are to aim the best we can -- then go for it. Then -- learn from our mistakes and make corrections each time we miss the target!

What God does not want is for us to just do what we want -- to just live for our own selves -- seek only what we desire.

Living a life seeking to satisfy our own desires leaves us ripe for the picking…

Remember God’s words to Cain?

Genesis 4:6-8: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

To live a life of selfishness is to invite God’s wrath.  Maybe not immediately — but ultimately!

Colossians 3:5-6: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

Acts 17:22-23 - What Kind of Athenian?

Acts 17:22-23:
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”

Some say it is "Nature." Some call it the "Cosmos." Some refer to it as "The Great Spirit." Others just call it "The Force."

In some way, most of us recognize there is something greater than ourselves.

These ancient Athenians did also -- and were careful to not exclude whatever it was from their worship. They had built an altar to the "Unknown God."

They had no real idea of how to worship Him, but they recognized a need that was not being met by the other "gods" they worshiped.

Paul, when before them, took advantage of the existence of this altar to begin explaining who their "Unknown God" was.

He did not find it necessary to berate them or ridicule them for their ignorance, but instead, saw it as an opportunity to give them knowledge.

When we are faced with someone who does not know God, do we try to educate them? Or do we tend to think of them as someone beneath us?

As we interact with each other, we will undoubtedly find there are those who know less than we do -- and others who know more.

The Athenians were people who appreciated knowledge -- and to their credit, they wanted to hear more -- and some became believers.

Some sought knowledge for knowledge sake -- but still felt they were in the judgment seat of what they would accept or deny.

Others sought knowledge -- and accepted anything that was true -- even when contrary to their original beliefs. They acted on knowledge.

Which type of "Athenian" are we? As we study and learn, is our goal to only bolster our positions and beliefs? Or are we more interested in learning the truth, and letting it dictate our actions?

To all of us, God is "unknown" to some degree. Studying His word, and learning more and more of Christ, is our way of learning who He is.

As we hear and learn of Him, do we seek to know and catalog our understanding on a dusty shelf? Or does our new found understanding cause us to hunger for more knowledge of God?

John 14:6: Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Matthew 18:35 - It's the Mercy

Matthew 18:35:
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Peter had listened to Jesus and heard a thorough “procedure list” for dealing with sinners -- and what to do when they fail to change.

But what about when they do change?

Peter wondered, would he have to keep forgiving them, or could he limit the times he forgave them to maybe -- seven times?

We are often sinned against by some who later ask us to forgive them. Then -- they go and do the same thing to us again! Each time they come back -- begging our understanding and forgiveness.

Sometimes it’s genuine -- and other times we just feel they are playing us for a patsy. It is hard to tell.

How much patience do we have to extend to those who keep doing it to us, over -- and over -- and over?

Jesus gave Peter, and those around him, a parable to chew on.

He told of a King’s servant who had built up a debt that was more than he could ever pay back.  The king demanded repayment -- and wanted to set up conditions for repayment. In his case -- the man -- his wife -- his children -- and all he had -- would be sold to repay the debt.

The man, filled with fear and dread, begged the king to give him a little more time -- and he would repay it.

The king -- knowing the debt was so great it could not be repaid -- had mercy on him. He not only stopped the sale of the man and his family -- but also forgave the man his entire debt!

The lesson Peter and the others were to learn, came from what the man did after that…

Newly forgiven of his own immense debt, he went out and confronted someone who owed him a small debt -- and put him in prison until he got payment!

The lesson for Peter and the others to grasp?

The offense is not important -- it is the mercy!

The number of times you forgive is not important -- it is the mercy!

How can we hope for forgiveness and mercy -- which we all so desperately need -- if we do not offer forgiveness and mercy ourselves?

How we treat others is a good indication of how we will be treated.

Earlier, Peter and the others heard Jesus say, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

Think about it... No matter how you have been offended and sinned against -- it pales in comparison to our offenses and sins against the Father -- and He didn’t just forgive our debt -- His Son paid it!

Genesis 3:6 - Why Should I Wait?

Genesis 3:6:
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

How many times have I fell for the same kind if snare?

Satan has done the same thing to me time and time again... "Here is what you want. Maybe the timing is off, and you shouldn't have it yet, but who is looking? Who would know? You are going to get it later anyway, so why wait?"

How many young people have fallen for this same thing? Baby after baby has been born because Satan convinced two young people that it would be okay. "You love each other anyway, so why wait?"

Satan is the great deceiver. (I didn't capitalize the letters because he doesn't deserve it!)

"Go ahead and take that tax deduction -- you deserve it."

"Park there in the handicap stall -- why shouldn't you get special treatment too?"

All of these, and most every sin, results from being caught in a similar snare to what Eve fell for -- "I want it now!" Or, maybe, "I'll get it later anyway, so why should I wait?"

The phrase, "Good things come to those who wait," is maybe just a little off. It should be, "Good things are worth the wait."

God might bless a couple with a child, but the blessing truly comes when the parents wait until they are married. God will bless you if you let Him choose the manner and the time.

By trying to speed things up, Eve caused Adam to deal with weeds all his life, and she gave herself pain in bearing children!

Genesis 2:22-25 - Helpmeets

Genesis 2:22-25:
Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Our world seems to be going through a shift in its paradigm...

Marriage is slowly changing from something more than a man and a woman -- to include a man "married" to a man, or a woman "married" to a woman.

Many states in the US are now considering changing laws to include such marriage definitions as legal relationships.

Even a quick glance at this passage, however, gives you a clear understanding of God's reason for marriage to only be between a man and a woman. There is a purpose for it -- to be "helpmeets" to each other.

Adam could find no suitable mate in God's other creatures (not even "man's best friend,") and so God created a special mate -- one from man's own body.

The fact that they were naked together, and had no shame, points to the intimacy of their relationship. It also points to what Heaven will be like as well -- a place where we all will have a relationship so close that we will "have nothing to hide" from each other.

Not that we will be "naked" in Heaven -- but that we will be as transparent to each other.

Consider what your current relationship is to your fellow Christian brothers and sisters... Are you developing close bonds? Or staying a bit distant?

Remember -- these are the ones with whom eternity will be spent!