The Innocence that Paid for Our Guilt

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber (John 18: 38b-40).

 Pilate did not wait for the answer to his penetrating question… “What is truth?” (John 18:38a). Our Teacher, the Holy Spirit gives us a glimpse into Pilate’s heart through the pens of the gospel authors. Matthew recorded that Pilate valued peace above truth… “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves” (Matthew 27:24). Mark recorded that Pilate wished to please the crowd more than to know and expose the truth… “So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified” (Mark 15:15). Luke recorded that Pilate prized political alliances more than the pursuit of truth… “And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other” (Luke 23:12). John recorded that Pilate wanted to hold onto temporal authority and power more than he wanted to know the truth… “From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar’” (John 19:12). When he abandoned truth, Pilate became especially vulnerable to deception. The option of substituting Barabbas, a thief, terrorist, and murderer for the innocent and politically harmless Jesus of Nazareth became an attractive way for him to appease both the corrupt motivations of his heart and the easily swayed crowd. He was unaware that the sovereignty of God was at work fulfilling His perfect plan to provide the innocence that paid for our guilt.

We can identify with several characters in today’s text. There is Pilate, whose lack of desire for truth left him vulnerable to deception. When we do not love truth we make ourselves an easy target for deception. Although it is a hard truth to grasp, the Spirit shows us that God sometimes sends deceiving spirits into the lives of those who do not love His truth to accomplish His will… “Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you” (1 Kings 22:23). The Teacher moved Paul to write that shortly before the revelation of the antichrist, the love of unrighteousness will be so prevalent and the love of truth will be so absent, God will send a strong delusion that separates true disciples from the rest of the world… “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). The Spirit exhorts us today to maintain a growing love for God’s truth.

There is Barabbas, whose criminal activity brought his life to a very fitting conclusion, death by crucifixion. He was a murderous rebel… “And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas” (Mark 15:7). He was a thief… “Now Barabbas was a robber” (John 18:40). Jesus shows us how much like Barabbas we are… “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). The Spirit convicts us today of our guilt that deserves the just judgment of God.

Then there is Jesus, who willingly took Barabbas’ place, and our place on the cross, exchanging His innocence for our guilt… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). We are reminded of how great this precious exchange really was.

As we grow up into Christ loving and pursuing His truth, we are evermore thankful for…

The Innocence that Paid for Our Guilt.