Why Jesus Part 6

The Mystery of Barabbas And The Exchange.

Sometimes, when we read the Bible, we fail to see the deep meanings behind every event. This robs us of the faith and victory that comes with the knowledge of the revelation of God’s ways. In the book of psalms, the Bible tells us that God made His ways known to Moses and His acts to the children of God.

Psalms 103:7 He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

It’s good to see God’s acts and miracles, but to fully understand God and be a partaker in his divine power, not only when He reveals it but even when it’s unseen, one needs to understand God’s ways, which is His mindset and ways of doing things. Miracles and answered prayers are God’s acts, but His mindset and principles are His ways. What I mean is this: to know how to get God’s power to work in our lives when it seems God isn’t moving requires knowing God’s mindset and How He thinks.

One of the great men of faith that I love, by the name Smith Wigglesworth, once said, “I move the Spirit to move when the Spirit isn’t moving.” This might sound arrogant to some, but it isn’t. It’s the nature God has called us to. How do we get the power of God to move when the power of God isn’t moving? It’s only by knowing His ways and not by knowing His acts.

Moses was a man who began his journey with God by seeing a bush burning without the leaves themselves consumed by the fire. He had seen many mighty miracles done by his hands, even the dividing of the Red Sea, but wasn’t satisfied. One day, Moses prayed to God and asked God to show him God’s ways.

Exodus 33:11 And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent.

Exodus 33:12 Moses said to the Lord, See, You say to me, Bring up this people, but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You said, I know you by name, and you have also found favour in My sight.

Exodus 33:13 Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.

True fellowship is not in what we receive but in the depths we understand and communion. One thing I’ve come to understand is that the depth of a man’s walk with God in life is most often directly proportional to his understanding of God’s words and the revelations behind them in conjunction with him(the man) abiding in them.

Moses’ prayer was answered, and he began to look to and follow God based on knowing God’s ways and not just God’s acts. You see, though the children of Israel were eye witnesses of God’s mighty acts, they frequently rebelled against God. True spiritual strength isn’t gotten in seeing the acts of God, but in being immersed in the understanding of His ways.

My heart’s desire in writing this series is to spur in you a hunger to know His ways. For in knowing His ways, you can cause the Holy Spirit to move when and where He isn’t moving because He—the Holy Spirit—loves that.

The apostle Paul prays for the church in Colossae that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will. Faith comes having the knowledge of His will.

Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things.

Now, moving on to the mystery of Barabbas and the exchange, we see what the scriptures tell us about Barabbas and his acts. He wasn’t a good man in any way, but he was let go so that Jesus would be crucified even when Pilate sought to release Jesus because he(Pilate) saw that Jesus had done no wrong.

Mark 15:7 And among the rioters in the prison who had committed murder in the insurrection there was a man named Barabbas.

Another scripture tells us that this man Barabbas was also a robber. John 18:40 Then they all shouted back again, Not Him [not this Man], but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a robber.

Here comes the interaction between Pilate and the Jews.

Luke 23:13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

Luke 23:14 And said to them, You brought this Man before me as One Who was perverting and misleading and turning away and corrupting the people; and behold, after examining Him before you, I have not found any offense (crime or guilt) in this Man in regard to your accusations against Him;

Luke 23:15 No, nor indeed did Herod, for he sent Him back to us; behold, He has done nothing deserving of death.

Luke 23:16 I will therefore chastise Him and deliver Him amended (reformed, taught His lesson) and release Him.

Luke 23:17 For it was necessary for him to release to them one prisoner at the Feast.

Luke 23:18 But they all together raised a deep cry [from the depths of their throats], saying, Away with this Man! Release to us Barabbas!

Luke 23:19 He was a man who had been thrown into prison for raising a riot in the city, and for murder.

Luke 23:20 Once more Pilate called to them, wishing to release Jesus;

Luke 23:21 But they kept shouting out, Crucify, crucify Him!

This was where the exchange began. You and I are Barabbas, and Jesus gave himself for us even when we didn’t know it. That’s why the scriptures say:

Romans 5:7 Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable and generous benefactor someone might even dare to die.

Romans 5:8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

Though the Jews thought they were deciding who lived and who died, Jesus was the one who was in fact deciding to offer Himself in exchange for Barabbas (us).

For this reason he said these things to Pilate when Pilate was questioning Him.

John 19:11 Jesus answered, You would not have any power or authority whatsoever against (over) Me if it were not given you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater.

But to recap that story, here is the full context and details:

John 19:6 When the chief priests and attendants (guards) saw Him, they cried out, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no fault (crime) in Him.

John 19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to that law He should die, because He has claimed and made Himself out to be the Son of God.

John 19:8 So, when Pilate heard this said, he was more alarmed and awestricken and afraid than before.

John 19:9 He went into the judgment hall again and said to Jesus, Where are You from? [To what world do You belong?] But Jesus did not answer him.

John 19:10 So Pilate said to Him, Will You not speak [even] to me? Do You not know that I have power (authority) to release You and I have power to crucify You?

John 19:11 Jesus answered, You would not have any power or authority whatsoever against (over) Me if it were not given you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater.

My story of Barabbas and Jesus is the mystery of the exchange. Our lives were saved, so that Jesus’s might be crushed with the weight of our sin.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all. [I Pet. 2:24, 25.]

Isaiah 53:8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living [stricken to His death] for the transgression of my [Isaiah's] people, to whom the stroke was due?

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. When You and He make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead, in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, and the will and pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

Because of this act, John 3:16-18 exists for everyone who will call on Jesus for salvation.

John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

John 3:18 He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation–he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name.]

(All scripture references in this article were taken from the Amplified Bible Version).

Stay tuned for Part 7