MATTHEW 27:11-26
‘Then he released Barabbas’ (v. 26).
Have you ever wondered how Barabbas felt as he woke up Saturday morning, the day after he had been released and Jesus had been crucified? Just 24 hours before he had been in prison, facing an uncertain future, maybe even execution. He was charged, and very likely guilty, as a terrorist and murderer and in the custody of the Roman governor (Mark 15:7). The future prospects had definitely not looked good and yet now he was a free man.
We have no way of knowing how the incident affected him, but since he does not re-appear in the New Testament, it is at least likely that he did not join the disciples and become a follower of Jesus. But this Saturday morning he was free, and while he might not have understood it, he became a living illustration of what happened at Easter: He walked free because Jesus was condemned and died.
While we might neither be terrorists or murderers, we are in the same position as Barabbas: We are guilty and condemned and only because of Jesus’ death have we through faith in him been forgiven and set free. This should fill us with awe and gratefulness and make us ask, with Charles Wesley:
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
but rather than just being relieved, as Barabbas very likely was, or even lost in wonder, let us today rejoice that we have been set free and understand that we have been set free to follow him.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.