Three Men And A Savior
Preaching
What Jesus Did:
The Answer To WWJD
Three men. Perhaps they were boyhood friends all their lives. Perhaps they hooked up as adults. We know these men existed, but we don't know much about them. What we do know is instructive. These three men were probably comrades in arms, members of the Zealots. The Zealots were a political party that advocated the violent overthrow of the Roman government so that Israel could be an independent nation again. The historians of the time attest that they would sponsor frequent revolts, uprisings, and terroristic attacks on the Romans. Today, we might call them Hamas, the Irish Republican Army, Freedom Fighters. Whether they enjoyed popular support is open to discussion. Certainly, all Israelites wanted their freedom, but it is doubtful that many advocated violence and terrorism. Most were intelligent enough to understand the power and cruelty of the Roman army and therefore they learned to get along rather than risk annihilation.
• Is the use of violence ever justified in causes such as these? How would that impact our view of the American Revolution?
Passover and the other important feasts were times when the Zealots liked to make their statements. There would be an increase in uprisings and insurrections. One such insurrection occurred just before Passover (Mark 15:7). It didn't go very well. Three men were arrested and taken into Roman custody. Roman justice in these matters was very swift. Arrested today, crucified by the end of the week. The three men would surely die together.
We know two of these men. The Bible identifies one of them as Barabbas. He is variously described as a robber, bandit, and murderer, who was arrested during the insurrection. His name means "son of the father," which was a fairly common name in that time. One Greek manuscript has his name as Jesus Barabbas. Jesus was a common name back then. Barabbas as son of the father may indicate that his father was a Jewish rabbi or leader.
Tradition names another man as Dismas, from the Latin for right hand. Described as a thief, he is crucified on the right hand of Jesus, hence his name. He is the thief who asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom. We have no name for the third man. Crucified on Jesus' left hand, he mocked Jesus and asked Jesus to save him. There is no evidence he repented of his sin.
From what we know, let's use our sanctified imaginations to consider what these men went through on their last day. They have been condemned to die. Certainly they must have talked about that. There could have been regrets about getting caught. Maybe they tried to fix blame as to the one who got them caught. Maybe questions about afterlife and judgment crept in. Would God honor their efforts as freedom fighters? Or would God look at them as bandits, robbers, and murderers? Maybe they had a macho discussion of how long they would take to die, to fight to the very last. Maybe they bet on who would last the longest.
• If you were one of these men, what would you have talked about?
Their discussion is interrupted as they hear the guards coming to their cell. Barabbas is snatched from them and taken upstairs to see the Procurator. Is he going to be tortured for information about Zealot hideouts and leaders? Is there to be a new trial based on new evidence? Little do they know.
Barabbas is escorted up the stairs to the stone pavement overlooking the square, where he sees Pilate the Procurator, another prisoner, and a crowd down below. More than likely, Barabbas had heard of this Jesus, the prophet and healer from Galilee. Why would he be here? What crime could he have committed? Then he hears Pilate say, "Who do you want released, Jesus or Barabbas?" You're kidding. This is no contest. They'll want Jesus.
Imagine his surprise as they hear the crowd call his name. They want me, Barabbas? I thought they didn't really support the Zealot cause. (Maybe his father was an influential rabbi or leader who swayed the crowd.)
Jesus and Barabbas are a study in contrasts. Barabbas, "son of the father," versus Jesus the Son of God, his Father. Barabbas is a freedom fighter. Jesus came to bring us the truth that will set us free. Both are charged with threatening Roman authority. Barabbas was a murderer; Jesus was the author of life. Barabbas was a would-be hero who tried to fulfill the people's expectations. Jesus was the hero who tried to get people to live according to God's expectations. And then, Pilate sets Barabbas free. The chains come off. He is escorted out of the hall to freedom.
• If you were Barabbas, what would be the first thing you did with your newfound freedom?
How ironic: the freedom fighter, imprisoned for fighting for freedom, now finds true freedom because Jesus takes his place. Freedom was one of the cornerstones of Jesus' Messianic mission, which was prophesied in the Old Testament. Isaiah 42:7 says the mission of the Messiah was to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. Isaiah 61:1, quoted by Jesus in his sermon at Nazareth, says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" (NIV).
Jesus' mission of freedom was not primarily to free physical prisoners. It was aimed more at spiritual prisoners. The whole human race is imprisoned by sin. We need to be redeemed, bailed out, pardoned, exonerated, liberated. Jesus came to liberate us. Paul says to the Romans, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness" (Romans 6:18 NIV). Paul says again in Romans 8:2, "because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (NIV). Again from Romans 8:21, "that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (NIV).
• How would you define true freedom in the context of God's redeemed ones?
Jesus has set us free to love and serve God out of love and gratitude, not out of fear. We can serve out of love because we know the truth, that God loves us. The proof of that love is Jesus dying for us on the cross. It is that truth that sets us free. Jesus says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32 NIV). We also have freedom because the Spirit of God lives within us. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV).
Jesus came to bring us freedom. We are called to use our freedom to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. As in the case of Barabbas, Jesus gifts us with freedom. We don't know how Barabbas used his newfound freedom. Did he repent and begin a new life? Did he go back to the Zealots and his old ways? If he really wanted a role model of how to fight for freedom, he should have followed Jesus. We are called to live out the freedom we have in Christ so that others will desire this kind of spiritual freedom.
Back in the cell, the remaining thieves conjecture what will happen to Barabbas. The door swings open, and another prisoner is brought in: Jesus. Where is Barabbas? "He has been set free," the guards answer. "This man will die in his place." The guards escort them out to the courtyard where they take up their crosses and begin their trek to Golgotha. There they are crucified.
Matthew and Mark say that both thieves joined with the crowd in mocking Jesus. Why would they do that? Were they really envious of Barabbas going free and picking on Jesus to appease their anger? Were they trying to salve their conscience that Jesus was worse than they were? Maybe they were mocking Jesus because of the claim that he was the king of the Jews. They were the real freedom fighters, not Jesus. What did Jesus know about freedom fighting? He certainly wasn't a very good king if he couldn't lead the people into overthrowing the Roman government.
• If you could speak to these two thieves as they mocked, what would you say?
Luke tells us about Dismas and his change of heart. Maybe as he was mocking his conscience hit him square in the eyes. "I am about to meet God face to face. Is this the last thing I want to be doing with the remaining minutes of my life?" He watches Jesus on the cross. "Forgive them." "Son here is your mother." "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
A flash of insight, a step of faith, and Dismas changes his tune. He rebukes his unnamed companion, "Don't you fear God, seeing we are under the same sentence? We are dying for crimes we committed, but this man has done nothing wrong." How did he know that? Faith? Earlier conversation with Jesus? "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." With that request, Dismas finds freedom. Freedom from the fear of death and afterlife. "This day, you will be with me in Paradise." Jesus came to bring freedom for our life now, and our life in the hereafter.
Three men and a savior. Three men who stand as representatives for all people. Obviously, the man on the left represents all those who see and hear about Jesus, but don't make a decision of faith. Sometimes they mock, but they will quiet down in the presence of an effective witness for Christ. Sadly, they will die alone, lost and unredeemed. They will die thinking they have fought for freedom when really they have been slaves to sin. Our mission must include these people, so that they continually have the opportunity to change their mind about Jesus and turn to him in faith. It is not too late, until they are finally dead and gone.
• What would you want to be doing for the last hours before your death?
We must keep witnessing because of Dismas. Dismas started by mocking Jesus, but he changed. He represents all of us who have put our faith in Christ. We were all under God's sentence of death. We may have mocked Jesus and questioned our need of his salvation. But at some point we asked Jesus for permission to come into his kingdom, and by grace he has allowed us entrance.
That leaves Barabbas. Who does he represent? Both the lost and the saved, possibly. Or the Jews, possibly. Barabbas is foreshadowed in Leviticus 16 as the scapegoat. In Leviticus 16, two goats are brought to the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Lots are cast. One goat is sacrificed before the Lord. The High Priest lays his hands on the other goat and confesses the sin of Israel. The goat is then let go in the wilderness to bear the sins of the people into the wilderness. Jesus became the sacrifice, chosen by the Lord. Barabbas became the scapegoat. As Pilate washes his hands, the people say, "His blood be on us and on our children." That acts as the confession which sends Barabbas away. The goat goes into the wilderness bearing the sins of Israel. This may foreshadow the Jews losing their country and land in 70 A.D.1 Yet, Barabbas represents all who have been freed from death because Jesus stood in our place and took our cross unto himself.
The final point would have to be: Who do we want to be? If we want to go our own way, mock Jesus, and die alone, we can follow the thief on the left: unnamed, unloved, alone, bitter. Such is the life of the unsaved if they persist in their sinful ways. We can follow Dismas and turn to Jesus in faith and repentance. Unlike Dismas, we have the rest of our lives to serve Jesus and accomplish the mission he has given us. Then when our job is done, we too will enter into paradise. The choice is ours. Just like Barabbas, we have been freed because Jesus died in our place. What will we do with our newfound freedom?
WWJD -- Name one person in your circle of relationships who is lost. Commit to pray for that person's salvation.
____________
1.ÊBrown, ibid., vol. 2, p. 819.
• Is the use of violence ever justified in causes such as these? How would that impact our view of the American Revolution?
Passover and the other important feasts were times when the Zealots liked to make their statements. There would be an increase in uprisings and insurrections. One such insurrection occurred just before Passover (Mark 15:7). It didn't go very well. Three men were arrested and taken into Roman custody. Roman justice in these matters was very swift. Arrested today, crucified by the end of the week. The three men would surely die together.
We know two of these men. The Bible identifies one of them as Barabbas. He is variously described as a robber, bandit, and murderer, who was arrested during the insurrection. His name means "son of the father," which was a fairly common name in that time. One Greek manuscript has his name as Jesus Barabbas. Jesus was a common name back then. Barabbas as son of the father may indicate that his father was a Jewish rabbi or leader.
Tradition names another man as Dismas, from the Latin for right hand. Described as a thief, he is crucified on the right hand of Jesus, hence his name. He is the thief who asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom. We have no name for the third man. Crucified on Jesus' left hand, he mocked Jesus and asked Jesus to save him. There is no evidence he repented of his sin.
From what we know, let's use our sanctified imaginations to consider what these men went through on their last day. They have been condemned to die. Certainly they must have talked about that. There could have been regrets about getting caught. Maybe they tried to fix blame as to the one who got them caught. Maybe questions about afterlife and judgment crept in. Would God honor their efforts as freedom fighters? Or would God look at them as bandits, robbers, and murderers? Maybe they had a macho discussion of how long they would take to die, to fight to the very last. Maybe they bet on who would last the longest.
• If you were one of these men, what would you have talked about?
Their discussion is interrupted as they hear the guards coming to their cell. Barabbas is snatched from them and taken upstairs to see the Procurator. Is he going to be tortured for information about Zealot hideouts and leaders? Is there to be a new trial based on new evidence? Little do they know.
Barabbas is escorted up the stairs to the stone pavement overlooking the square, where he sees Pilate the Procurator, another prisoner, and a crowd down below. More than likely, Barabbas had heard of this Jesus, the prophet and healer from Galilee. Why would he be here? What crime could he have committed? Then he hears Pilate say, "Who do you want released, Jesus or Barabbas?" You're kidding. This is no contest. They'll want Jesus.
Imagine his surprise as they hear the crowd call his name. They want me, Barabbas? I thought they didn't really support the Zealot cause. (Maybe his father was an influential rabbi or leader who swayed the crowd.)
Jesus and Barabbas are a study in contrasts. Barabbas, "son of the father," versus Jesus the Son of God, his Father. Barabbas is a freedom fighter. Jesus came to bring us the truth that will set us free. Both are charged with threatening Roman authority. Barabbas was a murderer; Jesus was the author of life. Barabbas was a would-be hero who tried to fulfill the people's expectations. Jesus was the hero who tried to get people to live according to God's expectations. And then, Pilate sets Barabbas free. The chains come off. He is escorted out of the hall to freedom.
• If you were Barabbas, what would be the first thing you did with your newfound freedom?
How ironic: the freedom fighter, imprisoned for fighting for freedom, now finds true freedom because Jesus takes his place. Freedom was one of the cornerstones of Jesus' Messianic mission, which was prophesied in the Old Testament. Isaiah 42:7 says the mission of the Messiah was to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. Isaiah 61:1, quoted by Jesus in his sermon at Nazareth, says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" (NIV).
Jesus' mission of freedom was not primarily to free physical prisoners. It was aimed more at spiritual prisoners. The whole human race is imprisoned by sin. We need to be redeemed, bailed out, pardoned, exonerated, liberated. Jesus came to liberate us. Paul says to the Romans, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness" (Romans 6:18 NIV). Paul says again in Romans 8:2, "because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (NIV). Again from Romans 8:21, "that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (NIV).
• How would you define true freedom in the context of God's redeemed ones?
Jesus has set us free to love and serve God out of love and gratitude, not out of fear. We can serve out of love because we know the truth, that God loves us. The proof of that love is Jesus dying for us on the cross. It is that truth that sets us free. Jesus says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32 NIV). We also have freedom because the Spirit of God lives within us. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV).
Jesus came to bring us freedom. We are called to use our freedom to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. As in the case of Barabbas, Jesus gifts us with freedom. We don't know how Barabbas used his newfound freedom. Did he repent and begin a new life? Did he go back to the Zealots and his old ways? If he really wanted a role model of how to fight for freedom, he should have followed Jesus. We are called to live out the freedom we have in Christ so that others will desire this kind of spiritual freedom.
Back in the cell, the remaining thieves conjecture what will happen to Barabbas. The door swings open, and another prisoner is brought in: Jesus. Where is Barabbas? "He has been set free," the guards answer. "This man will die in his place." The guards escort them out to the courtyard where they take up their crosses and begin their trek to Golgotha. There they are crucified.
Matthew and Mark say that both thieves joined with the crowd in mocking Jesus. Why would they do that? Were they really envious of Barabbas going free and picking on Jesus to appease their anger? Were they trying to salve their conscience that Jesus was worse than they were? Maybe they were mocking Jesus because of the claim that he was the king of the Jews. They were the real freedom fighters, not Jesus. What did Jesus know about freedom fighting? He certainly wasn't a very good king if he couldn't lead the people into overthrowing the Roman government.
• If you could speak to these two thieves as they mocked, what would you say?
Luke tells us about Dismas and his change of heart. Maybe as he was mocking his conscience hit him square in the eyes. "I am about to meet God face to face. Is this the last thing I want to be doing with the remaining minutes of my life?" He watches Jesus on the cross. "Forgive them." "Son here is your mother." "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
A flash of insight, a step of faith, and Dismas changes his tune. He rebukes his unnamed companion, "Don't you fear God, seeing we are under the same sentence? We are dying for crimes we committed, but this man has done nothing wrong." How did he know that? Faith? Earlier conversation with Jesus? "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." With that request, Dismas finds freedom. Freedom from the fear of death and afterlife. "This day, you will be with me in Paradise." Jesus came to bring freedom for our life now, and our life in the hereafter.
Three men and a savior. Three men who stand as representatives for all people. Obviously, the man on the left represents all those who see and hear about Jesus, but don't make a decision of faith. Sometimes they mock, but they will quiet down in the presence of an effective witness for Christ. Sadly, they will die alone, lost and unredeemed. They will die thinking they have fought for freedom when really they have been slaves to sin. Our mission must include these people, so that they continually have the opportunity to change their mind about Jesus and turn to him in faith. It is not too late, until they are finally dead and gone.
• What would you want to be doing for the last hours before your death?
We must keep witnessing because of Dismas. Dismas started by mocking Jesus, but he changed. He represents all of us who have put our faith in Christ. We were all under God's sentence of death. We may have mocked Jesus and questioned our need of his salvation. But at some point we asked Jesus for permission to come into his kingdom, and by grace he has allowed us entrance.
That leaves Barabbas. Who does he represent? Both the lost and the saved, possibly. Or the Jews, possibly. Barabbas is foreshadowed in Leviticus 16 as the scapegoat. In Leviticus 16, two goats are brought to the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Lots are cast. One goat is sacrificed before the Lord. The High Priest lays his hands on the other goat and confesses the sin of Israel. The goat is then let go in the wilderness to bear the sins of the people into the wilderness. Jesus became the sacrifice, chosen by the Lord. Barabbas became the scapegoat. As Pilate washes his hands, the people say, "His blood be on us and on our children." That acts as the confession which sends Barabbas away. The goat goes into the wilderness bearing the sins of Israel. This may foreshadow the Jews losing their country and land in 70 A.D.1 Yet, Barabbas represents all who have been freed from death because Jesus stood in our place and took our cross unto himself.
The final point would have to be: Who do we want to be? If we want to go our own way, mock Jesus, and die alone, we can follow the thief on the left: unnamed, unloved, alone, bitter. Such is the life of the unsaved if they persist in their sinful ways. We can follow Dismas and turn to Jesus in faith and repentance. Unlike Dismas, we have the rest of our lives to serve Jesus and accomplish the mission he has given us. Then when our job is done, we too will enter into paradise. The choice is ours. Just like Barabbas, we have been freed because Jesus died in our place. What will we do with our newfound freedom?
WWJD -- Name one person in your circle of relationships who is lost. Commit to pray for that person's salvation.
____________
1.ÊBrown, ibid., vol. 2, p. 819.
