✝ Daily Encouragement (4/16/25) "Barabbas' Song, 'I Should Have Been Crucified'"
Published: Wed, 04/16/25
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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Wednesday, April 16, 2025  "Barabbas'
Song, 'I Should Have Been Crucified'"
Note:
During Holy
Week we
normally focus
on the
familiar
truths in
God's
redemption
plan as we
well should.
Hopefully, you
are feeding on
these truths
from your
personal
reading and
through your
church. In our
series this
week are
considering
people during
the events of
Holy Week that
are rather
incidental to
the main
story. But
each one, just
like each of
us, has a
story.
Message
summary:
What
was done to
Jesus should
have been done
to Barabbas—and
to each of us.
We can all
rightly
declare, "I
should have
been
crucified. But
Jesus, God's
Son, took my
place!" Today,
let us live
with renewed
commitment to
this marvelous
Savior and
reaffirm our
faith in
Christ, who
was crucified
for
us!
Note:
Due
Brooksyne
being out and
I have a
severe cold
with nasal
congestion a
podcast was
not prepared
for this
message.
"Then
he (Pilate)
released
Barabbas to
them" (Matthew
27:26).
"Wishing to
satisfy the
crowd, Pilate
released
Barabbas for
them, and
after having
Jesus
scourged, he
handed Him
over to be
crucified"
(Mark 15:15).
But they cried
out all
together,
saying, “Away
with this man,
and release
for us
Barabbas!”
(Luke 23:18).
“Not this man,
but Barabbas”
(John 18:40). I should have been crucified, I should have suffered and died. I should have hung on the cross in disgrace, But Jesus, God’s Son, took my place.
"He
was the only
man in the
world who
could say that
Jesus Christ
took his
physical
place. But I
can say that
Jesus Christ
took my
spiritual
place. For it
was I who
deserved to
die. It was I
who deserved
that the wrath
of God should
be poured on
me. I deserved
the eternal
punishment of
the lake of
fire. He was
delivered up
for my
offenses. He
was handed
over to
judgment
because of my
sins -- Christ
was my
substitute. He
was satisfying
the debt of
divine justice
and holiness.
That is why I
say that
Christianity
can be
expressed in
the three
phrases: I
deserved hell;
Jesus took my
hell; there is
nothing left
for me but His
heaven."
In several ways Barabbas is a type of the redeemed through all the ages.
We,
like Barabbas,
are guilty,
"For all have
sinned and
fall short of
the glory of
God" (Romans
3:23).
W e, like Barabbas, justly deserve death, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). W e, like Barabbas, are essentially passive as Jesus takes our place. There's no suggestion that Barabbas had anything at all to do with his release. Neither did we. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
That
which was done
to Jesus
should have
been done to
Barabbas—and
to each one of
us. We can all
rightly
declare, "I
should have
been crucified".
But Jesus,
God's Son,
took my place!
Today, let us
renew our
commitment to
this marvelous
Savior and
reaffirm our
faith in
Christ, who
was crucified
for us! B e encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources "I Should Have Been Crucified" Watch on YouTube Gordon Jensen This song goes back to when we were in Bible College in the mid-seventies. We probably had the album! "All
Things"
Watch
on YouTube
Sovereign
Grace
Music
From the
description:
"In the midst
of tragedy,
loss, and
defeat, it’s
not uncommon
to question
the power,
goodness, and
wisdom of God.
But Scripture
affirms both
good and evil
are under the
control of a
sovereign God
who holds us
in his loving
and almighty
hands. J.I.
Packer said it
this way: “All
things work
together for
good to them
that love God
and are called
according to
his purpose
(Rom 8:28).
Not just some
things, note,
but all
things! Every
single thing
that happens
to us
expresses
God’s love to
us, and comes
to us for the
furthering of
God’s purpose
for us.” This
song reminds
us of those
precious
truths and
assures us
that God has
ordained
everything in
our past,
present, and
future for his
endless glory
and our
eternal joy.
"Barabbas
on Good
Friday"
Video
The Skit Guys
(2:19 minutes)
"We all know
what happens
to Jesus after
the crowd
chooses him
for
crucifixion.
But rarely do
we consider
what happened
to Barabbas.
Watch this
interpretation
of what
Barabbas must
have been
contending
with."
Additional study: Here's a powerful nugget of additional insight on Barabbas in an article by James M. Boice, who in turn also quotes Donald Grey Barnhouse:
It
was customary
to free a
prisoner at
the time of
the Feast of
Passover.
"Which of the
two do you
want me to
release to
you?" Pilate
asked the
crowd (Matt.
27:21). "He
was astonished
when the
people
replied,
"Barabbas!"
Barnhouse pictures Barabbas sitting in the prison, staring at his hands, which were soon to be pierced by nails, and shuddering at any sound of hammering that might remind him with horror of his own impending crucifixion. Suddenly he hears a crowd roaring outside the prison. There are angry voices. "Crucify him! Crucify him!" He thinks he hears his own name. Then a jailer comes to unlock the door of his cell. Barabbas thinks that the time for his execution has come, but instead the jailer tells him that he is being set free. The crowd has called for his release. Jesus of Nazareth is to die instead. Stunned, Barabbas joins the processional that is making its way to Calvary and watches as Jesus is crucified. He hears the sound of the hammer and knows that the blows that are fastening Jesus to the rough wooden cross were meant for him. He sees the cross lifted high into place and knows that he is the one who should be dying on it. Jesus cries, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). The centurion who has commanded the execution party exclaims, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39). Barabbas must have been saying, "That man took my place. I am the one who should have died. I am the condemned murderer. That man did nothing wrong. He is dying for me." * A very interesting work of fiction concerning Barabbas has been written. It was also made into a movie conjecturing that he eventually became a Christian.
Sight
& Sound's
production of
JESUS
will be
streaming for
free over
Easter
Weekend. Go to
this site.
Here's the sample
trailer.
Sight and
Sound is
located right
here in
Lancaster
County. Major Events of the Passion Week An
astounding 30
of the 89
accumulative
chapters in
the four
gospels cover
the period
beginning with
Christ's
triumphal
entry through
His
resurrection
and
post-resurrection
appearances.
Mathematically
this means
that
approximately
33% of the
written
material in
the Gospels
deals with a
mere .05%
period of His
life! In the
providence of
God we have a
much greater
proportion of
Scriptural
revelation
dealing with
God's greatest
act of mercy
in providing
our
redemption.
Saturday
Sunday 
Brooksyne
took these
treats to our
two
neighborhood
Amish schools
this morning
for the
children.
This
week I have
shared photos
as I drive
down a long
farm lane to
pick up an
Amish teacher
to take to
school and
later in the
afternoon to
take her home.
Yesterday this
wagon with
organic soil
nutrients (AKA
manure) was
beside a patch
where they
grow
asparagus,
strawberries
and rhubarb.
This morning
they had
already spread
the material
and the wagon
was gone as
sure sign of
diligence!
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Personal
Mission
Statement:
"I am created
by God to
bring Him
glory. Through
God's Son
Jesus Christ I
have been
redeemed and
make it my
life's goal to
please the
Lord. My
mission in
life is to
honor God
through my
faith and
obedience and
prepare myself
and all whom I
may influence
for eternity."
© Copyright 2025 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |
The
Scriptures
tell us very
little about
Barabbas and
nothing about
what became of
him following
his brief
appearance in
the Gospels as
Christ's
substitute. He
was a
"notorious
prisoner"
(Matthew
27:16) who had
been involved
in murder and
sedition (Luke
23:19). John
18:40 reports
that he had
taken part in
a rebellion so
in Roman
law he
deserved to
die.
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
717-823-0592
Daily Encouragement Net
https://www.dailyencouragement.net
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495 Kraybill Church Rd
Mount Joy PA 17552
USA
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