Word@Work Luke342 - Luke 23:13-25
Published: Mon, 04/25/11
Word@Work from BeaconLight
COWARDLY VERSUS COURAGEOUS SUBSTITUTION
Luke 23:13-25
Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him." With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him." But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. (NIV)
Pilate was a coward. He was afraid of Caesar, his boss in Rome, who would be angry if he failed to maintain law and order. He was therefore afraid of the religious leaders who had incited a mob to demand the death of Jesus. He tried to appeal to Roman law, protesting that Jesus had not broken any of the rules; but in vain. The crowd was at fever pitch in screaming for the death of Jesus (surprisingly, because only a few days earlier they had been shouting His praise).
However Pilate could see a cowardly way out. His 'Passover peace-present to the people' was to release one prisoner of their choice. Barabbas was a terrorist who was on 'death row'. So Pilate was encouraged to set him free. But that did not satisfy the crowd either. They wanted Jesus to take the place of Barabbas ... and eventually Pilate agreed. How cowardly! But how full of meaning! Barabbas means 'son of the father'! Jesus Christ was the Son of Father God and He chose to become the substitute for a convicted criminal .... how courageous! And that substitution was to happen at Passover when the nation sacrificed a lamb, remembering how a lamb's blood shielded the ancient Israelites from God's wrath in Egypt (see Exodus 12:1-29). As John the Baptist said a few years before, "The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Jesus was the substitute for us on the cross. As Isaiah 53:4-6 says, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." If you believe that and have welcomed Jesus as your Saviour: your sins have been punished, your guilt is taken away, your shame has been removed and you have become a child of God. So rejoice and do not be cowardly, but tell the world that Jesus is the only substitute for sin, and urge them to believe in Him.
Prayer: Most loving and merciful God. How I thank You for the willing substitution of the Lord Jesus Christ in place of me, and every sinner on earth. Thank You for His courageous substitution: I believe it was for me. I want Jesus to be my Saviour and my Lord. Help me to learn to live in such a way that I honour His sacrifice, and tell others of Your grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Pilate was a coward. He was afraid of Caesar, his boss in Rome, who would be angry if he failed to maintain law and order. He was therefore afraid of the religious leaders who had incited a mob to demand the death of Jesus. He tried to appeal to Roman law, protesting that Jesus had not broken any of the rules; but in vain. The crowd was at fever pitch in screaming for the death of Jesus (surprisingly, because only a few days earlier they had been shouting His praise).
However Pilate could see a cowardly way out. His 'Passover peace-present to the people' was to release one prisoner of their choice. Barabbas was a terrorist who was on 'death row'. So Pilate was encouraged to set him free. But that did not satisfy the crowd either. They wanted Jesus to take the place of Barabbas ... and eventually Pilate agreed. How cowardly! But how full of meaning! Barabbas means 'son of the father'! Jesus Christ was the Son of Father God and He chose to become the substitute for a convicted criminal .... how courageous! And that substitution was to happen at Passover when the nation sacrificed a lamb, remembering how a lamb's blood shielded the ancient Israelites from God's wrath in Egypt (see Exodus 12:1-29). As John the Baptist said a few years before, "The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Jesus was the substitute for us on the cross. As Isaiah 53:4-6 says, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." If you believe that and have welcomed Jesus as your Saviour: your sins have been punished, your guilt is taken away, your shame has been removed and you have become a child of God. So rejoice and do not be cowardly, but tell the world that Jesus is the only substitute for sin, and urge them to believe in Him.
Prayer: Most loving and merciful God. How I thank You for the willing substitution of the Lord Jesus Christ in place of me, and every sinner on earth. Thank You for His courageous substitution: I believe it was for me. I want Jesus to be my Saviour and my Lord. Help me to learn to live in such a way that I honour His sacrifice, and tell others of Your grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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