Barabbas

Barabbas, we don’t know much about this man. We know he was a zealot and that he had been convicted of murder. We also know that Christ took his place on the cross as part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Until today, I never thought much of this man or the meaning behind Christ taking his place on the outside of the fact that the Jews wanted Christ gone more than they wanted a murderer gone. Today I heard a song by Josiah Queen called “I am Barabbas” and it changed my whole persective.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important event to have ever happened on this Earth, outside of His birth, of course. Christ’s Atonement is what enables us to be forgiven of our sins and return to live with Him one day. It also enables us to find peace in darkness and hope when we feel like there is none. It heals our hearts and souls in a way that I’m not sure I will fully understand in this life. With that being said, I learned something new today.

I know that Christ will take my cross and carry it for me if I give it to Him. One thing I never thought of was how Christ was taking on Barabbas’s sins when He hung on the cross for us all. The thing that is cool is that Christ took Barabbas’s place on the cross and gave us a visual representation of how the Atonement of Jesus Christ is what saves us.

Barabbas was a sinner, like you and me. We may not have killed someone, but we have made mistakes, or at least I know I have made mistakes. Not only have I made mistakes, but I have been hurt, I have felt pain, hopelessness, anxiety, fear, and more. The thing is that from the moment Christ went to Gethsemane to His resurrected to He was saving me, He was saving you. Enabling me and you to heal from our mistakes and the pain we suffer. Christ chose to take up my cross because He loves me. He chose to take up your cross because He loves you.

I want to invite you all to put yourself in the place of Barabbas and ponder what you would have felt knowing that you were going to be crucified. How would you feel hearing that the Jesus of Natherith, our Savior and Redeemer, was taking your place, that you were saved? We are told all the time to personalize the scriptures, and doing this in the story of Barabbas has brought new meaning and insight to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His love for me. His love for each of us. I am so grateful for this beautiful song by Josiah Queen that helped me to learn this.