I WAS BARABAS
Before Christ came, whenever a man sinned, he would bring a sin offering (say a lamb) and place his hand on the head of the innocent animal. The animal was then slaughtered to atone for the sin of the man who then went home free (Lev 4:32-33). This was done over and over again because the blood of animals could not permanently wipe away sins. This was the old Testament.
God had a better plan for mankind. A new testament was in the works that would permanently reconcile man back to God without the continuous shedding of the blood of animals. It started with a man called Abraham and through his lineage, Jesus the only begotten son of God would come and lay down his life so that the righteous requirement of the law would be fulfilled, and anyone who believed on him would become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
On the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, Barabas a notorious criminal stood on one side and a sinless Jesus stood on the other. Barabas represented the whole of sinful mankind (i.e. you and I) while Jesus was the unblemished lamb of God about to be put to death instead of Barabas. Picture it in your mind – God’s final act to redeem us was on full display that Friday. And like the old testament, sinful mankind represented by Barabas went home free while the lamb of God was killed in his stead. No wonder Jesus last words were “it is finished”. Two days later, He rose from the dead in victory. The New Testament had began.