10.02.22 Morning - Mark 15:1-15

Open your Bibles to Mark 15:1-15.  •We are continuing our study of the Gospel of Mark.  •This morning we come to Mark’s account of our Lord’s trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.  We confess in the Apostles’ Creed that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” •Likewise, we confess in the Nicene Creed that “He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate.” •The text before us is a big part of the story of redemption, for it was before the governor Pilate that our Lord was sentenced to be crucified.  •It was at the verdict and direction of Pilate that our Lord was sent to the Cross where He accomplished His work of salvation for sinners.  As we come to this text, we come to bear witness to the greatest miscarriage of justice that Gentiles have ever committed: The condemnation of the Son of God.  •Two weeks ago we witnessed the greatest miscarriage of justice that the Jews ever committed. And it was the same as our Lord was on trial before the Sanhedrin.  •We will see that our Lord, though He did no wrong and no guilt was found in Him, was condemned to death as if He were a guilty man.  •We will see the chief priests lie and twist His words to Pilate in order to secure a guilty verdict.  •We will see the crowds cry out for His crucifixion without any reason for doing so.  •And we will see Pilate condemn the spotless, sinless Lamb of God to the death of the cross while KNOWING that He was innocent of any wrongdoing.  We will bear witness to injustice this morning.  •But by doing so, we will see things in the text that instruct us, call us to repentance, and call us to glory in Christ crucified for sinners.  A couple of notes about this sermon before we begin: 1. To get the fullest picture of what happened at this trial, you need to read the parallel accounts in Matthew 27, Luke 23, and John 18. (Do that sometime today.) •But I plan on sticking fairly close to Mark’s account and making only a few references to the parallels.  2. When I preach, I usually try to find a unifying theme of the passage and drive that point home as best I can while making a few related sub-points.  •But this past week, I didn’t see that so much in the text. (Due to my own ignorance and lack of ability as a preacher.) •But I did see multiple things in the text that I believe are profitable for us to think on together this morning.  •I’m telling you this so you’re not confused if the points of this sermon seem to be a little disconnected.  •I often find devotional commentaries that point out various things in a text, even if they’re seemingly unrelated, to be edifying, encouraging, and warming to my    soul.  •And I suppose that this sermon is kind of in that vein of things.  This morning, we’ll consider five things together: 1. The Injustice Done to Christ 2. The Silent Love of Christ 3. The Sovereignty of God over the Wicked Actions of Men 4. Barabbas and Jesus as a Picture of the Gospel 5. The Choice Between Barabbas and Jesus.  •May God bless us as we are instructed by His Word this morning.  Now, if you would and are able, please stand with me for the reading of the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God.  Mark 15:1-15 [1] And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.  [2] And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”  [3] And the chief priests accused him of many things.  [4] And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”  [5] But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. [6] Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.  [7] And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.  [8] And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.  [9] And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”  [10] For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.  [11] But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.  [12] And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”  [13] And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”  [14] And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.”  [15] So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (PRAY) Our Heavenly Father,  Your Word is glorious. It makes the simple wise, it strengthens the weak, it encourages the fainthearted, and it points sinners to the Savior, Jesus Christ.  And it does so because you bless the proclamation of the Word and apply to our hearts.  So we ask this morning that you would bless us by opening our hearts to receive the Word of God with humility, reverence, obedience, and faith.  Speak to us today. By your Holy Spirit, rebuke us, grant us repentance, encourage our faint hearts, and show us our Savior, your only begotten Son.  Glorify yourself today through the preaching of your Word.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen.  1.) Let’s begin by walking through the text a bit so we can see what happened at Jesus’ trial. •Mark begins by telling us that “as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council.” •The Sanhedrin assembled again after their illegal night trial. And they did so for a couple of reasons: 1. Possibly to give the appearance of legality. They were meeting in the day to ratify the guilty verdict they came to a few hours earlier.  2. They had to agree on what charges they were going to bring against Jesus before Pilate.  •You see, the Romans reserved the right to execute criminals. So, the Sanhedrin couldn’t carry out the death sentence they had passed on Jesus.  •And Pilate wouldn’t care about their religious laws about blasphemy.  •So if they took Jesus to Pilate saying, “He blasphemed our God and deserves the death sentence,” Pilate would say, “That’s not my problem. I don’t care about your Jewish religion. He has committed no capital crime in the eyes of Rome. Deal with it yourself.” •And so, the Sanhedrin held a consultation to try to figure out what they were going to accuse Jesus of that the Roman government would see as a capital offense.  •So, having agreed on a charge, “they bound Jesus and led Him away and delivered Him over to Pilate.” So what was their charge?  •Pilate’s question to Jesus reveals it: “Are you the King of the Jews?” •The Sanhedrin told Pilate that Jesus deserved execution because He claimed to be the King of the Jews.  •And this is technically correct. At the trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus confessed that He is the CHRIST.  •And the Christ, the Messiah, is the Son of David, the heir of David’s throne. The Messiah is the King of the Jews. The King they were all waiting for who would save them.  Jesus is the King of the Jews. He is the Messiah.  •But, as we read in John 18, Jesus told Pilate that His Kingdom is “not of this world.” Jesus is the King of the Jews, but He is not the King of an earthly nation.  •Jesus did not come to found a geopolitical entity. He came to establish the Kingdom of God and bring sinners into it by saving them through His Cross.  •He came to establish God’s rule over the world through the Messiah. But He did not come to overthrow the Roman government by military means.  But the Sanhedrin twisted His words.    •They took His claim to be the Messiah and made it out to be a claim against Caesar.  •It’s something like this: “This Jesus claims to be the King of the Jews. But Caesar is the King of the Jews. So Jesus is a threat to Caesar’s rule and is planning some kind of revolution against Rome.” •And Pilate would’ve been very, very interested in such a charge. This is sedition. This is treason against Caesar. This is a threat to Rome. And this is a capital offense. NOTE: See the hypocrisy here. •The Jews hated Rome. The Jewish religious leaders hated Rome as well.  •But here they are acting as if they are friends of Caesar and want to protect the Roman Empire from an insurrectionist. (Though the chief priests will later stir up the crowd to ask for a convicted insurrectionist.) •They lie through their teeth, twist Jesus’ words, and act hypocritically in order to get Pilate to condemn the Lord.  According to John 18, Pilate asks Jesus privately if He is the King of the Jews.  •And then a conversation between Pilate and Jesus ensues about His Kingdom. •Mark doesn’t record any of that. He only tells us the barebones facts of the trial.  •Mark tells us “And Pilate asked Him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, ‘You have said so.’” •Here Jesus gives an affirmation of His Kingship. He functionally says, “Yes.” •But His answer is stated in such a way that it’s a little veiled. Many commentators think (and I agree with them) that Jesus meant “You have said that I am a King. But not a king like you’re thinking.” •For Pilate and Jesus, being King of the Jews meant two radically different things. Pilate was thinking politically. Jesus meant it with regard to salvation, eternal life, and the reign of God over His People in the world.  After this, our Lord doesn’t speak again at His trial.  •He had a private conversation with Pilate about the nature of His Kingdom, and He affirmed that He is the King of the Jews. And then He was finished talking.  But Mark tells us that “the chief priests accused Him of many things.”  •Beyond His claim to be King of the Jews, Mark records no other charges.  •But Luke 23:2 records them as saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a king.” •These are all serious accusations against the Lord. And the first two are lies. And the last is a twisting of His words.  •But He remained silent.  And Mark tells us that His silence amazed Pilate (v5).  •This is probably because to remain silent was a form of accepting the charges against you.  •Prisoners being accused of capital crimes aren’t silent like this. They fight for their lives. They give the best defense they can give.  •But here Jesus does not. He says that He is the King of the Jews. And then He says nothing else.  •He is full of quiet, calm, regal, majestic, tranquility as He stands before Pilate.  •I’m sure the Roman governor had never seen anything like this before.  •John 18 tells us that after his talk with Jesus, Pilate told the Jewish rulers that he found no guilt in Him. He believed that Jesus was innocent and did not deserve death.  •Pilate wasn’t a believer. But Pilate could see through what the chief priests were trying to do. V10 says that he recognized that it was out of their ENVY toward Jesus that they wanted Him to be crucified.  Mark then tells us in v6 about an odd tradition that Pilate had started as governor: •Each year at Passover, it was Pilate’s custom to release a condemned prisoner. He let the Jews decide and cry out their choice and then he let them go.  •This was probably to try and gain favor with the Jews under his rule who hated him. And probably also to try to encourage them to view the Roman Empire as a gracious ruler over them.  In v7 Mark tells us that there was a man named Barabbas who had committed murder in the insurrection.  •We don’t know what insurrection this was. But apparently, Barabbas and some other men had staged something of a small revolution against Rome. But, obviously they didn’t succeed.  •And Barabbas was sentenced to death for his crime.  •And the crowd went to Pilate and asked him to “do as he usually did for them.” They wanted Pilate to release a prisoner. And Pilate thought that maybe he could get them to choose Jesus.  •Mark tells us, “And he answered them saying, ‘Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’” •He asked them if they wanted him to release the Lord Jesus Christ.  •But the chief priests had already gotten to the crowd and instructed them to choose Barabbas, the murderer and rebel, instead.  •And the crowd blindly listened to their religious rulers and cried out for Barabbas’ release.  So Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” •By this point, Pilate had already had Jesus scourged (beaten severely, nearly to the point of death). You can read that in John 18.  •Perhaps Pilate thought that they would look upon Jesus, bloody and beaten nearly to death, and decide that was punishment enough.  •But no. It wasn’t. Not for this demonic crowd under the control of sin and Satan and at the direction of the chief priests.  •So they cried out, “Crucify Him.” Pilate, knowing that Jesus is innocent, asks them, “Why? What evil has He done?” •Mark then records one of the most chilling statements in the entire Bible: “But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify Him.’” •They gave no reason. There was no reason. They blindly raged against the sinless Son of God. And they demanded that He be nailed to a cross and killed.  And then Pilate, being the coward that he was, and not wanting to risk a riot in Jerusalem, bowed down to the hateful will of the crowd.  •Mark says, “So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.” Brothers and sisters, words escape to describe the level of evil we’ve just witnessed in the text.  •Our Lord was condemned by Pontius Pilate. And sentenced to crucifixion.  •At the end of this trial, Pilate would’ve sat in the judgment seat and, in Latin, told the Lord Jesus, “You shall mount the cross.” •And the Innocent One was condemned for us.  •As the hymn says, “In my place, condemned He stood.” 2.) Let’s first consider the Injustice Done to Christ and how it highlights the heinous nature of sin.  •The Sanhedrin falsely accused Him and twisted His words to try and condemn Him.  •The crowd blindly hated Him. Having no reason to cry for His crucifixion, they shouted all the more.  •Pilate, being fully convinced that Jesus did not deserve to die, consigns Him to a cross anyway to try and preserve his position as governor.  •All of this was done to the Innocent Lord. •All of this was done to the One who deserved no mistreatment.  Hear me: It’s never OK to wrong anyone.  •But when we see an evil person being wronged by others, we at least can somewhat understand why they wronged the evil man. (Revenge.) •When we see a wicked person receive injustice from others, sometimes we think, “Well, that guy kind of had it coming anyway. So, whatever.” •That’s not right. But we do think it sometimes.  •But with Jesus, none of this makes sense! •What wrong had He done? What harm had He done? What legitimate, God-defined, offense had He given? •None. None. None. He had done no wrong to anyone.  The Sanhedrin could find no true charge against Him, but they condemned Him anyway out of envy.  •He had only ever done good to the people of Israel, and they cried out for His crucifixion anyway.  •He had never committed a crime and the governor condemned Him anyway.  •None of this makes sense.  This highlights how heinous the sin against Christ was that day.    •He only ever did good for people. And yet all involved sinned against Him.  •This is despicable. This is a hateful thing.  •A life of revealing God, teaching, helping the poor, loving His neighbor, healing the sick, pointing people to salvation, doing good works, all of that was repaid with lies, cowardice, and shouts for His death on a cross.  •Those involved in this trial sinned grievously against the Lord Jesus Christ. For He was innocent and could only be charged with doing good.  And, in light of this, a thought occurred to me this week that I simply couldn’t get away from, so I’ll just jump right into it:  •Brothers and sisters, all sin is against this innocent Christ. (No matter what the sin is, it’s against Him. ) •He is God. And all sin is first and foremost against God. So all sin is first and foremost against Christ.  •It’s against this innocent Christ who has only ever done good for all men.  •And yet, man sins against Him anyway. Is this not grievous? Is this not, in it’s own way, just as grievous as those who sinned against Him at His trial? •He doesn’t deserve it. And yet, mankind does not care.  Tell me, what wrong has He done to make men hate Him and rebel against Him? •He gives life and breath, food and drink, sunshine and rain, clothes, family, pleasure, laughter, and every other good thing to His creation.  •And, just like the crowd, man hates Him without cause and rebels against Him.  •No reason is given. And whatever reasons may be given are false accusations and insolent words from petulant children.  •And against all reason, knowing that He is Creator, Sustainer, Gift-Giver, Gracious King, and Judge of all, sinful man still rages against God.  •Mankind has no reason to hate and rebel against Him, and yet that is what we see every day around us.  •Mankind owes every good thing to Christ, all has come from Him to us by grace, and yet man sins against this good, kind, and innocent Jesus.  See the sinfulness and madness of sin! •Does not sin against such an innocent One deserve Hell? Surely it does! •Surely, the punishment fits the crime. Surely God is just to punish wicked men who sin against the holy and innocent Christ.  •He has done no wrong to anyone, but has only ever blessed, and yet sinful man rages against Him.  But, brothers and sisters, how much more heinous is the sin of those who belong to Christ by faith? •How much more grievous is the sin of the Christian? •The unbeliever rages, mocks, scorns, and rejects Him who has shown them common grace. But when we sin we sin against saving grace and the light of Scripture.  •We know Him. We are objects of His saving grace. We are members of His covenant. We KNOW how good, kind, and innocent He is. We KNOW more than anyone the beauty, holiness, and glory of Christ.  •And yet, we choose to sin as well.  Brothers and sisters, let me ask you a question: •What has He ever done to you to make you want to sin against Him? •What wrong has He done to you to make you want to treat Him so badly by sinning against Him? •Just as we look at the Sanhedrin, the crowd, and Pilate and say, “What did He do to you to make you hate Him so much?,” we must also ask ourselves, “What wrong has He done to me that I would rebel against Him?” •Christian, He did not deserve to be treated so shamefully that day. And He does not deserve to be treated so shamefully by us when we choose sin over Him.  NOTE: I’m NOT saying that you “hurt” Jesus when you sin. I don’t believe that.  •As Job 35:6-7 says, “If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? If you are righteous, what do you give to Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?” •We cannot hurt God. If we sin, we don’t hurt Him. And if we obey, we don’t add to Him.  •What I’m saying is, humanly speaking, “What did Jesus ever do to you to make you treat Him so badly and sin against Him?” •I want you to think on that. And I want you to remind yourself of that question in the hour of temptation.  And I hope that pointing this out to you will be a deterrent to all of us against temptation to sin against Christ.  •I want us all to see the sinfulness of sin.  •I want us all to see how heinous it is.  •And seeing that, I want us all to be able to say along with Joseph: “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9b) •I want us to think of how good, pure, and innocent Christ is. I want us to think of how good He has been to us. And then when temptation comes, I hope we can all say, “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against my innocent and good Lord Jesus?” The heinousness of the sin involved in this trial reveals to us how heinous all sin really is.  •For it is all against Christ.  3.) Second, let’s consider the Silent Love of Christ.  •In the face of all this injustice and mistreatment, our Lord remains silent.  •“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and a like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7) •He affirmed that He is the King of the Jews. And He explained that His Kingdom is not of this world. But He gives no defense at the trial.  But why the silence? •His silence here is for the same reason He was silent the night before at His trial before the Sanhedrin: He is resolved to go to the Cross.  •He has submitted Himself to the will of God. And it is the will of God for Him to die.  •It’s the will of God for Him to be nailed to a tree and bear the curse of our sin for, “cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13) Jesus kept silent so that He could be condemned.  •He gave no defense at His trial before Pilate because He had no desire to win the trial. Rather, His desire was to win salvation for us by His blood.  •He knew that His silence would lead to His condemnation. So He kept silent in order to be condemned for our sake.  •He kept silent so He would be counted guilty. Counted guilty for us.  Pilate was somewhat sympathetic to Him at the beginning.  •And Jesus is the most brilliant man to ever live. Surely, He could’ve given a defense and walked. He could’ve appealed to Pilate and molded his will like putty.  •But, no, He did nothing of the sort. Why? So He could die for us.  O sinner, see! •See His love for sinners! See His love for you! •He desired to save His People. He hasn’t come this far to back down now. There is work to be done. There is salvation to be won. And He will not stop until He can cry from the Cross, “IT IS FINISHED!” •He does not desire to save His own life. He desires to save those whom the Father had given to Him.  •He desired to die, not in a morbid sense but because by His death He would grant us life! •His silence is our salvation! His silence is His love for us! He stood condemned in His silence. And He did it for us.  •John Calvin said, “The Son of God stood, as a criminal, before a mortal man, and there permitted Himself to be accused and condemned, that we may stand boldly before God.” •Hear that! The eternal Son of God stood condemned before one of His own creatures, a mere man. He subjected Himself to the lowest of lows.  •And He didn’t defend Himself one bit.  •And by His silence that led to His death, our mouths are opened to cry out to God, “Abba! Father!” He allowed Himself to be condemned by both Jew and Gentile.  •Why? So that he might have mercy on both. So that He might have mercy on the world.  •And so, He kept silent in order to go to the Cross unhindered.  See His love! •Stand amazed! There has never been a love like this.  •No one has ever loved you like this! •As the hymn says, “Amazing love! How can it be? That Thou my God shouldst die for me!” •Be encouraged, sinner. Not encouraged to sin. But encouraged that He loves sinners and desires to have mercy on them.  •He did this for you. He loves you. His silence proves it.  4.) Third, this text reveals the Sovereignty of God Over the Wicked Actions of Men. •In Mark 10:33-34 our Lord said, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise.” •Brothers and sisters, everything, and I mean everything, was going exactly according to the plan of God.  •Jesus was in Jerusalem, was delivered over to the religious rulers by Judas, they condemned Him to death at the night trial and handed Him over to the Gentile authorities for execution.  •He has been and will be even more mocked, and spit on.  •He has been scourged by the Romans (flogged).  •And Pilate sentenced Him to death.  •The only left His actual dying and then His Resurrection.  •EVERYTHING was going just as God had willed.  The Sanhedrin, the crowd, and Pilate were all sinning terribly in this event.  •And yet, in the midst of it, God was working His holy will to save His People.  •They “delivered Him over to Pilate,” but God was delivering Him up for us all! •Pilate perverted justice in order to maintain his own position and peace in Jerusalem, but God was at work satisfying divine justice and making peace with God through the blood of His Son.  •The chief priests worked to stir up the crowd to demand Jesus’ crucifixion, but God was a work causing Christ to bear our curse by hanging on a tree.  All the wicked men involved were unknowingly fulfilling the predestined plan of God to save the world.  •The were speeding Christ to His Cross, as it were.  •They were pushing Him toward His glorious work of redemption.  •And THEY HAD NO IDEA what they were doing.  •They were doing their own sinful desires and sinning grievously against Christ to their own condemnation.  •And at the exact same time, they were doing exactly what God had predestined to take place for His glory and the good of His People.  •Jesus, the Greater Joseph, can say, “…you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20) They were sinning, yes. They are guilty, yes. They are responsible and must answer to God for it, yes.  •That is all true. No denying it.  •And at the exact same time, they were fulfilling the will of God.  •In His sinless and unfathomable wisdom, God was using the sinfulness of man to accomplish His good purposes to save sinners.    Brothers and sisters, let me encourage you: The wicked are ALWAYS unknowingly accomplishing the sovereign purposes of God.  •Whether they like it or not. Whether they realize it or not.  •It doesn’t matter. GOD CANNOT AND WILL NOT BE STOPPED.  •He accomplishes all His holy will ALWAYS.  •Nothing is ever out of control. Even sins committed, though they are truly sins and men are truly responsible for them, are part of the glorious plan of God to bless and save His saints.  Take comfort in this, Christian! •Have you been wronged? Do you see much evil in the world? Do you see the Church of Christ maligned and harmed in the world?  •Do you see the righteous suffer at the hands of the wicked? Do you have pain? Are you enduring a great trial?  •Does everything seem black and awful? •Sin is real. These things happen. We see all of this.  •But know this: Our God is at work in the midst of it all. He’s saving and sanctifying His People. He’s pushing all things to their end of glorifying Him.  •Everything is always going exactly according to his sovereign and predetermined plan. Even sin! •Nothing is purposeless because God is sovereign. Nothing happens apart from His sovereign will.  •And no one can stop Him! All men are knowingly or unknowingly doing just as He has planned. •No one can thwart His designs to do you good in the end.  Trust Him! In all things, trust Him! •As you see evil in the world, remember our Lord Jesus at His trial and remember that God is sovereign.  •And say with your Lord, “They mean it for evil. But God means it for good.” 5.) Now we come to the greatest thing for us to consider from this text: A Picture of the Gospel.  •The crowd cried out for Barabbas. And Barbbas was set free and lived.  •But our Lord took His place.  •Barabbas lived because Jesus died.  •Jesus took His place.  •Brothers and sisters, this is the Gospel.  Jesus wasn’t the only man crucified that day.  •There were two others with Him. There were scheduled executions. And Barabbas was in prison with other men who were insurrectionists.  •It’s not unreasonable to think that Barabbas was supposed to be crucified that day for his part in the insurrection.  •If that’s the case, then we see that Jesus went to the cross that Barabbas should’ve hung upon.  •Barabbas should’ve died that day. But Jesus died instead.  •Barabbas, though guilty, was treated as innocent. And Jesus, the innocent, was condemned as guilty.  •WHAT A PICTURE OF THE WORK OF JESUS! Barabbas, a rebel and a murderer, goes free. And Christ, the innocent Son of God, dies instead.  •Brothers and sisters, we are Barabbas. We are the ones worthy of death. We are the guilty.  •And, praise God, we are the ones who go free as our Lord hangs on our cross.  •We are the ones who live as He dies our death.  •We are the ones who escape judgment as He suffers our punishment from God.  Beloved, this is the Gospel: Jesus in your place.  •Substitution is the favorite concept of the Christian.  •Jesus, our Substitute, suffered God’s wrath for our sin and died in our place. He suffered and died in our room and stead.  •He took our sin on Himself and traded us places.  •Blessed substitution! Glorious substitution! •Jesus took our place!  Hear me: We don’t grow past this, Christian! •We don’t move on to deeper and better things.  •This is THE THING!  •This is our theme. This is our constant meditation. This is our amazement. This is our song. This is our joy! •Jesus in our place! •As the Apostle Peter said, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18) •Jesus in our place! •As Charles Spurgeon once said, “My entire theology can be condensed into four words: Jesus died for me.” •Amen! •Don’t ever lose your wonder at this! This is the most blessed truth in all the Word of God: Jesus died for you! We are all by nature in the same position as Barabbas: Guilty, murderous, wicked, and deserving of God’s wrath. •But Christ has died for the ungodly.  •As the Apostle Paul wrote, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) •As JC Ryle said, “Let us bless God that we have such a glorious salvation set before us. Our plea must ever be, not that we are deserving of acquittal, but that Christ has died for us.” •Christ in our place is our only plea.  •And it is our plea because He actually did it.  •He died for all who would believe on Him.  6.) We now come to the final point of this sermon. And it serves as application today: The Choice Between Jesus and Barabbas.  •The crowd had to choose. The choice was put before them: Jesus or Barabbas.  Barbbas was an insurrectionist and a murderer.  •He was something of a freedom fighter. He fought against Rome. He fought for Jewish independence.  •He, in a sense, offered the Jews the opportunity for political freedom.  •For our purposes, see this: He offered them the world.  But Jesus, the King of the Jews, the Savior, the Son of God, offered something heavenly: •He offered salvation to all who would come to Him.  •He offered truth. He offered peace with God. He offered eternal citizenship in His Kingdom.  •He offered untold comforts in the Holy Spirit.  •He offered eternal and heavenly things.  •He offered better things. He Himself is better.  But the crowd chose the earthly.  •The crowd chose the transient and earthly instead of the heavenly.  •They wanted what Barabbas was offering.  •They wanted a would-be political savior over the Savior of the world.  •And so, the crowd chose Barabbas.  Dear congregation, we likewise must choose.  •Christ or the world? Christ or something less? Many people choose their personal Barabbas over Jesus.  •They choose something earthly over Christ.  •They choose some earthly pleasure or pursuit over the Lord of Glory and Savior of those who believe.  •And they perish in their sins.  But hear me: Only Jesus can save you.  •Only Jesus can free you from slavery to sin and Satan.  •Only Jesus can deliver you from death.  •Only Jesus can save you from yourself.  •Only Jesus can give you peace with God that is more precious than anything in this world.  You must choose. •The world or Christ? •I beg you, come to Christ. He is better.  Jesus is the only One who died for you.  •He is the only One who switched you places.  •He’s the only innocent and perfect One who deserves your allegiance.  •Choose Him.  •If you’re an unbeliever, you need to choose Him for the first time. Repent of your sins and trust that He died to take away your sin and was raised from the dead in glory on the third day. Be reconciled to God through faith in Him! And if you’re a believer, the call remains the same: •Choose Him.  •And choose Him daily.  •Jesus is better.  May God grant us all wills to choose the blessed Lord Jesus. For He is worthy. •Amen.