2022 Wk 16: Lesson 2
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Easter Sunday: Our Risen Savior
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Generosity Moment
“The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.”
Galatians 6:8 TPT
Bumper Video: Barabbas
Lesson Part A
Barabbas: The Great Exchange
GUILTY BUT NOT PUNISHED
Have you ever been guilty of something but ended up not being punished?
THOSE OF YOU WHO DRIVE—HAVE YOU EVER HAD THAT SICKED FEELING & FLASHING LIGHTS
That sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach when the flashing lights of a patrol car came up behind you.
You are speeding, how much will this cost you?
How much will your insurance go up. You hope your registration is in the glove box and still current. And then . . .
THE OFFICER FLIES BY
and pulls over the guy in the car just ahead of you. This must be your lucky day!
Too bad for the other guy—he took your place and got the ticket today!
Maybe that little scare caused you to drive with your hands at ten and two on the steering wheel as you slowed down to the speed limit.
or perhaps you settled back into your seat with one hand on the wheel and floored it since the other guy got caught instead of you. Regardless, you lived to drive another day without a speeding ticket!
Most of us who drive can relate to that speeding-ticket-escape scenario,
chances are low that any of us have found ourselves locked up on death row.
If we were on death row…
That’s the bottom line of our lesson today —
Jesus died in Barabbas’ place on the cross and inevitably for you and for me.
Yes, it was the Great Exchange.
the Prince of Peace, took the place of Barabbas, more than a robber and more like a violent insurrectionist, who was let go!
LAST WEEK in the video
Mary TAUGHT us—
that Jesus is everything we need, but nothing we expect.
That He is in control and is already on the other side of our “ifs” . . .
“if” I hadn’t failed that test . . .
“if” I didn’t have that DWI . . .
“if” I just worked a little harder . . .
“if” I would have checked in the rear-view mirror . . .
“if” I would have listened to my parents . . .
Today may we recognize our “ifs” and ask Jesus to give us the strength today to move forward in following him day by day.
to be partakes of The Great Exchange.
TODAY TWO SAVIORS
And TWO DISCIPLES
The great reformer Martin Luther has been credited in labeling today’s event...
“The Great Exchange”
Saying— “This is where the innocent one, Jesus, became guilty so that the guilty might become innocent.” ~Martin Luther
New Testament theologian N.T. Wright suggested, “The story of Barabbas invites us to see Jesus’ crucifixion in terms of a stark personal exchange.
Barabbas deserved to die;
Jesus dies instead, and
Barabbas goes free.”
All four gospels reference this great exchange of Jesus for Barabbas.
However, the Bible is silent regarding what happened to Barabbas after he was released on that Friday Jesus went to the cross in his place.
What the Bible writers do speak about is what kind of person Barabbas was.
Barabbas
Matthew called him a notorious prisoner:
This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.*
Mark described him as a rebel:
And the one named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder in the rebellion.
Luke say’s, Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and known for being a murderer”
(Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)
In Acts, Luke clarifies that Barabbas is a murderer in Acts 3.
For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer.
John writes…
Pilate tried to release Jesus, but he was overcome by the crowd’s insistence that he release Barabbas instead. Notice the description of Barabbas in John 18:40.
John 18:38–40 (NLT)
“What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary, a robber.)
The word John used to describe Barabbas as a “robber” is the Greek word lestes (lace-taste).
While lestes can mean “robber,”
it’s probably more accurate to say that the word refers to someone who’s an insurrectionist.
In fact, the same word is translated as “insurrection” in Mark 15:7 and Luke 23:19.
Biblical scholar D.A. Carson noted,
Neither theft nor violent robbery was a capital offense, but insurrection was.
In the eyes of many of the people he would not be a “notorious” villain, but a hero.
The reason Barabbas may have been viewed by some as a HERO
was because the Israelites were sick and tired of the oppression and occupation by Rome.
Some may have seen Barabbas as a man who was trying to save his people from the Roman machine.
Regarding Barabbas’ official name (Broadman),
There is substantial manuscript evidence that “Jesus Barabbas” was his name. . . .
If the name Jesus is original for Barabbas, Pilate’s question is pointed. Which Jesus did they want released?
Jesus means Savior
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Each offered himself as a savior,
Jesus the Christ as the Savior from sins and
Jesus Barabbas as a savior from Rome.
The crowd, stirred up by the chief priests and elders, chose Barabbas.
Some scholars suggest that the two men crucified with Jesus may have been part of the insurrection with Barabbas.
Matthew 27:38 hints at this:
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
It’s likely that these men were being crucified because they—like Barabbas—were part of the insurrection.
They weren’t being crucified because they stole a jug of milk or broke into a neighbor’s house—they were involved in something much bigger than mere robbery.
D.A. Carson suggested,
The fact that three crosses were prepared strongly suggests that Pilate already had ordered that preparations be made for the execution of the three rebels.
If so, Jesus the Messiah actually took the place of the rebel Jesus Barabbas because the people preferred the political rebel and nationalist hero to the Son of God.
As the Barabbas character said in the scene we just watched: “He took my place, and this changes everything.”
It truly was the great exchange.
Pilate couldn’t believe that the crowd wanted Barabbas released instead of Jesus. Over and over in the four gospel accounts we see Pilate expressing Jesus’ innocence:
What evil has he done? . . . I’m innocent of this man’s blood. (Matthew 27:23-24)
Pilate ultimately chose to release Barabbas and condemn Jesus to death:
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
And with such political threats from the swelling Jewish mob, Pilate satisfied the crowds rather than doing what he believed was right.
Maybe politics have taken priority over principle in our own culture today?
Have you found yourself making decisions to satisfy the crowd rather than doing what you know is right?
Have you . . .
Stayed quiet when you knew you should speak up?
Who in your life influences your decisions?
Pilate’s insecurities and fear led him to have Jesus scourged and sent off to his death.
The great exchange was underway.
Listen again to the haunting words from Barabbas: “He took my place, and this changes everything.”
The MARCH to the CROSS was filled with anguish that should have been Barabbas’ pain and suffering—that should have been ours.
Remember the Isaiah 53 passage Jesus so identified with on our behalf.”
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
This is a prophecy from Isaiah about Jesus, and it leads to Barabbas and ALL THE WAY to us.
The apostle Peter later would recall the same vicarious suffering that Jesus endured at the great exchange:
He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed.
It should have been Barabbas scourged and led to death on the cross at Calvary.
It should have been you.
It should have been me.
But instead, the great exchange took place, it was Jesus.
(N.T. Wright said,
This is in fact the climax and focus of the whole Gospel . . .
All sinners, all rebels, all the human race are invited to see themselves in the figure of Barabbas; and, as we do, we discover in this story that Jesus comes to take our place, under condemnation for sins and wickedness great and small. . . .
God’s mercy reaches out where human mercy could not, not only sharing, but in this case substituting for, in the sinner’s fate.
Perhaps the question posed by Pilate still echos in the ears, heart, and life of Barabbas for years after that mercy-filled day:
Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
The more important question is...
What shall YOU and I do with Jesus who is called Christ?
The apostle Paul summed up the great exchange in 2 Corinthians 5:21
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
The great exchange is waiting for you.
This isn’t a speeding ticket to get out of—this is a life change, the Great Exchange.
Yes, Jesus took your place—and this changes everything.
BUT WE CAN’T STOP HERE
DEATH IS NOT TO BE THE VICTOR!
[TURN OFF THE LIGHTS]
Bumper Video: B
[LEAVE THE LIGHTS OFF]
Lesson Part B
Peter & John:
Peter and John: Lightbulb Moments📷
Luke 24: 1-12
Luke 24: 1-12
(At the conclusion of the video, leave the room in darkness for a moment before turning on a single light bulb.)
In November 1879, Thomas Edison filed a patent for the first light bulb.
Because of his invention, flipping on a light switch can dispel the darkness as a light bulb brightens a room and allows you to see what’s going on around you.
(Gradually increase the light after you make your point about a light bulb dispelling the darkness. Optional: Throughout the sermon, turn on additional light bulbs in order to reinforce the metaphor—the places where this might be particularly effective are flagged throughout the text.)
What we just saw depicted in the video was Peter having a light-bulb moment on that first Easter Sunday.
Peter had been in the dark about everything that had happened to Jesus over the weekend.
As Peter processed things with his friend and fellow disciple, John,
what was once dark and confusing suddenly became light and clear.
Think about a time in your life when you had a light-bulb moment.
Where were you?
What were the circumstances?
What happened?
Was it a clarifying moment of good news or not-so-good news?
Maybe
a job offer that came to you while you were in a dead-end job or
when you were a kid trying to learn how to tie your shoe.
Maybe your light-bulb moment came in the form of a diagnosis.
Your light-bulb moment may have happened at school, on the phone, at work, or as you were driving in your car thinking about some conversations.
LOL--Maybe your light-bulb moment happened when you were sitting in the dark and you heard that unmistakable voice say those astonishing words you have never forgotten: (In your best Darth Vader voice) “LUKE, I AM YOUR FATHER!”
The light bulb came on! Maybe in that moment you responded as Luke did: “No . . . no . . . no . . . That’s impossible!”
Perhaps when it comes to God, Jesus, or the Bible, there have been moments when you could see clearly and everything made sense—and maybe there have been other times that left you wondering,
“God, what in the world is going on? God, what are you doing?
God, why is this happening? God, what does this mean for my life?
God, my life feels chaotic and unclear. God, would you shed some light on my life, please?”
That’s how the disciples and other followers of Jesus felt at the beginning of that first Easter Sunday morning.
But as the day wore on, the light bulbs began to come on for them.
Peter was more like us than we may realize.
His confusion can be seen on that first morning after Jesus rose from the dead. The story is found in Luke 24:1-12:
But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
If you look closely at the Easter story, you’ll notice something about how Peter responded. Let’s look again at verse 12:
However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
The word for “wondering” is “marveling” in the ESV.
“Wondering” is the original language translation of the Greek word, thaumazon (thou-matzo).
It is used in other places throughout the book of Luke—usually in situations where people are left to wonder about hard-to-understand stuff. Let’s look at some scenes where people are left to wonder in the dark before a light-bulb moment of clarity:
One:
After Jesus was born and Joseph and Mary took him to the temple to be presented for dedication, a man named Simeon spoke words of prophecy and blessing over Jesus and what his life would entail. In Luke 2:33 it says, “And his father and his mother marveled [or wondered/thaumazon] at what was said about him.”
Two:
When Jesus was in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, a storm arose, and the disciples woke Jesus so he could save them. Jesus rebuked the wind and waves, and it became calm. Luke records the next part of the scene in chapter 8: “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and they marveled [or wondered/thaumazon], saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?’” (Luke 8:25).
Third:
In Luke 11, Jesus cast out a demon, and again we see “wondered/thaumazon” as the response of the people present at this miracle: “Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled [or wondered/thaumazon]” (Luke 11:14).
According to the text,
this was how Peter was feeling on that Easter Sunday morning.
Luke says Peter responded to what he saw—or didn’t see—with a sense of thaumazon . . . wonder.
In his state of confusion, Peter was marveling and trying to see clearly. What might he have been thinking?
Maybe something like this:
The tomb is empty except for the grave linens and the neatly folded wrap that had once been around Jesus’ head . . .
Why would a grave robber unwind a body?
It would have been easier to steal a dead body if it were wound up. Plus, the wraps and burial spices were worth money.
This doesn’t make any sense.
Who would have done this?
Where could they have taken him?
Peter thought the resurrection was coming at the end of the age—not now.
Resurrection was supposed to be a grand and sweeping conclusion—not something that would take place today.
And so Peter continued to wonder . . . thaumazon . . . as if he were in a dark room, not able to see things clearly just yet.
What are you wondering about today?
Is there something going on in your life where you are experiencing thaumazon—wondering...like Peter was that first Easter?
Are you in the middle of processing pieces of your life, trying to make order out of some chaos? Is the room you find yourself in today still dark?
Are you wondering what to do regarding a next step for your family?
Are you wondering about college applications, or job applications, or
how to handle that tax situation coming up in a couple of weeks?
Perhaps Peter’s light-bulb moment had not yet happened—but it was on the horizon.
Perhaps yours is coming soon, too.
In the video we saw Peter wondering with John. John already had that light-bulb moment—that was clear through how he helped Peter process on their way back from the empty tomb.
Let’s look at what it says in John’s account of the empty tomb.
The other disciple with Peter isn’t named, but scholars believe it was John who was with him.
Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings.
We don’t know exactly when Peter or John had their light-bulb moments. We do see a flicker of light for John based on what he wrote in verse 8, and we see the light bulb burning brightly for them in verse 9:
Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.
Maybe the part where it says John “saw and believed” is when the light-bulb moment happened.
He started putting the pieces together.
He started remembering what Jesus had told them. It says they didn’t understand the Scripture . . . YET.
However, the light bulbs were starting to come on in their lives.
Let me ask you a question this morning:
What is something you need to remember that Jesus said?
Let me help you remember 12 things Jesus said that will begin to bring light into our darkness:
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. (John 14:1)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:7)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. (Matthew 19:21)
(Turn a light bulb on)
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:34)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
(Turn a light bulb on.)
“Do you believe this?”
That’s the key question today.
AS PILATE SAID:
What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?
DO YOU BELIEVE?
And perhaps you just needed some time to look at the Easter story with fresh eyes today so you could answer: “Yes! I do believe this!”
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, may this Easter be the beginning of the light bulb coming on in your life.
Jesus has defeated sin, death, Satan, and hell; the light bulb of who he is and what he has done now makes things clearer in our lives.
Jesus has rose from the grave, it demonstrated his power, authority, and the promise he gave of salvation and empowerment by his Holy Spirit all the days of our lives—a promise that can be received by all who would believe in his name.
Jesus gives us light in our darkness as we put our faith, hope, and trust in Him. And that’s why we celebrate Jesus’ life today and can face whatever comes our way tomorrow.
As the great hymn of our faith states:
“Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.”
That’s a light-bulb moment!
He is risen. He is risen, indeed!
THE GREAT EXCHANGE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE SOMETHING TO WONDER ABOUT—
There is no need to be confused this morning.
Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to
You can enter a new life today.
Jesus has paid the price.
forgiveness is your!
Call to Him today!