I am the person who reads the Bible and looks at the way people do things and think, “How could they miss it?” Especially when reading the gospels. In this passage, we meet Barabbas, a murderer and rebel. He is the worst criminal in jail, and Pilate has given the Jewish people the choice of who he is going to release, Jesus or Barabbas. Now the logical choice to us here is Jesus, but in God’s plan, our logical choice is not always his choice. Jesus is standing here silent, knowing fully he had not done anything wrong and hears the crowd call for Barabbas to be be freed. At this moment, God had to treat Jesus like Barabbas so that God could treat Barabbas like Jesus. Jesus willingly stood in the place for a criminal who will more than likely reject him.
As we are at the midway point of Holy Week and are looking toward Resurrection Sunday, the question is who have we written off as not worthy of Jesus’s love because of what they have done? Have we written ourselves off? Jesus willingly went to the cross for you and for me. There is nothing any of us could do to disqualify us from being able to accept the gift of life. Jesus even went to the cross for the person we think will reject him. Who in your life needs to hear that Jesus loves them no matter what they have done? Seek these people out. Find the “unlovable” people, and share the love of Jesus with them.
VC Devotionals 